Of Monsters & Madness by Jessica Verday. Egmont USA. 2014.
The Plot: It's 1824 and Annabel Lee, 17, has moved to her father's death following her mother's death. The world of Philadelphia, and her role of daughter of a doctor, is very different from a childhood spent in Siam. She lacks the freedom she had there.
There are secrets in her father's house -- including her father's two assistants, handsome Allan and cruel Edgar. Including her father's scientific experiments.
And there are the gruesome murders....
The Good: I'll be honest: I read Of Monsters and Madness about a year ago, when it first came out, enjoyed it, but just didn't get around to writing anything up.
Then I saw the movie Crimson Peak (review tomorrow) and began to wonder about possible read-a-likes for teens who may go see the movie and want a taste of Gothic horror and romance. And I remembered Of Monsters and Madness.
The setting, early nineteenth century Philadelphia, is wonderfully shown; Annabel is a strong young woman who has been raised away from her father and his family. She wants to connect with them and please them, but her desire for independence and to pursue studying is at odds with their perceptions of what a proper young lady is. Plus, Edgar Allen Poe as a hot young man!
And plus there are references / homages to works by Poe as well as other writers. So this can lead to wanting to read more Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and Oscar Wilde.
Of Monsters and Madness was published by Egmont USA, which, sadly, no longer exists. So when I went to the author's website to write this post, I was very pleased to learn a few things: first, that it's available on Kindle; second, that for a limited time it is $1.99; and third, that Verday has included the sequel, Of Phantoms and Fury, in the Kindle edition so you are getting two books for one.
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
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Blog: MISS O's SCHOOL LIBRARY (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Miss O,
on 9/7/2014
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By: Lizzy Burns,
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Bianca Schulze,
on 10/8/2014
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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This month's little peek at the current children's book trends on The Children's Book Review showcases Christmas books for kids, books on mindfulness and some best selling young adult books, as well as a wonderful literacy resource on where to find free ebooks for children.
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on 9/13/2014
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Washington Irving, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and now Edgar Allan Poe. Paying homage to famous American authors has sort of become what I do.
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Bianca Schulze,
on 9/13/2014
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Enter to win a copy of Of Monsters and Madness, by Jessica Verday. Giveaway begins September 13, 2014, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends October 12, 2014, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
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Jessica Verday is the New York Times best-selling author of The Hollow trilogy. She wrote the first draft of The Hollow by hand, using thirteen spiral-bound notebooks and fifteen black pens. The first draft of The Haunted took fifteen spiral-bound notebooks and twenty black pens. The Hidden took too many notebooks and too many pens to count. She lives in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, with her husband. You can visit her online at www.jessicaverday.com. She was happy to take some time to answer questions about her new book Of Monsters and Madness.
Q&A - OF MONSTERS AND MADNESS (I asked the questions in red).
1. I really enjoyed your book Of Monsters and Madness. How did you come up with this title? - I’m so glad you enjoyed OF MONSTERS AND MADNESS! I’m not really sure where the idea for this title came from. I was thinking one day about the book overall, and how it was sort of a mash up of mad scientists mixed with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and that made me think of monsters. Then the title just kind of popped into my mind. Originally, EDGAR & ALLAN was the title when I wrote the book, but it was changed after I had a discussion with my publishing team and we agreed that the title drew too much attention away from Annabel, our leading lady.
2. Why did you choose Edgar Allan Poe’s writing to connect with your ideas for this book? Do have a personal connection to any of his stories? - Like a lot of people, I grew up reading Poe and would be hard pressed to name just one or two stories that were my favorites, but I was always particularly drawn to Annabel Lee. The funny thing is that when I first had the idea for this book I was imagining what would happen if Edgar Allan Poe had been inspired by real life events to use as fodder for his dark stories. Once I had that idea, the connection to Annabel Lee came from there.
3. There are lots of unexpected moments in the book and surprise turns. Is there one part that you enjoyed writing the most? - I really enjoyed writing the medical scenes that took place in Father’s basement laboratory. They took me really far out of my comfort zone and I’m quite proud that I was able to write them. (Usually, I’m so squeamish that just the sight of blood makes me feel queasy!) But there was something uniquely fascinating about watching these scenes unfold.
4. Is there any hidden meaning behind Annabel wearing the scarf? - Ahh, very astute of you to pick up on this. There most definitely is a hidden meaning to Annabel wearing the scarf and while you see the reason why she wears the scarf at the end of this book, book two reveals even more!
5. I read you write all your books by hand using lots of notebooks and pens. Did you also write Of Monsters and Madness by hand? How many notebooks and pens did it take? Do you then type the whole thing? - OF MONSTERS AND MADNESS was initially started in a notebook, and then I switched to a computer as my deadline drew closer. I only used one notebook and three pens.
6. Do you want to share any ideas that you are developing for the sequel? - The sequel (tentatively titled OF PHANTOMS AND FURY) picks up where book one left off, and introduces another fantastic literary character -- Dorian Gray. Not only does he have quite the impact on Annabel’s life, but she learns more about her background and who she truly is. Book two was a really exciting book to write and I hope you like it as much as OF MONSTERS AND MADNESS.
7. Are there any other literature characters or authors you would like use in future stories? - I do have one famous author in mind that I’m working on a story for, but I can’t give it away just yet... I’m always on the lookout for interesting stories that can be retold or famous people to write about. I keep a running list of future stories to tell.There are so many to choose from!
Come back for more about this new title on September 11 and enter for a copy below.
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