Review: A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3) by Megan Shepherd

Author: Megan Shepherd
Series: The Madman's Daughter #3
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Expected Publication: 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.



Review
A Cold Legacy is the final book in Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter series. I knew going into it that my expectations were high, I also knew that being the last I'd probably judge it more harshly than the others. That being said, I feel like I have to say that I love this series, I do, but for me, this book just didn't hit all the right notes like the previous books in the series did for me. 

First up, I think the Author tried to cram too much story into the final book. While Ballentyne and it's mysteries were certainly interesting, in my head I still wanted to be in London. All the events that happened were just sort of pushed to the side or rushed and what little closure was given to them never truly felt satisfying. 


Another disappointing aspect was how much attention was given to Juliet's feelings. We get it, you're torn between both guys and have a slew of daddy issues but enough already. You're inner monologue has become tiresome and frankly, repetitive and unnecessary. 


Lastly, I just simply didn't like the ending. After all that, she just walks away from it all. Now either Juliet is the smartest idiot on the planet or the Author couldn't figure out how to end things properly. Personally, I'm going with a mix of both because I was left deeply unsatisfied by how things went down. 


Now although I had plenty of issues with the story, that doesn't mean it was all bad. 


First off, I loved how the Author incorporated the classic Frankenstein into the story. Like the previous books The Madman's Daughter and Her Dark Curiosity, blending the classics with her own original tale has been spectacular to witness and I really hope at some point in the future the Author writes more stories like this. 


Secondly, I loved the suspense in the story. I felt like I spent the majority of the book sitting on a razor's edge and with one wrong move I'd slip and cut myself. The tension in the story was as much a character as the characters themselves! 


Finally, I really loved that Lucy remained throughout the story. It would've been easy for the Author to shuffle her back to the city never to be seen again so it was nice to see her stay by Juliet's side through all her trials and tribulations in Ballentyne. 


Final Thoughts
A Cold Legacy wasn't perfect but overall, I can't complain too much. Do I recommend it? Yes! Will I read more from this Author in the future? You bet. Despite the stories flaws, the series still remains one of my favorites and I know someday down the road when I'm not so invested in these characters maybe I'll even wholeheartedly enjoy this final tale. 

With that being said, I'll be rating A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd ★★★★.


Recommended For Fans Of: Cruel Beauty, Something Strange and Deadly, Strands of Bronze and Gold.  
                                  

 *Copy reviewed provided by publisher.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in an which way  for providing them.

Want to learn more about this book or Author? Click the links below!
Goodreads Page
www.meganshepherd.com
@megan_shepherd

Want to read my previous review of The Madman's Daughter? Click Here!
Want to read my previous review of Her Dark Curiosity? Click Here!

Comments

  1. Glad you liked it overall. I'm a huge fan of the first, then second just disapointed. Wasn't too sure about the finale, but this gives me a boost.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 4 stars is still great. I can't wait to read this book. I am really excited to see more of Lucy. I really loved her in the last book. She is a great character.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Woah, I didn't realize this series was coming to an end already! Seems like not that long ago that the first book was released... I haven't read this story yet myself, but I'm glad to hear you love it. And even though this final book wasn't everything you hoped for, you would still recommend it.

    ReplyDelete

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