(Since it's a new year and everything, I'm going to be trying out a new review format that I'll try to stick to). 
 Review contains minor spoilers for the book. 
 First Line: "The air in my crumbling attic chamber smelled of roses and formaldehyde. 
 Cover and First Impression 
 I've always really enjoyed the covers of this series; they really seem to match the feeling of the story and the tagline is even more perfect. There's also a beautiful dress, which is an added bonus. It feels like forever since I last read The Madman's Daughter, but honestly I had no problem diving back into this world and remembering most of the important stuff. I'm actually glad I waited so long to read the sequel since the series conclusion is out in just a few weeks. 
 Writing 
 There's something about the way that Sheperd writes that has a very haunting feel to it. The prose in both her books is absolutely gorgeous; I think I'd be content to read a book entirely about her just describing things to me as the reader. This was probably the main reason that whenever I picked this book up, I was immediately absorbed in the story because it was just so captivating. 
 "In such chaos, London felt much like Father's Island. The beasts that lurked here just had less fur and walked much more upright." 
 Characters 
 I'm not going to lie; Juliet makes a lot of stupid decisions in this book. She trusts people she probably shouldn't and allows emotion to prevent her from thinking clearly. She's constantly battling with this darkness inside her because she's secretly fascinated by the twisted science that created the Beast-Men on her father's island. Though she can be a frustrating protagonist at times, I was always firmly on her side. Yes, she makes mistakes, but most of the time she realizes what she did wrong or she justifies it somehow. There's also the fact that she's not entirely mentally stable due to her illness. I actually really like her, despite her long list of faults. She's very intelligent and perceptive about small things, which are great redemptive qualities. 
 I was kind of hoping the love triangle wouldn't get so much attention in this book, but it did. The thing is, though, it didn't bother me as much as it normally would. I don't feel like she fluctuated much at all between them. Edward was the one she saw first, and she had sympathy for him because she understood the illness of the animal-like thing they both had. She stayed with him, trying to help, until the situation got too hot to handle with Edward's constant transformations. Even when they slept together, I think Juliet was just lonely and sad about Montgomery. In the second half, when Montgomery was present, she's pretty much completely devoted to him. I was pretty happy with all the scenes between them, especially the one where they got engaged. I'm hoping they stay happily together in the third book, because Juliet has much better chemistry with Montgomery than Edward. 
 "His blue eyes, soft as the early morning sky, found me. 'I want to marry you.'" 
 I love how fiercely protective and determined Montgomery is. He's definitely not perfect and he's made his share of mistakes. But Juliet probably couldn't exactly be with a saint considering her past. He tries to do what's right even when it's hard. I did lose a little faith in him a few times over the course of the story, but that's just because of how he pushed Juliet away at the end of the first book. I worried he would pull the sae kind of stunt here. If he remains loyal in the third book, he'll basically be perfect. Edward is just kind of meh to me as a love interest (not because he has a murderous alternate ego, but just his actual personality). 
 I also really appreciated the friendship between Juliet and Lucy; though Lucy isn't really that memorable on her own as a character, she was always supportive of Juliet even when things got completely crazy. 
 Plot 
 I have no complaints about the pacing of Her Dark Curiosity. I loved the way it opened, the dark and creepy vibe from learning about the Wolf of Whitechapel and then the scheming of the King's Cross. I expected Juliet to be looking for a cure to her illness throughout the story, and she did, but there was also the scenes where Beast was talking to Juliet and trying to pick at her mind that were really unsettling and gripping. There's a surprise villain in the end which I wasn't expecting, so that was nice. I don't think I completely understood Juliet's plan at the end of the book. (view spoiler)[ I get that she wanted Newcastle, Lessings and Hastings to die, but the fact that she wanted to let the beasts out and show people what they were/what they could do? That's exactly what they were trying to prevent. (hide spoiler)] I've never been the biggest fan of Frankenstein so I'm not thrilled with the way the way the author chose to take the story, but nevertheless I'm excited for A Cold Legacy anyway. 
 Conclusion 
 An excellent installment in a so far beautiful series. 
 4.5 stars