Book Review: The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Goodreads Summary: The Mad Scientist’s Daughter is the heartbreaking story of the journey from childhood to adulthood, with an intriguing science fictional twist.
There’s never been anyone - or anything - quite like Finn.He looks, and acts human, though he has no desire to be. He was programmed to assist his owners, and performs his duties to perfection. A billion-dollar construct, his primary task is to tutor Cat.When the government grants rights to the ever-increasing robot population, however, Finn struggles to find his place in the world.

Title: The Mad Scientist's Daughter
Series: n/a
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: 7th February 2013
Format: e-galley
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

This wasn't what I was expecting. After receiving approval from NetGalley, I was excited to read a Science Fiction for a change. It was a fantastic read, easy flow and a very interesting and unusual take on robotics. I would suggest this is for the older YA genre to adult due to the love scenes and the vivid details. But I loved the whole story behind Cat and Finn, their friendship and how Cat’s whole life is set out before you.

One day when Cat was five, she is introduced to her new tutor, Finn. Cat sees him in the light and thinks he is a ghost, but she is not frightened.  Cat is an unusual child, she isn’t put into school and has been home-schooled, but now Finn is here to tutor her.  You see, Finn is one of a kind; he is a robot, an android, but is not just a computer he has a conscience.

This story follows Cat from the first day she meets Finn, through her childhood and into adulthood. Finn is tutoring her and growing and together they seem to be bonding somehow. Cat comes to think of Finn as her best friend. I mean, Cat doesn't associate with other children; she isn't put into school until High School. Her parents are getting concerned she is spending too much time with Finn and finally decide to put her into school.

Cat is petrified of going to school; what are all the other kids going to think about her and will she fit in? Keeping to herself, Cat doesn't know what to do, she takes each day as it comes. Finn is helping Cat’s Father (he is the Scientist) and they don’t get to spend as much time together. Cat goes along and experiences all the things teenagers do and if she gets into trouble, Finn is always there to rescue her.

The older Cat gets, the more attached to Finn she becomes. She doesn't understand what is going on and knows that she has to live her own life. Now she is doing her own things and becoming an artist, moved into the city and working. She meets men and enjoys life, but Finn is always there. Cat wanted to experiment one night with Finn and discover how real Finn is in every aspect (wink wink).

Still going along and family tragedy occurs, this brings Cat home and her feelings for Finn seem to surface. But Finn is an android, he cannot get married nor have freedom, but the world is changing and with the invention of androids, rights are being fought for their freedom of choice. Cat knows she cannot have Finn and has to find NORMAL as her Mother says.

Life still continues and Finn is free! He decides to go to the Moon and work on the Lunar Station, no longer able to stay home and around Cat.

Did Cat confess to her real feelings for the android? What does everybody think about THAT? Can Cat ever be happy?

This book is about LOVE mostly and family, betrayal, emotion and what happiness means, but so totally science fiction. It is an amazing book and I enjoyed so much that I will be looking for more books by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I haven’t read a stand-alone for a while and it was great for a change. I highly recommend this to all romance readers, this is science fiction, but it is about love.

4 STARS

About the Author:

Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.

During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.

~ courtesy of Goodreads

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