Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

54 reviews

thebookcoyote's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

TW/CW: Murder, death, injury, sex, body horror 

REVIEW: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a modern retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Although I have not read the earlier book, this book works perfectly fine as a standalone story. 

The book follows Carlota, the daughter of the Doctor, who lives with her father and the hybrid creatures that he has created in his lab. 

Honestly, I was a little disappointed by this book. Not a lot happened, and the big reveal that was supposed to be a surprise was something I figured out just a couple of chapters in. The writing is good,and it’s not a bad book. It has a lot of great atmosphere and the characters are interesting and well written. The plot simply seemed pretty slow to me and there wasn’t really a big climax or anything surprising that happened during the story. 

I’m not sure I’d actually recommend this book, but other people might enjoy reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Murder, and Body horror

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I really, really liked this book! It’s a new take on an old story, and the good part is the detailed characterization of the hybrid creatures that offers a fuller picture than I’d expected. While the story isn’t directly told from their perspective, their inclusion adds depth. 

The two main characters - Dr Moreau’s daughter Carlotta and his mayordomo Montgomery - are a good foil for one another; they’re each initially suspicious of one another but that evolves into frequent but mostly friendly squabbling. Carlotta is a devoted and obedient daughter, oblivious to her father’s hidden motives, thus his betrayal is crushing. Lupe and Cachito, the two hybrids, are true friends of Carlotta, and the relationship between the three is a strong part of the book. 

The introduction of outsiders is the catalyst for disastrous revelations and an end to the peaceful life as they’ve known it. How Carlotta, Montgomery, and her friends deal with the incursion informs the last third of the book. Moreno-Garcia is a fabulous storyteller - I will read anything by her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Grief, Classism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Torture, and Violence

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

3.5

This had a slow start, like very slow. Once I got to a major plot twist in the latter half of the book, things went fast and became very interesting. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is always very engaging and lyrical. The setting sounded absolutely gorgeous and I seriously wish I had been there exploring. The historical aspects of it are always my favorite thing about Silvia's books. The overall plot just didn't capture me as strongly as her other books usually do. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of H.G. Wells's original story. and is interested in reading a story set during the time of the Caste War of Yucatán.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

pvbobrien's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, War, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Cancer

aardwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

There's a good novella in this book if you chopped out a lot of nothing. The premise is intriguing, the prose is good, and Carlota isn't a bad viewpoint character. But 2/3 of the pages are taken up by tedious romantic drama that goes nowhere and could have been set up in a chapter. Montgomery also sucks a lot of life out of the story. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has many strengths, but writing a compelling protagonist man is not one of them. The human-animal hybrids who should be the stars of the story are barely there, but in them there's the bones of something great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

kylieqrada's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

My first Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I loved it!! I got sick in the second half and I am so bummed cuz I would have liked to marathon it, but overall I really enjoyed it. Plus my copy is signed my SMG and I got some background at the event. 😍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual violence

sofipitch's review against another edition

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

This book is entertaining but that's about it. The first 2/3rds of the book is basically just a historical drama with the sci fi setting as an extra fancy backdrop, and while it does become more relevant compared to the actual book by H G Wells I feel like this falls short. Wells' book had a greater emphasis on horror which I feel this book really lacked. The romance was only okay. I feel like the characters weren't very well defined so the few characteristics given to them, like Montgomery's alcoholism, were harped on again and again to the point of boredom.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, and Body horror

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Racism and Classism

cozyteareads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Cursing, Racism, Blood, Gore, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Medical content

ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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

Really enjoyed this book. Loved the writing especially. I read it in three sittings, which is rare for me, couldn't put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, and Racism