Reviews

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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exlibrisphoebe's review

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3.0

3.25⭐️

kellthered's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

lady_moon's review against another edition

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2.5

So, I have some thoughts... I started this book wanting to like it (love actually) because Silvia Moreno-Garcia is, you know, pretty much a treasure in human form. However, I'm... unexpectedly disappointed? I really thought I'd love this but I very much didn't. This is my 4th novel by SMG (+ I've read a novella & a short story) and what I love about her books is her characterization of the female MCs/POVs. For me, she's one of the few authors out there who can write female characters *right* and I have admired how she does it. The MCs of Mexican Gothic and The Beautiful Ones in particular had striking characterization and set the bar high.

However, I can't say the same for The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Don't get me wrong, it's not that there's something... particularly bad? I just wasn't impressed. I wanted to love Carlota or Carlota's character (like it has happened with previous SMG books) but this didn't happen. I was indifferent. Montgomery was an okay character and his POV is the saving grace of this book for me.

I admit that some of this is on me, as I perhaps had some displaced expectations. I don't think I ever read the blurb before starting (I did it while reading the book actually), so I did not expected the hybrids one bit. I knew it's sci-fi but that was it. I was kinda(?) weirded out by the whole deal with them. Like, sci-fi stuff in history context is always weird for me because people there hadn't known how technology would develop and to read their takes on it always rubbed me the wrong way. (Maybe 'wrong' isn't the right word but it just rubbed me somehow lmao.) And since the book is based on a classic, it just wasn't smt I loved.

Another thing is, I expected to love it because I loved Mexican Gothic. I have always thought that, idk why, and I saw people say it as well. Both takes place primarily in isolated places but it was so strikingly different, there's no room for comparison. Yet, I somehow still continue to link the two books in my mind 😭 I dunno

Putting that aside, the book somehow lacked mysterious-ness for me. I wanted to be a little more surprised, a little more kept on my toes. And of course, the lack of impression of the writing of the female MC was a huge blow in the book's rating.