This book is a sort of retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau, which I read in college. I enjoyed the Wells version quite a bit and I wanted to love this one, I really did. But it fell flat for me in a few different ways.

Firstly, the story is about a doctor performing experiments on secluded Mexican ranch, the goal of which is to perfectly combine human and animal forms. His experiments aren’t perfect, however, and his human-animal hybrids start wishing to leave the compound due to their poor treatment. The doctor’s daughter is sympathetic to the hybrids and sets in motion a plan to free them all.

I enjoyed the fact that the mayordomo’s name is Montgomery, in keeping with the original H.G. Wells character. I think the prose itself is well written, and I liked the alternating POV between Carlota and Montgomery. The setting is compelling, and I think this is a time period and a place that more fiction writers should utilize for its natural tensions and struggles.

The book went wrong for me in a few places. If you’ve read the original, you will be able to guess at the main “twist” of the novel, but even if you haven’t, I think it’s blatantly obvious even near the beginning of the story. The characters were not developed enough for me, or maybe I just didn’t like them enough to connect with them. I also found the pace to be a bit slow, not much happens until the final third of the story.

Overall, I’m glad I read this alternate “take” on Doctor Moreau, but I wish it had left me with a little more.

Thank you to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Morena-Garcia is loosely based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells.
I really like this author, Gods of Jad and Shadow was one of my favorite recent reads.
I was less a fam of Mexican Gothic.
This book falls in between those two for me.

I liked the way the POV alternated between the two main characters.
Sometimes stories are written from so many points of view that it is hard to keep track of who is talking.
I also liked the descriptions of the characters and various hybrids.
The story is compelling and well-written.
It really drew me in and I finished this book in just a few readings.
It's not full-blown fantasy, with world-building etc, but it is definitely fantastical.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free Kindle ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

I was able to get an ARC from NetGalley of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s SF novel, which is drawn from the Island of Dr. Moreau and the Caste War of Yucatán. If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic it has a similar vibe, but not as deeply terrifying. I have to admit that I have never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, but was still intrigued by this story. So it probably will seem familiar if you have already consumed the classic book or another adaptation, but you won’t feel out of the loop if the story is new to you. A fair warning though, to readers who are icked out by body horror-you will most likely be icked out at points in this book. Anyway, I don’t think that I have ever read a book by this author that I didn't love and you have to respect the amount of research that she puts into each story. I enjoyed this book immensely and am happy to share a review with fellow readers.

Moreno-Garcia writes lushly detailed genre novels set in a mostly-historical Mexico, and I am here. For. It! Her latest genre-jump is a reframing of The Island of Dr. Moreau on a hacendado in caste-war-era Yucatan… and cue me cheering. Then, people the novel with a tempestuous main character who’s outgrown her place as the daughter of a researcher and who is kept mostly in the dark about her father’s experiments and creations, a majordomo haunted by his past and his feelings of inadequacy, a mad scientist whose grandiose dreams have made him into a self-styled god, and human-animal hybrids living alongside the beastially-treated indigenous Maya – and you’ve got me hooked.

The source material fit really interestingly into this setting; I could feel the humid jungle air and longed for the cool of the cenote along with the characters. It inspired a lazy, almost stifling vibe where the action moved slowly and inexorably to its conclusion. I also liked the complexity in Carlota (the titular daughter of Dr. Moreau) and the majordomo, who provided an alternating POV to Carlota. The hybrids themselves added interesting commentary about the caste system in contemporary Mexico, and I wanted to hear more from Lupe in particular. I felt like the author wanted to draw a finer analogy between the jungle and Eden – with Carlota as Eve, perhaps? – but the comparison wasn’t quite complete. The religious connotations were plentiful, however, and I think something more could have been done with them.

I am glad this book is coming out during the summer- pick it up when you need to escape the sun by enveloping yourself in its jungle heat and thorny philosophy. My thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia for providing this e-arc for review.

This is my second Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. She has a gift for both compelling storytelling and characters. Her timing is great--one wants to keep reading but the book doesn't speed through but provides marvelous little details that build the setting, character, and elements of horror and suspense. This isn't highly suspenseful but keeps a thread of it going through the story. Characters are well defined, even secondary characters, with excellently chosen bits of description and action. The plot moves well with the main story progressing and showing bits of side elements that add to the richness of the story. It's no wonder Garcia-Moreno is a bestselling author!

QUICK TAKE: I can definitely say for certain that I enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia's fantasy/scifi/horror stories more than her crime fiction, and there was a lot about DOCTOR MOREAU that I enjoyed. This is not as left-of-center or bonkers batshit crazy as Mexican Gothic was (and that I loved!), and I felt like the narrative was treading water at certain points, but if you're looking for a gothic take on Moreau thru the lens of Moreno-Garcia, you're going to get exactly what you might expect here!

Strong adult novel with a hint of fantasy and adventure and danger. Well-developed characters, but slow ending

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the very welcome opportunity to read and review Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.'

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the absolute queen of taking the reader and planting them, figuratively, in the middle of the action. Right from the off you can see the vibrant colors of the people (helped enormously by that stunning book cover), the house, the jungle; feel the heat and discomfort; imagine the tranquil and cooling effect of the natural pool; and smell everything that's going on. If the meat of the "Mexican Gothic' story happened in a pale, gloomy setting then 'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau' is the polar opposite - heat, color, smells, exploding everywhere.

You probably don't need to have read or know the story of the original H.G. Wells novel 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' to read and enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia's reimagining of it but I would say it helps to have some knowledge of it. The character of 'Montgomery' from the original is retained but with a somewhat different though no less central role.

The story is broadly based on Well's tale of a vivisectionist using science and the advancement of the human species as an excuse for pain and torture. Without giving away too much, Moreau in this retelling achieves more than he hoped for in some respects.

As for the science fiction elements, the science of the original story and this retelling is obviously pure fantasy but the offspring of the experimentation, the hybrids, are presented as real and rounded characters with backstories, personalities, and characteristics of their own which combine their animal and human sides. Cross-species love, friendship, and loyalties abound and at the same time the hybrids are hidden away for fear of the reaction they'd provoke if the wider world experienced them, only finding acceptance within their own closeted world and then, later, with other outcasts.

Moreno-Garcia very cleverly and almost imperceptibly presents the reader with a brief history of the conflicting sides in 19th century Mexico - the indigenous Mayans, British, Mexican elite and poor, Spanish - and the caste system which emerged and then and became cast (no pun intended) in concrete and still remains in place to some extent today. Every faction of that period is featured strongly here and we get to understand a little of how it came to be and how it's fed into the ongoing development of the region. I found that fascinating. The social mores of the day and how that impacted on the lives of women is also well covered. Also on full display through the character of Doctor Moreau is the role that religion plays into the subjugation and control of people and nations - his constant quoting of bible verses is used as a means of controlling his daughter and his creations. Kudos to the author for highlighting that.

It felt to me that the pacing of the story was trying to mirror that of the setting and characters. The oppressive heat of the peninsula meaning that things have to move slowly or else exhaustion sets in but then you have explosive movement when wild animals are threatened - the book's the same, long languid passages interspersed with action. Although the ending could be described as being a little bit pat, for me there's enough ambiguity to mean that it works.

This is another wonderful reading experience courtesy of one of the finest writers of the moment.

I enjoyed the slow buildup of atmospheric tension, I knew/suspected from the title that there would be some odd goings on and I was not disappointed. I like the tone of Silvia Moreno- Garcia’s writing very much and will continue to read all I can by her.

I confess I did not know much of the original story. I mean I watched the old movie years ago, and had a general idea of what it's about, but what Silvia does is connect it to a real conflict in Mexico. You don't need to know a lot about the original story to read this as she does an incredible job of explaining all the details.

Silvia has this incredible way of creating characters with serious flaws. Probably the best part I love about her stories, the characters are so imperfect yet you can't help but feel compassion for them.

The story is told in 2 POVs Carlota, and Montgomery. Carlota is the Dr's daughter and she wants nothing more than to make her father proud of her. And she is an obedient and in my opinion a friggin' saint. The way she holds her tongue when her father is cruel to her and to the hybrids made me want to scream.

Montgomery is a drunk with a heart break of a backstory. I mean my heart truly broke for him, but I will admit because it hit a little too close to home for me.

If you're looking for story with a little but science fiction and a little bit historical fiction, this is the book for you!

An amazing take on The Island of Doctor Moreau told from the point of view of his daughter, who is more than what she appears to be. Like Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau examines colonialism in the crosshairs of fantasy at its best.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an extremely talented writer, and that talent is fully displayed in her newest novel “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.” Her language is lush and highly evocative of the novel’s setting, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the 1870s, where Doctor Moreau experiments in creating part-animal, part-human “hybrids.” Her characters are well-drawn, especially her two protagonists, the beautiful Carlotta and the melancholy Montgomery, from whose points of view the story is told. More literary than most tales of adventure and/or science fiction, its pace is somewhat slow. Nevertheless, the isolation of Moreau’s estate, the presence of the experimental hybrids, and revolutionary activity in the surrounding areas give the novel an eeriness and an edge that may keep many readers turning the pages. Unfortunately, this is not my kind of story and I chose not to finish. But I think readers interested in H.G. Wells’s “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” Latin America and/or the Yucatan in the late 19th century, and science fiction involving attempts to create or modify our human species may well find something to enjoy here. My thanks to the NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing to me an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes completely engrossing, incredible fiction. This book, not unlike Mexican Gothic, takes a horror story and sets it in the world, against backgrounds that are consequential, specific, and rooted in history and populates it with characters that are multidimensional, connected to the environment, and experiencing the consequences of historical events where so often horror stories take only "foreign' elements from people and places and use them as a foil for the protagonists, or to juxtapose what is "normal". This book was a pleasure to read, I did not want to put it down.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a sensual and atmospheric novel loosely based on the classic pulp sci-fi The Island of Doctor Moreau. Moren-Garcia reimagines the drama of Doctor Moreau’s secret scientific experiments set in the secluded jungles of Mexico during the time of the real Yucatán Caste Wars of the 1870’s. The author effortlessly weaves the themes of grief, colonialism, bioethics, racism, classism, sexism and found family in this imaginative tale. In the Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Moren-Garcia manages to give us a slower paced Frankenstein of generes - historical fiction, Sci-Fi, and gothic romance, in a manner only she can pull off convincingly. When reading one of her novels, I can always expect to be transported to another time and place in the most entertaining of ways, this was no exception. I am always good for the ride.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful read!! A story that comes to life in only the way Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do! She doesn't disappoint with her latest novel! Highly recommend!!

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is an atmospheric story about Carlota, the daughter of Doctor Moreau, and her relatively secluded life in Yaxaktun in the 1870s. We are first drawn into the story by hearing about their isolated lives on Doctor Moreau’s estate and the “hybrids” he is working on. I liked this story and found it somewhat creepy/discomforting but not to the same extent as Mexican Gothic. I also didn’t love this as much as The Beautiful Ones or Certain Dark Things. However, this story was intriguing and obviously written extremely well, so I would recommend it to others.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Charlotte lives a quiet life on a gorgeous estate near the Yucatan. Eduardo arrives on the island and everyone is unsure if they can trust him. The small island holds many secrets. This book was well written.

Nobody’s more versatile than Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I don’t know another writer who’s able to cross genres with such reliable results, from the sweaty and slow neo-noir in Velvet, to her vampire novel Certain Dark Things, her period romance The Beautiful Ones, and now Moreau and this excellent pulp sci-fi twist. Bravo.

When Moreno-Garcia sets off the write a story the reader will know two very important things: 1) he/she is in very good storytelling hands and characters will get up and walk off the page; and 2) it will likely be gothic in feel (or time), creepy or creepy at the edges, and original.

The stories may be historic. They could be horror or noir. They can even be science fiction. Yes…you read that right! An author who frees herself up to write. WRITE. Stories! She doesn’t limit herself to genre-specific tales. Her fans of Mexican Gothic may be taken aback. Don’t. Go in for the storytelling prowess and come out entertained!

This is a retelling of the gothic science fiction from which it takes a name: The Island If Doctor Moreau. Part mad scientist part cruel capitalist, Moreau sees science in the grotesque—hybrid creatures of beast and man.

Here we get to meet his daughter, Carlotta, and an array of hybrid sub characters, as well as a sympathetic ne’er to well named Montgomery.

When Carlotta falls for the son of the man who employs Moreau, things go very awry.

This is a fantastic re imagining of a classic tale and is handled with the skill and craft fans of Moreno-Garcia have come to expect.

Recommended to lovers of GREAT stories!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

As a fan of Mexican Gothic, I was excited to see Moreno-Garcia's take on such an iconic sci-fi novel. While aware of her specification that this would not be a horror novel, I don't think the genres that are at play here (historical romance with a science fiction twist) clicked into place for me. I had hoped for more insight into the hybrids and the historical setting, and while some of this does come through in the third act, it might help to read the overall book as a character study.