linwearcamenel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ssung's review against another edition
3.0
kind of a difficult novel to rate as it places itself in an odd place where it's not quite science fiction or fantasy or romance or, in some ways, even young adult fiction when a lot of the content might resonate only when you're a lot older.
i quite liked it, but also feel that were i ten years younger or more i would not have sympathized with the main character at all and therefore the entire book would've passed me by; she's not designed to be a likable kind of person, self-absorbed and selfish and strangely remote.
i quite liked it, but also feel that were i ten years younger or more i would not have sympathized with the main character at all and therefore the entire book would've passed me by; she's not designed to be a likable kind of person, self-absorbed and selfish and strangely remote.
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
For my full review, see here:
http://wp.me/p40NsC-Zy
When I requested The Mad Scientist's Daughter, it was actually by mistake. I had confused it with a YA novel about Frankenstein's daughter (proof that the ...'s Daughter naming trend has gone too far), and thought I'd read it on a whim. This turned out to be the best mistake of 2014. The Mad Scientist's Daughter made me alternately smile and cry like a baby. On the metro. It's absolutely frickin' amazing, and everyone should read it, right now.
http://wp.me/p40NsC-Zy
When I requested The Mad Scientist's Daughter, it was actually by mistake. I had confused it with a YA novel about Frankenstein's daughter (proof that the ...'s Daughter naming trend has gone too far), and thought I'd read it on a whim. This turned out to be the best mistake of 2014. The Mad Scientist's Daughter made me alternately smile and cry like a baby. On the metro. It's absolutely frickin' amazing, and everyone should read it, right now.
somarostam's review against another edition
5.0
I have been tracking Cassandra Rose Clarke's writing ever since I have
read her "The Assassin's Curse", which I absolutely adored. I love the
complexity of her characters and her superb worldbuilding. This book didn't
disappoint.
Cat, is a little girl when her father brings Finn home. When she first sees
him, she thinks he is a ghost. But as years pass by, she realizes that Finn is
one-of-a-kind robot, a complex mix of machines that is supposed to be her
tutor. And as she grows up, she can't help her growing attraction to him.
But robots don't feel, they are programmed, and Cat goes on with her life.
But forgeting Finn is something Cat's mind was never programmed to do.
What is the story behind Finn? Who created him? Will Cat's life be whatever
she hoped for. The Mad Scientist's Daughter will leave you enchanted,
heartbroken, and perfectly happy.
Cassandra Rose Clarke never disappoints. As I was reading her second
book, I realized some things. First, her "The Assassin's Curse" had a lot of
worldbuilding but this one, was more of a character-driven story. Second, she
tends to write complex, slow-developing romances. But she makes them truly
believable. Third, just like her romance aspect, Cassandra makes up
characters that you feel for, feel with, and fall in love with. Complex and
multi-layered, her characters are strangely realistic, even in such a not-so-
ordinary world!
I absolutely adored this novel. it made me laugh. It made me cry. It made
me think about the true meaning of love. True love, not something cutout of
cardboard and taped together with lies. This is recommended to anyone who
enjoys a very powerful, realistic, character-driven story!
read her "The Assassin's Curse", which I absolutely adored. I love the
complexity of her characters and her superb worldbuilding. This book didn't
disappoint.
Cat, is a little girl when her father brings Finn home. When she first sees
him, she thinks he is a ghost. But as years pass by, she realizes that Finn is
one-of-a-kind robot, a complex mix of machines that is supposed to be her
tutor. And as she grows up, she can't help her growing attraction to him.
But robots don't feel, they are programmed, and Cat goes on with her life.
But forgeting Finn is something Cat's mind was never programmed to do.
What is the story behind Finn? Who created him? Will Cat's life be whatever
she hoped for. The Mad Scientist's Daughter will leave you enchanted,
heartbroken, and perfectly happy.
Cassandra Rose Clarke never disappoints. As I was reading her second
book, I realized some things. First, her "The Assassin's Curse" had a lot of
worldbuilding but this one, was more of a character-driven story. Second, she
tends to write complex, slow-developing romances. But she makes them truly
believable. Third, just like her romance aspect, Cassandra makes up
characters that you feel for, feel with, and fall in love with. Complex and
multi-layered, her characters are strangely realistic, even in such a not-so-
ordinary world!
I absolutely adored this novel. it made me laugh. It made me cry. It made
me think about the true meaning of love. True love, not something cutout of
cardboard and taped together with lies. This is recommended to anyone who
enjoys a very powerful, realistic, character-driven story!
ninjabunneh's review against another edition
4.0
Years ago, I saw a movie called Bicentennial Man. It made me cry rivers. I see an echo of that movie in this book, and a new river of tears was forged today.
Usually when I don't like the main character in a book, the whole thing goes to shit. I'm very judgmental with my books. I'm also very unforgiving. The Mad Scientist's Daughter allowed me to despise the main, Cat, but fall in love with the story and the other characters.
We are told the tale of Cat and Finn, which spans many years. Cat, who is a little girl when she first meets Finn. And, Finn, who is an android her father brought to live with them.
Cat is selfish. So very selfish. I hate people who use others. She is the epitome of all I hate. She uses people to satisfy her own needs and wants. She is an empty void. Not thinking who she hurts to alleviate her own emotions. She uses Finn as she sees fit. Hurts him, but never looks to see the damage she does. She's blind.
Finn, not a human. Never claiming to be. Finn, who I was able to see as more human than Cat. Finn, who against all things thought possible, comes to love a woman who doesn't deserve him at all.
It's so funny because any tears I cried were over Finn or Cat's father. Cat does improve over the years in the story. I never felt like giving her redemption. As I said before, I'm very unforgiving.
I don't handle angst very well. This book is way up there in the angst department. It's probably why my review is quite short and a tad incoherent. I still feel a heavy sadness. But, ironically, I think that's also what makes a story wonderful. If it can make you feel emotions, even if you feel like your heart was torn to shreds, that makes it fabulous.
4 Nutella chocolate chip cookie stars
Thank you to Angry Robot, NetGalley, and Ms. Clarke, for the arc. No cookies were given to me in exchange for an honest review.
*Buddy read with Ange, Soumi, Sarah and Litchick.*
Usually when I don't like the main character in a book, the whole thing goes to shit. I'm very judgmental with my books. I'm also very unforgiving. The Mad Scientist's Daughter allowed me to despise the main, Cat, but fall in love with the story and the other characters.
We are told the tale of Cat and Finn, which spans many years. Cat, who is a little girl when she first meets Finn. And, Finn, who is an android her father brought to live with them.
Cat is selfish. So very selfish. I hate people who use others. She is the epitome of all I hate. She uses people to satisfy her own needs and wants. She is an empty void. Not thinking who she hurts to alleviate her own emotions. She uses Finn as she sees fit. Hurts him, but never looks to see the damage she does. She's blind.
Finn, not a human. Never claiming to be. Finn, who I was able to see as more human than Cat. Finn, who against all things thought possible, comes to love a woman who doesn't deserve him at all.
It's so funny because any tears I cried were over Finn or Cat's father. Cat does improve over the years in the story. I never felt like giving her redemption. As I said before, I'm very unforgiving.
I don't handle angst very well. This book is way up there in the angst department. It's probably why my review is quite short and a tad incoherent. I still feel a heavy sadness. But, ironically, I think that's also what makes a story wonderful. If it can make you feel emotions, even if you feel like your heart was torn to shreds, that makes it fabulous.
4 Nutella chocolate chip cookie stars
Thank you to Angry Robot, NetGalley, and Ms. Clarke, for the arc. No cookies were given to me in exchange for an honest review.
*Buddy read with Ange, Soumi, Sarah and Litchick.*
clauleesi's review against another edition
5.0
My rating: 4.5 stars
Have you ever read something that changed how you view an entire genre? Something that made you question if maybe, just maybe, you were wrong about what you thought absolutely wasn't for you. Well, I don't really do robots - or aliens or zombies for that matter, just because I am pretty much terrified of them. But then my one of my collegues, who love retellings, smut and urban fantasy, urged me to read this book because she liked it so much and I just got a tiny bit curious.
Long story short, I am so glad that I read this book, because it broke my heart multiple times and then mended it all together again.
This is the story about Caterina, a rich, pretty girl with a father who happens to be a brilliant scientist that one day brings home an android named Finn. Finn is the mirror image of a normal, handsome human boy and it is decided that he is to be Cat's tutor.
As she grows up with him, she forms a strange and close relationship with him in a world that is torn on how to even treat these robots and androids - and Cat has to decide for herself how to view and treat these new creatures.
I was pulled in from the very first page. I would have preferred the chapters to be a tad bit shorter, but I did still fly through this in a fairly short time. The writing manages to be so simplistic and intricate at the same time, with a melancholic vibe to it that reminded me very much of [a:Tabitha Suzuma|599916|Tabitha Suzuma|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359919490p2/599916.jpg]'s book [b:Forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394239949s/7600924.jpg|10018976], which I absolutely loved.
A fair warning, even though this was sweet at times, this is not a fluffy or cutesy or fun book. It will break your heart and I had to fight back tears multiple times. It's an extremely frustrating book, that also poses a huge ethical question behind everything - how human, or alive, could robots ever truly be?
I've always been a bit iffy on that question, which maybe is why I had such a hard time with the entire robot-thing. But after this book, after Finn - I think I might just have converted. Because Clarke writes her characters with such extreme skill, that even though they're all complex and real, Finn is the most human and the one that draws the most sympathy from me. I loved him so much that it's actually hard to explain. Right from the beginning, but especially at the end. He was just so good that it actually made me want to become a better person myself - because here is this AI, this robot, who isn't supposed to feel or care about anything, and he manages to treat people with such tenderness anyway.
Cat, on the other hand, infuriated me. I've seen that many people seem to hate her, which I didn't - she irritated me, I would have loved to shake some sense into her, but I do get why she acted the way she did and she was just so real. So complicated and cold, selfish and stupid at times. Although I love that we got to follow her from the tender age of five, Cat was the one who made this novel so frustrating for me - but I also do appreciate her as a character that has her flaws and actually develops. What I found so interesting was that, in my opinion, she was the more "robotic" one. The one that had more trouble showing her emotions. The ice queen.
The romance is heartbreaking, sweet, painful and sensual. It has been a long time since I read a book with this much chemistry between two characters - I even found myself rereading the lines over and over again because I was so taken with the interaction and dialogues between them. It was such a slowburn. It made me blush, and it made me cry. It made me believe that it could actually be possible.
I do have to give a small mention to Cat's father though - because of the title, I thought he was going to be some madman, but he was just so well written and kind. He wasn't the perfect dad, but still a great father figure to both Cat and Finn. Of course, the relationship he had with Finn tore my heart in two the most.
“I have never endeavoured to be human, a fact Daniel had difficulty accepting at first. However, he never looked down on me for it. And he made his mistakes. But ultimately he loved me - for who I am, for what I am. He loved me, not some version of me that will never exist. And for that I am grateful. It is a mark of true humanity.”
I am left shaken after reading this book. It wasn't perfect, but beside the frustration that came from me caring to much about this characters, I can't really think of any faults right now. I doubt I will ever forget it.
Have you ever read something that changed how you view an entire genre? Something that made you question if maybe, just maybe, you were wrong about what you thought absolutely wasn't for you. Well, I don't really do robots - or aliens or zombies for that matter, just because I am pretty much terrified of them. But then my one of my collegues, who love retellings, smut and urban fantasy, urged me to read this book because she liked it so much and I just got a tiny bit curious.
Long story short, I am so glad that I read this book, because it broke my heart multiple times and then mended it all together again.
This is the story about Caterina, a rich, pretty girl with a father who happens to be a brilliant scientist that one day brings home an android named Finn. Finn is the mirror image of a normal, handsome human boy and it is decided that he is to be Cat's tutor.
As she grows up with him, she forms a strange and close relationship with him in a world that is torn on how to even treat these robots and androids - and Cat has to decide for herself how to view and treat these new creatures.
I was pulled in from the very first page. I would have preferred the chapters to be a tad bit shorter, but I did still fly through this in a fairly short time. The writing manages to be so simplistic and intricate at the same time, with a melancholic vibe to it that reminded me very much of [a:Tabitha Suzuma|599916|Tabitha Suzuma|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359919490p2/599916.jpg]'s book [b:Forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394239949s/7600924.jpg|10018976], which I absolutely loved.
A fair warning, even though this was sweet at times, this is not a fluffy or cutesy or fun book. It will break your heart and I had to fight back tears multiple times. It's an extremely frustrating book, that also poses a huge ethical question behind everything - how human, or alive, could robots ever truly be?
I've always been a bit iffy on that question, which maybe is why I had such a hard time with the entire robot-thing. But after this book, after Finn - I think I might just have converted. Because Clarke writes her characters with such extreme skill, that even though they're all complex and real, Finn is the most human and the one that draws the most sympathy from me. I loved him so much that it's actually hard to explain. Right from the beginning, but especially at the end. He was just so good that it actually made me want to become a better person myself - because here is this AI, this robot, who isn't supposed to feel or care about anything, and he manages to treat people with such tenderness anyway.
Cat, on the other hand, infuriated me. I've seen that many people seem to hate her, which I didn't - she irritated me, I would have loved to shake some sense into her, but I do get why she acted the way she did and she was just so real. So complicated and cold, selfish and stupid at times. Although I love that we got to follow her from the tender age of five, Cat was the one who made this novel so frustrating for me - but I also do appreciate her as a character that has her flaws and actually develops. What I found so interesting was that, in my opinion, she was the more "robotic" one. The one that had more trouble showing her emotions. The ice queen.
The romance is heartbreaking, sweet, painful and sensual. It has been a long time since I read a book with this much chemistry between two characters - I even found myself rereading the lines over and over again because I was so taken with the interaction and dialogues between them. It was such a slowburn. It made me blush, and it made me cry. It made me believe that it could actually be possible.
I do have to give a small mention to Cat's father though - because of the title, I thought he was going to be some madman, but he was just so well written and kind. He wasn't the perfect dad, but still a great father figure to both Cat and Finn. Of course, the relationship he had with Finn tore my heart in two the most.
“I have never endeavoured to be human, a fact Daniel had difficulty accepting at first. However, he never looked down on me for it. And he made his mistakes. But ultimately he loved me - for who I am, for what I am. He loved me, not some version of me that will never exist. And for that I am grateful. It is a mark of true humanity.”
I am left shaken after reading this book. It wasn't perfect, but beside the frustration that came from me caring to much about this characters, I can't really think of any faults right now. I doubt I will ever forget it.
neural_lauren_unreal's review against another edition
2.0
如果觉醒后的Finn一去不回头，我反而对他有点尊重。可惜结尾太降智，拉低了整个故事的格调，最后变成了一个玛丽苏和对她不离不弃、几乎无自尊可言的“Nice Guy”的故事——虽然这个Nice Guy非常博学而且seems to have great bedside manners...
这里的读者们都很喜欢乃至于怜爱Finn，不过所有地球人都喜欢这种聪明理智善解人意随叫随到还有个"tragic backstory"的companion吧，appeal to the reader's narcissism也是作者格调不够高的另一个体现了。
这里的读者们都很喜欢乃至于怜爱Finn，不过所有地球人都喜欢这种聪明理智善解人意随叫随到还有个"tragic backstory"的companion吧，appeal to the reader's narcissism也是作者格调不够高的另一个体现了。
allietriestoread's review against another edition
5.0
THIS BOOK MADE ME SOB LIKE A BABY AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
I have a soft spot for stories that make me feel like I’m growing up with the characters so this one was exactly what I needed.
I adored Cat. She had my heart right from the very beginning to the very last sentence. Her relationship with Finn was so pure and true that I could wholeheartedly feel the love they had for each other and also the pain that they had to go through.
I loved the relationship between Cat and her parents, (especially her father) the way she dealt with grief, and the way she fought for herself and managed to get out of toxic and abusive relationships to take control of her own life.
The writing was beautiful. The plot was intriguing. The characters were so...human.
This is definitely a solid 5-star read and worth every single tear I’ve cried.
I have a soft spot for stories that make me feel like I’m growing up with the characters so this one was exactly what I needed.
I adored Cat. She had my heart right from the very beginning to the very last sentence. Her relationship with Finn was so pure and true that I could wholeheartedly feel the love they had for each other and also the pain that they had to go through.
I loved the relationship between Cat and her parents, (especially her father) the way she dealt with grief, and the way she fought for herself and managed to get out of toxic and abusive relationships to take control of her own life.
The writing was beautiful. The plot was intriguing. The characters were so...human.
This is definitely a solid 5-star read and worth every single tear I’ve cried.
djinnia's review against another edition
2.0
I was really disappointed in the book. I loved the premise of this story. It's the ultimate star-crossed love story, but I lost interest when Cat grew up and started sleeping around. It bugged me. And then the rest of the story i had to skim 'til near the end.