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lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Slavery, Racism, Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, War, Mental illness, Misogyny, Ableism, Sexual violence, Sexism, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer and Infertility
meat_muffin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Animal death, Colonisation, Gun violence, Slavery, Ableism, Classism, Murder, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Child abuse
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Confinement and Pregnancy
vixenreader's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Slavery, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence, Body horror, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Gore
Minor: Drug use, Religious bigotry, War, Genocide, Dysphoria, Murder, and Chronic illness
Please remember to be aware of animal-human hybrids, death of a spouse, grief over a lost relationship, financial struggles, dehumanizations of slaves, attempted rape, animal violence, first sex experiences, narcissism, surrogacy, and experimentation on animals.zombiezami's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Cancer
aardwyrm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
melliedm's review
- 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
3.75
My only dislike for this book is how the alternating perspective works in the first half. Too frequently the Carlota and Montgomery swaps spent too much time retreading the same moments before getting into something fresh. This lessened in the second half, which is when the novel began to really shine.
Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Body horror, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Classism, and Colonisation
bookish_afrolatina's review
- 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
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is such an intricate novel! It’s inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells, so if you want to know the connections, definitely read an overview of that book.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia seamlessly included the historical context of life in Mexico during the late 19th century; exploitation of Mayans and immigrant laborers, conflict between the white Mexicans and Indigenous peoples, and the racism.
Carlotta and Laughton’s narratives overlap one another which I found creative. There were a few parts that dragged a bit, mostly with Laughton, but I enjoyed the story overall.
Note: The audiobook is awesome because there are so many different accents we encounter!
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
‼️Spoilers ahead‼️
Moreau’s motives for his experimentation were pretty ableist, which was normal for that time. However, Carlotta’s increasing resistance to treatment for her “illness” or disability gave a message of embracing herself. The content’s connection to ableism is complicated because, on one hand, the disabilities were Moreau’s creations, but on the other hand, the “hybrids” have their own lives, wants, dreams, and beliefs. They have names and agency.
Graphic: Ableism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Colonisation, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: War, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
hanarama's review
- 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
4.5
The Book at a Glance:
• Dual POVs
• Historical Yucatan
• Mad science
• Retelling of a classic
• CWs: murder, blood, injury, assault, medical content, racism, colonialism, body horror.
Set against the volatile backdrop of 1800s Yucatan and the Caste War, comes a dreamy piece of speculative fiction from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Hidden in the remote settlement of Yaxaktan, Dr. Moreau plies his trade: manipulating flesh and genetics to grow animal-human hybrids, with the aim of producing an obedient and tireless labor source for his patron Hernando Lizalde. In his task, the doctor is assisted by Montgomery Laughton, an Englishman hired by Lizalde, and his young daughter Carlota.
Carlota wants nothing more than to live in Yaxaktan forever. She could never abandon her father or the hybrids for the wider world. However, something changes irrevocably when Lizalde's son arrives unannounced at the estate. Carlota's world is thrown out of balance and she must grapple with the consequences.
SMG presents a beautiful, moody tale that updates the original source material. The doctor remains similar to the original text: a man driven by his own ambition and hubris. He and Lizalde act as mirrors of one another, both commodifying and exploiting animals and humans alike. They represent a the tyranny that colonizers inflict on nature, and those deemed "less" human.
As a coming-of-age, the book grapples in large part with Carlota's view of the world shattering. We see her first as a young girl, and watch as she uncovers the truths hidden from her. This is a story about the loss of innocence and finding inner strength.
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Ableism, and Body horror