Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter

Author: Megan Shepherd

Series: The Madman's Daughter #1

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication date: 11/04/2013

Format: Paperback | 368 pages

Genre: YA | Science Fiction | Historical

Goodreads

To uncover the truth means risking all…

London, 1894, Juliet Monreau has built a life for herself working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumours about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Yet what she finds on the island is twisted beyond all imagining, and out of her father's control. As the island rapidly descends into chaos, she must escape the horrors of her father's creations, but not before she discovers the true extent of her father's genius - and madness - in her own blood.

My thoughts:

After Juliet's father is accused of horrendous crimes, Juliet is forced to make do with any job that will keep her off the streets. Working as a maid in the hospital, Juliet comes across something that may mean her father is still alive. Determined to find out if the accusations were true, Juliet hitches a ride with an old friend to an island filled with unnatural creatures and a dangerous murderer that leaves three claw marks as his calling card.

Wow this book had some creepy characters. I loved every minute of it. Seriously.

I'm a big fan of creepy reads - not necessarily horror but something that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. From the very first page, I could tell that this book would be a good one. The writing immediately had a feel of suspense and dark drama that was bound to creep me out. It did just that. There were creepy characters, a murderer that had everyone afraid to leave the house and bucket loads of suspense. I couldn't stop reading.

The characters were great. I loved how mysterious they were - nothing but their basic personality and history was revealed until close to the end of the read where everything got turned on its head. I found myself starting to doubt everyone, even Juliet. Were they who they said they were? Characters who seemed perfectly innocent beforehand were seen in a new light.

By the way, I loved Montgomery he was totally steamy.

The plot with Juliet and her father was amazing. He was definitely a character I won't be able to get out of my head for awhile. Totally insane. I really liked how he still managed to get into Juliet's head even when she'd decided he wasn't worth listening to - you know, because of the fact that he's a total creep who enjoys inflicting pain in the name of science.

All in all I loved this book tremendously and I can't wait to get the sequel, especially with the way it ended. Never would have called it!

My rating: 10/10

 Megan Shepherd:

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The Madman's Daughter:

1. The Madman's Daughter
2. Her Dark Curiosity
3. A Cold Legacy

Review: The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki

Title: The Accidental Empress

Author: Alison Pataki

Series: N/A

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication date: February 2015

Format: Kindle | Netgalley | 512 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Goodreads

The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.

Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. 

Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.

 

 

My thoughts:

Well this certainly made a change from the usual books I'm accustomed to reading. I liked the look of this one a lot, so even though historical fiction isn't one of my favourite genres, I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did.

What stood out to me was the writing. I knew from the first sentence i would like the book. There's just something about the writing that couldn't fail to draw you right into the story. It's so descriptive and paints a perfect picture in your mind of the lovely settings, the court's attire and more importantly, it gave such a clear image of the characters - which character's I would come to hate and which I would grow to love.

Speaking of characters, there's one who plays a huge part in this read and I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as I did Sophie, Franz's mother. I feel like I hated her a little too much though, to the point that every time her name came up in the book, I would want to stop reading for a bit. She's just nasty. Seriously, she does some disgusting things to Sisi. I felt so bad for her.

I did feel that the timings involved in the read were a little strange. It's made evident that a lot of time passes when it does, but I didn't believe the character's development at times. Sisi is a young girl at the beginning of the book and by the end she's a young woman - the transitions were a little confusing at times.

 

Another problem I had with the book was the length. Maybe not so much the length but the fact that I kept getting bored. Especially in the middle of the read, things seemed to be a little bit repetitive to me. I have to say, I'm used to books with a huge amount of action in them, so the fact that I finished this is definitely testament to the writing.

 

Overall I enjoyed this read. It's definitely a good way to get into historical fiction with the great writing and interesting plot, not the mention a character you'll love to hate.

 

My rating: 7/10

 

Allison Pataki:

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Review: Love's Legacy by Joan Avery

Title: Love's Legacy

Author: Joan Avery

Publisher: Entangled: Scandalous

Publication date: November 10th 2014

Format: ebook | 297 pages

Genre: Adult | Historical Romance

Goodreads

Grenada, British West Indies, 1875

English plantation owner Geoffrey Worth has misgivings about hiring an American widow as a governess. But while Geoffrey longs to forget the past—and the daughter who reminds him of it daily—there is still duty to consider. And Bellefleur, his plantation. This is his life now. Warmth, family, love; these things only bring pain. And scars he'll carry forever...

Elizabeth Malfonte is certainly not the aged widow he had anticipated. She's young and beautiful, with a determination that wakes something deep within Geoffrey. Yet Elizabeth hides her own secret―the babe within her womb. And despite Geoffrey's handsome―yet scarred face―her new employer has a cold and unforgiving nature that unsettles her, even as Elizabeth's wariness slowly heats to desire. 

But the bright beauty of this land is no match for the dark, ominous clouds of the past...

My thoughts:

This review is going to be pretty short because I generally didn't like this read.

If you have no connection to the characters whatsoever, how can you care about anything that happens in the book? You can't.

Seriously, everything that happened in this read did not affect me whatsoever. It was all…meh. And I hated that. I was so emotionally disconnected that there was pretty much no point in reading this.

The only saving grace this book had was the whole deal with Geoffrey's past. I couldn't guess what happened before and what was going to happen towards the end which drove me to finish the book. It was anticlimactic but at least there was that.

What can I say? I didn't like the characters. I thought there was no chemistry between any of them. Not father and daughter, between friends or husband and wife. Geoffrey and Elizabeth were no exception.

All in all this read wasn't for me. Of course, it's just my opinion and you may think differently.

My rating: 2/10

Joan Avery:

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Review: A Spy Unmasked by Tina Gabrielle

Title: A Spy Unmasked

Author: Tina Bagrielle

Publisher: Entangled: Scandalous

Publication date: November 10th 2014

Format: ebook | 285 pages

Genre: Adult | Historical Romance

Goodreads

London, 1820.

 The mission did not go quite as Robert Ware--known in society as the new Earl of Kirkland--planned. A spy in the service of His Majesty, Robert is a "guest" at a masquerade party as he retrieves vital information for a murder investigation. Until he's quite unexpectedly interrupted by an exquisite, masked woman with glittering green eyes. And a pistol she has cocked and aimed right at him... 

Lady Sophia Merrill has defiantly taken up justice's shining sword, determined to expose the brigand who murdered her eccentric but brilliant father, and stole his latest invention. Now she must masquerade as Robert's betrothed in order to infiltrate the Inventor's Society and find the killer. But the undeniable potent attraction between them not only imperils the investigation, but Sophia's reputation... and both of their lives.

My thoughts:

I've been reading a lot of books lately where the story gets split because of some event or another and I end up liking one part of the book a lot more than the other. This one was no exception. The Earl of Kirkland is a spy investigating the goings on in a secret society until Lady Sophia almost blows the whole operation. There is a point in the story where Sophia gets involved in the whole spying business a lot more than before. It's at that point where the read started to go a little off the rails in my opinion.

I liked most of the read. The espionage aspect of the story was very enjoyable. I'm not usually one for crime solving and spy novels, so to enjoy that side of it was refreshing. It gave the book the suspense and sense of adventure it needed. The spying involved was pretty simple and repetitive, but I still found myself liking it. Most of all though, I liked how the author stuck with it throughout the book. The main focus was definitely the plot and not the romance which was great.

My big problem was the ending of the book. Not so much right at the end, but several of the later chapters. Things moved way too fast. There was a really nice pace going between Sophia and Robert's relationship and then it just went full speed ahead in the worst of ways. It made sense at the start, but to have it go from 0 to 60 in just a few chapters was just terrible considering both characters refused to work together in the start. It wasn't believable in the end which was disappointing.

Overall I was pretty much on and off with this read. I liked the characters, until I didn't anymore and I liked the plot, until it became a little dry. It was okay.

My rating: 6/10

Tina Gabrielle:

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Review: Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Title: Maid of Secrets

Author: Jennifer McGowan

Series: Maids of Honour #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 2013

Format: Ebook

Genre: YA | Historical Fiction

Goodreads

If God won't save the Queen...they will.

Orphan Meg Fellowes makes her living picking pockets—until she steals from the wrong nobleman. Instead of rotting in prison like she expected, she’s whisked away to the court of Queen Elizabeth I and pressed into royal service. With a faked noble identity, Meg joins four other skilled girls in the Maids of Honor, the Queen’s secret society of protectors. 

Meg's natural abilities as a spy prove useful in this time of unrest. The Spanish Court is visiting, and with them come devious plots and hidden political motives. As threats to the kingdom begin to mount, Meg can’t deny her growing attraction to one of the dashing Spanish courtiers. But it’s hard to trust her heart in a place where royal formalities and masked balls hide the truth: not everyone is who they appear to be. Meg’s mission tests every talent she possesses, even her loyalty to her fellow Maids. With danger lurking around every corner, can she stay alive—and protect the crown?

My thoughts:

I don't read much of this genre so when I saw this read I thought it was too good an opportunity to get some historical fiction under my belt. 

I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised - I was actually really impressed with this book. I seriously couldn't put it down it was that fast paced and intense. So much happened right from the beginning and the pace didn't let up until right at the very end.

The only problem I had with this read was the way events were explained as the plot developed. It was the kind of book that waits until the very end and then just drops all of the information on you all at once. I love reading books where I can be left to connect the dots myself when little tidbits of information are left for me. In this book I was given the information but not enough to understand how it was all connected - I was just told in a big paragraph towards the end. 

Aside from that, I loved everything about this book, especially the characters. They were the kid of characters that I immediately fell in love with from the get go.  I loved Meg and her rebellious side - it led to some really tense chapters that kept me up at night to finish the book. Plus the love interest makes this book worth picking up on its own…sexy stuff right there.

Overall I loved this book and I definitely recommend it. I can't wait for the next book in the series and anything else this author comes up with!

My rating: 9/10

Jennifer McGowan:

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Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Title: Shadow of Night

Author: Deborah Harkness

Series: All Souls Trilogy #2

Publisher: Headline

Publication date: 14th Feb 2013

Format: Paperback | 672 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Paranormal | Historical | Romance

Goodreads

IT BEGAN WITH A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened. Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven...

My thoughts:

I'd been waiting for a while for this book and I have to say, I loved it even more than the first book in the trilogy, A Discovery of Witches.

The only problem I had was that i had to keep stopping and starting again since I'm doing exams at the minute. I literally had to read this a few chapters a day so as you can imagine it took a while longer than what I would've liked. 

I immediately got sucked back into Deborah's descriptive, heavily detailed writing and loved every second of it. Especially since this book has the aspect of time-travelling added to it - the way London was described and the differences between the times mentioned in the book were excellent and beyond captivating.

Of course I fell in love with the characters all over again. I really thought Diana came into her own in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of following her schooling as a weaver/witch. Diana became such a well rounded character by the end of the book, full of depth which I found wonderful. I felt the same way about Matthew if not more so. I can't believe how many secrets were revealed about his past in this book - one or two huge ones as well that you will not expect. I didn't think I could like Matthew any more than I did already but I was wrong. They both work so well together.

As for the new characters introduced I found it really hard to remember who was who for the most part. There were definitely a few who stuck out, but the rest seemed a little too inconsequential. The characters who I did know and love were amazing. They had such distinct personalities and I loved the part they played in Matt and Diana's story.

The plot was delicious. There are so many different aspects to consider in this book that I wouldn't be surprised if I read it again and found I missed out on a whole lot. It's definitely one of those complicated story lines. Can't wait to see what happens after this.

My rating: 8/10

Deborah Harkness:

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Review: The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

Title: The Other Countess

Author: Eve Edwards

Series: The Lacey Chronicles #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication date: 01 Jul 2010

Format: Paperback - 352 pages

Genre: YA - Historical Fiction

 

 

Ellie - Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none more so than the handsome new Earl of Dorset...

William Lacey has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune.

Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be, Will is destines to marry a lady worthy of his status, so the only question is - which one…?

My thoughts:

This isn't the kind of read that I usually go for but I decided to give it a go and see if I enjoy the genre. I have to say my initial reaction was that I definitely have to pick up more historical fiction including the second book of The Lacey Chronicles.

 

More than anything, what impressed me about this read was the depth to the characters. They were each as flawed as the other but owned up to it and had changed in different ways by the end of the book. 

 

I fell in love with Ellie instantly. I thought she was a well-rounded character who had a lovely fierceness to her that isn't typical to this genre. Will was also just as loveable. He came across as an arrogant snob at the beginning of the book but he soon changed. It was literally as if he knew he was behaving similar to a child and was doing his best not to - he soon stopped when Ellie came into the picture though!

 

My only problem with this book was the pace of the plot. It was pretty obvious what was going to eventually happened but it seemed to take so long to do so. It was one of those reads where it divides itself into three parts. The beginning was really fast paced and great because of the introduction of all the characters. The middle, however, went on for far too long in my opinion. It resulted in me distracting myself from the book by putting it down, trying to find something else to do. I get really disappointed when that happens - it makes a 300 page read seem like 600. By the time I got close to the end I had almost given up, however, it got so much better. It was really dramatic leading up towards the end.

 

The end was something else entirely. It was so lovely purely because of the desperation of the characters beforehand in the story. It was great to read and it made me a little desperate to get my hands on the next one.

 

All in all I would recommend this read to both readers who are a fan of historical fiction and those who are anxious to try it. Give this one a go!

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 Eve Edwards:

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The Lacey Chronicles:

1. The Other Countess
2. The Queen's Lady
3. The Rogue's Princess

Review: Debutantes

Title: Debutantes

Author: Cora Harrison

Publisher: panmacmillan

Publication date: 02/08/2012

Format: Paperback - 320 pages

Genre: YA | Historical

It's 1923 and London is a whirl of jazz, dancing and parties.

Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose Derrington are desperate to be part of it, but stuck in an enormous crumbling house in the country, with no money and no fashionable dresses, the excitement seems a lifetime away.

Luckily, the girls each have a plan for escaping their humdrum country life: Rose wants to be a novelist, Poppy a jazz musician and Daisy a famous film director. Violet, however, has only one ambition: to become the perfect Debutante, so that she can go to London and catch the eye of Prince George, the most eligible bachelor in the country.

But a house as big and old as Beech Grove Manor hides many secrets, and Daisy is about to uncover one so huge it could ruin all their plans - ruin everything - forever.

My thoughts:

This book was actually the first young adult historical fiction I've ever read. Even if it wasn't the best book I've ever read I wasn't disappointed and definitely want to read more of the historical genre - it was like Downton Abbey in a book (I love Downton Abbey).

The characters in this read was definitely the best thing about it in my opinion. I loved how unique all the sisters are in their own respect. Poppy with her jazz and outspoken personality was my favourite along with Daisy. Daisy had a little bit of an opposite personality to Poppy. She seemed to think about things a lot more and ways around them where Poppy would just dive head first and not care where she came up. 

Rose, of course, was a sweetheart which I think is what her role was in the book. As the younger sister she was just there for support and to tag along whilst trying to achieve her own dream - to become a novelist. I loved how she would constantly come out with headlines or chapter titles with every single thing that happens to any of the sisters in the book. She was a refreshing character and I looked forward to her popping up in the story.Violet, however, was a little too self-centred for my liking. She had her moments but for the most part I didn't really like her considering the other sisters did their best to help her out, especially Daisy, she was seriously under appreciated.

 

I thought that it took a while for me to actually get into the story. It started off really slow but started to pick up towards the middle. My biggest problem though was the ending. I wasn't as satisfied as you should be when you finish a book. The ending felt rushed for a start and it didn't seem resolved enough.  I would have liked each sister to have had something exciting happen to them not just one or two. 

 

Cora Harrison's writing is lovely though. Debutantes has such gorgeous description of the houses, dresses and characters which I really adored. 

 

All in all I found this to be an average read but I did enjoy the writing and reading about the characters.

 

My rating:7/10

 

 

Cora Harrison:

Goodreads | Website