Wednesday, January 16, 2013

ARC Review: The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 29, 2013 (US), February 7, 2013 (RoW)
Publisher: Angry Robot
400 Pages

The Mad Scientist’s Daughter is the heartbreaking story of the journey from childhood to adulthood, with an intriguing science fictional twist.

There’s never been anyone - or anything - quite like Finn.

He looks, and acts human, though he has no desire to be. He was programmed to assist his owners, and performs his duties to perfection. A billion-dollar construct, his primary task is to tutor Cat.

When the government grants rights to the ever-increasing robot population, however, Finn struggles to find his place in the world.


WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18. 

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Review:
You know those novels where you want to keep reading because it is so, so good, but you don't want to keep reading because you know it can't end well? That's how I felt from the start of this novel. I knew I would love it, but I was scared of what was going to come next. It's suspenseful, and gritty and is so wonderful that you really will invest in the story and its characters.

The Mad Scientist's Daughter surprised me at every turn. It was completely unpredictable. The writing was addicting and absolutely phenomenal, as expected from Cassandra Rose Clarke. I knew it would be good, but the author really blew my expectations out of the water.

When Caterina Novak, or Cat as she is more often referred to as, was very young, her father brought home a man named Finn to be her tutor. The thing about Finn is that he's not actually human. He's a robot. As Cat grows older and spends more time with Finn, her feelings toward him develop beyond friendship. 

There isn't much else I can say about the plot without giving a lot about the book away. This novel isn't about one period in a person's life, but rather decades. You don't just see Cat fall in love with Finn, but you see her grow and make a life for herself. She is her own person and while she is consumed by her love of Finn, she knows can live without him, she just doesn't want to. That's rare in novels released this day and age. We often see characters who think they will just die if they can't be with the person they loved. The way the plot played out was brilliant and it felt real for the time that it was placed in. We may not know what the future holds, but this book will make anything seem possible.

This isn't your average romance and not just because one of the characters isn't human, or because it takes place in the future, but because of the way it develops and the situations surrounding the relationship. This novel will break your heart and slowly sew it back together. It's not an easy journey for our main characters and more often than not, you'll think that it will end unhappily. Keep the faith, people. It's worth it, I promise.

From the moment I heard of The Mad Scientist's Daughter, I looked forward to it. Not only because I adored the author's debut novel, but because the blurb completely captivated me.  And now, after reading it, I can honestly say that Cassandra Rose Clarke can do no wrong in my eyes. This is only her second released novel and she's already become an insta-buy author for me. She has a beautiful writing style that works with her stories and enchants you from the first page.

This book was phenomenal. Everything about it drew me in and I honestly have nothing bad to say about it. I'm sure there were faults, but none come to mind because I just loved it so much. My only thought in regards to The Mad Scientist's Daughter is: Perfect book is perfect. I am so thankful to Angry Robot for providing me with a copy because this is now one of my favorite novels.


I received an ARC from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

2 comments :

  1. I have this one coming up, and your review just made me that much more excited. I still haven't gotten to The Assassin's Curse, but I won't let my copy collect dust for much longer, not with the high praise you're awarding this author. :)

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  2. I am so excited with this one. I haven't got my own copy but I would eventually..

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