kimbacaffeinate
Written on Sep 6, 2014
Summoned to her father's Philadelphia house in 1826 after her mother's death, seventeen year-old Annabel Lee's whole life is about to change. Here, she can't wear pants and practice medicine like she used to in Siam. The new city she's supposed to call home is full of dark secrets and strange curiosities—a world she has trouble navigating.
Until she meets her father's assistants.
There is Allan—darkly handsome and gentle natured, he dabbles in writing stories when he's not helping with medical advancements in her father's laboratory, and Edgar—who bears an uncanny resemblance to Allan, but is everything Allan is not. Cruel, selfish, and determined to see his own gruesome fantasies brought to life.
When her brilliant, but reckless, father's scientific experiments rapidly morph into morbid obsession, a terrible truth is revealed: Edgar and Allan are two halves of the same person, and Annabel quickly finds that her own attempts to cure Allan of his "affliction" are becoming as morally questionable as her father's.
But nothing can prepare her for the lengths she'll have to go to when her father is kidnapped by the dangerous and mysterious Dorian Gray in his relentless pursuit for the ultimate scientific breakthrough—eternal life. To hunt for a monster, Annabel will need a monster, and she is forced to unite with Edgar to save her father—the man responsible for creating them both.
Note: This edition contains book two, Of Phantoms and Fury. It starts at chapter 26.
- ASIN B00ZVI2BBW
- Publish Date 16 June 2015 (first published 1 January 2014)
- Publish Status Active
- Format eBook (Kindle)
- Pages 304
- Language English
Reviews
limabean74
Written on Apr 2, 2014
If you love Edgar Allan Poe and are familiar with his poem Annabel Lee, that’s wonderful because Edgar is one of my all time favorite authors, take all you know and just put it aside and try very hard not to judge this book by what you know of him or the poem, she takes a lot of liberties but I think in my opinion it works.
Now take Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde and Jack the Ripper, mush it all together and you have Of Monster and Madness. Annabel Lee arrives in PA to live with her father, her ways are much different then life in PA and she has a lot to learn. Annabel meets the mysterious Allan and the dangerous Edgar with her feeling growing for Allen but Annabel is about to realize that the house she is now living in holds a lot of secrets and with a murder on the loose her life might be in serious danger.
I liked Annabel a lot, she was a little naive but I enjoyed her story. I actually really like her handmaid Maddy, she was really cute and such a great friend to Annabel. Annabel was feeling so alone and I thought Maddy and her had a great friend connection. It made a spooky story have a little bit of light moments. Allan and Edgar were very interesting characters, I really liked them and wanted more of there story. We get a bit of there background but I was hoping for a bit more.
The Story was interesting but at time I felt it had a few holes in the story. I think I just wanted more details on the world and life. I also felt it was wrapped up rather quickly, I was hoping for a little more but I honestly enjoyed it even with what it was. I am hoping this is a first in the series since the end made it seem like the story continues.
I gave Of Monster and Madness 4/5 stars. As much as I felt the story might have lacked just a bit I still enjoyed it and loved the spookiness of it and the mix of different stories it made for a very interesting read. I recommend to YA and Adult looking a bunch of stories mushed together into one and in my opinion worked pretty good together :)
PS I think the synopsis of the book is very misleading and I believe you should just go into it with a fresh look and avoid the synopsis saying it’s a retelling because in my opinion it is not.
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