The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book started of slow when first reading it. This is a retelling of H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau which takes place on the Yucatan peninsula during the war with the Mayan people and the Mexican wealthy tyrants. This is a feminist view of the original story.

Carolata Moreau lives an isolated existence on the Yucatan peninsula with a few employees, her father and hybrid creatures her father created in the lab. It has a creepy vibe at first with the hybrid creatures. But as the story goes along you get a better understanding of the creatures they are a mixture of human and animal. Things begin to change when her father's patron who pays for all the research on the island is cutting the amounts given. He wants workers and Dr. Moreau wants to do more. Two men show up on the island one of them is the Son of the patron. He immediately has eyes for Carolata and Dr. Moreau sees dollar signs for his daughter and the son of the patron.

This part of the story was really good and I was surprised by the way it ended. I don't know the end was ok but something about it did not sit right with me. I like Carolata but thought her to be naive at times.

I was pulled in for most of the story but it still fell short for me. I know a lot of people will love this because it is a retelling of a classic story. It just felt middle of the road for me hence the 3 stars. It is still well worth reading it has its entertaining value. I recommend this if you like retellings and feminist view in a story. I don't want to scare people away from reading it like I said most of the story pulled me in I was onboard but in some areas it just didn't come together as I felt it should have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine books for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was really slow. I have liked previous books by Moreno-Garcia, but this one just didn't do it for me. There were moments where I started to get sucked in, but then it would go on in too much detail about something unrelated to the plot line and my mind would wander.

I didn't particularly like or feel a connection to any of the characters. I thought the relationship between Carlota and Montgomery was a little weird. The only real connection I felt was between Carlota and Dr. Moreau.

The entire time I was reading the book I kept feeling like it was supposed to be an allegory for another story, but I don't know what exactly. Maybe there was a deeper, hidden message I missed which may have helped me appreciate the story better, but as was I was just ready to be done reading it.

It's an original feminist retelling of the old and much-adapted Doctor Moreau story, and it features Moreno-Garcia's signature dreamy and disturbing vibe. I've never read the H.G. Wells original or seen any of the adaptations, nor read any of Morena-Garcia's work before. I had high expectations based on the praise I've seen for the author's previous work, but it didn't end up being for me. I'm not a horror fan, and despite not being particularly horrific, it just didn't quite work for me, partly because the genre-mixing was so intense, and partly because I really didn't understand the themes of the original enough to catch what Morena-Garcia was trying to say with this re-interpretation. I think people with more familiarity with the original story and/or the author's previous work woudl probably have a better time than me.

I love this author and I couldn't wait to read this book- it lived up to the expectations! As with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books, this one had an interesting science fiction element, a strong female lead, a fun plot twist, and a vivid setting.

This was an interesting take on The Island of Dr. Moreau that read much more like a YA novel full of angst and longing than what I was hoping for.

I enjoyed reading this historical story. This is my second book by this author that I have read. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one if not more. This is a well written story that took me on a journey of secrets and a start of a chain reaction that is dangerous. I enjoyed how the characters were creative and unique and made the story for me. I enjoyed how they pulled me into the story from the start. The author used details that gave the story a realistic feel. I had no problem picturing myself in the story. There is great growth of the plot which made the story easy and entertaining to read. This is a fast paced story that is not only engaging but hard to put down. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I dropped this at 20% and could not get into it.

I love Moreno-Garcia's other books but really couldn't get into this one. I don't really like stories that kind of flounder around without a specific end goal or plot in mind so this wouldn't have worked for me anyway. It's definitely got a more classical writing feel to it which was fine, but it felt like it didn't have a ton of substance under the words. I might try picking up this book again later.

very atmospheric, and the characters are very interesting. I love gothic books so I was very excited to read this. I naturally already love Silvia's writing, but I was hoping for more in this retelling. I am fine with a slow build but it felt like it was very going to get there. In the end it was beatiful, but there wasn't enough substance in plot for me.

3.5 stars

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of the infamous Doctor Moreau, who resides on a secluded island estate located deep within the Yucatán peninsula. Scientific experiments, the hybrids, and even the complicated Montgomery Laughton are all merely part of life in the peaceful Yaxaktun residence. But this is not the story of Doctor Moreau, this is about Carlota and how her tranquil, static world gets disrupted by the arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the reckless son of her father's patron who is quick to flatter and sets them all down a path that changes Yaxaktun and Carlotta forever.

I do want to preface this review by saying I came into this book knowing nothing about The Island of Doctor Moreau save he was a "villain", but I found myself quickly engaged with the gripping reimagining that Moreno-Garcia created. That being said, part three is where the plot went arigh for me, certain decisions made by characters, specifically Carlota, felt unfleshed out and inconsistent. The climax felt rushed and the resolution perhaps too neatly tied for me, but I did find the book to be one I'm glad to have read.

Science fiction meets historical fiction in this stunner of a novel. Moreno-Garcia's storytelling is like no other, and her most recent work is no exception.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a historical fiction retelling of the classic sci-do novel set in Mexico. The two narrators of the story is Carlotta and Montgomery. I found the writing to be very lush and lyrical. However, I could not really get invested in the characters. They did not seem to have enough character development. The romance was thin and very creepy. I found the story to be very slow-moving. Still, it had a very interesting twist at the end. Overall, this was a very faithful and fascinating take on the classic novel. This story will appeal up fans of horror as well as historical fiction. I recommend this for fans of The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, The Death of Jane Lawrence, and The Diabolical Miss Hyde!

This retelling/expansion of a classic H.G. Wells novel stars Carlota Moreau, daughter of the genius (or perhaps madman) Dr. Moreau, in 1870s Yucatán, Mexico. When the charming son of Dr. Moreau’s patron arrives, the careful balance of his scientific creations is thrown into chaos.

I haven't read The Island of Doctor Moreau so I was missing some context, but I don't think it's necessary to read it to enjoy this book. It's super atmospheric and dark and transporting. I think it lagged a bit in the middle, but I'm glad I stuck around, because wow that ending!

I wanted to love this novel, but strangely felt apathetic to it all by the end. The characters were well developed and the plot was great. It took me back to the original Island of Dr. Moreau book and movie I enjoyed growing up.
There just seemed to be a little something missing that didn't bring me joy.
It was a solid read, full of details, just fell a little flat.

I have tried to read this book twice now and it is just not grabbing my attention. The premise is fantastic and I was really hoping that it would be a great fall read. I am having a hard time connecting to the characters and the plot is very slow. Not for me, unfortunately.

I'll be the first to admit, I should have read a few reviews, and maybe the blurb again before picking up this book. It was only after I was finished, that I realized this author also write Mexican Gothic, which I did not totally enjoy, and that's on me.

What the blurb isn't telling you, is that this is a coming of age romance. The story is centered around Doctor Moreau's daughter, and her becoming a woman, and discovering the true nature of men in her life, and in general.

It took me a month to read it because at no point was any part of the plot drawing me forward. It was interesting to see this take on Doctor Moreau, and the author paints a beautiful world, with ties to real life troubles of the area in historical lights, but the plot did not have any hook.

The last 25% of the book is where the 'action' happens, but is more of reactions, which falls flat. There are great bones to this story, it just wasn't the adventure I had hoped for.

If you are looking for a coming of age story, with twists this is a book that you'll love. Especially if you are interest in historical fiction based in Mexico books.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book.

This was such a lovely read! The way the story feels both naively optimistic and eerily sinister at the same time is just *chefs kiss.*

This is the third Silvia Moreno-Garcia book I've read, and I love the way she writes her protagonists and settings. Each book has been a slightly different genre (horror, fantasy, and sci-fi), but they all feel so real and atmospheric.

Overall, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is what I've come to expect from Moreno-Garvcia, atmospheric, and rich with descriptions of the particular place and time we find ourselves. The Yucatan is painted in all it's vibrant colors and tastes and smells in way that really put me in the middle of the story.

I also found the perspective shifts very interesting. The chapters overlapped slightly so we could see pivotal interaction for both perspectives as well as being in on what was going on off page.

I found the characters to be an interesting mix of sympathetic and flawed which gave the story a more realistic depth. I didn't connect as much with the romantic subplot as much as I didn't in previous books but I did enjoy both characters individually.

This hasn't replaced Gods of Jade and Shadow as my favourite Moreno-Garcia book but it was a fun read with quite a bit of atmosphere and depth.

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

A more romantic retelling of the original version of the Island of Doctor Moreau. There is also more emotions given to the hybrids and their predicament. The outcomes of the decisions made on Moreau's compound still turn out in such a way to give a clear connection to the original text. The historical Mexican context is also very well researched and used effectively in this novel.

I really enjoyed this! Carlota Moreau is an engaging, realistic protagonist, and I enjoyed following her adventures. The worldbuilding was fresh and exciting, and I loved the plot!

I have mixed feelings about this one.

I really wanted to love it—I’ve enjoyed the author’s other novels, but this one just didn’t grab me until I was about halfway through. The plot was slow, maybe less exciting than I was expecting, but the writing was solid and the characters were interesting.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of the book! Opinions are my own.