Verday,
Jessica, Of Monsters and Madness, 288
pgs. EgmontUSA, 2014. $17.99. Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
After
her mother’s death, Annabel Lee is sent to live in Philadelphia with the father
she knows nothing about. Annabel wishes to study medicine, but in the 19th
century, this career choice is deemed unacceptable for a woman. Unable to quiet
her scientific curiosity she becomes interested in her father’s research. With
the help of his handsome lab assistant, Allan Poe, she will soon find herself
swept up in a gothic tale of secrets, murder, and monstrous experiments.
A
passable attempt at historical fiction with an overlay of literary nods, this
book fails to make a lasting impression on the reader. The gothic book’s plot
is emotionally driven with Edgar Allan Poe and his stories playing a major role.
This ploy is misguided and fails to work as the author intended as throughout
the novel Poe’s presence proves to be unnecessary and simply a hokey devise for
the author to appear clever. However, setting aside the plot gimmicks, fans of
creepy gothic stories will most likely enjoy the book, although many will find
it hard to garner much enthusiasm for the next book in the series.
MS,HS—OPTIONAL
AEB
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