Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

49 reviews

hanz's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Minor: Colonisation

aformeracceleratedreader's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I really enjoy Silvia Moreno Garcia's writing and every book I've read of hers has been quite good. I'm not super familiar with The Island of Dr Moreau save the Simpsons parody of it, so I didnt know what to expect when I first cracked this book open (didn't even know this book was inspired by it when I first picked it up). 
Carlota did get on my nerves here and there throughout the book, she's young and isolated with her dad controlling her so she did some stupid stuff, but once she came into her own, I liked her a lot

her ripping Eduardo's face off to protect Lupe, immaculate

. 
I didn't like Montgomery thirsting over her considering he met her when she was a child and he is approx. 15 years older than her. Like a line I really didn't like was him saying she would make the best/most perfect/most beautiful prostitute. But otherwise, I found his character interesting in some aspects and liked the perspective his character brought on various social issues.
The hybrids were great! I wish we could've had more from them since what we did get was kind of wonderful.
I did guess the "twist" of this story correctly and was unsurprised when it was revealed, but it didn't take away my enjoyment of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Confinement

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

I really, really liked this book! It’s a new take on an old story, and the good part is the detailed characterization of the hybrid creatures that offers a fuller picture than I’d expected. While the story isn’t directly told from their perspective, their inclusion adds depth. 

The two main characters - Dr Moreau’s daughter Carlotta and his mayordomo Montgomery - are a good foil for one another; they’re each initially suspicious of one another but that evolves into frequent but mostly friendly squabbling. Carlotta is a devoted and obedient daughter, oblivious to her father’s hidden motives, thus his betrayal is crushing. Lupe and Cachito, the two hybrids, are true friends of Carlotta, and the relationship between the three is a strong part of the book. 

The introduction of outsiders is the catalyst for disastrous revelations and an end to the peaceful life as they’ve known it. How Carlotta, Montgomery, and her friends deal with the incursion informs the last third of the book. Moreno-Garcia is a fabulous storyteller - I will read anything by her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Grief, Classism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Torture, and Violence

scrubsandbooks's review

adventurous mysterious 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

3.5

This had a slow start, like very slow. Once I got to a major plot twist in the latter half of the book, things went fast and became very interesting. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is always very engaging and lyrical. The setting sounded absolutely gorgeous and I seriously wish I had been there exploring. The historical aspects of it are always my favorite thing about Silvia's books. The overall plot just didn't capture me as strongly as her other books usually do. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of H.G. Wells's original story. and is interested in reading a story set during the time of the Caste War of Yucatán.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

pvbobrien's review

dark mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, War, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

rambles's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Medical content, and Misogyny

There's a romantic aspect to the book with an age gap. Female character is 20 and male character is 35.

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

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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Content Warnings

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

kylieqrada's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual violence

writingcaia's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Horror, science fiction, history, and some romance, woman centric and coming of age, this is a gripping tale that will not let go until you drank it all in, and so I devoured this book, as I’ve all of Garcia’s, she’s a favourite and so is this book now.

I am not familiar with the original tale, although I am aware that there’re many differences in the science of the hybrids, in the location, and in the plot. This one is also a horror sci-fi but with a touching plot that mixes Mexico’s (where the story takes place) real history in the 19th century - where inequality reigned with the many castes present, and there was war with the Mayans of the Yucatan peninsula, and also the rivalry with the British nearby -, with a fair maiden lost in her own paradise in a small rancho in the Yucatan, raised by an attentive father and her books and among friends, play friends and some she cares for with their atrocious animal-like features and consequently painful deformations, doting on her father, the amazing Doctor Moreau who will save humanity with his studies of the hybrids, and surveyed by the mordoyomo, an alcoholic Englishman with a broken heart. All is perfect in her eyes, her dream world with her fantastical kin people around, that is until the day she meets the green eyed son of her father’s benefactor and discovers love… and so much more.

The writing, the choice of plot and setting, the small romance with its two POV, it is as always perfect, and even though I saw the plot twist a mile away and the ending could be more bow tied for my taste, it still ranks very high among Garcia’s books. Although, the truth is I can never choose just one fave of hers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Torture, Gore, Blood, Alcoholism, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Vomit