Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2)

Book Review

Title: Her Dark Curiosity

Author: Megan Shepherd 

Date Published: January 28, 2014

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Page Count: 420

Rating: ★★★★.5

Goodreads Link: Her Dark Curiosity

Buy Me: B&N, Amazon, Book Depository

Meet The Author: Megan Shepherd

Synopsis: 

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three claw like slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we'll go to save them from themselves.

My Thoughts:

In this book we follow Juliet after she left the Island that still haunts her dreams, just when Juliet thinks that her life is changing for the better, bodies of people that she use to be close to start appearing with similar claw like slashes as the bodies from the island. Juliet fears that one of her father’s creations has escaped the island and is determined to find the killer herself, while also trying to find a cure for her growing illness.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, I have never read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but I have seen movies and I  think this novel retells it really well. The Creepiness is very present in this one, also Juliet is a little nuts but I liked Juliet embracing her darkness. Some of the surprises in this book where just, I can't even explain it without making this a spoiler review; I'll just say they made me really happy.  I love the gothic historical fiction in this book, the book itself is just written very well. The ending oh the ending had me hiding under my covers, she did it to me again she is going to kill me with this plot twists. 

I don’t want to make this a spoiler review, so all I will say is if you haven't picked this trilogy up you really should, especially if you like historical fictions. I devoured this book and I wished I hadn't because I don't own the last book so now I have to wait until tomorrow to run to my local bookstore and get it. One more thing isn't the cover just gorgeous?!

-SandraTheBookWorm

Waiting on Wednesday #15

Made You Up

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine in which we spotlight a new release we can't wait to get our hands on

Title: Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia

Expected Release Date: May 19, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Link: Made You Up

Preorder Links: B&N, Amazon, 

Synopsis:

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up. 

Why I can't wait to get in on my Shelf:

The synopsis and cover just drew me in, also I don't read much contemporary so it would be a nice change. Also I find it very interesting that Alex is the narrator when half the time she can't tell what reality is and what is a delusion because of her schizophrenia. It’s going to be a very interesting book! What book are you waiting for? Let me know on the comments below I would love to hear from you! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

The Madman's Daughter

Book Review

Title: The Madman's Daughter

Author: Megan Shepard

Date Published: January 23, 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Page Count: 420

Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Link: The Madman's Daughter

Buy Me: B&N, Amazon, Book Depository

Synopsis: 

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—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 rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

My Thoughts: 

Let me just say, how dare she hit me with that plot twist at the end? I literally went to hide under my covers and cry, I still have a hangover over the ending I haven't been able to start the second one. I really enjoyed this book, I have seen some people complain about the love triangle but I didn't mind it at all, I myself was torn between Montgomery and Edward. 

I remember watching The Island of Dr. Moreau when I was younger and finding the movie very creepy and weird, and that is not the exception with this book the creepiness is there it gave me a few jumps and loads of goosebumps throughout. I didn't give these book five stars because I did find Juliet a little irritating at times, I just wanted to shake her and tell her to grab a hold of herself.

The ending of this book was just something else, I didn't see it coming it hit me like a ton of bricks. I kept reading the paragraph over and over saying no, no, no this has to be a joke, don't get me wrong it was an amazing plot twist it just took a while to sink in. Megan Shepard is an amazing author and this book is just as amazing. I recommend this book to anyone that likes dark historical fictions; I can't wait to read the second one! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Going On Vacation!!!

Vacation to Disney World!

Hi Booklovers,

So tomorrow my little family and I are headed to Orlando for a whole week, we are super excited to take our son to Disney World he loves Mickey so I'm sure he will have a blast. I was just writing this to let my amazing followers know why I may be MA next week. I will try to post on #waitingonwednesday and I might also put up a review up for the novel The Madman's Daughter, If i find the time. Thank you so much for following me guys, y'all are awesome!! 


-SandraTheBookWorm

Waiting on Wednesday #14

Illusionarium 

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine in which we spotlight a new release we can't wait to get our hands on. 

Title: Illusionarium 

Author: Heather Dixon

Expected Release Date:May 19, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow

Goodreads Link: Illusionarium

Preorder: Amazon,B&N,Book Depository

Synopsis:

What if the world holds more dangers—and more wonders—than we have ever known? And what if there is more than one world? From Heather Dixon, author of the acclaimed Entwined, comes a brilliantly conceived adventure that sweeps us from the inner workings of our souls to the far reaches of our imaginations.

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.

Why I can't Wait to get it on my Shelf:

Oh my god guys, the cover on this book is just breathtaking! I'm going to be completely honest one of the reasons I was drawn to this book was the cover, also the story sounds really interesting and who doesn't like a good historical fiction. What book are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

February Wrap Up!

Wrap Up!

Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix: ★★★★★

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: ★★★★★

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: ★★★★★

Landline: ★★★★

Ensnared: ★★★★★

Fairest: ★★★★

I read a total of six books in February! I think I did pretty good last month; I have reviews for all this books on here. Except for the last three Harry Potter books, I just feel that the Harry Potter books need no review since they're amazing and if you have not read them you really should! What books did you read last month? Leave a comment below I would love to hear from you! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Bad Girls Don't Die

Book Review

Title: Bad Girls Don't Die

Author: Katie Alender

Date Published: April 21st, 2009

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Page Count: 346

Rating: ★★

Goodreads Link: Bad Girls Don't Die

Synopsis: 

Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.

Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

My Thoughts:

Have you ever read through a book just hoping that it will get better? 

That was me while I was reading Bad Girls Don't Die. I really wanted to like it and I gave it a fair chance by reading it till the end, unfortunately it just didn't do it for me. I felt like this book had so much potential to make my skin crawl but the author just didn't take advantage of it, I mean what is scarier than a doll that can possess people.

This book was lacking on scary scenes, I felt like the author was focusing more on the main characters high school life instead of focusing on the possessed sister. I also found this book extremely predictable, I like a book to keep me on my toes and maybe even have a plot twist at the end. I will not be continuing with this series since I just don't see the point in it even being a trilogy. I'm truly disappointed I just saw so much potential in this book it’s sad that the author didn’t take more advantage of it. The only thing I liked about this book is the cover it's definitely creepy.

-SandraTheBookWorm

Where She Went

Book Review

Title: Where She Went

Author: Gayle Forman

Date Published: April 5, 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Page Count: 264

Rating:★★★★★

Goodreads Link:Where She Went

Buy Me!B&N, Amazon, Book Depository, Book Outlet

Meet The Author: Gayle Forman

Synopsis:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

My Thoughts:

The Feels in this book guys the feels, it's been three years since the accident and three years since Mia left Adam. Adam became a rock star and Mia is in Juilliard slowly becoming a star. One night while Adam is out in New York alone trying to clear his head after a major break down in front of a reporter, he finds out that Mia is playing a concert he decided to go and watch her thinking that he wouldn't be spotted by her. After the concert Mia and Adam spent the night together revisiting the past and trying to figure out what went wrong.

I went into this book expecting a love story oh was I slapped in the face. I loved reading from Adams perspective and finding out how he felt and feels about Mia and the accident. I felt so bad for Adam in this book I just wanted to reach in and comfort him, he had it so rough after Mia just up and left him. I think I liked this book better than the first one, it kind of shows how something so tragic doesn't only affect the person involved but also the people around them. Gayle Forman really got me where it hurts but she made it up by giving this book an amazing ending. Overall I recommend this book to anyone that has read the first one, and if you haven't picked up this series you really should. I hope Forman writes a third book about Mia and what she did during those three years!

-SandraTheBookWorm