Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Pages: 368

Genre: Gothic Literature/Sci-fi

Series: Madman's Daughter #2

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Jan 28, 2014

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 clawlike 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.

After the rather terrible (read: heartbreaking) ending in The Madman's Daughter, I was unbelievably anxious to read Her Dark Curiosity so I was ecstatic when I managed to get my grubby hands on an ARC! And then I started reading. And I was a bit disappointed.

My main issue was Juliet herself. She seemed absolutely ridiculous throughout the story and seemed...well, mad. And I suppose that may have been the point, but I just felt like it made her an annoying character rather than an interesting one. She kept repeating over and over and over that she wasn't like her father, would never be like her father, and then immediately turn and do something that's so obviously cruel and terrible, just like her father. (Spoiler at the end of the review) That and she made some obviously-not-right choices that made me twitch in agitation.

More than that, the romance. Unfortunately, our love triangle isn't completely finished (or, it is in the way that Juliet has chosen who she loved. But that doesn't stop a certain someone from pursuing her or her from kissing and other activities with said someone.) I hated how Juliet just seemed to go back and forth, despite her claim of love for Montgomery, and how she justified Edward's actions. Sure, he didn't deserve to die, but she didn't seem to think that much about the harm he's done besides one or two pages.

But despite all that, Her Dark Curiosity was a fascinating read, most especially because of Shepherd's talent with atmosphere and Gothic lit. And a 1800-1900s London? It's the perfect place to set a story of madness, murder, and mayhem! The drizzly ghostly city was creepy with everything that was going on and you have to hand it to Shepherd--she's a genius with her words, if not her characters.

The plot was absolutely spectacular with twists sprinkled throughout the story (the first less than 70 pages in!) and I found myself gaping at the book sometimes, just eager to discover what would happen next. And, like always, Megan Shepherd manages to leave us with a cliffhanger and clamoring for the third book, even if our character isn't how we hoped!

Gothic literature is one of my favorite kinds of stories, and the dark and haunting setting and atmosphere was beyond impressive and I had chills throughout most of the book, especially with murderers and secret, dark science cults.

***SPOILER: She freaking creates her own "creature" and unleashes it on her enemies, scientists, and murders every one of them in cold blood. Then hunts down the survivor and kills him. And she thinks that's justified?

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