A Cold Legacy

Author: Megan Shepard
Series: The Madman's Daughter, #2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 27, 2015

After killing the men who tried to steal her father's research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet's secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor's own walls.

Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor's long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she'll follow her father's dark footsteps or her mother's tragic ones, or whether she'll make her own.

With inspiration from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman's Daughter trilogy is about the things we'll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity.

I can't remember how long I've put off finishing the Madman's Daughter trilogy, but I've finally done it. And what, might you ask, is the final verdict?

Eh, it's alright.

I feel like this book is sort of an attempt to right the wrongs in the previous books—and I can appreciate that—but it's not pulled off very well. There's a lot of noticeable repetition when it comes to themes, characterization, and writing in a way that doesn't feel unique. Juliet continues to whine about herself, Lucy keeps obsessing over Edward, and the list goes on.

At the very least, it's toned down much more than it was previously, and these issues are addressed in a more satisfying matter. If I had to give an example that wasn't spoiler-y, I'd say Lucy was a nicer character. I could understand her thinking better with her transition from a socialite to an fugitive. I still didn't root for her relationship with Edward, but I was more tolerant towards it.

Most of Juliet's problems seem to stem from her passing off her own suspicions, which was very annoying. It was hard for me to suspend my disbelief when it seemed like their conflicts could be solved much easier. Everything felt so long and drawn out that I found myself eager to hurry towards the end.

I could give the author points for a few things: Baltazar is still a lovable cinnamon roll. Jack Serra was the highlight out of the whole cast, although the female side characters, such as Moira, McKinna, and Elizabeth, were pretty great. I loved the observatory and Ballentyne being a place for disabled girls. There was a powerful message about identity and coming-of-age, which I thought was fit in splendidly. Keeping my personal taste aside and the story in mind, A Cold Legacy is an almost perfect conclusion.

The Forbidden Wish

Author: Jessica Khoury
Series: The Forbidden Wish, #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 24, 2017

She is the most powerful Jinni of all.

He is a boy from the streets.

Their love will shake the world.

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of the Aladdin story from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

I was not all impressed by the synopsis, but the writing style had me hooked. Khoury takes you on an extraordinary adventure through the city of Parthenia, where the people are restless, the jinni are hunted, and a rebellion brews in the horizon. In the midst of it all is Zahra, who only seeks her freedong.

[O]nce I am free to run, not even the shadows of the past will be able to catch me.

I love cunning age-old characters deft in the ways of magic. I love transformations into smoke, shadows, and cats. Zahra was a compelling character, whose only fault was her constant self-loathing.

"All I want is to avenge my parents, not start a war we can't win."

For a handsome thief, a character who's usually up right my alley, her love interest Aladdin was annoying. There were instances where I just wanted to take him by the shoulders and say, "Aladdin, my dude. Stop." Although he and Zahra had some cute scenes together, until the end, I could not see them as being anything more than friends. Their attraction to each other was almost convenient.

I loved you, Habiba, and in doing so, I betrayed you.

Instead, my ship lies with the Queen and the Jinni. I desperately hoped that Aladdin was the former's reincarnation, but alas. I was quickly taken with their relationship, which shares a tragic history, even though the author may not have intended for it to be romantic.

There was a lot of diversity and a lot of character in the rest of the cast as well. Princess Caspida and her handmaidens were truly badass. There were no love triangles involving her, only positive female relationships. I honestly wish the author would consider a sequel with Caspida. The weakest characters, on the other hand, were the villains. They were unremarkable, two-dimensional even.

I will grant the thief this: My time with him has been anything but dull.

Unfortunately, the story did not survive my tendency to become bored at the halfway point. I felt that something was lacking, although the writing was solid. I'd like to give heaps of praise for the characters' strong ideals. Overall, The Forbidden Wish was a memorable read.

Her Dark Curiousity

Author: Megan Shepard
Series: The Madman's Daughter, #2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 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, 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.

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.

The only way I can see Her Dark Curiosity in a positive light is to make a drinking game out of it. Take a shot whenever someone says "relatively simple". Or when Juliet bemoans her heritage. Or when she makes a comparison between herself and Edward. Oh, how different they are from the sheeple of London. Trapped in the struggle of man and beast. You're both monsters, caught between worlds. My heart weeps. The struggle is real.

Frankly, I don't care for Juliet's issues anymore. Her father's so-called madness runs through her veins. Can she please move on and accept it already? Because this drama has been drawn out for far too long. While the idea may have been intriguing in The Madman's Daughter, Juliet has to bring it up in every chapter, sounding more like a broken record every time.

"What you hate is what you are. An animal, just like me."

Of course, her inner demons play a huge part in muddling with her affections. As Juliet's desire to sin grows, so does her attraction to Edward. If he had been raised in captivity longer or as a boy that was turned into a beast, I would have fewer qualms with their relationship. But appearances aside, he's only a year old. And he's an amalgamation of heron, monkey, and jackal, apparently. Whenever they shared a sensual moment between the pages, I could feel nothing but disgust.

Edward and I were connected in a deep way—a primal way—that Montgomery would never understand.

My annoyance with this love triangle was furthered when Juliet made Montgomery out to be the bad guy, even though he's better than the lot of them. I couldn't help but laugh sometimes when Montgomery claimed he was the monster in this story. Like, dude. Maybe you're better off not knowing what the others have been doing.

The hopeful look in [Lucy's] eye told me her feelings for Edward hadn't dimmed despite the terrible truths I'd told her.

Speaking of which, let's talk about Lucy. The possibility of romance between her and Edward disturbs me. Her affections were too underdeveloped, as well as her character. I didn't care for her as much as I should. I know she's sheltered and all, especially considering her background, but she acts like a child. I never looked forward to any of her appearances.

In short, I had a lot of laughs. I raged harder than I should have. Some descriptions were very repetitive, and revelations too sudden. The international edition was riddled with typos. My final say is that it should have been polished more, and it could have been better. Her Dark Curiosity has left me hesitant to read A Cold Legacy.