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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
caidyn's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Misogyny, Death, Grief, and Sexism
Moderate: Confinement
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
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- 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
I really enjoyed this overall, though perhaps a bit less than Mexican Gothic. It's hard to elaborate on why - the characters and their conflicts were all very believable, but I think there were simply too many of them, and some of the story seemed to drag out a bit too long.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and War
Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy