Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

52 reviews

javafenn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

I would have finished this book much, much, much sooner if I hadn’t been dealing with health issues and small children. I have never read The Island of Doctor Moreau but I love that Silvia Moreno-Garcia took one genre and story then created a whole new story with a beautiful blend of genres. She’s excellent at creating these unique stories with a familiar feel to them. The book tells the story of a young girl who helps her father with his scientific studies without knowing all that he is truly doing as well as that of a young man who comes into the doctor and his daughter’s life when she was but a girl. Each does as the doctor’s tells them until one day it all comes to a very catastrophic head. All set in Mexico, Carlotta, Montgomery, and the hybrids must figure not only who they are but also what.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Alcoholism, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism

heledela's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Death and Sexual content

jessthanthree's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Racism, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Violence, Gore, Religious bigotry, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Cannibalism

Minor: Child death

elsebeok's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, and Colonisation

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, Suicide, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Medical content, Alcoholism, and Violence

seawarrior's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

professor_jango's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Classism, Medical trauma, Body horror, Trafficking, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexism, and Alcoholism

phantasmaboo's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau tells the stories of Carlota and Montgomery, one the daughter of a doctor performing science experiments and the other his right hand man. Doctor Moreau creates “hybrids” at a hacienda owed by a rich farming family, hoping to create the perfect worker. His experiments are extreme and the consequences for the hybrids are severe. Soon, however, his time performing experiments will come to an end, leaving disaster in its wake for the hybrids and possibly his daughter. 

I thought this book was another solid novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The characters were diverse and represented and fit in well with the time period of the book. I thought both main characters were developed well, although Carlota seemed to receive more care and attention than Montgomery did. I also thought that Moreno-Garcia did a good job setting up the time period of the book and basing it in actual conflict in Mexico. Obviously, not all aspects are true, but there was just enough to make the story believable.

The Lovecraftian elements were similarly easy to follow and understand, even if you’re not a fan of the genre. I had very little experience with Lovecraftian plot lines, but I followed along easily enough. 

Overall, I thought the book was good and if you’re a fan of Moreno-Garcia’s other works, you’ll probably like this one too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation, Violence, Slavery, Sexual content, and Death

birduh's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Trafficking and Death of parent

hanz's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Minor: Colonisation

katiefronk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Animal death, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content