Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

I truly wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I just could not get into it and felt no connection to the characters. I skipped ahead a bunch, read, skipped again, read, and still... it is a 'no' for me.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 out of respect for the author.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia hits it out of the park again. I love the atmospheric descriptions and weaving of a story we know with new stories about what happened next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent continuation/reimagination of the original. It's tighter, the characters are more thoughtfully painted, and the exploration of of the original content within the context of modernity is nothing short of brilliant!

Right after I finished The Daughter of Doctor Moreau my thoughts were a mess and I honestly didn't know how I felt about the story in whole.
I knew I liked Mexican Gothic better than this one, but also those two stories are totally different that it would be unfair to compare them.

Once again, Silvia Moreno-Garcia managed to give the atmosphere a role itself, and the place of the story was unique, well described and easy to imagine.

This historical retelling was told in third person following two perspectives: Carlota's, who is the daughter of the doctor, and Laughton's who is an employee.
Getting into Laughton's head was more interesting to me, especially because of his battle with his own demons that made him take the job in this peculiar place.

The only thing that didn't make much sense to me was the motivation to keep up with the project.
At first it was to have free labour from crestures who wouldn't have human rights (now when the slavery was illegal), but when experiment after experiment failed, one had to wonder why waste all that money on laboratories when it can be used to decently pay people for their work instead.

Overall, this was a good book with some action packed scenes and historical references.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

In the Daughter of Doctor Moreau, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a beautiful retelling of the original by H.G Wells - The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Carlota has always lived at their remote estate in the Yucatán peninsula, with her father, Doctor Moreau. Her father was hired as a scientist to create workers for the Lizaldes, one of the most powerful families in the area.

It takes a minute to get used to the sci-fi areas of the story - the workers are called “hybrids” and are half human/half animal. Moreau’s experiments come out different each time, resulting in all kinds of different combinations of features.

When the Lizalde family gets a little too close, Carlota must decide what to do to save “the best place on earth.”

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an immersive retelling of the H.G. Wells classic. Now set colonial Mexico, it is beautifully reimagined.

I really enjoyed this book. I like retellings and enjoyed seeing this envisioning of Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest</i>. The thought of a mad scientist hiding in the jungles of Mexico with the human-animal hybrids he created was very entertaining.

I also enjoyed the alternating chapters focused on (but still told in 3rd person!) Carlotta and Montgomery. It was interesting seeing the things that a young woman found important, verses an adult man who is a servant to the family.

I will say this wasn't my favorite of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books but I will continue to read everything she writes!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced review copy of this title! This book started out so strongly with such creepy vibes, but felt a bit rushed towards the ending though. Calota is a lovely and honestly somewhat relatable protagonist. I also enjoyed the way this book portrays classism and racism among Latinos as a whole, which is often something we don't think of immediately.

This is a let down! Moreno-Garcia is capable of creating incredibly atmospheric prose, and really compelling characters - but both were missing from this. It was thematically garbled, I wasn’’t sure what story the book wanted to tell, and as a result I think it failed to tell any effectively. Moreno-Garcia is still a talented writer, and this is still a very readable book, and an interesting spin on the classic, but it isn’t, in my opinion, up to the author’s standard.

As I've mentioned before, I'm always in awe of how with each subsequent novel Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes, she can switch so effortlessly from genre to genre which have included noir, fantasy, gothic horror, magical realism and now historical sci-fi.

I haven't read The Island of Doctor Moreau but this novel is a re-imagining of sorts and takes place on the Yucatán peninsula in the late 19th century. As with her prior novels, the main standout for me, is the writing, which is stellar. However, this has been my least favorite novel of hers. All her novels have been slow burns and usually have a minor twist, which I figured out beforehand but by the end, I was not wowed. It has an interesting premise and for the most part, my attention was riveted but by its conclusion, I was expecting more.

Despite it's shortcomings, I still would recommend this novel.

To say I was disappointed in this book pains me more than anyone else. I fell absolutely in love with Moreno-Garcia's other work, Mexican Gothic. So, I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of her newest book. Unfortunately, this book was a slog to get through. I couldn't connect with either of the main characters and I was really bored thought the entire narrative. I know this book was not a horror, but because it is based on the gothic tale of "The Island of Doctor Moreau" I thought we would at least get some atmosphere. I made it to 30% though the book when I decided I needed to put it down.

I don't mind a slow moving plot that sets things up for the latter half of the novel, but literally nothing was even happening in the first third of the novel. Not even Moreno-Garcia's lyrical writing could keep me going. I saw other reviews that say it picks up at the 70% mark, but I don't think any book should pick up when almost the entire story was told.

I am so sad this book did not work for me, but I will continue to pick up this author's work in the future.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be in the minority with my opinion, but I think this book could have been better. I was tremendously excited to read a book inspired by the original Dr. Moreau tale, but with a Mexican folklore twist. To me, everything fascinating and heritage based seemed crammed in as an afterthought. It lacked an immersive quality that I was looking for. I would have rather seen more changes to the original that took me to another world, instead of a story that didn’t stray as far as I’d like and seemed to deviate into explanations and definitions.

It’s an interesting story, but that part isn’t new. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the hybrid creatures. The writing is immersive and wonderful. Overall, it isn’t horrible, but it had so much potential that just wasn’t realized.

Wow. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was dreamy in both a cozy and scary way, if that makes sense. This was a vivid story full of twist and turns that left me unexpected binging the last 50% because, more than anything, I was SO intrigued.

This story seemed to fall into two "parts" in my opinion - the first part, which was getting to know the eclectic characters and the colorful backdrop of nineteeth century Mexico. Character development was pretty good but there were some pieces that I would have liked to know more about, on a deeper level.

The second half of the book took on more of a gothic tone and caught me a bit off=guard, given the rather "simple" story that had begun. While the first half felt a bit more literary and " Isabel Allende" to me, I think fans of Moreno-Garcia will feel right at home in the second half.

About the book:

Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

I do love this author, and I absolutely loved her last book, Velvet was The Night, but I'm afraid this one fell flat for me. I didn't feel connected enough with the characters, and I'm afraid I stopped reading around one-third of the way into the book, which is typically what I do when I'm not connecting with a story.

Others may really enjoy this, but sadly, despite this author's talent, this one just didn't pull me in enough in the beginning.

In this vivid reimagining of Wells's <u>Doctor Moreau</u> a young, beautiful Mexican girl known as Carlotta is the bastard child of the notorious, twisted doctor. The course of Carlotta's life is forever changed by some surprise visitors that bring the Doctor's past to light.

I've never read anything by H.G. Wells so had no prior knowledge of the world of Dr. Moreau. But I also didn't go into this expecting a horror akin to <u>Mexican Gothic</u>. I guess I just expected more sci-fi, maybe a thriller element, and overall just more of a plot. The pacing of this novel was glacially slow. By the time anything interesting happened (about the halfway point) I just didn't really care and was ready for everything to be wrapped up. Also, nearly every single event and confrontation was extremely predictable. While Moreno-Garcia is obviously a very talented writer and can craft her characters and settings beautifully, I just haven't been too enthralled by any of her stories or characters. I will continue to try more of her novels and hope for something that reels me in from start to finish. <u>The Daughter of Doctor Moreau</u>, unfortunately, did not do the trick.

Once again Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes a classic concept and applies to the latin community in a beautiful and artful manner. The story reimagines the Island of Dr Moreau in an excellent manner, introducing new characters that organically fit into the concept of the original story. It then leads the reader through the idea of what is the true monstrosity at play in Dr Moreau's experiments. There is romantic conflict, high stakes, and beautiful moments to round out the entire story!

at this point, silvia moreno-garcia has become an auto buy author of mine. because this book was just too good, and i simply could not put it down.

if you are searching for a book with immersive characters, fantastic representation, a lively and real setting, romance, and even more, this book is for you. in typical moreno-garcia fashion, the world building captivates you while reading, and the characters draw you in as they share their stories with you. 4/5 stars!

This book was amazing and so well written. I really enjoyed the dual point of view and the characterization of Doctor Moreau's hybrids. The scientific experiments could have been the plot - period. But Morena-Garcia layered in so much more. The interpersonal relationships between the daughter and the hybrids as well as her father and later, suitors. The world-building was fantastic. If you enjoy fantasy, magical realism or science fiction, I think you would enjoy this novel.

Inspired by "The Island of Doctor Moreau," Moreno-García's latest book focuses on Carlota Moreau and is set in a remote location in Yucatán, Mexico. Given Dr. Moreau's economic troubles and their effect on the continuation of his research, When their hacienda receives two visitors related to the doctor's patron, Dr. Moreau attempts to match his daughter with his patron's son.

It is a good entry point into speculative fiction for those who enjoy literary fiction. She excels at developing immersive settings laden with historical research. The book was well-written and, as usual for SMG, deeply atmospheric. While I did not find myself too invested in the story itself, I was interested in how it handled discussions on colonialism and racism.