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funnylittlejester's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
I really liked this book! Probably because it catered a lot to my personal niche interests, though taking a step back and looking there are definitely flaws. The book was slow paced which I enjoyed because I got more time with the elements that I enjoyed but than the ending felt really rushed. Honestly though, I liked it a lot! Montgomery’s crush on Carlota is a bit weird and definitely through me for a loop, I don’t think that part was necessary, but the rest was real fun!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
danielles_reads's review against another edition
DNF @ 54%
I’ve read 5 of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novels, and have given all of them 4-5 stars. I know she tends to writes books with very slow starts that end with a bang. Untamed Shore is one of my favorites by her, and it has an extremely slow start that builds to an amazing and well-earned crescendo.
However, this one is unbelievably slow and is not holding my interest. One part of Untamed Shore that worked with the slow build-up was that the main character was dying to get out of her small town and see the world. Here, Carlota has no desire to leave the small ranch her father has insulated her in. She has no goals other than to help her father, and thinks everything is perfect. She reads books, argues with Montgomery and Lupe, fawns over Eduardo, and faints. That’s about it. I can also tell that there will be a twist where she is actually a hybrid oooooh, which makes NO SENSE in the context of this novel (though I read a puma woman hybrid exists in the original that Carlota is an adaptation of, which is interesting). How could she look so human and be so much older than the other more animal looking hybrids, and yet Moreau has made no progress in his discoveries?? I thought the book was alluding to her having diabetes in a time before they really knew much about diabetes, and I think that would’ve been more interesting, but whatever.
And Montgomery on the other hand… oh boy. I do not understand why SMG made this dual POV, especially since so many of the scenes are overlapping between the two characters. Something will happen from Carlota’s point of view, and then the next chapter will rewind (without explicitly saying so), and then retell the same event from Montgomery’s point of view. So exhausting. I also just did not care about him at all. He’s a fucking CREEP (I knew I had to stop when he started thinking about kissing her neck 🤮🤮 HE WAS 29 WHEN SHE WAS 14. HE SAW HER GROW UP!! The ick factor was SO STRONG.), and he obsesses over his ex-wife (it’s been 6 years and it was clear she never cared, get over it dude). And he compares Carlota to his sister often, which makes his attraction toward her even more disgusting.
Though I’ve never read The Island of Doctor Moreau, I know that one of that book’s themes is regarding the ethics of creating hybrids like the Doctor does. This book didn’t have any of that by the halfway point, and I didn’t see much benefit to this alternate history retelling. The hybrids barely featured at all. I wish the indigenous Mayan rebellion had been more important as well. I read a review that spoiled the very much regressive ending, and I’m certain in my choice to DNF this.
However, I do want to mention that the audiobook narrator, Gisela Chipe, is absolutely fantastic. Her skill with constantly switching between pitches and various accents of the many characters was incredible. Her regular narration voice is great too. Unfortunately it was not enough to save this dull story (and was one reason why I continued listening to this for so long).
However, I do want to mention that the audiobook narrator, Gisela Chipe, is absolutely fantastic. Her skill with constantly switching between pitches and various accents of the many characters was incredible. Her regular narration voice is great too. Unfortunately it was not enough to save this dull story (and was one reason why I continued listening to this for so long).
I’ll still read SMG’s other books, but this one has made me a lot more wary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
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