Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd (Twitter)
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publish Date: January 29, 2013
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Pages: 432
Source: Personal Copy

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

There is an inherent beauty to gothic novels that lies within the dark and brooding madness; because it's in that twisted maze of darkness that lies a faint glimmer of hope - and truth - that leads the story and the reader in the right direction throughout. The Madman's Daughter stood out for me from the young adult crowd because it's a rarity in which we see an author truly commit to a rather gruesome idea and take a no-holds-barred approach to the nature of the genre. Megan Shepherd has crafted a stunning novel that's powerful in its darkness, vivid in its intensity and wholeheartedly, unsettlingly incredible.

The Madman's Daughter reads much like the title implies. The story is a maze of intrigue and mystery and, at times, the complexity of it seems rather mad. We're given the story of a daughter that is trying to understand the true nature of her father who, for all intents and purposes, is a mad scientist and, in doing so, we're unwittingly swept up into the same whirlwind that Juliet lives everyday. It's an eerie concept to live in a world in which your father is the sole nature of your ruin, and Juliet's quiet resolve to uncover the truth was heartening and truly believable. She was a source of light in an eerie and subtly bleak novel.

The way in which the settings were presented to the reader within The Madman's Daughter is arguably one of the foremost strengths of the novel. The island is a brooding and horrific place, plagued by deformed creatures borne of a brilliantly mad mind. Time seems to stand still on the island, setting it vastly apart from Juliet's life in London and leaving us feeling incredibly isolated and trapped in the lair of a madman. With each twist and turn, I was left with more questions and, inevitably, more shocked by each revelation. The plot was so incredibly layered that, at times, some of the relationships in the novel seemed rather irrelevant.

That, unfortunately, leads me to my one qualm with the novel. The Madman's Daughter errs on the edge of perfection. In fact, it is precariously close to it, but the subtle love triangle between Juliet, Montgomery and Edward felt a bit out of place in such a stellar example of a gothic novel. Overall, the triangle wasn't overbearing, but I felt that it was almost an afterthought in terms of complexity since the rest of the story was so rich and layered. The tension was tangible at times, but there were hints of an instant connection that left a bit of bitter taste in my mouth.

Despite that singular flaw though, I found The Madman's Daughter to be a rich and utterly engrossing read. I think it's safe to say that gothic novels like this might just be my cup of tea, and I can't wait to read what's next to come in this story. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it fans of YA, especially those who enjoy historical fiction and gothic novels.

Title: One
Author: Leigh Ann Kopans (Twitter)
Publisher: Self-Published
Publish Date: June 11, 2013
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Paranormal
Pages: 374
Source: Personal Copy

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak. It makes you a One. Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances. Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

Science fiction novels always seem to broach ever-so-delicately upon perfection. So many novels lack that last bit of elegance though, which sets them apart. One by author, Leigh Ann Kopans, easily captures that missing piece of the puzzle, sliding into a state in which it sets itself apart from other sci-fi novels. Superpowers are not a new concept to the genre and, more often than not, they end up feeling trite and cliche, tired and utterly unoriginal. With careful precision though, One gives us a story about superheroes that inspires a bit of heroism within ourselves, as well.

It takes great strength for a novel to transcend the pages, and I often find the superhero tales leave me feeling more or less inadequate, simply because we are offered a tale of strength and force at face value. One of the most beautiful aspects of One that truly sets it apart from the rest of the young adult crowd is that, while it's a story of superpowers and, yes, strength, it's more about moral fiber and inner strength than anything else. Without these qualities, the heroine we're offered would most likely have felt lackluster and a bit flat.

Merrin is the ideal heroine for a tale within this genre. She's a girl with brilliant potential, but the society in which she lives has branded her less than the best. Rather than allow herself to be trapped by this societal constraint though, Mer continues to search within herself for her own hidden strengths which could propel her to new heights. It was refreshing to see a character empowered and emboldened enough to truly take matters into her own hands. 

Romance in young adult has been incredibly hit or miss for me lately, so I'll admit that I was wary of an insta-connection in One. Rather than offering us an insta-love though, the novel succeeds in balancing that rush of intensity of teenage romance; the need for immediacy and that all-consuming desire to find that connection. However, rather than fall into an instantaneous love, we watch as Mer and Elias's independent natures combine to create something completely magical. They never lose their own identities in their romance, but rather, their characters blossom when you add one to another. I truly hope more young adult novels take note in crafting romantic relationships, as One gives us a slow-burning, believable and, frankly, gorgeous love.

Overall, One was a fantastic read, and I have to say that it is a standout novel in the genre for me. While, at times, I felt that the world-building could have been fleshed out a bit further, I think that it was interspersed within the prose well, and it never felt overbearing or like an info-dump. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy science fiction and paranormal stories.

Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What cover trend would you like to see continued in the coming year? Is there anything you hope is discontinued in 2014?

It's no secret on this blog that I'm a cover slut. It's also no secret that I took a nearly 8 month hiatus from book blogging simply to regain my sanity and, to be honest, rediscover my love of this blog, the blogosphere and what we do. In that time, I read a lot of the books that have spent months unread on my shelves, and I missed a lot of the new cover trends for 2013. That said, I began to rediscover them in full force once I started up again, and here are a couple of the biggest trends that I noticed.

Words as the Focal Cover Art

Distorted Faces

Backs on the Cover

Movement on the Covers

Some of these actually fall into multiple categories, now that I look closer at them. Here's the thing. For the most part, I don't mind these trends. I really, really love that fonts and the titles of novels are becoming more prominent. That, specifically, is something I'd love to see more of. I'd still really like to see less of girls in pretty dress, and I think that the dystopian/broken city in the background is becoming tired. There are better ways to show a post-apocalyptic world. One trend I'd really like to see more of us underwater covers. They were big in 2012, and I loooooved them