Silvia Moreno-Garcia knocks another one outta the park! I've never read The Island of Doctor Moreau, though I'm familiar with the story. This sets the story not on an island, but on the Yucatan peninsula and gives us the historical context of a very real conflict, The Caste War of the last half of the 19th century.
As always, Moreno-Garcia gives us an education while entertaining the hell out of the reader. I will be buying this when it comes out! Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC !
Pub date: July19, 2022

*A full review will be posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, my blog, and Amazon closer to publication!*

The first book I read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia was Gods of Jade and Shadow, followed by Mexican Gothic, both of which I absolutely loved. I have read a few more of her books since then and I was SO excited for The Daughter of Doctor Moreau! The Island of Dr. Moreau is also one of my favorite H.G. Wells classics, so I was even more excited about this one. I'm happy to say that Silvia Moreno-Garcia has done it yet again and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I really loved the atmosphere created in this story that had such a wonderful mix of mystery, intrigue, and a tinge of horror notes mixed in there. This is not the most fast-paced story, but rather has a somewhat inconsistent pacing at times, but it always kept me engaged throughout the entire story. The characters were well-executed and fully developed and I found myself completely immersed in this plot. Overall, a highly recommended read for any fans of the original, historical fiction, or sci-fi!

This book reimagines The Island of Doctor Moreau in 19th century Mexico. Carlota, the titular daughter, grows up in isolation on an estate in Mexico where her father experiments with genetic engineering and making hybrids out of animals. Carlota assists her father by taking care of his lab and the hybrids he creates along with Montgomery, Moreau’s heartbroken, somewhat surly mayordomo. Their situation is tenuous at best as Moreau’s patron, Lizalde, begins putting pressure on him and threatens to stop financing all his experiments if he doesn’t start producing useful workers. Lizalde’s son then enters the picture and begins romancing Carlota and things begin to spiral.

Those that are already fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia will likely enjoy this latest book. The descriptions of the setting and the sense of place in this novel is excellent. I was a little bogged down at how long it took for Carlota to come into her own but the ending was satisfying enough.

This is a modern version of the classic The Island of Dr. Moreau. I wish I had read another Moreno-Garcia book before reading this one. I did not enjoy the story. There wasn't much going on.

Carlota is a young girl growing up in her father's grand estate in the middle of nowhere. All she knows is the nature surrounding her as well as her father, their majordomo and the hybrids his father has created. One day, the son of the man financing her father's research comes to visit. That's when things go sour.

If you love sci-fi, historical fiction set in the 1800s Mexico, you might want to enjoy it. I personally expected more, and the ending could have been more grand.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Okay so full disclosure I'm pretty much a huge Moreno-Garcia stan, but she absolutely did not disappoint with this one!!

Honestly and truly, Sylvia Moreno-Garcia can do no wrong. This is my fourth book of hers, and she did not disappoint. The Daughter of Dr. Moreau has Moreno-Garcia’s signature style of history and fact mixed with that extra oomph to pull you into the story. She manages to teach while building the perfect science fiction atmosphere. And of course, she has a bad ass, but still complex, main heroine.

This book follows Carlota, who is the daughter of Dr. Moreau, and Montgomery, the majordomo of the property. Moreau is a scientist who bends the laws of biology and nature. They lead a relatively simple life on the Yucatan Peninsula amongst the hybrid creations of Dr. Moreau, but when a rich young man shows interest in Carlota, secrets come out and change her life forever.

Carlota reminded me a lot of Noemi from Mexican Gothic, but don’t get me wrong, Carlota is definitely her own distinct character who carries her own trauma and complexities. We also get Montgomery's perspective in this story, and I love the way Moreno-Garcia really captured that rough-and-tumble, outlaw-esque aura in his characterization. This book is definitely for fans of Mexican Gothic (and really any other Moreno-Garcia books if you love her style), but I also feel like this is the perfect book to introduce yourself to her work as this is a little faster paced than her other books. So please please please RUN, don’t walk, to grab this book when it hits the shelves on July 19, 2022!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey for the eARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia always writes books that are just about as horror as I can handle and that are romantic, but not romance. Usually I try to read her books in October (peak spooky season) but this one is out on July 19 and I had an advanced copy I wanted to read before publication. She always brings delightful twists to the story that I’m not expecting, even when I think I know what to expect from her previous works.

"From the bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.

Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is 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 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 live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey."

If I were to pick the dream reimagining for Silvia Moreno-Garcia it would be The Island of Doctor Moreau.

I never read the original Doctor Moreau, but I'm a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This was no exception. If you've read her other works, you'll what to expect here. It's on the slower-paced side, but there's always a payoff. I love how she blends genres, in this case horror/scifi/historical fiction. She really creates a sense of time and place. I liked Carlota, Montgomery less so. Lupe and Cachito were great. The biggest issues for me was the age gap. Yes, I know things like this happened back then, but there were age-appropriate romances, too. I just wish we would stop with the young girl and older man trope. It also all happened too quickly and was creepy (for me) given where their ages fell throughout the story. I enjoyed Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow more, but I enjoyed this more than Velvet was the Night. Will read whatever Moreno-Garcia next publishes.

Goodness, Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do no wrong. This book was so engaging and so mysterious. It didn't rely too heavily on knowledge of the original (which is good, because I never read it!) but it still gives readers enough of a base to follow along. It's suspenseful and atmospheric and thoroughly bad-ass.

This a beautifully told, compelling, and clever revisionist work of scifi horror. The cover is beautiful and fans of Mexican Gothic or even other revisionist tales of Victorian works, like Wide Sargasso Sea will enjoy it.

This book was okay, but it was just not for me. I felt like nothing really happened throughout the book. The ending was heartwarming though.

A secluded estate houses experiments of Doctor Moreau, as well as his daughter, but their world is upended by the arrival of a young man, throwing their delicately balanced life in to chaos in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.

In Yaxaktun, away from prying eyes and the strife engulfing the Yucatán peninsula, Doctor Moreau has set up his life and scientific experiments with the financial patronage of Mr. Lizalde, who aims to use these experiments, hybrids as they combine human and animal genetics, to his advantage as obedient workers in the wake of political upheaval. With Doctor Moreau is his daughter, Carlota, who has led a sheltered life and encountered few people beyond those in Yaxaktun; when a young girl of 14, Montgomery Laughton arrived to take up the role of mayordomo, mostly escaping his sad and tragic past as he tends to drown his woes in alcohol. In the six years since Montgomery’s arrival, they’ve had a quiet and peaceful existence, but one day Eduardo Lizalde, the Moreau patron’s son, arrives and shifts their protected world, charming Carlota with his seemingly gentlemanly behavior and fetching appearance. Eduardo’s arrival and obsessive pursuit of Carlota ushers a series of events that drastically change the dynamics between those in Yaxaktun, making Carlota question her father and the secrets he’s long kept, especially those about her supposed illness.

Written in lush, descriptive language that easily sets an atmosphere, this reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau gradually explored rising tensions of growing unrest within Mexico that leads to a war as part of a larger story that examined humanity while depicting scientific experimentation that raised a variety of questions regarding the ethics and morality of what’s being done in the name of scientific progress. Presented in a dual perspective narrative through Carlota and Montgomery, the story overlapped slightly at the outset, and featured a fair bit of repetition, but then shifted to a more straightforward chronological sequence passing between the two characters, offering insights in to each of their characters and their thoughts regarding one another, which provided moments of levity as they provoked one another with their banter, despite their relationship generally feeling a bit too forced for the sake of more drama. Using genetic splicing to create new beings, hoping for a human-passing creature with the added abilities of the donor animal, there’s a fascinating potential presented, but with the possibility is joined by a perspective that those created beings are seen as less than human, even so far as monsters, despite the advantages they have may over a “normal” human as a result of their genetic modifications; through this, there’s a depiction of those who are “other” and how they’re treated both by those close to them as well as society at large.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very good book and only my second by this author. I am amazed at her talent and how all her books feel unique and I loved this book. A new favourite. A fantastic storyline with great writing , pick this one up if you enjoy fantastical storytelling. Had me hooked from page one , this was utterly stunning.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Whenever I'm in the mood for something solidly genre, I don't ever have to look further than Siliva Moreno-Garcia. At this point I'm convinced she could do anything. This was definitely my favorite of hers since I read Mexican Gothic and this book highlights all her strengths. Atmospheric, spooky, less nuts and bolts plot and more of simply creepy crawly feeling that you aren't supposed to be reading about this. There's something voyeuristic about SMG's writing, she puts you in scenarios and in character dynamics that maybe shouldn't exist, but despite ourselves, you get drawn in to her fantastical and grotesque worlds. So thrilling, so gross, so good.

A fresh take on the story of Dr. Moreau with fascinating characters and social commentary. Carlota is the daughter of Dr. Moreau, the novel taking place on the Yucatan Peninsula with the Maya people battling for their independence. I was expecting science fiction horror. What I got was a historical love story with a science fiction twist that reimagined a classic story.

Isolation bleeds through the novel. Carlota is a woman who has grown up with few companions or friends, diligently observed by her father, throughout his experiments on animals and beast-like men. The cast is compact, but compelling, particularly Montgomery the Englishman who assists Moreau. Montgomery is a character defined by failure and trauma, unable to leave it behind and bearing it with him even as others attempt to bond with him.

The question permeates the novel: what makes a human being human? What is to be gained by playing God? Carlota is the vehicle through those questions are raised and answered. As Carlota gains more independence, we learn about her origins, and her journey of self determination is entwined with her growing romance to Eduardo, the son of her father's patron.

As ever, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's characters are strong and believable. The atmosphere is one she perfected in Mexican Gothic: lurid, haunting and compelling, with rich tapestries of language and character that draw the reader in from the first page.

5/5

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is filled with mystery and intrigue based on super-natural elements. This sci-fi historical fiction is set in Mexico during the 1800's. The author loosely based it on the original book The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Synopsis:
Carlota Moreau, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Moreau lives with her father on the Yucatan Peninsula. Montgomery Laughton is hired by Dr Moreau to help take care of their estate. Montgomery is a bit taken aback when he discovers hybrid part animal, part human experiments living within the Moneau household. The creatures are meek for the most part, but you might be wary of getting too cozy with them. 😲

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is a bestselling speculative fiction author with twenty-seven books to her credit. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a dark slow-burn gothic novel that will pique your curiosity. It has an interesting concept and is well-written. I enjoyed the novel because it is different from anything I have read before.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is available on July 19th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, for allowing me to review this unique Mexican Gothic book. Your kindness is appreciated.

If you loved Mexican Gothic, this is going to be your jam. It gives similar eery vibes and I was here for it the whole time.

It gave discussion on parental relationships, colonism, ethics, human decency, what do we consider human, and other lovely nuanced things. I appreciate the way that SMG treated the main relationship in this book, because it could have been controversial age-wise and I did enjoy the way it was handled.

All I'm taking a lot of brain power to try and give a review that is worthy of this book, sooo lemme just say, that this is a delightfully eerie offering that is VERY Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: mention of abuse, alcoholism, mention of suicide, violence, bigotry, blood, death, gun violence, body horror

I’ve read three other SMG books and loved them, but for some reason, this one just didn’t hit the same for me. She brings the same beautiful writing style and historical flair, but I struggled to connect with the story the same way as I did with Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and Velvet Was the Night. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the story was based (loosely) off The Island of Doctor Moreau, a story I haven’t read and had little interest in, until I saw that SMG had provided a take on it?

I enjoyed the MCs and the side characters. We get to experience the story through the perspectives of both Carlota, the eponymous daughter of Doctor Moreau, and Montgomery Laughton, the majordomo of the estate, who from what I could gather kind of took care of everything that needed to be done.We get insight into what they’re thinking and experiencing, as well as seeing the relationships that they build with the people around them. And this includes the hybrids, who are treated as family in most cases.

The pacing felt off in this story. For the first half of the book, it moved exceptionally slowly. But after reaching the mid-point of the story, the pace sped up significantly and things started happening one after another. Even so, the story was well-crafted and kept me intrigued. I was invested in the characters, and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

The one area where the story fell short for me was Carlota’s romance. I understand that things worked differently in the 19th century, but I felt like it was rushed to have her fall in love after knowing someone for several days.That aspect of the story didn’t feel as realistic to me, and was difficult to get behind.

However, I do have to admit that SGM is the absolute master of body horror, and gothic stories. It’s a fabulous sci-fi/historical fiction crossover with racial, social, and political commentary, and I can honestly say that no one handles this as well as she does, making this one of her strengths, and this is what keeps drawing me back to her books. That, and the amazing characters and stories that she weaves together.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the latest book from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a science fiction-historical fiction read. “A dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.”

Dr. Moreau is a French scientist who lost his wife years ago and moved to the isolated estate of Yaxaktun, where he has leaned heavily into his scientific experiments of human-animal hybrids. His daughter Carlota, 14 when the story opens, lives with him in their quiet and isolated home and helps with his work. It’s 1871 when the story begins and Montgomery Laughton has traveled through northern Yucatán to take the job as mayordomo of Moreau’s estate. We learn a little about Englishman Montgomery’s background, he’s 29, separated from his wife, and heavily drinks. In part two of the story, it is now 1877 and Montgomery has worked for eccentric Dr. Moreau for 6 years. Carlota is 20 years old now and her father wants to marry her off to a man of fortune, Eduardo, since Moreau is in desperate need of more funding for his experiments. With Eduardo staying at the estate now too, life at Yaxaktun begins to change and secrets are uncovered.

This loosely based reimagining of the H.G. Wells classic sci-fi felt fresh and I enjoyed the Yucatán 1870s backdrop. The exploration of human, nature, and mortality blended well with the historical aspect of the story. Tensions are high in the area with a war brewing between the Maya people, the on-going effects from slavery and colonization, and the war between classes. This was a very compulsive read where I had to find out what would happen next, so I did fly through it. I think the pacing and development of the story towards the end wasn’t as good as some of the things happening in the beginning.

Thank you to the publisher (Del Rey, Random House) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau has a publish date of July 19, 2022.