SciFi Book Review: Her Dark Curiosity

Her Dark Curiosity by 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, 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 made it off 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.

Review:
Juliet is growing accustomed to her new life back in London with old friends. But when she learns more about the recent attacks in the city, Juliet realizes that the killer is targeting people she knows – who have wronged her in some way. Her relationships are complicated to say the least – keeping secrets and hiding a monster while trying to save him.

Her Dark Curiosity is a gripping and suspenseful sequel. It’s a wonderfully-written gothic horror and romance. The first in the trilogy, The Madman’s Daughter had a darker, creepier feel. This installment is more of a heart-pounding mystery with plenty of suspense, romance, and drama. Juliet is in a constant inner-struggle to not turn out like her father. I thoroughly enjoy the depth and layers to the characters and story. Fans of gothic horror should not miss this dark and passionate trilogy. And I impatiently await the final installment.