Wow, this book was soooo not what I was expecting! I wasn't sure where it was going when it started but I couldn't get enough as it kept developing. It was a really nice blend of history and fantasy. I've always been a sucker for the darker side of science and this delivered in ways that left me speechless. And that finale!!

4.5 stars - Moreno-Garcia strikes again, definitely one of my favorite authors these days. This lush, beautifully-crafted book pulled me right into the Yucatan of the Porfiriato, with its rigid caste system, huge wealth gap, oppression and injustices. The main character, Carlota, moves from ignorance into awareness and confronts her role in the atrocities committed by her father. Meanwhile, the jungle and the cenote and the animals and the hybrids her father created all speak eloquently for themselves. Carlota makes mistakes and continues forward with increasing recognition of her own strength and power. The book doesn't wrap up neatly with a bow but has a satisfying, authentic conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (I also pre-ordered the hardback because I couldn't help myself). This is my honest review.

Unpopular opinion time: this book didn't work for me despite how much I wanted it to!

I love this author's previous novels and the Dr. Moreau concept, but the main character took far far too long to get a clue and not be a naive little poppet! I was so frustrated with her and felt for the hybrids and the pages of background just bored me.

Pretty cover, interesting idea, but too damn slow and not the gothic creepiness I was looking for.

I just have to say, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the absolute queen of creating an atmosphere. Every time I picked up this book I felt like I could see, hear, and feel every setting and character.
I did really enjoy reading this book. I liked the characters (well, at least the characters you’re supposed to like), and I loved the story line, which is loose interpretation of The Island of Doctor Moreau. But for some reason, I just didn’t feel compelled to keep returning to the story. I just can’t put my finger on why. Maybe I needed just a little more? Maybe the middle dragged a bit for me?
All the same, I recommend this book. It was entertaining for the most part, and when I was reading it, I was fully immersed in the story.

I liked this book, just not quite as much as Mexican Gothic.

First the pluses...

This author has such a talent for lush descriptions of scenery (described in so much detail you can almost smell it) and deeply human characters. I thought the premise of the book was seriously cool and was kind of shipping Carlotta and Montgomery. All of the basic elements of the story were well chosen and gracefully rendered.

On the minus side, all of those great elements didn't necessarily add up to a great book (for me, personally.) I wish the author had leaned more into the fantastical elements of the story. In Gothic, I was genuinely creeped out by some of the scenes. But this book seemed more rooted in realism.

The hybrids really stay confined to a small section of the story, and that's a shame. I wanted to know more about them. WAY more. I wanted to know more about Carlotta's deepest wants and needs (and less about what she was wearing.)

In my opinion, this seemed like more of a love story, a story of a young woman's awakening, than science fiction or horror. Normally that would be OK if this was an original premise. But because it's building off of Moreau's story, and coming from an author who has talents in telling a supernatural tale, I had hoped it would go in a different direction.

Still a solid, enjoyable read. But kind of a let down for me, personally. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Her ability to jump across genres or just re-tell stories with different genre elements creates a fun and surprising atmosphere in any novel.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is Moreno-Garcia’s jump into science fiction. We follow the basic story of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist creating animal hybrid experiments, through the eyes of his daughter Carlota, who helps to raise them. There is also Montogomery, a man who down on his luck and running from his past takes a job in the far out Yucatan working for a mysterious doctor.

I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this story. The plot is one that you have probably heard but Moreno-Garcia uses culture and her own spin on writing to bring it into new life. The tension is kept high through the story with various different elements of failure threatening at every corner. Its amazing to have a book with animal human hybrids but part of the central conflict be the patriarchy. I have not read the original Island of Doctor Moreau so it will be up to others to decide how much it sticks to the story or strays from it.

Carlota is a good character and easy to like and Montgomery is a rather complicated one. I found myself surprised that I liked him so much despite an issue I did have with the story in general. I loved the various descriptions and characters of the experiment and Doctor Moreau was an interesting foil in the story.

My only complaint was the central romance that wasn’t really a romance? I don’t know how to describe it but Montgomery has developed feelings for Carlota. Who he knew since she was only 14 and he was 36ish. While Grace-Moreno handles this rather well during the resolution in my opinion, I still just didn’t like it. It felt mostly unnecessary and could have been done differently in so many ways that would be a little less ick. Otherwise, this would have been a five star read.

Overall, another good read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Not my favorite, but not my least favorite and I will continue to read anything she puts out.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review (can’t believe I even got this one, I had it pending FOR MONTHS).

This was my kind of story - historical fantasy, retelling of a classic that was extremely well-written, While I have never read the original story, I knew just enough about it that I was excited to engage in the story and soak in the creep factor of this mad doctor and his creations.

The story is told from two perspectives, that of Dr. Moreau's daughter, Carlotta, which was especially enchanting and that of moody Montgomery Laughton, who works for Dr. Moreau. Throughout much of the book, I was questioning whether these alternating viewpoints was working for me, since often scenes were repeated by both characters slowing the advancement of the story. However, it did indeed work, which became even more apparent halfway through the book.

Due to my familiarity with the classic, I was not shocked by the reveal half way through, but the author's descriptions were enthralling and brought the story to life vividly and emotionally. At this point, it was difficult to put the book down, as the story progressed to a violent and ultimately, beautiful and heartwarming conclusion.

This classic retelling is a fascinating read which I highly recommend.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is classified as historical/science fiction which are the two genres I struggle with the most. However, I enjoyed the original H.G. Wells version of Doctor Moreau and have heard great things about Silvia Moreno-Garcia. But unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. I found the setting of Yaxaktun enchanting and the hybrids interesting, but those were the only things I enjoyed about the book. The book had a very slow start, and I guessed one of the major twists almost immediately. Additionally, The main characters, Montgomery and Carlota, were hard to like and I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I also thought the book spent too much time on the conflict in the Yucatán Peninsula rather than the hybrids. Finally, I was very indifferent to the ending, and it just made me feel blah! While The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was not for me, if you have enjoyed Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s other works or really like Historical/Science Fiction, this book is worth checking out.

Rating = 2.5 stars

The nitty-gritty: Evocative writing, authentic historical details and complex characters make Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest a must read.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest really surprised me, in a good way. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially since I knew this wasn’t going to be horror, despite the subject matter. But considering the last retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau that I read was a comedy (The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory), I’ve learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to retellings, and this historical drama was another unique take on the H.G. Wells classic. Yes, there is a Doctor Moreau who performs scientific experiments by crossing human and animal DNA, and the “hybrids” as they are called can have animalistic qualities. But for the most part, this is a coming-of-age story about a girl who is forced to see the world in a different way, set in Mexico in 1877 and populated by a colorful cast of characters. With a bit of romance thrown in, plenty of drama, and authentic historical elements that evoked a certain lawless era, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is an engaging and emotional story.

Carlota Moreau and her father live a peaceful life on the peninsula of Yaxaktun, where Dr. Moreau is secretly working on creating a workforce of “hybrids,” creatures who are a mix of human and animal. His work is funded by Hernando Lizalde, the owner of the hacienda, who hopes that Moreau’s creations will be a source of cheap labor. Carlota is allowed to help her father in his laboratory, and because of this she has made friends with many of the hybrids, especially Lupe, who she thinks of as a sister. Carlota’s life is mostly happy, but when she turns twenty, Lizalde’s handsome son Eduardo comes to visit, and Dr. Moreau has his sights set on marrying off Carlota, hoping that by becoming part of the Lizalde family, Moreau will be able to further fund his hybrid project.

But Eduardo wants Carlota to leave Yaxaktun and move to the city with him, and Carlota only wants to stay with her friends and continue to live her carefree life at the hacienda. When an incident with the hybrids threatens to put everyone in danger, Carlota must make some hard choices. 

Although I was a little disappointed that the hybrids didn’t take center stage in the story—they really are more of a background element—I loved the historical aspects and the setting of the story. Yaxaktun is more or less an island (which fits with the original story) so it’s secluded from many outside influences. I loved the tropical setting and the domestic and wild animals that roam the hacienda complex and the nearby jungle, and the theme of animals is important because the hybrids are part animal. The author immerses the reader in 1870s Mexican history but it’s all done organically so the story is never interrupted for a history lesson. She also uses the hybrids to show how the wealthy hacienda owners (or haciendados as they are called) looked down on different oppressed groups of people, like the native Mayans for example. Most of the characters in the story are at the mercy of Lizalde, who controls his workers by giving them goods and keeping track of their debt. I loved that there were so many “new to me” words in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. They added a wonderful flavor to the story and I couldn’t stop myself from looking many of them up because I was so curious!

Carlota is a wonderfully layered character with one of the best character growths I’ve seen in some time. We meet her as a young teenaged girl, where she lives an idyllic life In Yaxaktun (Yukatan) with her father, the people who run the household, and Dr. Moreau’s many hybrids, some of who have become close friends with Carlota. Carlota loves her home and can’t imagine living any other kind of life. At first she is naive and trusting. She loves her father and believes him incapable of harming anyone, even though he sometimes punishes the hybrids for losing control. When Carlota is twenty, Eduardo enters the picture, and she’s swept up in the idea of romance and marriage. It never occurs to her that marrying Eduardo will mean leaving her home, but that’s exactly what Eduardo has in mind. As she learns each harsh lesson, you can practically see her steeling herself against the world, disappointed that life isn’t what she expected, but still determined to make the best of things. I absolutely loved Carlota!

Montgomery, the majordomo who oversees the rancho, was another favorite character of mine. At first he’s not that likable, but he really grew on me, especially when we get to know his backstory. Montgomery is still pining for his ex-wife Fanny (and we learn the reasons she’s out of the picture). He writes letters to her in his head, which was a great way of sharing his feelings with the reader. He’s also struggling with alcoholism, which gives his character a darker, sadder edge. He and Carlota develop a sort of sibling relationship, which changes as Carlota gets older, and I loved the way they cared about each other, even though it was hard for them to share their true feelings.

There is a bit of romance, but it was used mostly to show Carlota’s growth and the typical things a young girl would feel when faced with a handsome suitor for the first time. Luckily, it doesn’t take her long to realize what kind of man Eduardo Lizalde really is, and while her attraction to Eduardo made me groan, I felt more invested in what was happening between Carlota and Montgomery. Moreno-Garcia doesn’t present your typical romance, though, and I was pleasantly surprised by how their relationship turned out.

There’s a twist of sorts about halfway through the story, although I suspect many readers are going to figure it out like I did. The last few chapters were full of thrilling action and high stakes, and when you get to a certain part in the book it’s almost impossible to put it down. I was so curious about how the author was going to wrap things up, and I was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected, bittersweet ending. This might not have been The Island of Doctor Moreau retelling I was expecting, but I am so glad I read it.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the latest by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night, solidly earning it a spot on my most anticipated books for July.

Inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells, this book focuses on Carlota Moreau, the daughter of Doctor Moreau. Set in a remote Mexican location, Doctor Moreau has created a hybrid, a new creation. However, the doctor is struggling financially. When two young men come to town, one of them the wealthy son of his patron, will all of his fears be eased if he can marry Carlota off to one of them?

Well….let’s start off by making a confession. My expectations for this were sky high. Velvet Was the Night has one of the most skillfully crafted endings that I have read. However, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau didn’t compete with Velvet Was the Night.

First, the storytelling needs refining. The first 10% of the book is so boring that I had to put it down and pick it back up again. The next portion of the book is better; however, it seems that most of the conflicts boiled down to a version of “Did not!” “Did too!” “Did not!” “Did too!”

Second, the identity of this book is lost on me. What exactly is it trying to accomplish? The sci-fi portion of this book is really underwhelming. Is this book about Carlota’s relationship with her father? Is this book about a love triangle? A romance? Is this book about crafting ones own family and own identity? It seems to try to be the answer to everything but succeeds in nothing.

Part of that is that there are too many characters: Montgomery, Doctor Moreau, Ramona, Lupe, Hernando Lizalde, Eduardo, Cachito, Aj Kaab, Pinta, Aayin, K’an, and many others.

Third, the ending is entirely forgettable and lackluster.

Overall, I didn’t connect with The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

I've loved several of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's previous novels, so I was excited when I first started hearing about The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I was not super familiar with the H. G. Wells source material, but I was so interested in seeing how Moreno-Garcia would rework this story with her signature post-colonial lens.

Carlotta Moreau grows up on a remote estate on the Yucatan peninsula, innocent to the wider world and insulated from the conflict brewing in the region. The tranquility of her idyllic world with her father, the estate overseer, the housekeeper, and her father's hybrids, is disrupted by the arrival of the doctor's benefactor. With the arrival of her first love, the benefactor's son, Carlotta chafes under the need to please her father while also becoming her own woman. As she learns more about the nature of the doctor's scientific work, she realizes that she can never return to the life she knew before.

Montgomery, the estate's overseer, has worked for the Moreaus for years, needing a place to work off his gambling debts. He struggles with grief and trauma, for which he self-medicates with alcohol, but he comes to find himself at home among the hybrids and builds a life in their company. He must also make a choice when life at the estate grows tenuous for them all.

I was most interested in how rich this story is in its new historical context, especially in how it humanizes the hybrids by aligning them with the indigenous rebellion. It is well-written and ambitious in its scope. I also found Carlotta's character arc particularly compelling in this context, if her character was a bit annoying. She read a little too much like a melodrama heroine for my taste, but it makes sense stylistically and thematically. It was an interesting read, but it never quite swept me up as much as my favorite books by this author.

Carlota Moreau, the scientist's only daughter, lives a pampered but isolated life far from strife on the Yucatán peninsula. Montgomery Laughton assists her father in his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes. Their everyday life is upset with Eduardo Lizalde arriving, exposing secrets and passions that had long been as hidden as the creatures Moreau created.

It's a very lushly written novel, with the innocent Carlota loving her father and the hybrids that had been created so far. She is ill and needs weekly treatments, as do the hybrids. Laughton is an indebted alcoholic running errands for the estate, and Dr. Moreau is a haughty, religious man that is continuing to do research despite dwindling funds. Eduardo and his cousin are entitled young men, used to getting what they want without question. Of course, Eduardo wants Carlota, pretty and innocent, blushing at his compliments and not understanding why some of his statements or requests aren't proper for a young lady. His cousin, strongly religious and dour, distrusts the Moreau household from the start and is determined to put a wrench in the blooming romance between Eduardo and Carlota and leave right away.

Some of the secrets in the estate could certainly be guessed at, but for the individuals in the story, they're utterly devastating. It changes the shape of the final third of the novel, and we see the characters for who they are, the thin veneer of "society" stripped away at last. We see what unfettered power and money really do, and how pure intellect isn't necessarily any better than pure instinct. That isn't a dichotomy that's overtly presented, but does seem to hover in the background. Who is actually human, the animalistic-looking hybrids created to serve, or the mortals that would finance or create such people? In the background is the Mayan revolution, a very real uprising that took place in Mexico. The class structure is explicitly referenced, and shown to be the farce that it is, upheld to make those in power feel better about themselves.

As with other novels by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, there are so many layers not just to the characters but for the plot and the location. None of it is an accident, and the care taken shows. This is another brilliant novel that she's written, and one I couldn't put down.

Carlota is the daughter of Doctor Moreau. She works hard to help him with his patients and the upkeep of their home. Life as they know it starts crumbling around them when the financial woes of Dr Moreau come up and they realize the extent of his debt. With the looming threat of having his lab revoked, Dr Moreau encourages Carlota to entice Eduardo Lizalde (the son of the owner of Yaxaktun).

A fantastical story with some twists and turns and overall solid vibe. There’s enough tension in the plot so you’ll remain engaged throughout. The main characters are multifaceted and have you questioning / flipping tables because of their decisions.

Overall, it’s a great read. Highly recommend to folks who enjoy fiction with a sprinkle of fantasy.

What I know of OG Moreau comes from the Wikipedia summary, but as always, Silvia created something special…and another captivating heroine. And who is exceeding her when it comes to world-building right now?

this was actually really good but the entire time i was reading it i was thinking about how i wanted to read a shitty romance book to hate review it and then that’s all i could think about. i’m sorry SMG i am incapable of focusing on one thing at a time. that being said this was pretty enjoyable and i don’t even like science fiction ? but TBH i don’t think this is the typical scifi people think of so maybe that’s why. carlota <3 montgomery <3 the only engl*sh man i support.

also also i’m so glad i liked this because it means i can validate my feelings that i didn’t like GOJAS 😭 i used to think maybe it was the authors writing that just wasn’t for me even after i read the book TWICE but after reading velvet was the night (great book) and this one i can finally come to terms that, no, it was just that one book i didn’t like specifically.

second also, this was totally an advanced copy i got but never read and now i have like 4 more i need to do for august……. i’m sorry publishers but those will not get done.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s gorgeously written, atmospheric, thrilling, and is a fascinating retelling of a beloved novel. The characters are so thoughtfully described and developed that it’s easy to forget that they are chacters in a novel and not true historical figures. Moreno-Garcia has this talent of writing a novel that is incredibly tense but is so lushly written that you don’t realize how stiff and sore your shoulders are unti the very end when you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I was immeadiately drawn into this imaginative world and felt like I was living amongst the characters. And the cover! The cover! Pure art. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. Also, if you haven’t read this author yet, stop what you’re doing and put all her books on hold. Every book I’ve read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia has been spectacular.

I have never read the original story of Dr Moreau, but I knew the general plot before reading this retelling. This novel takes place on the Yucatan in the 1870's. Dr Moreau is working in a secluded lab with his young daughter, trying to create a new breed of worker. Carlota is naive, having never left her father's home, but is in love with the nature around her. I think that the best part of this book was Carlota's vivid imagery of the jungle, and how well the story fit into the historical context. The author did a good job of describing life at the time. I was underwhelmed by the story itself. Sometimes there wasn't enough detail given for me to really understand what was happening, and it felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Overall, it was worth a read, but I prefer some of her other works better.

Set in the backdrop of 1870, Yaxaktun, Mexico this is a retelling of the Island of Doctor Moreau from the lenses of his daughter Carlotta and Montgomery, an Englishman debt ridden and a new employee of Moreau’s. It intertwined the Island of Doctor Moreau’s of man playing god and the colonization of Mexico during the Maya revolution. This in turn highlights the narrative concerning the hybrids, making the reader question autonomy and colonization.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia so much; I rarely get to read fiction that intertwines Mexican history (though obviously in part because I don’t know* where to seek them out, but otherwise she has brought forth this need in me and has, through her popularity, made this accessible)

Carlotta was such an interesting perspective. We see her from a young age and through a time jump, she has cast aside her ‘childish’ curiosity and turned herself into the lady of the house, the woman her father expects her to be. Throughout the novel, though we see that curiosity turn into necessary revelations about what her father is doing with his ‘experiments’ to unravel his secrets.

Never having read The Island of Doctor Moreau, I went into this book with not a clue what it would be about (blurb aside, of course). All I knew was that it was a Silvia Moreno Garcia book so, obviously, I had to read it.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is full of Silvia Moreno Garcia at her best, with all those typicalities of her previous books: slick writing and a gorgeously lush world built around compelling characters. It didn’t matter one bit that I’d never read the original book (and, undoubtedly, if I went back and read it now, I’d find myself disappointed because H. G. Wells is not Moreno Garcia). Although I’m also sure that knowing an original or having read it does change how you view an adaptation or retelling of it.

Let me start with the worldbuilding for this one. As ever, Moreno Garcia’s words conjure up the setting with such vividness that you feel as though you’re there alongside the characters, walking through the trees and seeing Doctor Moreau’s home in all its glory. In terms of historical(ish) fiction writers, I’m not sure there’s anyone I know that can write with the same skill as Moreno Garcia in creating the world around you.

The characters are equally vivid. Montgomery and Carlota are both characters that you find yourself rooting for from the start. Each is complex and realistic, and each (almost) feels like they could be a person you meet on the street (but for being, you know, part of Doctor Moreau’s “island”). They also have a very good dynamic between them and that was one of my favourite parts of the book. Equally, despite that, it’s a dynamic that came with a caveat.

This is probably the only vaguely negative thing I have to say about this book at all, about Moreno Garcia’s works at all. It’s that there is, more often than not, a large age gap between the putative romantic relationship in the book. I say putative, because they’re not always relationships that come into fruition. In fact, I would say most of the time they don’t (possibly only Nina and Hector’s is one that does, that I can recall), but it’s enough to make me just a tiny bit uncomfortable. In this case, there was the additional part of Montgomery having known Carlota since she was 14.

But, as I said, that’s really the only part of the book I wasn’t wholly on board with. The rest of it was classic Silvia Moreno Garcia and, if you haven’t tried one of her books yet, I can only beg that you consider doing so.

3.5-4 stars

This book was so different from what I usually read, but the idea behind it was really intriguing.

This historical drama takes place in nineteenth-century Mexico, where Dr. Moreau conducts his scientific experiments creating hybrids. His daughter, Carlota, has grown up observing these controversial creations and as a young woman has developed both a professional and compassionate relationship with the part human, part animal beings. But everything changes when Eduardo Lizalde, the son of Dr. Moreau’s investor, shows up abruptly and threatens to destroy all of the doctor’s hard work . Carlota, too, begins to question the nature of her father’s intentions and, in turn, her own role in his scientific journey.

I thought this was a really unique and creative story, and I enjoyed watching Carlota’s character grow from beginning to end. At times I had mixed feelings about some of the characters but they all had pivotal roles, regardless of whether I liked the designs they made. Overall, I’d recommend this book, especially for those who enjoy a bit of science fiction.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a copy of this book to review.*