Like her previous novel, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has another bestseller with The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Named one of the best books of the year by The NYT Book Review, time, NPR and other outlets, this is the story of a young woman growing up on a fabulous estate far from the rest of the world. Her father is a researcher; he may also be insane, because he's experimenting with animal-human hybrids. This is a story about isolation and social injustice, but it also offers some romance, a vibrant setting, action scenes--and monsters. Reviewers have called it unsettling and eerie, and it is, but it's also hard to put down. Recommended.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I LOVE Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I honestly do not know how she does it. She is a chameleon of fiction genres. No two of her books are alike, and I find that fascinating.

This is a reimagining of the story of Doctor Moreau where intelligent hybrids are not only living in a community run by Dr. Moreau, but also living in the household as servants and friends of Carlota, the doctor's beautiful daughter. I have nothing negative to say about this story, it is intriguing, horrifying, and heart-wrenching all at once.

The book was an engaging retelling of the story of Doctor Moreau from the perspective of a young sheltered woman who is more than what she originally seems.

Wow. Just wow. I ate this story up. It was so good and spooky and thrilling. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next. This is a must read.

Haunting, compelling and addictive...this book by Garcia has all the hallmarks of her critically acclaimed talents. I am so glad I got to read it!

This was an okay read. Not my favorite among SMG's books but it still had interesting characters and amazing themes! A loose reimagining of the original story but I really liked how the author put her own unique twist on it.

I fear I need to stop expecting to love another Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. That's not to say this book, or any of her books, are bad. In fact, I think her range makes her one of the most talented artists currently writing, but there was just something about Mexican Gothic that I've not been able to find in any of her other books.

This was enjoyable. A real blending of genres. Perhaps if I was more familiar with the source material I would like it more.

I think I will stop requesting SMG arcs and just grab the ones that sound interesting as they come out at the library instead.

I found this a very slow start, but a compelling overall read. I appreciate the story and the characters. I generally like Moreno-Garcia's work very much. This just took a long time for me to get into.

This one reminded me of Frankenstein a bit… that might be weird but overall I was intrigued in finding out how the story unfolded. I binged the book in a day so needless to say it was easy to follow and was interesting. We had lies and deceit while still having hybrid characters who were part human and part animal. I’m not sure if this book was really for me but i did find it very interesting.

I did not love this. The writing was not for me. I spent weeks trying to get into it and just never could. Unfortunately I had to DNF at less than 50%

I enjoyed this book more than I thought. I would have liked to see a bit on the romance towards the end but it was still interesting. Can always depend on Moreno-Garcia to deliver a good read

I did not read "The Island of Doctor Moreau" nor seen the movies, so all of I knew going into the book was what I've picked up from cultural references. This was an enjoyable reading of horror, science, and romance. The story is told from the POV of Dr. Moreau's daughter and his assistant.

If the title and basic premise didn't entice me enough, just settling into the steamy setting full of rich evocative details immediately had me hooked. Beautiful, rich storytelling full of intricate moments and twists.

While I am not much for science fiction and I haven't read the original material, I trust Silvia Moreno-Garcia to create an immersive story and that's what this is. Sweeping, detailed, horribly believable, this is a story that made me think and easily caught and kept my attention.

"The Daughter of Doctor Moreau" seamlessly blends elements of gothic fiction and real-life history. Carlota Moreau is the mysterious daughter of the doctor from the H.G. Wells’ tale. Her observations of her father’s laboratory and the hybrids who inhabit the grounds of their home are told matter-of-factly. She has grown up with these creatures who are her father’s experiments, and she doesn’t see them with judgement or even horror.

The author's vivid descriptions describe a hidden community that is cut off from the rest of the world – for good reason. Carlota grows up relatively safe and protected from outside influences. But as she matures and attracts the attentions of both the son of Moreau’s patron, and Montgomery Laughton, Moreau’s world-weary assistant, events take a drastic turn. Overall, it’s an engrossing read that offers a fresh take on the classic story and its themes of science, morality, and identity.

I will read anything that SMG writes! Absolutely one of my favorite writers!

I have never read Doctor Moreau so going into this I didn't know too much about the story but SMG's story is full of culture and society and it's observational in the way that SMG does so well.

Of course I loved it.

"The Daughter of Doctor Moreau" brought back the Island of Dr. Moreau for me. Moreno-Garcia's unique view and reimaging of the classic left me wanting more in the best way possible. Carlota, Montgomery, and all of the human/animal creations were perfection. And the story was just the right amount of Victorian feel with horror and science fiction blended in. Loved this book!

I was apprehensive about this book but when I saw it was on the short list for the Hugos gave it a shot. Unfortunately it wasn't really the story for me. It was a classic case of two perspectives where I liked being in the head of one significantly more than the other, although I found neither character easy to root for or like. I found the themes to be tried and true, which makes sense considering the inspiration, but I was hoping for a more unique take on exploring humanity and the definitions we attach to that. Per usual Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a great job of incorporating the history and setting of a place and this is probably the portion I appreciated most. For those who are craving a historical sci-fi novel set in a time and place that is usually ignored I would send this their way.

Silvia always sets the scene and this historical sci-fi is no different. You’re transported to Yaxactun and the home of doctor Moreau. This wasnt my favorite of her titles it took about 2/3 of the way through for the actual plot twist which I was becoming suspicious of. What I loved most were the hybrids, montgomery and Carlotta’s relationships. How close and protective they all were. All in all I was still captivated
3.5/5

A wonderful retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau with a feminist point of view. A new gothic vision has made this a read that was hard to put down.