I'll tell you right off the bat that I never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, although I do have a general idea of the story. The mood you get from this story is dark and gloomy, and also a bit terrifying. I loved it. I was kind of hoping for more terror and gruesome things, but it still pretty intense for a YA thriller/mystery. Megan does a great job of painting such a vivid picture of historical England and even greater detail of the mysterious island and Dr. Moreau's lab. The whole time I was wondering what was going to happen next, what crazy stuff would I see next, and Megan did not disappoint with how she surprised and wow'ed me with her story. 
 Juliet has a darkness about her, too, which stems from her father and the her mysterious past. She's a pretty strong character and has to deal with a lot of crap after her father mysteriously disappears and her mother dies. I loved how she didn't let anyone push her around, especially considering how hard it was for women back in that day and age. She's definitely one of the tough ones. I loved that she was also a little bit off, and that you couldn't really tell if she was going to go crazy one minute, or pull it all together and get the hell off that island. She does some pretty crazy things throughout the book, which added depth and intrique to her character and I really enjoyed being in her head, which is saying something as I tend to hate being inside a girl's head for too long. A girl who is a little bit crazy, dark, and dangerous; maybe not so much?! 
 Also, my imagination sucks, so I had a hard time picturing Moreau's creations. I just I just kept seeing them as animals, when really, they were supposed to look like deformed humans?! This is in no way Megan's fault, as she did a great job in describing the creatures, in a terribly beautiful way, but I think if I saw them in real life, I'd be like "okay, that is SO not how I pictured them looking like". That's just me though. 
 The romance was very well done in this book. It, of course, didn't take center stage, but I think Megan addressed it rather well and gave readers a good feel of both guys and Juliet's thoughts on the whole situation. I even had a hard time deciding who was better, Montgomery or Edward, although I had a soft spot for Montgomery. Both guys were so inherently different and also, right for Juliet in very different ways. I definitely approve of who she chose in the end, but even after that, things kind of went to hell. I guess it kind of fits with the depressing theme of the story. 
 And let me tell you, that ending?! Ugh, so sad! 
 I really enjoyed Megan's writing style and her ability to create such intense and memorable characters. I will say that things start off pretty slow and it takes a minute before you really see what's going on and all the action starts, but it's well worth it in the end. I can't wait to read her next novel, which I saw is a retelling of the classic story of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde", which I've always loved. I'm pretty sure she'll add her own crazy twists to the story and make it truly as fascinating as she did with this book.