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

This book is for people who enjoy meandering, atmospheric historical fiction, which is far from how I'd describe myself. I only got halfway through the book on my first attempt, yet thankfully I'd reached the quicker part of the story when I returned to finish it months later. While I'd hoped this story would focus on Carlota's relationship to the hybrids, most of the narrative was dedicated to a tense will-they-won't-they relationship between her and an inappropriately older man. This story obviously ties into the history of Spanish colonialism, yet that theme was not layered for me to give it much praise. The writing style itself was decent, though much of the dialogue felt stiff. I was disappointed to find that this story is more of a slow-paced and tragic historical romance that anything else. If you expected a science fiction or political thriller, this is not the book for you.

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professor_jango's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.75

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w33nr's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

2.5

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birduh's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.5

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hanz's review

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dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I really enjoy Silvia Moreno Garcia's writing and every book I've read of hers has been quite good. I'm not super familiar with The Island of Dr Moreau save the Simpsons parody of it, so I didnt know what to expect when I first cracked this book open (didn't even know this book was inspired by it when I first picked it up).
Carlota did get on my nerves here and there throughout the book, she's young and isolated with her dad controlling her so she did some stupid stuff, but once she came into her own, I liked her a lot

her ripping Eduardo's face off to protect Lupe, immaculate

.
I didn't like Montgomery thirsting over her considering he met her when she was a child and he is approx. 15 years older than her. Like a line I really didn't like was him saying she would make the best/most perfect/most beautiful prostitute. But otherwise, I found his character interesting in some aspects and liked the perspective his character brought on various social issues.
The hybrids were great! I wish we could've had more from them since what we did get was kind of wonderful.
I did guess the "twist" of this story correctly and was unsurprised when it was revealed, but it didn't take away my enjoyment of the book.

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wholeottabooks'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

3.5

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