The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

I thought it was going to be ‘mad doctor creates creatures, focusing in the line between human and something else’ but instead it was ‘doctor creates creatures but they are all friends with his daughter’. And that’s just a subplot. It’s an okay book, perhaps if I knew it wasn’t the book I thought, I would have liked to better. I tend not to go for romance, but a 35yo falling in love with a 20yo who basically grew up with him? There’s a line, and this is very close to crossing it.The author also uses words like ‘invalid’ and ‘cretin’ which are ableist terms and they provide nothing towards the plot so were unnecessary.

I love Silivia Moreno Garcia's writing but this book was slow, fell flat and the plot felt disconnected. It read like a rush job and while the author has talent this novel is no good. This is nothing like Velvet was The Night or Mexican Gothic.

Mas que revisión del clásico de Wells , Moreno Garcia nos ofrece una reescritura muy en la línea de su "Mexican Gothic".

Another magical historical Mexican mystery from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! This time it’s the secluded Yucatán Peninsula in the 1870s, a backdrop of warring factions, British colonialism and isolated haciendas in the jungle with a fairly mad scientist, his majordomo, and his daughter finally being visited by curious and imperious outsiders.This is a retelling of H.G. Wells’ 125 year old pioneering science fiction novel, made famous in its time as science was experimenting with the awful practice of “vivisection” and the English were concerned about the degeneration of the human race. Ms. Moreno- Garcia’s book adds a daughter and elements of feminism not in the original (although the themes of class distinctions and castes were there in 1896). The story centers on Carlota, the daughter, and the alcoholic Montgomery, Dr. Moreau’s right hand man. The original novel was more about Edwin, a castaway who discovers the secrets of the Moreau compound, but here we have Edouard, the rich patron’s son, suitor of Carlota, and here an interloper.If you’ve never read the original or seen any of the terrible adaptations, I won’t reveal what Dr. Moreau is doing in the jungle, but it’s safe to say that what happens in the jungle should stay in the jungle. The narrative is atmospheric — the sense of isolation and danger is palpable. Yet, even without the incursion of strangers we know that Carlota is growing up and Dr. Moreau is growing older and that means something must eventually change, but will it be a good outcome for the inhabitants of the hacienda, or a terrible ending?I have loved all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia incredible books — horror and magical mystery and now science fiction, and it’s the surrounding history of the time period that makes all of them exotic and unique. 4.5 stars rounded up!Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Eduardo has the green eyes, which draw Carlota’s attention.Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The jungle is lush and the crops grown were typical of 19th century Yucatán.

✨ Review ✨ The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-GarciaThis story centers Carlota Moreau (the daughter of Doctor Moreau) as she grows up in the middle of Yucatán peninsula. Her father raises a team of hybrids, part human/part animal creations, that seem both friendly and monstrous at times. The book alternates between Carlota's perspective and that of Montgomery, an overseer and assistant to Moreau. The characters are all beholden to the Lizaldes, the owner of the Moreau's home and financier to the doctor's experimentation. And, so when Eduardo Lizalde appears to woo Carlota, all sorts of trouble is launched into motion.I'm such a SMG stan - I live for her writing, slow and beautiful always. This was slow and beautiful, but admittedly not my favorite of her works. The pacing dragged a bit and I wanted more out of either the sci-fi or historical fiction angles. I loved the rich and luxurious setting she creates and the conflict she set up, but it just didn't quite get there for me. I switched to the audio with about a third of the book remaining which helped change things up for me.⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Genre: sci-fi + historical fictionLocation: 1870s YucatánPub Date: Out now!Thanks to Del Rey and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!