Title: A Cold Legacy
Author: Megan Shepherd
Series: The Madman's Daughter #3
Genre: YA Gothic
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date:January 27, 2015
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Source:  eARC received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

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 After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls.

Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

With inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity.


Megan Shepherd quickly became one of my favorite authors when I read A Madman's Daughter and I knew I would be reading her book as long as she would write them. So when I was given the opportunity to read the last book in the Madman's Daughter trilogy I knew I had to jump at the chance. These character have become some of my favorites of all time. I adore Juliet and Montgomery throughout the first two books and this book was no different. I thought that their relationship grew so much in this book and we saw them go through some very interesting situations that tested their love for each other. I really liked that Megan allowed for the flaws in both of these characters to be in the forefront of this book. I will admit that it was very hard to like these characters at certain times, but that is what made this book so real to me. No character or person is perfect all the time and it was nice to showcase that.

Frankenstein is one if not my favorite classic story of all time. And when I heard that this book was loosely based off of it I knew I needed to read it ASAP, and I loved this aspect of the book. Megan took the parts of Frankenstein that everyone knows and loves and turned them into something completely different, yet very similar. It was the taking something dead and bringing it back to life bit that was the most interesting. It not only showcased Juliet's scientific ability but it also allowed us to see the madness that was within her. She could not keep herself from being apart of something so grand and fantastical. And that to me was the most interesting part of Juliet's character, not only in this book but all three.

There was a lot of information hidden in this book, and a lot of questions answered. I cant really say what they are because that would ruin all the fun, but I did love that there was nothing left to question and I loved that there were new details that emerged that I was not expecting. That is the sign of a great writer, when you expect one thing going into the final book of a trilogy and you get something completely different. Megan Shepherd has created one of the best Gothic YA stories I have ever read. She has made me a reader of hers for life. Thank you Megan for introducing me to this maddening world full of science, romance and adventure. Its been a wild ride. Cannot wait to see what you do next.