Monday, August 11, 2014

Review: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

Title: Of Monsters and Madness
Author: Jessica Verday
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: EgmontUSA (September 9, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Historical Retelling
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Book Description:
A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on.









I love a good dark, slightly twisted tale and that is exactly what Verday has crafted in Of Monsters and Madness. 

A dark morbid tale of a classic Poe story. A story about his beloved Annabel Lee. 

Few people know this about me but in high school I went through this very weird fascination with all things  Poe's . I couldn't get enough of it. I devoured them and consumed them like crazy as I was thrown into his madness and his genius. There was always something so dark and sinister and yet so very sad about his stories that I couldn't help but wonder about the man behind them. What his life must have been like. How tortured his soul must have been. How heartbreaking his stories turned out to be  and how vivid and rich they were.

I absolutely loved this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde take of insane characters. Never knowing who was really mad and who was just a genius.  I devoured it, I ate it up and instead of loathing the monsters, I loved them and couldn't get enough of them. 

I had no idea this was going to be part of a series but that ending left me wanting more. I wasn't ready to escape Annabel Lee's life, the horrors, the heartbreak and of course, the madness. I am so looking forward to the next installment. 

We all need a little horrific madness of a  read in our life once in a while and Verday delivered. 




*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

47 comments:

  1. I somehow haven't heard of this before now, but it sounds like the sort of read I would immediately buy just after reading the synopsis! I was also obsessed with Poe in high school, and so curious about his life after reading his stories. Can't wait to check this out!

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    1. Yay! I am glad you are going to try it Lauren.

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  2. This sounds so mysterious and intriguing. Plus, it seems like it's also well-written. I like how you were obsessed with Poe in high school. I wish HS kids these days would take interests in things like that.
    Lovely review!

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  3. This book looks so great! I have a guest post from the author coming up on my blog :) I can't wait.

    Poe fascinates me as well

    Great review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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  4. Oooh, this sounds dark, twisted and delightfully scary! I'm adding this to my shelf for sure - a perfect sounding read for October and all things chilling *rubbing hands together* I love this: "I devoured it, I ate it up and instead of loathing the monsters, I loved them and couldn't get enough of them." I'm so in the mood lately these kinds of reads. Wonderful review, Ali! :)

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  5. I've only ever read one story by Poe - The Tell Tale Heart, and let me tell you Ali, it scarred me for life. *shudders* TERRIFYING! But in a good way - he definitely knows how to write eerie and haunting stories that stay with you long after you're done. I'm not familiar with the Annabel Lee story, but I'm definitely more than curious after your review!

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    1. I think you will like this one Jenny if you like the Poe one at all. ;)

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  6. I love Poe's writing, so the fact that this is a spin-off of that has definitely piqued my interest. I'm on a bit of a dark kick at the moment, so thanks for bringing this one to my attention!

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  7. Anything more twisted than the original author? That may be asking for trouble. :)

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  8. You had me at 'standalone', lol. I'm so tired of books being a part of series-love it when I find a good standalone story :) Just wrote the title down and I'm putting it in my book bag for when it's released!

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    1. I hear you. It is nice to get a good stand alone every now and then.

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  9. Oh it sounds interesting and dark, plus the cover is totally crepy, I love the sound of it. thanks for the discovery!

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  10. OOH Kindlemom, I LOVE retellings this will definitely go on my wish list.
    Great review, thanks!!

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  11. I'm not sure if I would like this or not. I can handle some dark, but not TOO much. It might be worth looking into though! So glad you loved!

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  12. I've never heard of this before but it sounds really interesting. Retellings are something I have been reading a lot more of recently so definitely be looking into this one. Glad you enjoyed it so much :)

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  13. Sounds like a good book for Wicked I believe I have a copy of this and I am still on the fence about reading it, your review is pushing me to read it.

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  14. I liked the writing, but I gave three stars because she took way too many liberties with Poe's timeline and thought Philadelphia was a seaport. It is a port, but it is on a river. I had an ARC and told the publisher about the geographical error. I was hoping they might fix it.

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  15. *MIND BLOWN* I just remember in high school how creepy I thought Poe was and how I shuddered at Annabelle Lee's story.

    That was before I really got into my love for all things creepy. This book sounds absolutely fantastic! I am so glad that you shared it with us. I want to read it!

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    1. Yay! I hope you do read it and that you love it Natalie. :)

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  16. A stand-alone dark read?! I'm sold! THIS is how I want my YA not that bubble gum love triangle shit we often see and read.

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    1. You will really like this one then Braine. :)

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  17. AHHHH this book sounds so totally dark and twisted and just messed up and I can't wait to get my hands on it! i love how you used ot be obsessed with Poe back in your high school days! So was I!

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  18. So glad I wasn't the only Poe obsessed person. :P

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  19. What? You were a Poe ho? lol - Sorry, couldn't resist.

    Ah, creepy without an annoying ending. Yes, please. ;)

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  20. That cover may haunt my dreams tonight!

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  21. Wahoo! I have this and your review has me excited. I will be reading this next week for a review in September.

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  22. Poe has always been super creepy to me...but I like dark and twisty sometimes, so this sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Your review makes it sound better than the synopsis does ;)

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  23. I've only ever read one story of Poe's (The Cask of Amontillado) in high school and I loved it, so I understand why you were fascinated with his works. Dark and twisted are not my usual reads but I'll add it to my tbr just in case I'm in the mood for it. :)

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    1. Glad to hear you are willing to give it a try someday Dea!

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  24. This sounds interesting, even though it is not something I would typically read. You've got me curious. Great review!

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  25. This sounds really interesting. It sounds fantastic, really. I had been kind of on the fence about this one, but now it's firmly lodged on the wishlist. Great review ;)

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