This book was really not what I was expecting - I feel like I say that a lot, maybe Im just not great at judging what a book is going to be like.

The first thing that hits you when you open the pages of this book is the deep and wild scent of the jungle. The dense humidity, the salty air of the cenote, the sheltered heaven of Yucatan. I don’t think I have ever been so full body slapped by the atmosphere from a book before.

Silvia Moreno - Garcia was so on ball with this one. It sort of lulls you in the first half. Slightly knowing the original story this was based on it was so not what I was expecting. But in the second half you are hit with the full world drama we normally know from Moreno-Garcia.

There is so much history in this book. It’s set in such a precarious time. After the original Spanish conquest but just at the beginning of trade colonisation from Europe. The rainforest was vast - a lot bigger than it is today. The Maya still had a foot hold in the dark canopy.

Carlota loves her home, her friends and above all else the land. She lives in a dreamy world of reading, learning, swimming and play - she is wild and free. She lives this sort of dream - until she is forced to awaken, and awaken the part of herself she has hidden deep.

Full disclosure, I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the author however I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is scheduled for a July 19, 2022, release


Not all family is by blood
Somewhere on the Yucatan peninsula lies the hacendado of Yaxaktun. Not your typical hacienda, Yaxaktun is home to the eccentric Dr. Moreau, his only child Carlota and a cast of characters known as hybrids. With his mayordomo, Mr. Laughton overseeing the day-to-day running of Yaxaktun, the good doctor spends his days with his experiments. But with his sponsor growing anxious and tired of the delay he begins to insert himself into the operation. And when his son becomes smitten with Carolta, Dr. Moreau’s real secret is threatened with exposure. The fate of all Yaxaktun hangs in the hands of one person, but will Carlota be resourceful enough to save her father, his research, her friends, and the only home she has ever known.

Scheduled for a mid-July release, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the newest title by author Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Having recently read “Velvet Was the Night”, I was excited for the opportunity to read this newest release. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a fanciful reimagining of the classic “The Island of Doctor Moreau”, but in Moreno-Garcia’s retelling, the setting has been changed to nineteenth-century Mexico. Having never read the original, I had no preconceived notions or biases to overcome so it was very easy to immerse myself in the backdrop and the story. Moreno’s descriptions of Yaxaktun and all her residents were so vivid that it was easy to forget the words being read as my imagination ran wild with the story. Also, with the narrative primarily from the perspectives of Carlota Moreau and Montgomery Laughton the mayordomo of Yaxaktun, the bouncing between perspectives in the same narrative helped to keep my interest as well as reveal certain plot points or backstory items in a setting most appropriate for the point of view being presented.

To date, I have only read two titles by this author, but I have really enjoyed them both. I love the way that Moreno – Garcia brings her heritage and experiences into the stories she creates, and I hope to read many more of her offerings in the future. Whether you are familiar with the source story or not, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau will draw the reader in and provide them with hours of enjoyment as you experience this epic tale.

"I must confess that I have lost faith in the sanity of the world." (H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau)

Misery and pain take on a myriad of forms. Some of it comes along in the course of natural life. Some of it is smacked out in pulling levers that should never be handled or the manipulating of the biological chain once pronounced sacred.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has outdone herself in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She's recreated a different vibe from the original H.G. Well's The Island of Dr. Moreau. (Check that one out for some unsettling events.) Garcia implements a softer female influence through her chosen lead character. We are drawn deeply into this storyline with its striking descriptors of lush jungles and the fragrance of blooms in the northern territory of the Yucatan peninsula.

Carlota Moreau stands in the doorway of her father's hacienda. She is used to the isolation since she was a child. Young Lupe and Cachito are her companions as well as Ramona, the very competent housekeeper. Her father, Dr. Moreau, keeps a watchful eye on her as she suffered from fevers and nerves as a child. Carlota's beauty fills every room. From her amber eyes to her long black hair, she is immediately noticed upon her presence.

Garcia will introduce us to Montgomery Laughton, the most complicated and intriguing of the characters. Laughton, shaggy and untidy, is an Englishman who spent time in the British Honduras. He's recently been hired as the mayordomo with talents in engineering, taxidermy, and biological sciences. Laughton bears the pains of his previous life and the deep disappointments in the aftermath. We'll feel the heaviness of his demeanor cast into this already peculiar setting.

Dr. Moreau's research and scientific experimentations have been financed by Hernando Lizalde who lives in Merida with his son, Eduardo. Locked cabinets and padlocked doors will eventually give up their secrets as Carlota seeks to understand her father's obsessions.

And the curtain will part and we will observe the "hybrids" that live beyond the walls of the hacienda close to rebel territory. You'll be drawn in as we come to notice physical features and dispositions best kept close to the page. Moreau becomes more and more threatened by the possible loss of his patron's backing. We'll get this uncertain feeling as this escalates throughout.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is not paranormal or horror driven. Garcia lines this more with a sci-fi filament. She dangles the question of what exactly constitutes humanity? And what is the end result from manipulating and deviating from the standards of life? There will be individuals pinned against one another fighting for their dignity and for their lives. And may I mention the fact that where there is a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel, there will always be a stunning cover that leaves you as breathless as its contents.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House and to the talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the opportunity.

Carlotta Moreau has lived her entire life in a small settlement in Mexico. Her father, Dr Moreau, is known for his experiments taking animals and giving them human features and abilities. He’s working on a plan to create a whole group of creatures to hire out as work crews. And while this is happening suspicions grow that Carlotta is not his biological daughter, that she’s not actually human, that she’s one of his experiments. It’s not hard to imagine that locals and Moreau’s financial backers are not happy with his plans and when push comes to shove the outsiders decide to take matters in their own hands. It’s not a pretty ending. The book gives us plenty of time to reflect on how easily we decide other species are ripe for exploitation and just how far we’ve willing to go for money. It’s a thoughtful read and will stay with you.

This was a truly engaging, interesting read. Not horror, but more scifi/retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau from a feminist perspective. I thought the setting in Mexico made the story very rich and lended so much atmosphere, Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

In this adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Yaxaktun is Dr. Moreau’s remote ranch laboratory in Mexico, where the doctor conducts his research developing a strain of human/animal hybrids that may one day serve as laborers. Joining him at the ranch is his daughter, Carlota, who grew up with many of these hybrids whom she considers friends and family. She’s bright, but a bit naïve, given her sheltered upbringing under her father’s constant control. Montgomery Laughton is majordomo at Yaxaktun. As manager of daily operations, not much escapes his notice. He has experienced enough of the world to see things as they really are, but given his shaky employment status, he’s reluctant or unwilling to interfere. Except perhaps, when it comes to protecting Carlota. Complicating matters, after years of experimentation, the doctor’s benefactor is becoming impatient and demanding final results, which continue to elude Moreau.
Set in the mid to late 1800s, the story blends science fiction and Yucatan history into an intriguing tale of control, power, and greed. Unexpected plot developments keep the reader guessing as Doctor Moreau desperately tries to save his empire. A tantalizing foray into blind obsession.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!
Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the third book I’ve read by author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the other two being Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things, and I honestly have to say that this is my new favorite of her works. A new take on H.G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau, the novel follows the eponymous daughter of Doctor Moreau, Carlota, as she grows up on an isolated island, where the only secrets are not her father’s “hybrid” experiments.

“The hybrids suffered for the sake of humanity. Yet pain was a gift, that was her father’s refrain. Pain must be endured, for without it there’d be no sweetness.”

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is told from the alternating perspectives of Carlota and Montgomery, the new mayordomo of the island who performs whatever tasks are needed, whether it’s protection, hunting, or chaperoning the young lady. I quickly grew to love both of these characters—Carlota, with her naivete of the world at large and her rapture at the beauty and majesty of her home and Montgomery, with his past earth-shattering heartbreak and propensity for drunkenness. Author Moreno-Garcia does a great job of depicting the sheltered nature of Carlota’s life against a quietly building backdrop that not all is what it seems on the island.

“She recalled what Ramona had said that Yaxaktun was the end of the world. And she thought that yes, this man was here because he believed that was the case, that he had reached the end of the world and he was simply waiting for the annihilation of all things.”

I was unable to put The Daughter of Doctor Moreau down and even read it in one sitting, so enchanted was I by the deceptive cocoon of the lush jungle of the Yaxaktun and the mysteries of the island. Though the author states that the novel isn’t considered horror, and instead science fiction, the pervasive unease that seeps into Carlota’s and Montgomery’s daily lives has the same kind of building dread as the former genre. The novel feels like a softer, less-traditional sort of horror, and is one that will keep readers on its toes, while simultaneously and deftly weaving in subtle commentary on colonialism, ableism, and misogyny.

My only “complaints” with this suspenseful and enthralling novel, feel more like nitpicks to me than anything else. To me, the main secret involving the island was rather obvious from the get-go and I wished the groundwork laid hinting to it had been less obvious. I also felt that the “villains” of the novel, the wealthy landowners that fund Doctor Moreau’s research, the Izaldes, were not nearly as well fleshed out as the rest of the characters. In fact, they felt more like archetypes than actually developed characters in comparison to the rest of the cast. I also felt like the pacing rather slowed down once the Izaldes arrived, but this did not lessen my enjoyment of the novel in the least, as I was so invested in the story and its characters.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, with its complex characters, creeping tension, and lush backdrop of the jungle is a pure delight to read. I recommend this novel to fans of both horror and science fiction, and of course, of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s other works. Even with having discovered the secrets of the novel once, I could easily see myself rereading The Daughter of Doctor Moreau in the future and enjoying it just as much as the first time.

This book was a ride. I really enjoyed the cultural references as well as the author's multiple perspectives. This was a great narrative although slow at parts. The beginning was slightly confusing, but it was worth the wait.

I loved Velvet Was The Night and gave it a 5/5 on my GoodReads and was ecstatic when I found The Daughter of Doctor Moreau on NetGalley and I can say that Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written another 5/5!

I love The Island of Doctor Moreau because the story of a man playing God and the futility of doing such an act is so interesting and Moreno-Garcia blends these ideas with a Latin setting and a new character of Carlota, daughter of the doctor, to create in my opinion one of the best Sci-Fi books I have read in a long time! I loved the characters and immediately connected with Carlota, Montgomery and even the hybrids unlike the original story where you just see the characters as either mad scientists or bland main characters.

I adored this book and am extremely excited to see what Silvia comes up with next!!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is always so vibrant and descriptive, and this book was no exception. I loved the setting, and there were so many great characters. It definitely felt genre defying, in that it was obviously sci-fi but it was not super fast paced or particularly scientific like most that you would read.

Overall I did really enjoy the book, although I do wish it had been a little more fast-paced in parts. The ending was action packed, and I wish a little bit of that would have taken place earlier in the book, as well. However, I did appreciate really getting to see the island and Dr. Moreau's work in a quieter, more detailed way before the action started.

If you're a fan of this author's previous work, I definitely think you would enjoy this one as well. Plus, that cover! Gorgeous!

It’s 19th century colonial Mexico. More specifically it’s the Yucatán peninsula and Carlota is the daughter of a brilliant doctor. She’s grown up very sheltered on a farm of sorts. Her father has bioengineered several hybrid beings. They are part animal, part human. They are intended to be slave labor for the local wealthy businessman, Hernando Lizalde, who is financing the operation. At the point when Carlota is 20-years-old the hybrid production has not advanced to the point of providing the promised cheap labor and the funding has been stopped. Enter Lizalde’s 21-year-old son as a potential husband for Carlota. Things go from bad to worse really fast and Carlota has to decide where her loyalties lie.

This is a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau which I’m not familiar with but now I’m curious about. Not only is the sci-fi aspect interesting but it’s layered with the colonial history of the Yucatán peninsula which adds another dimension to the story.

I really enjoyed this one. I’ve read three books by this author in the last year. Each one is different and has unexpectedly unique stories. Each book has had a female protagonist who bucks the conventions that limit the roles of women.

Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for an advanced copy of this book! It will be released on 7/19/22.

Content Warning: Addiction, Abuse, Lite Horror Scenes, Colorism, Colonization, Prejudice

This is only the second book I’ve read from this author and though it is completely different from the first one I’ve read, the luscious, beautiful writing seems to be this author’s signature. So yes the author’s name was a big factor in making me request this book and also the gorgeous, colorful book cover attracted me as well. I’m only vaguely familiar with the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau but I get the gist of what the story is about.

I loved the setting of this story. It is set in the Yucatán peninsula and the author even delves into some history and strife occurring in the area in the 19th century between the Maya people and the Mexican people, and those of European descent. I found those parts very fascinating and made me want to learn more about it. It is a part of history I don’t know much about.

The characters are perfectly cast in this story. Doctor Moreau is creating hybrids of people – he thinks he can provide cheap labor by fusing human and animal genes together. These hybrids are supposed to benefit his benefactor, a very rich man by the name of Hernando Lizalde. Like anyone who think he can play at being God, Doctor Moreau has succeeded so far in his experiments except for the fact the hybrids are imperfect and die young. He is a slave to science. His daughter Carlota is gorgeous, sweet, obedient and afflicted with an illness but she loves the hybrids as if they are her own siblings because she’s grown up with them at Yaxaktun. All she wants is a happy, perfect life in Yaxaktun but she learns quickly that thoughts like that are but a dream. Montgomery is Moreau’s hired hand – he is troubled, running from his past by drinking it and gambling it away. Then there are Lupe and Cachito, two hybrids who have grown up with Carlota.

The writing is as gorgeous as ever and pulled me into the story so that I felt like I was at Yaxaktun. I could feel the humidity and imagine the lush surroundings. I could picture Carlota’s beauty. The mysteriousness and solitude of Yaxaktun lent the story an eerie feeling but one that didn’t creep me out too much – it just made me more curious about the hybrids. I was more creeped out and angry at Carlota’s father for all his ego and lies. I say lite horror because of the description of the science lab but this book was not scary or anything. I thought the real horror was how the hybrids were treated and created and the plight of the Maya people. The beginning was a little slow, but it is told like a mystery so I let it unfold and really enjoyed how the tension was built.


Why you should read it:
*the beautiful writing
*Carlota’s character arc – from obedient sweet girl, to a fighter
*the historical information, deep issues about colonialism and the questions about playing God

Why you might not want to read it:
*sci-fi/horror not your thing

My Thoughts:

This might have taken me a bit longer to get into but I am always drawn in by this author’s words. Her writing just flows so well and I like that the characters were imperfect and made me question their actions. The story unfolds slowly but I love how the tension builds until the end. I love how Carlota went from a docile young lady to one who faces the truth about her life and herself. I found the history aspects of the story quite fascinating and opened my eyes to some of the issues taking place in 19th century Mexico and it made me want to learn more. Will absolutely be reading more of this author’s work!

I've read a lot of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing, both books and short stories, and I absolutely have to say that she is a writer you must follow. Her range. of storytelling is varied and wonderful. Gods of Jade and Shadow is still of one of my favorite recent reads and I always recommend it to people who haven't read any of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing. I was even happy to hear one of her short stories read by LeVar Burton on his podcast, "LeVar Burton Reads."

Thanks to NetGalley I was fortunate to read this book ahead of its publication! I loved this reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's telling is one that is clever and interesting (I won't say too much about what happens in the book); it's a fantastic story about family, identity, and social justice. Also, I loved that the book was told from alternating viewpoints by the main characters, Carlota and Montgomery.

I can't wait to read more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was immediately drawn to the cover because it is such beautiful artwork! I had read The Island of Dr. Moreau in high school and really enjoyed it, so when I discovered that Silvia Moreno-Garcia was writing a book based off of it, I was sold.
This book truthfully put me in a little slump. After I had become in the mood to read it again the last few days, I found myself liking it more. Historical fiction and science fiction books aren’t my favorite to read anymore so it was a bit harder for me to get through but I do not regret reading this. Silvia has a way with words and her writing style is beautiful! This book just wasn’t for me.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a nonstop powerhouse and, so far, I’ve been an enormous fan of everything she creates; The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is no exception. As others have pointed out, this tale has its origins in the canonical book by H.G. Wells, but I wouldn’t call it a retelling so much as a reinterpretation. I think Moreno-Garcia does a great job crafting her characters with her own vision, even if some of the plot points and character arcs are familiar to some readers. Her voice comes through strongly and really effectively.

I loved the way she did dual perspectives here, too. I’m usually a fan of multiple perspectives, but once in a while it gets too confusing for me narratively. In Doctor Moreau, though, it really added a lot to the plot and our understanding of the characters. Moreno-Garcia also created beautiful, vivid imagery that I felt like I could close my eyes and put myself right into. It was amazing!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Ray/Penguin for this e-arc. I can’t wait to get a physical copy for my collection!

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is another gem from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The story is told through chapters alternating between Carlota and Montgomery's points of view, hers being the idyllic home she wants to protect and his being just another stop on his journey to get out of debt. I really wish I could read this by relaxing next to a cenote in between swims; it's the kind of summer reading that paints vibrant images in my mind. For me, Carlota's growth in the story was one of the best depictions of a young woman coming of age in recent fiction, spanning the highs of optimism for the future and the lows of heavy lifting as you clean up the mess by other people. Montgomery's thoughts compared to his actual spoken words and actions gave depth to what would just be dismissed as a henchman character in lesser hands. The story also resolves itself in a satisfying way, even if it's not exactly what one may have wanted. (I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

This book is a sort of retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau, which I read in college. I enjoyed the Wells version quite a bit and I wanted to love this one, I really did. But it fell flat for me in a few different ways.

Firstly, the story is about a doctor performing experiments on secluded Mexican ranch, the goal of which is to perfectly combine human and animal forms. His experiments aren’t perfect, however, and his human-animal hybrids start wishing to leave the compound due to their poor treatment. The doctor’s daughter is sympathetic to the hybrids and sets in motion a plan to free them all.

I enjoyed the fact that the mayordomo’s name is Montgomery, in keeping with the original H.G. Wells character. I think the prose itself is well written, and I liked the alternating POV between Carlota and Montgomery. The setting is compelling, and I think this is a time period and a place that more fiction writers should utilize for its natural tensions and struggles.

The book went wrong for me in a few places. If you’ve read the original, you will be able to guess at the main “twist” of the novel, but even if you haven’t, I think it’s blatantly obvious even near the beginning of the story. The characters were not developed enough for me, or maybe I just didn’t like them enough to connect with them. I also found the pace to be a bit slow, not much happens until the final third of the story.

Overall, I’m glad I read this alternate “take” on Doctor Moreau, but I wish it had left me with a little more.

Thank you to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Morena-Garcia is loosely based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells.
I really like this author, Gods of Jad and Shadow was one of my favorite recent reads.
I was less a fam of Mexican Gothic.
This book falls in between those two for me.

I liked the way the POV alternated between the two main characters.
Sometimes stories are written from so many points of view that it is hard to keep track of who is talking.
I also liked the descriptions of the characters and various hybrids.
The story is compelling and well-written.
It really drew me in and I finished this book in just a few readings.
It's not full-blown fantasy, with world-building etc, but it is definitely fantastical.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free Kindle ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

I was able to get an ARC from NetGalley of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s SF novel, which is drawn from the Island of Dr. Moreau and the Caste War of Yucatán. If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic it has a similar vibe, but not as deeply terrifying. I have to admit that I have never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, but was still intrigued by this story. So it probably will seem familiar if you have already consumed the classic book or another adaptation, but you won’t feel out of the loop if the story is new to you. A fair warning though, to readers who are icked out by body horror-you will most likely be icked out at points in this book. Anyway, I don’t think that I have ever read a book by this author that I didn't love and you have to respect the amount of research that she puts into each story. I enjoyed this book immensely and am happy to share a review with fellow readers.

Moreno-Garcia writes lushly detailed genre novels set in a mostly-historical Mexico, and I am here. For. It! Her latest genre-jump is a reframing of The Island of Dr. Moreau on a hacendado in caste-war-era Yucatan… and cue me cheering. Then, people the novel with a tempestuous main character who’s outgrown her place as the daughter of a researcher and who is kept mostly in the dark about her father’s experiments and creations, a majordomo haunted by his past and his feelings of inadequacy, a mad scientist whose grandiose dreams have made him into a self-styled god, and human-animal hybrids living alongside the beastially-treated indigenous Maya – and you’ve got me hooked.

The source material fit really interestingly into this setting; I could feel the humid jungle air and longed for the cool of the cenote along with the characters. It inspired a lazy, almost stifling vibe where the action moved slowly and inexorably to its conclusion. I also liked the complexity in Carlota (the titular daughter of Dr. Moreau) and the majordomo, who provided an alternating POV to Carlota. The hybrids themselves added interesting commentary about the caste system in contemporary Mexico, and I wanted to hear more from Lupe in particular. I felt like the author wanted to draw a finer analogy between the jungle and Eden – with Carlota as Eve, perhaps? – but the comparison wasn’t quite complete. The religious connotations were plentiful, however, and I think something more could have been done with them.

I am glad this book is coming out during the summer- pick it up when you need to escape the sun by enveloping yourself in its jungle heat and thorny philosophy. My thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia for providing this e-arc for review.