What a imaginative tale based on The Island of Doctor Moreau. Moreau-Garcia sure likes a slow burn in developing her story. Lots of action and plot in the last third of the book. It’s lush book that has a dark side.

I love her take on the tale of Dr. Moreau. Her description of the landscape was beautifully written and it was interesting the time frame she chose to set it in. The colonization of Latin America and the fight the Mayans put up against it. A lot of reference to reference to enslavement and indentured servitude mention in the book, which was a reality at this time.

Dr. Moreau's creations are humanized, given personalities, and you learn the consequences of such experiments., Carlota, his daughter learns what she is really made of when her home, life, and family are threatened.

Human-animal hybrids, scientific research, adventure, gunfights, romance, and a strong female heroine all set in 19th century Mexico!

I've never read The Island of Dr. Moreau and now wished I had before reading this novel. I love books that reimagine the classics and I think I would have enjoyed this more with that background.

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for this advance copy!

I love Sylvia Moreno-Garcia and was excited to read this. She did a wonderful job capturing the story from the point of view of Moreau’s daughter with a dark look at how wickedly cruel he was but how difficult it would be being raised by someone like that to see how wrong it is. It touched on the trauma of her coming of age and discovering the truth (won’t give any spoilers) and i felt great empathy for the creatures but none for him.

Beautiful atmosphere read with a haunting and disturbing background. After loving Mexican Gothic, I was hoping for a similar read. I was not disappointed! This is such a unique take on the subject matter. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a digital copy. This is my honest review.

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has never stepped foot out of their homestead, Yaxaktun, in remote Yucatan jungle. Outside of the home's cook and the creatures her father has created, she has seen very few outside visitors. Montgomery, the new majordomo (house manager) arrives and the two become friends over the years (however, often antagonistic) as Carlota grows from a teenager to an adult. When a young man arrives at Yaxaktun harmony within the home is disrupted as Carlota becomes romantically involved with the son of his father's rich business partner. Their relationship sets off a series of events that will forever change everything and everyone at Yaxaktun.

The story alternates between Carlota and Montgomery's points of view, which endeared me to both characters a great deal. Vivid and lush landscape descriptions, references to the indigenous people of the land and conflicts during the time period, and the use of many Spanish terms, provide the reader with a real authentic sense of time and place. As I was reading, I often had to use my e-reader's built-in dictionary, language translator and links to Wikipedia to look up the meaning of terms.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is at it's core a story about family (chosen or biological) and who is worthy of your love and devotion.

Loosely based on HG Wells’ novel ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’, this story is set in the jungles of 19th century Mexico. Dr. Moreau, his daughter Carlota live with 29 “hybrids” (humans genetically crossed with animals).

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this. The beginning was slow with a couple scenes being repeated using different character POVs which didn’t really enhance the storyline for me. The “twist” was also something I figured out early on which made the rest of the story tedious to read. The blending of sci-fi and history (The Caste War of the Yucatan) was done well; the descriptions of the land and conflicts were rich in detail. The story premise is great and the main characters were interesting enough, but overall the story fell flat.


**ARC courtesy of NetGalley & Del Rey Books

This was a disturbing story. If you know HG Well's The Island of Doctor Moreau, this will not be news to you but I was thrown off by it at first. I very quickly adjusted and enjoyed the social commentary that Moreno-Garcia is giving us here. The historical setting is wonderfully used and described. That is where the writing really shines. The heroine however was not quite like other of Moreno-Garcia heroines. I am used to her writing strong and ambitious heroines. However, here the story required a much more passive heroine and so it was Lupe, a side character that really embodied the typical Moreno-Garcia heroine. I would have loved a story that centered on Lupe rather than Carlota. On the other hand, Montgomery was the perfect flawed and broken hero and Eduardo was a great foil for him. I hope readers give this creepy and rather gross story a chance.

Another great read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints of the two main characters; they were very much opposites, while complementing each other seamlessly. The atmosphere of this one was also a positive point for me. I really felt transported to the 1800’s!

I also loved SMG’s commentary surrounding the themes of colonization, family, and traditions, which I have found to be central in many of her works.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The way Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes her books will never fail to make my head spin. This is already the third book of hers that I read and I still want more. I was completely immersed in her characters and setting. A multi-layered book that is difficult to put down. For me, this is an automatic 5 star read.

There is just something magical about every book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and this one is no exception. Just by flipping through the pages, I felt like I was there, in the heat and dust of the jungle and longing for the cool waters of the cenote. The book reimagines H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau with a dramatic setting in nineteenth century Mexico, stubborn yet dynamic characters, and layered social commentary.
The narrative alternates between two main characters. Carlota Moreau lives a life of moderate luxury on a remote estate. Her father, a scientist, strives to create perfect human-animal hybrids, and Carlota helps care for them, even regarding them as family. Montgomery Laughton, an alcoholic who wishes to stay away from larger society, works for the doctor. His labor and the doctor’s research are paid for by the Lizalde family. Peaceful life on the estate is interrupted by the Lizalde son, and secrets are forced into the light.
As always, the strength of Moreno-Garcia’s writing can be seen in the air of mystery throughout the novel, brushed over with her unique lyricism. I enjoyed the way her writing style immersed me in the setting. Although the political and social climate of nineteenth century Mexico is a clear inspiration, it is not the main focus but instead adds subtle context to the story, particularly in the interactions between the residents of the estate and the Lizaldes. The characters too are exceptionally well written. Moreno-Garcia hits that perfect balance of plainly showcasing a character’s thoughts and emotions while demonstrating motivations and values through their actions and dialogue. Carlota’s desire to do the right thing, out of affection for the hybrids, her father, and Montgomery, is not hindered by her initial naivete, and she truly grows and develops a keen sense of intuition.
As for the horror in this book, I would not say it is traditional horror. It is more like a toned down version of what we see in Mexican Gothic. This book may not frighten the reader, but it may provoke slight feelings of repulsion, especially in the way that the doctor and the Lizaldes regard the hybrids. What I like about Moreno-Garcia’s books, despite not usually enjoying traditional horror, is that she directs the reader’s feelings toward specific characters rather than simply aiming to create an atmosphere of fear. It is a very skillful way of incorporating social commentary into the genre. As a result, I highly recommend The Daughter of Doctor Moreau to readers new to horror, or even those who want to branch out into more genres within speculative fiction.

Phenomenal. I struggle with an encapsulating review for this story, as it’s equal parts Dr Moreau with a fresh retelling and a whole new adventure of it’s own. What Moreno-Garcia does incredibly well is translate pain to the page. Her ability to capture raw, complicated emotion is always breathtaking and does not disappoint in this story. Scenic narratives, complex, yet strikingly understandable characters, and a great storyline make this one to definitely read!

✨“An interesting family we are,” Lupe muttered. Dr. Moreau’s twisted mistakes.”


Thank you to Netgalley for this e-ARC of one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year!

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a complex and layered re-imagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells and set in nineteenth century Mexico. Once again, Moreno-Garcia eats and leaves no crumbs.
This is a layered and complex tale highlighting issues of patriarchy, colonization, and racism. In the afterword, we are given some important context to better understand the world as it is in the moments that the novel takes place which I really appreciated!

Carlota was truly the star of this book and watching her growth and her coming to understand herself and her power was so satisfying.

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for it to drop in July so I can get a physical copy!


I will be posting a full review on my Instagram at https://instagram.com/terra_reads?utm_medium=copy_link

Moreno-Garcia really made the world of this story come alive. The Yucatán and Dr. Moreau's laboratory are vibrantly described, giving this novel a real sense of place. The characters had depth and were full of surprises, as well. I couldn't put it down.

First things first, Silvia Moreno-Garcia could write a phone book and I would read it and thank her for it. I honestly think she gets better with each book she writes, but because each of her books are so different from one another it's hard to really compare them! That's one of my favorite things about her writing.

I always worry going into a highly anticipated book that my expectations are going to be too high. It's easy to get excited about a new story and then be disappointed in the final execution of it. That being said, I shouldn't have worried about that with this book. Moreno-Garcia straddles the line between reality, the supernatural, and horror beautifully. Her two main characters (who alternate chapters) are well constructed, and their different life experiences contrast and complement each other beautifully.

I have never read Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, but you definitely don't need to in order to understand this book. The decision to set the story in Yucatán against the backdrop of a caste war (side note, I love the Author's Note at the end providing the historical context for this) definitely provided a rich opportunity for a nuanced inclusion of colonization into the narrative. The hybrids as natives/others while the Doctor (French), majordomo (British), and land owner (Spanish) profited from their subjugation (even unintentionally) made for a very compelling sub-plot.

I do think that the pacing of the book slowed down around the middle, it definitely took me longer to get through the second half than it did that first. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was noticeable. I also felt like Eduardo and Isidro were almost caricatures of colonial bad-guys in some places. I was intrigued when it seemed like Isidro was on the same page as Montgomery when it came to keeping Carlota and Eduardo apart, but disappointed that his character never really seemed to go anywhere beyond that. It just felt like the two of them were set up for more than what they ended up being. It didn't diminish my overall enjoyment of the book, but I do wish there had just been more there.

I'm sure the more I sit with the story, the more I will have to say about it. But for now, I'm very content having read it, and I'm very excited for it to be published so I can share it with everyone else!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's refusal to limit herself to a specific corner of genre fiction always makes for a delightfully surprising twist on the familiar. Here she reconfigures a classic sci-fi tale, reinvigorating it with a feminine perspective and an engaging historical and cultural perspective. Bouncing back and forth between Carlota Moreau and majordomo Montgomery, the novel bides its time immersing the reader in its textural, richly detailed world before exploding into a gripping page turner. Colonialism and oppression by way of a mad scientist and his hybrids makes for a genre-bending novel only Moreno-Garcia's prose could deliver.

While I tend to think of myself as a fantasy reader, I've come to really appreciate Ms. Moreno-Garcia's incredible flexibility in writing across so many genres. A re-telling (re-imagining may be a better word) for the sci-fi classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau, this novel follows his daughter in the wilds of Mexico. The writing is beautiful and lush and really teleports you to the setting. I also love her characters-- the female characters in particular are always so relatable to me. Carlota here is a young woman who comes out of her shell, going from a dutiful daughter to a strong woman who speaks up and questions what she has been told or raised upon.

I will continue to read all of Ms. Moreno-Garcia's books and support her pool of endless creativity.

An interesting take on the Doctor Moreau tale, as always Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a wonderful job with her descriptive and evocative language. She gives an interesting perspective on the story coming from the viewpoint of a PoC, placing Moreau through the lens of colonialism. Very cool!

This is the first book I've read by Silvia Moreno Garcia, but it won't be the last. There was a time in the middle where I couldn't see where it was going, but it came together nicely. Readers would benefit from some background on the history of race in the Yucatan region. I think all women will identify with Carlota in many ways.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a reimagined telling of The Island of Doctor Moreau but set in 1800s Mexico in the Yacatun peninsula. Carlota Moreau was raised in a seemingly idyllic jungle home, along with the animal-human hybrids created by her doctor father. Grumpy British majordomo Montgomery Laughton oversees the hacienda and is sometimes a friend and often a frustration to her. She loves her home, adores her father, and sees the hybrids as family. When the son of the Doctor’s patron comes for a visit, everything is turned upside down. Faced with the prospect of marrying and leaving her home, Carlota is torn and begins asking questions, finding that her father has been keeping more secrets than she could have ever imagined.

With the backdrop of war mixed with gorgeous descriptions of the land and her people, this story gives in turn love and heartbreak, promises given and promises broken, loyalty and betrayal, and at its heart a young woman who is desperate to find herself and keep her loved ones safe.

I loved Mexican Gothic by this author, and I loved this book even more. Five stars, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review.