Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

90 reviews

sparklefarm's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

This is a good reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Unfortunately for me, it felt a bit repetitive and moralistically heavy-handed, and I wasn't a fan of the audiobook narration. To each their own!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Classism

somebooksomewhere's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

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: Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

the_wistful_word_witch's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

My book club chose this one for our spooky season read. I'd heard a lot of good things and the blurb was intriguing, so I was excited to read it. 

Unfortunately, for me, it didn't live up to the hype. It's not a bad book by any means, but it didn't really stand out either. The writing is good, and the world-building is exceptional. But I was a bit let down, character-wise. I felt that the titular character of Carlota was a bit of a milquetoast, although it was kind of to be expected, given her history. It's not until the very end that you really see her develop. Montgomery feels out of place, and I never really could figure out why he was there. I would have preferred reading more about the hybrids though, as the small glimpses into their characters were fascinating.

The ending left me a bit 'meh' and I had a harder time finding inspiration for my review. A solid book, ultimately, but just not for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Violence

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

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: Racism, Violence, and Blood

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

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

rambles's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Medical content

There's a romantic aspect to the book with an age gap. Female character is 20 and male character is 35.

softanimal's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

4.0

I love the way Moreno describes physical spaces, bodily sensations, movement and action, clothing, and scenery. I really enjoyed the two perspective characters and the structure of the storytelling as it alternated between their perspectives. The plot itself dragged a little for me until the last fifty pages unfortunately. But overall this was a wonderful reimagining with carefully researched historical elements and relatable characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

hendrixpants's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment