19th Century in Mexico. Carlota Moreau is a young lady who has never been beyond her own home in the Yucatan peninsula. It is a large estate and there is much rebel conflict around them. Carlota is lonely and curious. Why do they never have company? Why must they hide?

Well her father is either a mad scientist or a genius. We all know what he is.

Her father has hired a new assistant, Montgomery Laughton, a man who has lost his way. His wife left him, his money is gone and he can’t stop drinking. Owing money to the landlord of the island, he will be working with the doctor with the hybrids.

Hybrids? Yes, mixing a little bit of this DNA and a little bit of that DNA and you have some seriously messed up ‘hybrids’. Bred for working the fields. Most are hideously deformed but two have come out fairly well. And those two become friends with Carlota.

They are living life the only way they know how to live it. And then, the owner’s son, Eduardo, shows up with his band of troublemakers, and from there everything goes south fast. Carlota has a lot of questions for her father and she is not going to like the answers. Risking her own life, she will help the hybrids and bring about an end to the madness.

Great historical and rather science fiction too.

NetGalley/ July 19, 2022 RHPG

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This is another remarkable read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! If the authors name doesn't catch your attention then maybe the title will; The Daughter of Dr. Moreau. How does this not leap out and beg to be read and enjoyed? As soon as I saw this book, especially with such a beautiful cover, I was on it... And it did not disappoint!

Carlota is the only child of Dr. Moreau and leads a simple but elegant life on their property of Yuxaktan. Among the hybrids and beautiful plant life lies secrets that even she cannot guess at. When a rich and powerful young man comes seeking her attention this acts as a catalyst for life changing events.

I highly recommend this as a gorgeous and beautifully told story that I was lucky enough to luxuriate in

TW: Violence

Out July 19, 2022!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my auto buy authors. She never disappoints me and this book is no exception. It is a reimagining of the science fiction classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Transporting this tale to the land of splendor, Mexico, allows Moreno-Garcia to insert elements of history to expand the narrative. Taking place during the Maya revolt against their Mexican oppressors, she interweaves the fate of Maya rebels and the residents of the Moreau compound.
Having read and being a fan of the H. G. Wells’ classic, I was delighted at the depth and newness of characters that I was familiar with. The narration alternated between Carlota, the daughter of the doctor and their hired man, Montgomery. Often time the narratives would overlap, giving you different views of the same events without feeling repetitive. You may think you what is going to happen and you would be wrong. A surprise twist appears when you least expect it.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is probably one of the best writers alive today. Her very loose take on Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau is both, original and classical in the best way. Carlota is the titular daughter, and she lives with his father’s human-animal hybrids. I’m not a fan of the original, but Moreno-Garcia’s take is poignant and emotional. She is so versatile, that she can tackle every genre and make it her own. This is a mix of historical novel and science fiction. There is a love story than, in a minor author would be insufferable melodrama, but that Moreno-Garcia imbues with suspense. I gasped aloud with some of the twists and revelations, I yelled at the characters and I really worried about their plight. Her writing is beautiful and she flawlessly integrates Mexican history and folklore in a way that makes sense. I loved all her characters, especially Cachito, and the way Moreau’s hacienda is described makes it come to life in every sentence. This is a great addition to the author’s novels and, in my opinion, much better than the original story.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey!

Another hit from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I just love how she writes her female protagonists. Carlota is stubborn, fierce, intelligent and, sometimes, petulant. I love how Moreno-Garcia crafts these women who are maybe sheltered, or naive, but never stupid? It's just such a joy to read, honestly.

I will admit, I haven't read the H.G. Wells original, but I've seen both films so I was familiar enough with the gist. No shipped-wrecked man here, uncovering the sinister nature of the titular Doctor's island. Instead Moreno-Garcia has chose to set this in the Yucatan peninsula amidst the backdrop of period-appropriate unrest between the native populace and colonial forces. This actually sparked in me a desire to go learn more about the tensions in Mexico during this era, as it sounds really fascinating?

Anyway, I recommend this, especially if you enjoyed Mexican Gothic.

Set in the Yucatan Peninsula during the Caste War, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a tale of family secrets, naive love, genetic engineering, and a daughter coming into her own power out from under her father, a theme explored from the title to the end of the novel. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is often elegant. She captures the natural beauty of the environment and the strange beauty of Doctor Moreau's animal hybrids. Moreno-Garcia's characters feel well-realized; she is able to consistenlty contain the pain and shortcomings of the characters alongside their loves and strengths. Each character has their own distinct way of understanding the world, and their interplay makes the book's world feel grounded and complex. One of my favorite aspects of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the man-playing-God archetype and how the hybrids and others surrounding the Doctor find their faith, especially as their faith in the Doctor and his God wanes.

I tell you what. . . Silvia Moreno Garcia must just spin a wheel of chance, land on a genre and set about executing a new novel. She lands it perfectly every time! The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is her latest, in the science fiction/historical fiction genre. It is a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau, but you do not need any previous exposure to that tale to become fully immersed and fully entertained by this book.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau has a little bit of everything: science fiction, romance, tension, historical and literary fiction in a lush setting with complicated characters. I will say that science fiction is not a go to genre for me at all, in fact, I generally avoid it, but I loved this one! As the title states, it tells the story of Dr. Moreau’s daughter, his staff, and the hybrids he has created as their complete isolation on a Mexican peninsula becomes threatened by encroachment.

I highly recommend this one! Five stars given. Thank you to Netgalley, Random House- Ballantine Books and the author for an advanced reader’s copy of this wonderful book.

H.G. Well's Island of Dr. Moreau is here refreshed by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia. The author's political themes of oppression, colonialism and feminism are present, as they were in the stronger Mexican Gothic. On the Yucatan Peninsula in the midst of the rising conflict between the Maya and the European/Mexican settlers (based on the real Caste War of 1847), Dr. Moreau, funded by Eduardo Lizalde, has again sought to manipulate nature in his animal-human hybrids.

The majority of the hybrids are sickly and misshapen, in constant pain. A handful have fewer problems and are companions to Moreau's daughter Carlota. Through new majordomo, Montgomery Laughton's eyes, the reader sees the estate, the lab, and the beautiful raven-haired Carlota.

Much of the novel is told through Carlota's viewpoint, also, and thus the reader is given a picture of her isolated existence, resulting in a naive young woman. As she becomes more aware of her reality, the reader sees the suffering of the hybrids and witnesses her father's cold attitude while observing his “experiments.”And these beings simply want to be free.

A dominant romantic element, which I found unnecessary, evolves into a romance novel trope of two men – Montgomery and Lizalde's arrogant son – vying for the lovely woman. While Carlota has grown more self-assured, she remains the victim, in more ways than first meets the eye.

Moreau is French, Laughton is English – colonizers whose exploitation of other populations has shored up their crumbling empires. And although Moreau is supposedly only motivated by his belief in science, his patron wants labor-slaves. And Moreau wants the money Lizalde provides.

The strongest elements of this novel are the lush descriptions of the Yucatan surroundings, its sounds, scents, and the heady, hypnotic atmosphere that it creates. The twist at the end is not really surprising, especially to anyone who has read Hawthorne's “Dr. Heidegger's Experiment” or other more recent stories in the same vein.

Carlota lives in paradise in Yaxaktun with her father, the hybrids, and Montgomery, the Englishman who manages the Moreau's affairs. The arrival of two young men at the Moreau's home creates tension in the household, and Carlota's identity begins to splinter. Content to accept her father's word for much of her life, Carlota begins to question him and soon discovers long kept secrets about her identity.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is fast paced and engrossing. Moreno-Garcia gives the reader just enough information to keep them reading. The characters are well-written.

Magical, dreamy, horrific and doomed -- the essence of this book is marked by the failures of a man and the hopes of his daughter. The creatures of this book are heroic and noble, and it is easy to care for them as deeply as our protagonist.

I liked this book and the retelling of the classic by H G Wells . It was a different but interesting take on the classic . It was a good book and the worth the read .
Thanks for letting me review this book to Netgalley and the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a dreamy reimagining of HG Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau that takes place in the Yucatan Peninsula during the nineteenth century. It follows Carlota Moreau, Dr. Moreau's natural daughter, and Laughton Montgomery, the mayordomo, as they live amongst Dr. Moreau's hybrids.

I found that The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was a bit difficult to get into at first, but ultimately was easy to get into after the novel found its groove. I only vaguely know HG Wells' novel, but I think Moreno-Garcia did a good job building Moreau's estate and the circumstances in which he came to start creating hybrids. I found the story to be compelling and interesting, I also really liked Carlota, and while the ultimate reveal is fairly predictable, I think Moreno-Garcia did a good job leading up to that moment. I did find that at times while reading some chapters/sections felt noticeably slower than other parts, but I think the questions posed were worth chewing on, and thus I didn't find the pacing too distracting, since I read this book in chunks over several days.

I also thought this was a really nice blend of historical and science fiction, and was overall a really good read.

If you have read any of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books you already know you are in for a treat. I love how she incorporates a lot of detail into her stories and how she describes scenes! This story takes plot twists to another level I was not sure what would happened and even though I guessed, ultimately I was wrong about it. The book itself has a good story to it and I recommend you all to read it. Her characters are always unforgettable and the story itself, wow!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this advanced review copy.

This book is inspired by the H. G. Wells Island of Doctor Moreau and it was impossible not to compare them. For the Wells book, I struggled to care about the characters and didn't really get a clear picture of the hybrids. Moreno-Garcia's book was infinitely better. I was immediately drawn into the world and had very strong thoughts towards the different characters.

This story is told in alternating chapters by Carlotta, the daughter of Doctor Moreau, and Montgomery, the hacienda's majordomo (ranch manager). There were some chapters where we would experience it from one person's point of view, and then the next chapter would go through the same events from the other's. The split point of views was done very successfully and I appreciated having both narrators. It added to the story to have both of the characters narrating, since Carlotta is more naive and grew up in this world, whereas Montgomery is carrying a lot of baggage from his prior life.

I absolutely loved how Moreno-Garcia portrayed the hybrids. In Wells' book, they were stupid, slaves to superstition, and very flat characters. These hybrids were well developed characters. I especially appreciated Lupe and Cachito, who were made to be Carlotta's friends. The book also explores how both Carlotta and Montgomery deal with the ethical questions of making creatures, especially Carlotta who was born into this world. The doctor was also an interesting character, including his drive to perfect life.

In the "not so good" category: The book does quite a bit of telling, not showing, which was a struggle for me. Some of the interactions didn't work as well for me because of this. The writing, at times, felt very simplistic.

Also, my version had a ton of spelling/grammar errors, including things like "she did __" when it was actually the "he" in the scene. Hopefully those are fixed prior to the formal release.

Overall, this was an interesting read that was hard to put down.

What a great novel! I received an ARC of this in exchange for review, and I finally got around to reading it. I have a passion for any novel that incorporates science/medicine/research int its story, and this one definitely accomplished that and accomplished it well!! The plot twisted and turned throughout in a way that kept me guessing, and though I didn’t like the final conflict being just a battle scene (not how I thought the story was going to go!!) I really enjoyed basically every other aspect of it!

(3.5+) Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write every genre — and she can write every genre well. I’ve read (and thoroughly enjoyed) a number of her other books, so, as soon as this book was announced, I preordered it. (Having such a beautiful cover on my shelf was a bonus.) Getting approved for an ARC was even more exciting. Moreno-Garcia has an incredible mastery of language, and she always gives the reader an inventive and compelling book — which is definitely the case here.

Right off the bat, I could imagine myself wandering the reddish-yellow dirt paths through the dense scrub and could hear the jungle with its mangroves teeming with the songs of the birds. I felt like I was inside the small hacienda with its dark wood and white interior, sitting on the velvet furnishings and listening to the sound of someone playing an off-tune piano and the ticking of a baroque clock. This setting is lush and dense with an arresting air of mystery, and I wanted to live in it. And, while I was within these pages, I did. Moreno-Garcia’s settings often act as a kind of character within her novels, and this one, with its untamed environment and a mix of decay and wilderness, was spectacularly done and provided a perfect backdrop for the events of the novel. 

The storyline here is engrossing, and the use of dual POVs for Carlota and Montgomery is a clever addition. Moreno-Garcia clearly understood these characters and how their development would play out from the get-go, even if their characterization did sometimes feel a tad overdone and repetitive. At times, the writing felt like it veered more toward tell than show, and the characters never quite felt 3D. Still, I was invested in both characters and their journeys within these pages. While Montgomery changes some throughout the book, I felt frustrated with Carlota and her lack of a real evolution — toward the beginning of the book, she wants peace and ease, which is almost exactly what she wants toward the end of the book, despite the myriad horrible things that have happened to her in the middle. I also wish some of the secondary characters — Lupe, Cachito, and Ramona, in particular — had been rounded out more, given they’re the impetus for so much in the book.

I think Moreno-Garcia does a wonderful job of conveying different themes — the primitive versus the animalistic, the horrors of colonialism, man as God — in a way that really gets the reader thinking. I found myself constantly questioning ideas raised in this book. Some of the suspense did feel a little telegraphed, but that could also just be because I’m a very close reader. 

This is an immensely clever retelling of a well-known story, and I appreciated the twists Moreno-Garcia put on it and the way she expanded on the source material. This book is a clever mix of science fiction and romance and historical — and I loved the way it weaves folklore and religion, lushness and creepiness, obedience and independence, and a whole host of other contradictions together to make a very readable and enjoyable book. 

Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is another hit from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This reimagining of the H. G. Wells classic brings together the strife of caste and class systems with scientifically engineered creatures set amongst dense and beautiful Yucatán jungle.

Dr. Moreau’s legacy is always on the precipice. Sometimes the precipice of scientific revelation, sometimes the precipice of devastation. His beautiful, intelligent and kind daughter Carlota dotes on her father, his work and their secluded home deep in the jungle. The hybrids are her friends and her chosen family. When Moreau’s benefactor’s son and nephew visit Yaxatun they set in motion the string of events that challenge Carlotta’s views of family, science and society.

Many readers will be drawn to The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by the title and the gorgeous cover design. I hope readers do judge the book by its cover and indulge in this fantastic novel.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! This story is shocking and twisted and so compelling! The characters all have secrets and the twists and turns are non-stop. This author is known for her original and quirky stories and this one is hard to top! I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy a fantastic story with an unusual set of unforgettable characters.

Another imaginative, historical fiction* from Moreno-Garcia that challenges our preconceived ideas about life, love, and the world we live in. A coming-of-age story in which a young woman learns the powers of seduction while simultaneously learning to shoulder the burdens and consequences of our loved ones' choices.

The transformation shall be brutal, because it's always worse in that way for a woman, but if she survives it, oh how horrible and magnificent she will be.

*This reviewer has not read The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.

I love going into Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books blind. I barely read the summaries, I don't even know what this book was suppose to be about, but I knew I would be absolutely captivated by the imagery and that is more than enough for me.

This is not suppose to be a horror book, but the bases of the plot does have some rather horrific elements, which really added to a nice gothic edge to an otherwise sci-fi, historical novel. It starts off slow, and was a little difficult to get into until the hybrids are revealed. From then we dive into the simple and yet complicated lives of our MCs, Carlota and Montgomery. Carlota had the potential to be an annoying character. Sickly as a child, sheltered, easily given to love.. she has the building blocks for a typical naïve heroine. But she isn't that. Yes she is naïve, but she's also strong and peculiar.. and overall reveals herself to be a rather interesting character.

Montgomery, our second MC, is also just as interesting. He's a miserable sort.. almost a bit pathetic and predictable. I was a bit put off by him in the beginning, but as the story goes on I found myself growing fond of him. His backstory is sad and chases him though most of the book.

I loved also the juxtaposition between the hybrids and the Lizalde's. The ethics between the creator and the created. Humans vs the "monsters" but really who are the monstrous ones? Who is to say what counts for humanity and the privilege of freedom/life? The Daughter of Doctor Moreau tackles these thoughts beautifully, and like the rest of her books, lingers long after you've read that final page.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.