The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is another beautiful tale by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! In telling the coming-of-age story of Carlota, the titular daughter, this book blends history, scifi, and horror in a way that's unique and will stick with you long after you finish reading. The characters are fascinating and the setting of the Yucatan peninsula is its own character in this story. The colors, textures, sights and sounds of a world with its own rules and singular way of life come alive in this story. This is a must read!

I think that maybe this author is just not for me. I really loved Mexican Gothic, but everything after that, I just haven't been able to get into. The story for this one sounded really interesting, as I really enjoy retellings. I found the story to be really slow though, and I struggled to stay invested. There are definitely people that will love this one, but it didn't work for me.

👨‍⚕️ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ👨‍⚕️

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The Daugther of Doctor Moreau

“An interesting family we are…. Dr. Moreau’s twisted mistakes.”

A retelling version of the classic novel “The Island of Dr. Moreau” which takes place in the 70’s Yucatán, Mexico. The Daugther of Doctor Moreau focuses on Carlota Moreau, the Daugther of a scientific Dr. that will change the world as we know it. Dr. Moreaus patients are unusual creations the Doctor has created himself, they are part human and part animal hybrids. Hernando Lizalde, a wealthy landowner is funding his operation. Things start to go south when Doctor Mareaus research leads to dire consequences.

This book is so intoxicating you won’t want to stop reading it. The cover is gorgeous and was what attracted me to the book at first. It transport you to the exact time and place of the story. The expectations of Hernando, what Carlota has to go through, and the doctors outcome are well detailed. I have not read Mexican Goth yet(on my TBR pile) but Silvia Moreno-Garcia has got me hooked with her storytelling.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhousepublushing for the ARC.

#TheDaughterofDoctorMoreau #Netgalley

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia books, so I was so excited to read The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I never read Doctor Moreau, but I have seen the movies about it so I kind of knew what to expect. It was an interesting read. The beginning part of the book was very slow due to the world building, and honestly some of it was a little too slow. Once the action happened though it went by very fast, and I couldn’t stop reading. So while this is not my favorite of her books it did turn out to be a decent read.

Since I’ve never read (or researched) the H.G. Wells original that inspired this book, I went into reading it knowing only two things about it: (a) that it was science fiction rather than horror and (b) that it was by an author whose writing I enjoy.

The narrative structure was interesting. The perspective alternated between the female protagonist and the male protagonist; however, the entire story was told from the third person point of view. Therefore, the reader is never truly inside any one character’s head - just seeing the events from their perspective. The place of the story - the Yaxaktun hacienda on the Yucatán peninsula - plays as great of a role in the story as any of the characters. The story itself starts in 1871 with the arrival of the new mayordomo, Montgomery, and continues through 1877 when outsiders arrive, secrets are revealed, and all hell breaks loose.

I enjoyed this book because it was a story well told with characters well rendered. I was grateful to have the foreknowledge that it was science fiction rather than horror because that kept me from taking the creepiness of the place for more than it was intended. And the messy-but-clean ending was quite fulfilling. Totally unlike the guaranteed happily ever after endings in the romances that I’ve been reading of late.

Of course, the inevitable comparison with Mexican Gothic comes up short for me. That book was just, wow, for me. This book was a little less shocking in that, by being so detailed and well-rendered, there seemed to be less space for the brain to settle into mistaken conclusions. So I, unfortunately, loved it just a little bit less.

I've decided to table The Daughter of Doctor Moreau - after the first few chapters, I just cannot get into the storyline.

I loved Mexican Gothic, but I did think it was about 70-90 pages too long, and I can already feel The Daughter... heading that way with an onslaught of tedious and most likely unnecessary details.

It doesn't help that many of the Goodreads reviews note that nothing happens for the first 40-60% of the book.

However, Moreno-Garcia is a talented and beautiful writer. I have no doubt that this is a well-written story. It's just not for me, right now. I may return to it. Almost all of the bookstagrammers I follow loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I really appreciate it!

3.5 stars. An interesting twist on the classic sci-fi story, here set against a gorgeous jungle background on the Yucatan peninsula, with a Mayan rebellion simmering behind the scenes. The actual plot felt slow to me, but the setting and creative spin provide drama and beauty.

Wow Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again!! I must admit something first because I feel this disclaimer will open so many more eyes! I passed Mexican Gothic so many times saying oh the cover is so pretty but I just don’t think this book is for me. Then finally I caved and I read it and wow I was so angry with myself for waiting so long. So when I saw The Daughter of Doctor Moreau I was like YES!! And peeps let my tell you Silvia Moreno- Garcia did it again! This book was amazing! The story is so dark and sinister but so smart and beautiful.

This book started a bit slow but I liked the setting and the rich descriptions of Yaxaktun. I was thrown by the story format, there are two perspectives, and every time we changed perspective it went back to the same scene, and was taken aback. After a while, it stops doing that and then starts to move along with the story. I liked the gothic and mystery aspect of the story but didn't really connect with the characters and besides Carlota being now independent I felt like there wasn't much that I took from this story, It was OK but I was expecting more from this book.

What another fascinating book by SMG! This had a similar vibe to Mexican Gothic but had more a science fiction vibe to it. Something that I do like about SMG is that she’s not scared to try out different genres and she excels in each area.

The Daughter was beautifully written with some really interesting characters. There was a twist/reveal in the beginning that left me hooked for the rest of the book and I was surprised such a big reveal was done so early on, it was a nice change! The story is slow to the big reveal at the end but I think overall everything was well paced.

I don’t want to get much into the plot because I think it’s easy to reveal things by evening just hinting at plot points, but I think if you were a fan of Mexican Gothic, you will enjoy this just as much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC

4.5 stars. This was a wonderful take on The Island of Doctor Moreau. I loved Carlota and Montgomery. At first, I was a bit confused by the dual POV’s, especially since some of the chapters overlapped, but it ended up flowing in a seamless way. Carlota is completely innocent and naive when it concerns her father, but she’s a quick study and comes to the realization that he’s not a nice guy.. Montgomery is a lost soul who tries to take refuge at the end of the world (the Yucatán), and the bottom of a bottle, but underneath that, he’s still a likable guy and totally redeems himself. I wish we would’ve gotten more interactions with the hybrids, but what we do see is very realistic under the circumstances. This was a very enjoyable read :)

What Secrets Does the Island of Doctor Moreau Hold?


The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a loose retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells, to the extent that it involves animal-human hybrids who have been engineered by a man who believes he can create the perfect specimen through his work. It is set on the Yucatan Peninsula amidst the historical struggle for sovereignty and land rights of the Mayan people against the European descendants who dominated the social order in Mexico during the nineteenth century. This fusing of science fiction with historical fiction was one I really enjoyed; the novel carried flavors of caution about social inequalities and abuse of power, while also warning against too much tampering with nature and the natural order. Overall, I enjoyed the philosophical undertones of the story, but I failed to make a real connection with Carlota Moreau, the subject of the novel, and found that the pace of the plot seemed to drag on occasion. That being said, for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, this book has her beautiful prose, and stays true to the wildly creative and speculative nature of her writing, so it is definitely worth a read!


The hybrids developed by Doctor Moreau, were made to become laborers for his patron, Hernando Lizalde, the owner of numerous haciendas spread out across Mexico. He seldom visits Doctor Moreau, but as the story picks up, he has made it clear that he needs to see results soon, or he will no longer be able to fund Moreau’s experiments. The problem is that all of the hybrids have some level of infirmity that comes on with age, and their life span is short. They also require monthly infusions in order to stay functional, making them unfit to work on the haciendas, although they do successfully tend the crops and household for Doctor Moreau. They are unquestioningly loyal and subservient to Doctor Moreau, Carlota, and the overseer of the property, Montgomery, although one of the younger hybrids has begun to question what the wider world might be like. The relationship between the hybrids and their caretakers serves as a microcosm of the overall issues in Mexico regarding abuses of power, and social inequality.


Doctor Moreau seeks to ensure future funding from Hernando Lizalde by using Carlota as bait for Lizalde’s son, Eduardo. Eduardo and Carlota do promptly fall in love and decide to become engaged, despite knowing that it will send the elder Lazalde into a rage due to Carlota’s lack of social standing. The scheming that follows leads to tragedy, murder, unwanted revelations, and the destruction of the only life that Carlota has ever known. Had the entire book been as action packed and fast paced as the last 30% it most likely would have been a five-star read for me. The ending is bittersweet, but fitting for the story, leaving plenty of room for each reader to imagine what happens to Carlota next.
3.5

Thank you @randomhouse for my advanced copy. This is available now!

Genre: historical/gothic/sci-fi blend
Swipe for synopsis
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU is a dark, gothic, historical, science fiction blend, that is at times horrific. I was very much out of my comfort-zone reading this one! The author explores themes of womanhood, colonialism, and class against nineteenth century Mexico. The afterword provided the historical context of where the author drew from; I appreciated that it was included.

I loved the main character and looked forward to her chapters the most. The chapters alternate POV between Carlota, the scientist’s daughter, and Montgomery, an outcast now helping on the island. I liked that they were short and provided the reader with different POVs for the same situations, but that also did make it feel repetitive at times.

The setting was atmospheric and mysterious, and the vibes truly gave isolated mad scientist. This came to life in such an exciting way at the end! I also got big “MEN SUCK” energy in a nineteenth century way. Here for it.

Personally, I found this challenging to review since I don’t read this blend of genres often! But as more of a personal preference, I do wish there was less horror and more focus on the hybrid characters.

I’m glad I picked it up and explored this blend of genres. I could see myself reading more of Moreno-Garcia, and if any of these genres interest you, I’d consider picking this up!

⚠️ TW: animal lovers, I’d skip this one.

A delightful take on the story of Dr Moreau with several twists along the way. The setting is vibrant and the characters are memorable. A perfect summer read.

Oof. I had such high expectations for this novel. I loved Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's short stories. I love that Moreno-Garcia blends genre and her work always seems to be a mix of conventions. But this one didn't quite work for me. The beginning was so, so boring and slow. It took me forever to get through! It picked up a bit after that, but it felt like it never knew what it was *about.* I suppose I was expecting this to be a bit more exciting than it was.

Not a bad book by any means, I'd still recommend it, and I'll still keep reading whatever Moreno-Garcia puts out, but this one wasn't for me.

I just love how Silvia Moreno Garcia writes. She creates such vivid settings and such full characters. I loved Carlota and Montgomery. Frankenstein is a favorite book of mine, and this book really captures the same overarching themes that I really love and appreciate. This is not a mystery/thriller or horror, it's a science fiction story that is more focused on the characters of the story and their motivations. I think lovers of her prior work will enjoy this book just as much.

This is an interesting turn of the Dr. Moreau story. This is told from the perspective of the Dr.'s daughter, Carlota Moreau tells her story and that of her father. Meet the hybrids creations of Dr. Moreau, who are Carlota's friends and some are the servants. This is the story of her life and that of those around her.

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of scientist Doctor Moreau. Living with the Doctor, his hybrids, a group of half human half animal creations and his assistant Montgomery Laughton, in 19th century Mexico.
Life is peaceful until the arrival of Eduardo, son of the Doctors patron, who catches the eye of Carlota and the hopes of the Doctor in marrying off his daughter and securing funding for his hybrids.
This book had so much potential, the potential for body horror, jump scares, and beautiful gothic atmosphere but ultimately fell flat for me. I possibly had too high hopes due to my love of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's previous work. I feel like the story didn't commit to any of it's ideas fully. All of the elements were there but I found myself waiting for something to happen.

Beautifully written, but I just couldn't connect to the story. The characters weren't relatable and their predictability made them kind of annoying. Also the pacing painfully slow

I loved this book and it's so surprise that Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become an autobuy author for me.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a reimagining of H.G. Well's classic The Island of Doctor Moreau set on the Yucatan peninsula in the late 1800s. Carlota, the doctor's daughter, is raised in near isolation with her father, their housekeeper and a menagerie of "hybrids" who are like her family. They live a relatively peaceful life, with the doctor experimenting and his daughter learning from him as much as she can.

What I really liked about this book is that it made you question what makes a monster. Is it the hybrids, who have no choice in their creation by some mad doctor who thinks he's God? Or is it the outsiders, the humans who will treat anyone (or anything) that is socially beneath them as unacceptable? This story is beautifully written, but it is also full of the real life horrors that humans face.

This book won't be for everyone. The story is a bit slow moving, but it's beautifully written and if you're ok taking your time you will enjoy it. This is science fiction with a bit of historical fiction/social commentary, not at all spooky.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy. I cannot wait to see what genre Silvia tackles next.