The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno is an approach to the classic book by H.G Wells The Island of Doctor Moreau. In this retelling set in 1877 Moreno creates an amazing story that is filled with solid and vivid characters as she always does in her books. I have never seen or read the original adaptation but I can see how the author did the appropriate research to write this story. she's my go-to author and I truly loved everything that she writes, she never disappoints me.
4.5 stars for me
*I don't get the bad reviews of the book, because she clearly stated that it was a historical science fiction novel and not horror.

Not only this cover is stunning but the story is so unique.

It’s a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau (which I admit I don't know much about) and I switched between physical and audio. The audio version was fascinating to say the least! The narrator did such a great job.

We have a beautiful setting (1900s Mexico, come on!), we have scientific experiments, we have spookiness, and we have romance. What else do we need?

I really enjoyed this spin on H. G. Wells' story! It's Silvia Moreno-Garcia, so you know the writing is fantastic like always. I enjoyed the well-rounded characters, including their flaws and complicated relationships with each other. You feel the love that Carlota has for Yaxaktun, and because of that the setting feels like a dream. Everything is dreamy and peaceful, which makes the hybrids all the more grotesque and the following events more horrific. The pacing was a bit off for me - the ending felt a bit rushed and short-lived for me. But otherwise, this story was an interesting read, and I would definitely recommend it, especially for people just beginning to read sci-fi.

An interesting take on the classic Frankenstein tale. Doctor Moreau is paid by a wealthy man to create hybrid creatures. Part human, part animal. But what happens when it's time to pay up and share the serum, but Doctor Moreau has had a change of mind? He no longer wishes to turn over his creations. And what happens to his daughter, who is now caught in the crossfire? A love story destined for disappointment. And a friendship you wish was something more. I love the setting, the spin on a classic tale, and the influence of Mexican culture on the story. I've heard great things about Mexican Gothic, but this is my first foray into the writings of Silvia Moreno-Garcia. And I have now added Mexican Gothic and Velvet was the night to my list.

The story is dark and a little creepy. Great for spooky season coming up. My only complaint would be that it perhaps dragged a tad in the build up. But I feel that way a lot because I'm impatient with story buildup and world building. I. do think the climax/big reveal and the last 100 pages pay off. I finished the book in one sitting so a more thorough reread may be in the cards down the road. We are told the story through Doctor Moreau and his new estate manager of sorts POVs. So yes, dual POV lovers, this is for you. I think I preferred the male POV here. But that's because the women and her experimenting father are the more interesting characters, so it's more fun to see her through the eyes of others in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.

This was amazingly written, as you can expect with Moreno-Garcia’s writing. I love the spin on a classic story. I just struggled connecting to the plot or the characters. I may try reading this again as an audio format, perhaps that will help.

In her newest novel, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Moreno-Garcia ventures into the historical science-fiction realm of vivisection—the biological and physical manipulation of animals into animal-human hybrids who, in this case, are capable of talking and complex thoughts. Inspired by the 1896 H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau, Moreno-Garcia’s book is distinctly different.

Set in 19th-century Mexico, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau follows Carlota, the doctor’s daughter, and Montgomery, a troubled newcomer hired by Doctor Moreau to help with his experiments. But where Wells’ book focuses mostly on the unsettling and (un)ethical questions of the experiments, Moreno-Garcia’s novel is clever, immersive, deeply emotional, and wildly entertaining. It’s also a thought-provoking exploration of gender, race, class, colonialism, and family—something fans of any one of her other works will recognize.

SMG never disappoints. The CDMX setting felt familiar but different with the period setting. I love SMG’s ability to completely bring us into the setting. I felt like I was inside the story, hearing their voices, smelling the air.

SMG is always incredibly researched and I loved all of the science terminology in the book. It made it feel more real. This is the perfect gothic Mexican retelling we didn’t know we needed.

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of Dr. Moreau. They live on the Yucatán peninsula where Carlota's father conducts experiments, creating hybrids of animals and humans. Some of the hybrids live side by side with Carlota and her father. Some, however, meet a much darker fate.

This reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau puts his experiments in the background and brings the consequences to the forefront. Carlota and Montgomery Laughton, an Englishman who comes to their home to assist the doctor in his experiments, forge a rocky relationship as they attempt to navigate the questionable morality of the lives they lead.

While I found the characters to be intriguing at times, the story itself left a bit to be desired. It focused too heavily on Carlota's feelings for the various men in her life and not enough on how she felt about her father's work and how it very much impacted her life. The romances were trivial and distracted from what could have been an intriguing, intense plot. When the plot did focus more on the atrocities committed by Dr. Moreau and the things done to Carlota, it was a thrilling read.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again. Her books are all so different and yet the strong heroines and lush storytelling are always a giveaway of hers. Beautiful writing, fascinating concept, and as I’ve come to expect from her - a dose of Mexican history as well.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has such range. I’ve read several different genres from her and she just consistently knocks it out of the park. This one is not my favorite by her, but it is so atmospheric and lush. The sci fi was really not what I expected it but I enjoyed it so much.

Set in the Mexican Yucatán, this is a story about a mad scientist, his human-hybrid creations, and his insidious intentions. It is also an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, but with a fresh feminist perspective.

Doctor Moreau is a man of science and a purported man of God. Ironically, and hypocritically, though, he uses scientific experiments to play god over his creations, animal-human hybrids who he and his patron hope to use for slave labor. When the doctors daughter Carlotta starts asking questions about the world she has always known, she discovers a tangled web of secrets and lies—and must decide which side she wants to be on.

In SMG style, this story is oozing with gothic language, vintage fashion, complex characters, fast-paced action, and sizzling romance.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my auto-buy authors because everything she writes is golden. She uses beautiful images and paints stunning magical settings just with a few words. I love her style, and The Daughter of Dr. Moreau is as good as Moreno-Garcia’s previous works. This is yet another great and amazing tale from one of the greatest storytellers of our Generation.


Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me an eARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

This book was enthralling- it examines humanity and made me introspective from start to finish. So much to consider- indigenous perspectives, colonization, the transition from girl to womanhood (Carlota), the evolution of science through history... This is a book I will be rereading probably yearly.

SMG doesn't disappoint. I enjoy her books every time, and she switches things up a lot and writes all different genres. I've never read the original book Island of Dr Moreau, but I feel like that doesn't matter. I had a vague sense of the story and this book has its own storyline with her trademark anti-colonial take as well. I really liked it and I liked the questions it brought up in terms of what/who has the right of self-determination.

I enjoy the variety in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books. This one was intriguing, being the retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau, which I admittedly haven’t read, but was vaguely familiar with the story.
Carlota and Montgomery and Dr. Moreau are fascinating characters in their own rights, the story strikingly set against the backdrop of the unrest in the Yucatán peninsula. Dr. Moreau’s experiments with human beings and animals, an attempt at creating basically slave labor in the form of hybrids, has not come to fruition in the way that he - and the man funding these experiments - had hoped.
I really enjoyed this one, a mix of historical fiction and some science fiction. It kept me intrigued to see how the story would progress and be resolved.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a beautiful homage to the science fiction genre. I adore that Silvia Moren0-Garcia does not feel pigeonholed into one genre. She explores her options, and I believe that gothic and sci-fi might be one of my favorite specialties. There were a lot of unsettling vibes throughout the book, and the more sinister characters were not the experiments of Dr. Moreau. I enjoyed the book, even if I think it could have incorporated more horror elements.

Imagine in the 1870’s Dr. Moreau had a daughter on his island in the Yucatán Peninsula. Carlota is curious and questioning and though raised in the sheltered environment of an isolated hacienda, is ready to marry and start the next stage of her life. Surprisingly, she is a strong character with independent ideas despite her isolation and reliance on her father for information about the world. The book is told from her perspective as well as from Montgomery’s (an alcoholic assistant to her father) perspective. The Lizaldes hold the purse on the Moreau’s home and business so when Eduardo Lizalde takes an interest in Carlota the static life on the island awakes.
The story is beautifully told though a bit slow in parts. The mystery of the creatures on the island, and Carlota’s province make the reader curious for more. The ending may surprise you.
I liked this story and listened in part to the audiobook which was well done by Gisela Chipe. The cover of this book is stunning and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing makes it into a magical place you want to visit even though the unknown lurks in the shadows.

This is a unique and refreshing gothic sci-fi tale. The book is a loose retelling of H.G. Wells “The Island of Doctor Moreau”.

“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” was interesting and very well paced. There was compelling character development and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the island and the hybrids.

I will be getting this book in print to ensure it has a home on my shelf!

I want to thank NetGalley, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

The Island of Doctor Moreau has always had a special place in my heart as one of the first SciFi/Horror books I ever read, so I had pretty high expectations for this. I wasn't let down! Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes absolutely beautiful prose and very well rounded characters that I find myself deeply caring about without realizing. I didn't see the plot twist coming and was completely caught off guard through the climax of the story. Definitely going to continue reading Silvia's books and definitely going to keep enjoying them!

This book was unlike the others I’ve read and enjoyed by the author. Although it is classed as historical, the tone and pacing of the novel was a far cry different than what I’ve become accustomed to. That’s not to say it’s bad thing, but rather that this wasn’t the read for me.

The story was extremely slow and repetitive to the point that it lost my interest and zeal of reading it. At about the midway point, unfortunately, I had to DNF the story.

Perhaps, this read will appeal to bibliophiles who can fully embrace the tone and pace with this historical fiction. Although, this wasn’t the read for me, I’ll definitely give another book a chance as I have enjoyed other books by the author.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredibly well written with great character development, but unfortunately I couldn’t get into it.

Please still read it because it may be for you! It just wasn’t for me. I thoroughly appreciate the author’s talent though. It’s likely a 5 star read for someone else.