Book Review of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Moreno-Garcia sweeps readers into a world of dazzling and horrific scientific experiments in her retelling of H.G. Well’s The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Set against historical Yucatán during a time of conflict and upheaval in 19th century Mexico, the author takes the bones of the original and layers and cuts bits and pieces of Gothic tones, strange sciences and mixes themes of colonialism, exploitation and morality.

Although, I admired what the author was trying to do, sometimes I felt there was too much for the characters to unpack in the story during the time given, and I ended up feeling somewhat disconnected.

Part of the allure and horror of the original story falls into the discovery of Doctor Moreau’s experiments, the strange animals.

Told through the eyes of Doctor Moreau’s daughter, Carlota, readers become aware of just how far reaching her father’s experiments have gone.

The conflict between the hybrids humanism and their innate animal selves is ever present.

This was by far my favorite part of the story. The pain, beauty, and conflict was deftly-woven.

There is a touch of romance, but I believe what Moreno-Garcia would like readers to focus on is Carlota’s lack of autonomy, much like her father’s hybrids and the upheaval and revolt each threatens.

Packed with relevant themes and infused with science fiction horror, I would recommend this to fans of Moreno-Garcia and the genre.

Absolutely stunning book. Lush descriptions, complex characters you deeply care about, and a gorgeous setting in the interior of the Yucatán, which I’ve been lucky enough to visit recently. Like her other books, this novel is a fascinating character study combined with an intriguing, twisty plot.

I'm a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing, and this book is another example of how her descriptions of the settings and characters truly paint a perfect picture in my mind. A creative way of retelling "The Island of Dr. Moreau", Moreno-Garcia beautifully blends the sci-fi an horror aspects of the story with historic events of the time occurring on the Yucatan Peninsula. Fans of gothic horror, science fiction, the original "Island of Dr. Moreau, and feminist retellings will enjoy this novel.

I have a love hate relationship with my good sis Silvia. I had high hopes for this because I loveee the Island of Dr Moreau. But this…just wasn’t it for me. I’m not a fan of pretty writing and no plot and that’s exactly what this was. Also, the pacing with this was one was totally off and it caused me to dread picking this back up.

Another hit from Sylvia Garcia Moreno. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and pacing of this one, and this author is quickly becoming autobuy for me. It also helps that it has great cover art!

I really love this authors writing and ideas, but the execution tends to feel a little lackluster for me, leaving me wanting a little more depth! I do love the evocative writing though, and since I’m a fan of any retelling, I still enjoyed this overall.

This is a great book. Excellent world building. A blend of sci-fi and historical fiction. It’s so well written. This is my first book from Silvia and I’m looking forward to grabbing all her books.

**Many thanks to Del Rey/Random House/Penguin Random House LLC and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book**

First Read- Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hm... This book is a bit of a headscratcher for me. While there are some things I really, REALLY loved about it, there were an equal number of things that had me stumped.

BEAUTIFUL BUT DEADLY

1. The scenery descriptions of Mexico were bar none, some of the most beautiful I have ever read. Ms. Moreno-Garcia's reputation for description preceded her, and she nailed it. I loved to chew on every bit of beauty that she brought to the page. Stunning!

2. Male toxicity, and bad patriarchy. Carlota is an object of beauty all the way through, and the key word here is OBJECT. How others perceived her was perfectly done for the 1800's. And, it's also sad to see that so much has not changed.

3. Montgomery. Oh, Montgomery. Apart from Lupe, you were my favorite character of the bunch, you sad, strange little man. I was rooting for you. I was.

WHAT SLIPPED THROUGH THE CLAWS

1. Carlota. I had a really, really hard time with her. On one hand, she seemed really assertive, but then on the other, meek and bland. She flipped, then flipped again, then flipped again, to a point where it happened multiple times within pages of each other, and I could never get a good read on her character. I also feel like there was more potential to her character that was not explored, or explored too late.

2. The pacing and theme. For me, this book took me two weeks to finish, which is very strange. I have a feeling that this was maybe due to the fact that I did not connect with Carlota's character. Though I appreciate and respect her culture, her attitudes towards faith, and that side of her, I was not invested in her character as I should have been. That made the book seem longer. Also, as I understood it, this was marketed as a horror-adjacent or gothic book, but I never had that feeling.

3. Utilizing the hybrids. For a book loosely based on the Island of Doctor Moreau, one of the key parts to that book was pretty much sidelined, and only brought out a few times for mostly shock value. I was disappointed.

VERDICT
This book was an interesting read, but not for me. My expectations were high and it did not meet those expectations. However, this book does not put me off to any more books that Ms. Moreno-Garcia has written. I will still give her other books a try.

Sadly, this is one I just couldn't get invested in. Moreno-Garcia's books are either a loved or disliked book for me it seems. I do think this is a has target audience that would love it.

I'm a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing, Mexican Gothic and The Beautiful Ones, in particular. If you are also a fan of these works and are enticed by the idea of transformation horror and historical science fiction, then I believe this book will also appeal to you. I enjoyed the complexities held by the main character and the place she holds in this world of her father's making. I got from this book what I most hope to see from BIPOC storytellers crafting stories set in similar time periods - an unflinching critique of colonialism and how it makes liars out of oppressors and their agents alike.

The way that Moreno-Garcia was able to accomplish this with her signature writing style and understanding of human nature makes this a book I'm happy to have as part of my collection. I look forward to picking it up again.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this title. I enjoyed reading this title. Would recommend for my library.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing. Her ability to create lush atmospheres suffused with the encroaching creep of the uncanny is remarkable. I can't say that this is my favorite adaptation of The Island of Dr. Moreau, but I do think what Moreno-Garcia added to the narrative around race, class, and gender to be thought provoking.

I have only read Mexican Gothic by Moreno-Garcia and it was a wild ride. I intend to read her backlist as well as new reads. This new release is different yet still has the same lush and haunting writing that sucks you in. The twist isn't hard to figure out but that feels intentional. This is much more of a character study and retelling with a twist.

Another great story from Moreno-Garcia. This writer can do no wrong! Once again we have a SMG story that's totally unique from her previous work and yet so perfectly tailored with such a strong voice that you know it's hers instantly.

I greatly enjoyed this story. There were a couple points when I felt the plot slow a bit but I was never close to not finishing it. The characters in particular were so fantastic and each one goes through a great amount of character development (even if at times you want to shake them because they drive you batty). I don't want to give anything away because there are several surprise moments (especially if you haven't read the Wells novel) but it's easy to say everyone is quite different in the end than you might expect. As far as favorites go, I love Montgomery. I adore him, plain and simple.

Moreno-Garcia continues to be one of those authors that I instantly read anything new she publishes, even without reading the synopsis. I don't need to know what it's about, I know I'll enjoy it. I continue to be absolutely floored by how flawlessly she tackles different genres and characters and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is just another example of that incredible work.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Another crazy ride but very enjoyable, this was a little hard to get into it because it has many terms or scientific terms that I was trying to understand but then after a few chapters, you start to get into it and really even get deeper into the characters and the story.

Carlota lives in a secluded area with her father Dr. Moreau, she sees life and things as normal even if she lives with crazy stuff like hybrids. monsters that look more like monsters rather than regular animals but sooner or later things will start to get out of control and these experiments will bring so much chaos and problems to the easy life of Carlota.

Beautiful places like Yucatan are the scenery of Carlota's story and life, but everything will change once the secrets come out, and Montgomery starts to work in Carlotas safe place, making her sanctuary very unsafe.

This was my first ever book by Silvia and I really did enjoy it, I've never read a book this crazy-cool I mean many elements that will make you open your eyes like saucers. Gothic, historical, and with many sci-fi elements that will keep this book on your shelves for many years to re-read over and over again.

Without getting into the story, this is a book that is out of the ordinary but will add, more imagination and fantasy to our regular world. I recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, for the advanced copy of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau in exchange for my honest review.

This retake on the H. G. wells classic centers on Carlotta, the mad scientist's daughter and assistant as she grows into adulthood in a remote jungle on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico among her father's "hybrids" while her father's patron threatens to shut down his project.

This book was absolutely fantastic! Silvia Moreno-Garcia never fails to entice and amaze her readers. This story is an imaginative retelling of H.G. Wells' "The Island of Doctor Moreau". Instead, you have his daughter, Carlota Moreau who is kept safe in this magical stationery world that her father created. The backdrop for this story takes place during the time that the Mayan people were fighting for their rights and freedom against a tyrannous government. Now Dr. Moreau's scientific experiments add that mystical factor to the story as they lurk in the shadows dutifully obeying their creator. Everything functions as smoothly as clockwork, until an unexpected guest arrives and sets of a chain of reactions that no one can stop.

Moreno-Garcia does a fantastic job of character development in this story. It is the type of slow burn that you want in a science fiction novel. Carolta is peculiar in such a unique way that it is hard not to be invested in her future throughout the story. I have to say that I would give this story 3.75 stars. The author did a great job of keeping the reader engaged throughout this slow burn story. I would recommend this read to any of my friends!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballantine/ Del Rey for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for an unbiased honest review!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I enjoy her writing style and how she always has Mexico as the backdrop of her stories. This was a blend of science fiction and historical fiction reimagining of the Island of Doctor Moreau.


Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an auto buy author for me. I loved her take on this classic. Would HIGHLY recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, although not as much as some of her others. The twist on Dr. Moreau was a good read.