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

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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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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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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sofipitch's review against another edition

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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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goatsrsexy's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective 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

3.75

This was a pretty good read. Based on the Island of Dr Moreau but seems more inspired by the Island of lost souls (movie) I'm surprised it didn't get a mention in the afterward.

This book had absolutely beautiful prose especially the descriptions of scenery and emotions. It was set in the Yucatan Peninsula in the 1800s and adding true Mexican and Mayan history added a lot to the story. I think it worked well. Carlota and Montgomery were both beautiful and deep characters. This book really makes you think about a lot of different types of morality.

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