Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do no wrong in my book. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is another haunting, atmospheric tale tackling such issues as racism, colonialism, and sexism. There’s a brilliancy to the way in which Moreno-Garcia portrays her hybrid characters and how this juxtaposes the way in which the colonizers view said “monsters”. While this story was a bit slower than her other works, I think the slow burn build worked beautifully. Now to sit and eagerly anticipate what she comes out with next.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This a very middle of the road read for me. There were some nice lines, and I really liked the beginning, but other than that this book was not to my tastes at all. The main plot is whether the main character will court with this guy or not. Of course several things happen after, but at that point I realized I didn't really care for the story or any of the character dynamics as much as I should.

I think that main problem was that I went in thinking the island would be sinister, or that the main plot line would involve something sinister with the doctor or the hybrids. But the hybrids are normal people, they're just the product of unfortunate experiments. However I think you could enjoy this book if you like romance based, historical, and at points, slow-moving plots.

In a remote hacienda called Yaxactan on the Yucatan peninsula, Carlota Moreau lives happily with her father and his hybrid creations. She loves her idyllic life isolated and protected from the conflicts of the outside world. Until the day that Eduardo Lizalde arrived and the conflicts and bigotries of the world can be kept out no longer.

Set against the backdrop of the Caste War of Yucatan, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written a lush, atmospheric retelling of H.G Well's The Island of Doctor Moreau. Her description of the hacienda and the Yucatan are so vibrant you can almost feel the humid air and smell the verdant gardens. Moreno-Garcia examines misogyny, classism and the dark legacy of colonialism as the reader watches Carlota grapple with the realities of her life, her identity and the society that surrounds her. An absolute gift of a book.

I didn’t think I would love The Daughter of Dr. Moreau more than Mexican Gothic but I did any it’s by far my favorite book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. As a Mexican-American I appreciate books representing our history and culture. I loved the atmospheric and especially the characters. Cachito stole my heart and was my favorite character. I loved the concept of a mad scientist creating half human/animal creations. The visuals were amazing but especially the writing. There’s no doubt that Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes beautifully and I will continue to read anything she writes in the future. I already own a physical copy and the cover is stunning. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the newest novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, loosely inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau and set in nineteenth century Mexico. Carlota, the titular daughter, is living with her father, sparse staff, and a mayordomo called Montgomery on an estate away from other people. The distance from others keeps them safe from the Maya rebels’ raids, but also allows doctor Moreau to work on his top secret studies - hybrids. Hybrids are part human, part animal creatures who live peacefully on the estate, but their very being is endangered when unannounced guests visit the property.

I was so ready to love this book - I really liked Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, the premise of this novel sounded amazing, the setting, atmosphere, and the way that the author blended history with fiction were all fabulous. So what didn’t work? Unfortunately, some pretty important elements, namely the characters and the plot. The latter was just… okay. The big twist had me absolutely confused not because it didn’t make sense, but because I wasn’t even aware it was supposed to be a twist. It was so obvious from the start that I took it as something that was supposed to be common knowledge, and sadly the rest of the plot was pretty straightforward too. When it comes to characters, they felt a bit one sided to me and Montgomery was just the most whiny and ‘woe is me’ character I’ve encountered in a long time. I was also expecting much less romance, so maybe this book will work better for the romance fans out there.

TLDR: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a novel with gorgeous backdrop and writing, but unfortunately its plot doesn’t stun the same way. A good beach read, but keep your expectations manageable.

The Lizaldes and the Moreaus clash in this reimagining of The Island of Dr. Moreau. Set against the back drop of 19th century Mexico, this is the story of horrible experiments and terrible secrets.

Carlotta Moreau and Montgomery Laughton have spent six years living with Doctor Moreau and his eccentricities. Every day follows a familiar routine until the appearance of Eduardo Lizalde and his cousin. The calm days are replaced with entertaining the Lizaldes and Moreau’s manipulations to marry his daughter off to one of the wealthy cousins to secure financing to further his research.

When Hernando Lizalde storms in to separate his son from Carlotta and reclaim his “property” he reveals many of the secrets that Moreau has kept. A battle between the two families erupts and it will only end in tragedy for all the innocents involved.

Recommended for: historical fiction readers, retold classics fans

Content warning: violence, blood, death, body horror

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one is kind of a retelling of H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Doctor Moreau”, taking place in 1880s Yucatán, Mexico where Moreau has been paid by a rich patron to make animal human hybrids to find cheaper workers. The story is focused more on Moreau's daughter Carlota who lives in the secluded estate with some of the hybrids, the housekeeper and the new majordomo Montgomery, who drinks a lot. She helps her father sometimes but never getting the fill extent and details of his work. The book is told in alternating POVs of Carlota and Montgomery.

First this book's cover couldn't been more perfect for the mood of the book, but also just couldn't have been more perfect. I ordered a copy so I can stare at it. As with all Silvia Moreno-Garcia books i've read, the vibe of this book was immaculate. Jungle gothic with sci-fi feline hybrids. I kept wishing this were an old Hollywood movie. The story itself left me desiring a longer novel. The twist was easy to guess and while there was a decent amount of introspection from characters at times, the POV kept switching when I wanted to know what they were thinking. It felt a bit more young adult to me in some ways. I ended up rating it 3.5 (rounded up 4) because it was still entertaining and lovely to read on a hot summer day.

Thank you Penguin Random House - Ballentine and Netgalley for the ARC!

A fascinating thought experiment on multiple levels—the Island of Doctor Moreau retold as an exploration of the history and effects of Mexican/Yucatan colonization, as a sci-fi story with some actual basis in science, and as a bildungsroman. As usual for Silvia Moreno-Garcia, it is sumptous and beautifully written; a book to dazzle you with wondrous colors and textures you've never before seen and that may never have existed.

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Romance, mystery, and monsters combine to give us a compelling look at the human heart in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Those familiar with the classic H.G. Wells novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, will find many of these characters familiar, although hearing the tale from Carlota’s viewpoint – along with the new setting – gives us a riveting, unique read.

Many find the Yucatán peninsula, with its Mayan rebels, dense jungle, and menacing wildlife a dangerous place. To fifteen-year-old Carlota Moreau, it is home. The only daughter of an eccentric researcher, she is used to a lonely existence with just her father, the housekeeper Ramona and her young servants, Lupe and Cachito, for company.

When the story begins, all four of the above people are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Montgomery Laughton. He is the one man among the many candidates who have applied for overseer at Yaxaktun, their hacienda, that her father has approved of. Mr. Laughton is being escorted to their home by Hernando Lizaldes, the wealthy sponsor of the research done by Dr. Moreau. For the young people at the ranch, this is a major event – they never leave the house or have the chance to meet any strangers.

It is Carlota who escorts their guests around the house and proudly shows them through her father’s laboratory. And it is Carlota who shares with Cachito and Lupe the secret she found in Dr. Moreau’s workshop. She is the one who later escorts her two young friends into the forbidden room which houses the ugly mystery the doctor shares with few. But it is Lupe who frees it from its cocoon – and Montgomery Laughton who is forced to kill it when it proves to be quite hazardous to all of them.

Montgomery’s quick and efficient handling of that situation lands him the job of majordomo of Dr. Moreau’s bizarre and perilous home. He settles into the position as comfortably as an alcoholic adjusts to any new experience, especially one as weird as this one. For six years, everything is relatively calm and peaceful. Then visitors shatter their quiet – and things the good doctor had meant to keep hidden forever break through the superficial allusion of calm that has lain over the dark secrets of the hacienda.

If you have read The Island of Dr. Moreau – or the blurb for this book – you will already know about one of the mysteries that is the underpinning of this story. If you haven’t read either of those, I would urge you not to – Ms. Moreno-Garcia’s lyrical prose does such credit to the storytelling behind the enigmas that it is almost better to go in completely unaware of what is happening.

The centerpiece of any good gothic is the setting and Yaxaktun with its chilling, atmospheric, desolate, and dangerous location is perfect. From the moment the tale begins, we are transported to an other-worldly, sinister locale where danger seems to lurk in the very air, and the author does a fantastic job of transfusing a lurking foreboding into every moment of her text. Even when nothing overtly strange is happening, there is this lingering, delicious sense of impending doom that seems to hover over the ranch and its inhabitants, waiting for its moment.

The second most important factor to any gothic is the heroine, and Carlota is a fantastic one. When our narrative first starts, she is sweet and naïve; she’s got a good heart but her love for her father has mostly blinded her to reality. As the story progresses, she becomes more and more aware of the truth regarding her dad, his laboratory, and life at Yaxaktun, growing strong, resourceful, and resilient as she grows in knowledge. I loved watching Carlota’s transformation from girl to woman and seeing her become the best version of herself.

Montgomery Laughton is a more nuanced character from the start. We know he is at heart a decent and brave man but he is also caught up in what drink and a tough life have made him into. He’s morally ambiguous, someone willing to turn a blind eye to bad things, but he’s also kind and caring. He develops feelings for the much younger Carlota, but keeps them in check, convinced she deserves much better than him. He is also a romantic at heart, unwilling to have a relationship with the young woman unless she can love him as much as he loves her. While I am typically very disturbed by an older man who falls for a girl he’s known since she was an adolescent, oit is well handled here. I wouldn’t have mentioned it since it is technically a spoiler but I wanted to advise readers sensitive to this subject matter of its presence.

This is a tale about monsters but not so much the terrors that lurk around the hacienda so much as the horrors that walk on two legs and call themselves human. The story takes a look at how the wealthy European ranch/farm owners treat everything around them – the Mayan workers, the animals in the jungle, and the land itself – with equal portions of proprietorship and disdain. It also examines how religion can be used to underpin control, especially over women and the working class. The author does an absolutely magnificent job with all of this – she never once devolves into lectures espousing her points but instead allows her expert storytelling to show us these problems and let us draw our own conclusions.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is superficially a gothic/sci-fi/horror/action-adventure retelling of a literary classic but below the surface is an absolutely fascinating look at the human heart and the history of colonialism. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

3 1/2⭐️

Set deep in the Yucatán jungle, Dr. Moreau has been experimenting. In this new take on “The Island of Dr. Moreau”, which I will confess I’d heard of but never read (in the acknowledgements there is a brief summary of Wells’ original), the heroine is his daughter, Carlota. She’s a powerful female, who cares deeply and I came to respect.

This book is dark, with a little mystery, and full of Mexican heritage in the Silvia Moreno-Garcia writing style. I love that she tells of her culture, and the history of Mexico (don’t skip the acknowledgments for the historical background).

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for selecting me for this ARC.

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*3.5 stars rounded up

A loose retelling of H.G. Wells The Island of Doctor Moreau. Dr Gustave Moreau claims he was forced to leave Paris because his medical experiments were too esoteric and misunderstood. He has now settled into a remote ranch in Yaxaktun in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico where he performs his experiments through which he says he hopes to solve humanity's ills. In truth he has created over two dozen human/animal hybrids with varying degrees of success. The wealthy landowner Hernando Lizalde sponsors his work because he expects Moreau to create a team of laborers for him to exploit.

In 1871, Laughton Montgomery, a Britishman, comes t0 work at Yaxaktun to be Moreau's mayordomo on the ranch. He is not disturbed at all by Moreau's creatures and is happy with his work as long as he is allowed his vices, like gambling and drink.

Moreau has a very pretty young daughter, Carlota, who has been well educated by the doctor, so the years pass with absorbing work and good company. Six years go by quickly and now Carlota is a beautiful young woman of 20 on the day two handsome young men arrive unannounced at the ranch. Will one of them be accepted as her suitor?

The story is told in alternating chapters between Carlota and Montgomery. We get to know both of these characters quite well, and through their eyes, Dr Moreau and his creatures. The steamy jungle setting is lushly described with its fascinating flora and fauna and there are some references to the social turmoil of the decades-long Caste War of Yucatan between European settlers and the Maya people. There is a sense of dread about the story but I did not think that that anticipation of horror was ever quite fulfilled, what we had in the original story. I rather missed that.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Carlota Moreau lives in seclusion with her father and his array of human-animal hybrid experiments. However, their fragile peace is disturbed when their benefactor demands they provide workers for his haciendas and his son, Eduardo, becomes infatuated with Carlota.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a lush retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau set in the Yucatán peninsula.

The story is told from the dual perspectives of Carlota and Montgomery (a hunter who aids Doctor Moreau). I especially found Montgomery to be a compelling character since he is a man in debt who uses alcohol to self-medicate, and yet, he still cares for others. I also enjoyed Carlota’s character growth and seeing her slowly start to question her father’s authority.

I do want to mention that this story predominantly feels like a historical fiction. It wonderfully delves into and explores the issues colonialism and classism in Mexico during the 1800s.

This might be more of a personal preference, but my one complaint is that I wish the story had thrown more horror/mad scientist elements into the mix. There was perhaps one creepy scene of Carlota stumbling upon one of her father’s failed experiments, but I largely missed the gruesome and disturbing vivisections of the original.

Overall though, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is still a worthwhile read filled with vivid imagery and well-fleshed out characters.

I will be recommending this to my followers who are obsessed with thrillers. This will be a good beach read

Wow. Talk about an atmospheric read! If you are not aware, this is an original and creative take on The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. I will start this out by saying I am familiar with the original story, but I have never read the book or watched the movie, and I still was immensely entertained by this book. This is not something that I would have immediately been drawn to, so I am so thankful for the publisher for reaching out about reading this one!

I went into this one fairly blind so for me that added to the mystery! Set the stage. Yucatan peninsula in the 1870s. The Maya people are fighting for their freedom. In a very secluded estate, lives Dr, Moreau and his….hybrids. Financially backed by Mr. Lizalde, Dr. Moreau is supposed to be creating a new era of workers for Mr. Lizalde’s vast estates but things don’t always go as planned. With a small but intriguing cast of characters, Silvia Moreno-Garcia throws you into a world of science, mystery, historical conflict, and questions you can’t wait to find out the answers to.

This story is told from two POVs: Carlota, Dr. Moreau’s beautiful daughter, and Montgomery Laughton, the mayordomo of the estate with a complicated history and a drinking problem. This is truly a dual POV story that is done SO extremely well. Carlota and Montgomery POV weave this story from such interesting perspectives and as the story unfolds it just gets even better.

There was the perfect amount of science, surprise, political intrigue, and action in the pages of this story. I really enjoyed the aspects of historical facts in the background. It was refreshing to mix history and a sci-fi story!

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is absolutely enthralling from start to finish. I will say this book is definitely a build up. It starts slow and slightly unsettling and builds to a crescendo that is definitely worth the wait. If you are a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the original H.G. Wells story, or just intrigued by this absolutely stunning cover, definitely add this one to your TBR. It just hit shelves this week!

Pick this one up if you like:
-Genre Mashups
-Original and creative retellings
-Surprising character growth
-Atmospheric settings
-Gasp out loud worthy surprises

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a retelling of H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau, which I read earlier this year in preparation for this book. It's not necessary, but I enjoyed having some additional background considering I knew little about the original book.

That being said, I enjoyed Moreno-Garcia's twist on the story. Set against the backdrop of 19th century Mexico, the story starts off slow, which is necessary considering there's a lot of information needed to lay the foundation, but it eventually builds and you will fly through the last half of the book. You get to witness the story unfold from two perspectives, Carlota, Doctor Moreau's daughter, and Montgomery Laughton, the overseer, who is a messy jaded man. I love most books with multiple perspectives, but I appreciated the back and forth between Montgomery and Carlota because we get to see the tension between the two grow especially after the arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the son of Doctor Moreau's patron, who shows up and shakes up everything.

This is a book that spans many genres -- horror (ish), mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and even a tad bit of romance, all while including social commentary on issues of morality, race, class, feminism, and colonialism.

Once again, SMG does not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that I’ve read and it was fine. I loved Mexican Gothic and thought another historical fiction/ horror book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, this did not meet my horror expectations which may be my own fault. This book is divided up into 3 parts. The first 2 focused on historical fiction and romance, while the last third featured a sprinkle of horror. Throughout the story the hybrids were casually discussed which contributes to the sci-fi aspect.

Overall the story was fine, I just went in with different expectations. I also haven’t read the original Dr. Moreau story. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who may show interest in this type of book.

DNF: 46%

I wanted to finish this novel. But anytime I thought about picking this book back up, or when I did open the pages, I found my attention wandering elsewhere. I do think there are a few reasons for this, but the most dominant reason being: I’m not the audience for this novel. I’m a reader who needs a faster paced plot—and multiple subplots at that—and this novel failed to deliver in that aspect.

Something that surprised me was the writing style of this novel. By many accounts, I would classify this as “classical” in tone. Honestly, if you had placed this book before me and asked me to assign a time period to it, I would say it written in the early 1900s. Seeing as the book is set in the late 1800s, the writing did a great job of supporting that time period in mimicking the tone and style of older novels. However, for me, that was a detriment to the novel. Because the writing style was so set in feeling classical, there were many missed opportunities to expand on the descriptions, lore, and other elements. Instead, it felt like there had been a heavy focus on the writing style over the other storytelling elements.

There’s no denying this truth: this novel is incredibly slow to the point of bordering on being boring. At least, that was the case for me. I found it hard to find the motivation to pick up and read this novel because I knew how slowly the plot was moving forward. For instance, by the time I had reached the 43% mark, there had only been two cases of action and/or major conflict. Outside of those two instances, there wasn’t any other major conflicts to note. Sure, there were small conflicts between characters; but, for the most part, there wasn’t much conflict present. Most of the novel was meandering through conversations describing what Dr. Moreau was attempting to create (his hybrids), or setting up the history of the Yucatan during the late 1800s. It felt like the plot was skipping atop the depths of what it could have been.

Another note to add: the plot structure was present was incredibly repetitive. This story carried a dual point-of-view structure, which is fine and is something that is enjoyable. However, the story repeatedly visited the same scene, or moment, from both character point-of-views (Carlota and Montgomery). But the confusing thing was how the retold scene would be handled. Once we shifted to the other perspective, that scene would start earlier than it had the first time, without signaling that it happened in the past, making it difficult to keep track of the story chronologically. While this wasn’t a phenomenon that occurred in every chapter, it happened enough to be confusing and frustrating.

This was the first novel I’ve read from this author and, unfortunately, it wasn’t the best one to start off with. I have heard wonderful things about her past novels, but this one stumbled quite a bit. Which is a shame, since it was retelling a horror story (The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells) and a span of genres (horror, mystery, thriller, romance, historical fiction). It just failed to mesh all those elements together harmoniously.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I’ve been anxious to read this author and have had Mexican Gothic waiting on my Kindle for far too long. When I received an ARC of Moreno-Garcia’s newest release, I knew the wait was over.

The gorgeous cover perfectly complements the vibrant descriptions of Moreau’s secluded home, Yaxaktun, and the surrounding jungle. Because of this seclusion Carlota grows up very sheltered, and the villa hosts few visitors over the years. It’s a ideal place for Moreau to carry out his unorthodox scientific experiments – experiments Moreau’s patron, Lizalde, has threatened to stop financing due to lack of results for so long. Since Carlota is now of age, it seems logical to Moreau that the solution to his problems is for her to charm Lizalde’s visiting son into marrying her. Moreau’s utmost priority is his work. If you think he sounds selfish – bullseye.

This is a character-driven novel, and although I’m a fan of that style, I struggled to like any of these characters. Carlota is stubborn and determined, but also pretty spoiled. Montgomery at least has some redeeming moments, but both are kind to the hybrids. The character discussions of ethics, humanity, and abuse of power are interesting and will certainly have you mulling over some of the points made.

I liked the blend of sci-fi and history and the setting of 19th century Mexico, and the story provides some unsettling moments along with a few surprises. But don’t go into this anticipating a briskly paced adventure story. It’s more of a languid journey than a sprint. While it’s not exactly what I’d anticipated, I enjoyed this atmospheric tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Moreno-Garcia delivers again with her newest novel that takes place in the 19th century in Mexico.

Carlota, the daughter of scientist Doctor Moreau, lives an isolated life in the sweltering heat of the southern Yucatan peninsula. The novel is based upon H.G. Well's The Island of Doctor Moreau about a scientist who takes things too far creating human-animal hybrids.

I would recommend this refreshing science fiction historical fiction to anyone who enjoys these genres.

I really am impressed with this take on the story of Dr. Moreau and his creatures. It is a gutsy move to undertake the reimagining of such a solid story. However, I almost felt like this book was pulled in too many directions both with the historical aspect along with the medical tampering. The result was a somewhat drawn out and scattered story of a young woman living in isolation with her father and several hybrids of his creating. During many moments I struggled with why a scene was taking place and what it had to do with the ongoing story. But, as always with Ms. Moreno-Garcia, the writing is magical and the descriptions are daydream worthy. I just wish this one could have settled on a direction.