Choosing my top book for the month is always a hard decision and this month two immediately came to mind. Luckily, I’ve already discussed one so I’ll just point you to that review. A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd is a middle grade novel that you don’t want to miss out on.
The other book that came to mind is Her Dark Curiosity, by Megan Shepherd. This is the second in a series of novels that started last year with The Madman’s Daughter, which is a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. The Madman’s Daughter tells the story of Juliet, the daughter of a man who abandons his family and leaves England after his experiments to give animals human attributes are exposed. Juliet travels to her father’s island to face the man whose crimes made life difficult for her and her mother after he disappeared. Her Dark Curiosity finds Juliet back in England, dealing with the fallout of her time on the island. It draws inspiration from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I think it goes without saying that due to certain aspects of the novel this can be a disturbing and uncomfortable read at times. However, those scenes are few and the story is captivating. I just think it needs to be said so that people are prepared should they decide to give this series a try.
Generally I’m not the biggest fan of the second novel in a trilogy. However this one was phenomenal. I was incredibly fascinated to see where this story would go after the cliffhanger in the first book and it did not disappoint! I loved that it followed the plot of the first book but also stood out on its own. It provided a fascinating continuation of the plot and a natural transition to book three. I also appreciated that this one didn’t end on a cliffhanger (as much as I love them!) but still set up book three quite well. I think I’m actually more excited than I was for book two, and I was really looking forward to this one!
What was your favorite book from March?
