Reviews with content warning for Death - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

A thrilling exploration of humanity and identity set on a hybrid background of H.G. Wells’ Moreau and The Caste War of Yucatan 1847. Moreno-Garcia has an excellent way of merging a classic gothic style and an accessible/modern prose that almost always works well for me. I had a bit of an expectation of a darker book along the lines of Mexican Gothic, but I still enjoyed this one!

My only dislike for this book is how the alternating perspective works in the first half. Too frequently the Carlota and Montgomery swaps spent too much time retreading the same moments before getting into something fresh. This lessened in the second half, which is when the novel began to really shine.

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think I went into this expecting more horror than this book is. Overall, I'd say it's a lot more of a look at the damage abusive parents can do to their children, even if they love them, and the violence of colonialism mixed in with a coming-of-age story. I truly think Part One could have been done away with entirely and had that background information scattered throughout the rest of the book (it was so slow), but other than that the pacing was good. Something about this book kind of didn't land for me, and I can't figure out what it is. I figured out the twist in like the first chapter, which maybe took some of the joy of reading this away from me (though usually knowing where a story is going doesn't affect my enjoyment of the story so I have no idea why I didn't love this book). I think this book is interesting, but it's nowhere near the same level as Mexican Gothic or Gods of Jade and Shadow.

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kierstyn's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The beginning of this book is a little slow with all of the action and interesting stuff being in the last 100 pages.

This book made me laugh but not for the right reasons. I felt a lot of it was really far fetched. I get that it's kind of sci-fi, but I guess there wasn't enough science to back up that these hybrids as what happens to Carlota could perhaps actually happen. I think a lot of research could have went into this to make it that much more believable and real, but I think a lot was just swept under the rug. It's a cool concept though.

With some books I am unable to be drawn into the story, I think it may have to do with how the book is written. It happened to me with this book, I was very aware of every page I was turning, and this phenomenon happens with Madeline Miller's books as well.

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sarah984's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was really excited for this book, but I struggled to finish it. Of the two POV characters, one was so passive that she barely did anything and the other was the most boring man in the world. When something finally happened it was summarized in three pages. Every romance was deeply stupid and the familial relationship with the hybrids didn't feel earned at all. The writing was nice on a basic technical level but I couldn't recommend this.

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elliehoney's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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erynlasbelin's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I just kept assuming this was going to be a prequel to The Island, up until that became impossible. I wonder how my impression of the book would differ if I hadn't been working off that frame work for 90% of it.

I really enjoyed this overall, though perhaps a bit less than Mexican Gothic. It's hard to elaborate on why - the characters and their conflicts were all very believable, but I think there were simply too many of them, and some of the story seemed to drag out a bit too long.

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hanarama's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review.

The Book at a Glance:
• Dual POVs
• Historical Yucatan
• Mad science
• Retelling of a classic
• CWs: murder, blood, injury, assault, medical content, racism, colonialism, body horror.

Set against the volatile backdrop of 1800s Yucatan and the Caste War, comes a dreamy piece of speculative fiction from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Hidden in the remote settlement of Yaxaktan, Dr. Moreau plies his trade: manipulating flesh and genetics to grow animal-human hybrids, with the aim of producing an obedient and tireless labor source for his patron Hernando Lizalde. In his task, the doctor is assisted by Montgomery Laughton, an Englishman hired by Lizalde, and his young daughter Carlota.

Carlota wants nothing more than to live in Yaxaktan forever. She could never abandon her father or the hybrids for the wider world. However, something changes irrevocably when Lizalde's son arrives unannounced at the estate. Carlota's world is thrown out of balance and she must grapple with the consequences.

SMG presents a beautiful, moody tale that updates the original source material. The doctor remains similar to the original text: a man driven by his own ambition and hubris. He and Lizalde act as mirrors of one another, both commodifying and exploiting animals and humans alike. They represent a the tyranny that colonizers inflict on nature, and those deemed "less" human.

As a coming-of-age, the book grapples in large part with Carlota's view of the world shattering. We see her first as a young girl, and watch as she uncovers the truths hidden from her. This is a story about the loss of innocence and finding inner strength.

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taratearex's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again. Set in 19th century Mexico and loosely based on H.G. Wells' book The Island of Doctor Moreau, she takes this sci-fi slow burn mystery/thriller in her own direction by adding the background of historical fiction that she does so well and brings so much depth to the story.

I love the atmosphere in this and the complicated characters that feel so fully realized you just become so immersed in the world she's created. She does slow burn masterfully, I can't put her books down, this one was no exception. She's truly a master of her craft and she reinvents every genre she explores in each book she writes to make it her own.

If you liked Mexican Gothic and Velvet is the Night, you'll like this one too.

Thank you to the publisher and Net gallery for the e-book advanced copy to review.

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