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boxcar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fine quick read, fun concept. Shallow characters, hollow writing, but not all that bad. some good moments, lots of cliche. Still, entertaining. I did appreciate the whole doesn’t have to end in the woman falls in love the big strong man thing. but the whole of the romance felt contrived, insincere. Frustrating. Partially that’s the point, partially the dialogue and scenario didn’t really convince me.
Also, why isn’t there more detail about the hybrids lol. I could barely picture any of them with the scant imagery and detail on their appearance! they’re like the whole schtick!
love the setting, yucatán rainforest in the 19th century. The whole mayan rebels was cool but, again, awkwardly executed.
I’m ragging on it, but i did read it in a day. certainly an element of suspense and what’s-gonna-happen to it.
Also, why isn’t there more detail about the hybrids lol. I could barely picture any of them with the scant imagery and detail on their appearance! they’re like the whole schtick!
love the setting, yucatán rainforest in the 19th century. The whole mayan rebels was cool but, again, awkwardly executed.
I’m ragging on it, but i did read it in a day. certainly an element of suspense and what’s-gonna-happen to it.
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
2.0
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a character-driven, loose retelling of H.G. Wells’ 1896 science fiction/horror novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau, against the backdrop of the The Caste War of Yucatán. The chapters in The Daughter alternates between the perspectives of Carlota Moreau—the daughter of Dr. Gustave Moreau—and Montgomery—a depressed, high-functioning alcoholic who is the overseer of Dr. Moreau’s experimentation of half-human, half-animal hybrids.
Although the premise is interesting, incorporates Mexican history, and the book's cover is gorgeous, chile…I was bored for most of it. So disappointed. What hinders the execution is the uneven pacing (too slow for nothing happening at times), forgettable characters, the melodramatic dialogue and the predictability (I guessed the twist before it was revealed). I didn't care for the love triangle nor much of the plot structure for what it was. I needed more science and more action, especially with the premise of hybrids and a war. I haven't read Wells' novel, so I'm unsure if those things did take place in that one, but it def needed to take place in this one.
Although the premise is interesting, incorporates Mexican history, and the book's cover is gorgeous, chile…I was bored for most of it. So disappointed. What hinders the execution is the uneven pacing (too slow for nothing happening at times), forgettable characters, the melodramatic dialogue and the predictability (I guessed the twist before it was revealed). I didn't care for the love triangle nor much of the plot structure for what it was. I needed more science and more action, especially with the premise of hybrids and a war. I haven't read Wells' novel, so I'm unsure if those things did take place in that one, but it def needed to take place in this one.
kittycat416's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
pumpum10's review against another edition
3.0
Started off really slow but I liked the second half. Montgomery is lowk a creep but shamefully I kind of love him!! All the other characters are boring
angelafishkin's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
starrybooker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Well that was a disappointing read.
There’s no doubt Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a talented writer. Her descriptive prose is unmatched, and her ability to ratchet up tension in a scene makes her an excellent horror writer. However, coming off the back of the sublime Mexican Gothic, I was left decidedly underwhelmed by The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.
There are a lot of problems with this book. I think it’s dual POV narrative style really hurt the story, and most of the novel felt quite disjointed as we flicked back and forth between the two, repeating scenes in different perspectives. It didn’t help that I didn’t much care for either of the main characters. Both Carlota and Montgomery spent most of the book as quite passive characters, moving through the novel on the whims of others.
Their interactions with each other also felt annoyingly inconsistent, shifting from warm to cold without any real reason. This was a problem with a lot of the characters actually, whose interactions are largely based on dialogue that tells us what they are, really than actions that tell us who they are.
Honestly though, the book’s main sin is that it was just kind of boring. I have absolutely no problem with plotless books (and sometimes kind of prefer them), but there just wasn’t enough meat on the bones of the narrative for there to be as little action as there was. Even by the time things really kicked into gear in the last third of the book, I cared so little about the characters that it didn’t captivate me as much as it should have.
All that being said, there’s still glimmers of greatness in the novel and I’m definitely going to be reading more of Moreno-Garcia’s work.
There’s no doubt Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a talented writer. Her descriptive prose is unmatched, and her ability to ratchet up tension in a scene makes her an excellent horror writer. However, coming off the back of the sublime Mexican Gothic, I was left decidedly underwhelmed by The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.
There are a lot of problems with this book. I think it’s dual POV narrative style really hurt the story, and most of the novel felt quite disjointed as we flicked back and forth between the two, repeating scenes in different perspectives. It didn’t help that I didn’t much care for either of the main characters. Both Carlota and Montgomery spent most of the book as quite passive characters, moving through the novel on the whims of others.
Their interactions with each other also felt annoyingly inconsistent, shifting from warm to cold without any real reason. This was a problem with a lot of the characters actually, whose interactions are largely based on dialogue that tells us what they are, really than actions that tell us who they are.
Honestly though, the book’s main sin is that it was just kind of boring. I have absolutely no problem with plotless books (and sometimes kind of prefer them), but there just wasn’t enough meat on the bones of the narrative for there to be as little action as there was. Even by the time things really kicked into gear in the last third of the book, I cared so little about the characters that it didn’t captivate me as much as it should have.
All that being said, there’s still glimmers of greatness in the novel and I’m definitely going to be reading more of Moreno-Garcia’s work.
jessrad505's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rosewater_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
shrimpybear's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No