Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a weird one. I will preface with saying I've never read the original Dr. Moreau so I was intrigued by the weirdness of animal-people. This wasn't my favorite of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, however, it's still worth a read. Although I was surprised at every reveal, I was left feeling like they were very predictable looking back on all the foreshadowing.

Excellent retelling of Dr. Moreau. I loved the gothic horror/romance. The author does a wonderful job balancing the atmosphere and suspense.

This was pretty good, it definitely has that gothic feel that I love. It started a little slow for me, but by the time I got midway through I couldn't put it down. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect going in....I have not read the original that this is based on, nor have I seen the movie (I heard there's a movie). So, reading this as it unfolded was all new. I liked that Carlota grew and changed as the book progressed. By the end she was no longer a shy, naive and meek young lady. The twists were unexpected. All in all, a good read.

As a side note, I went back and forth between reading and listening. The audio was well done, but I preferred reading this time.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The book was well written and the plot was interesting. I found myself zoning out. Maybe I'll come back to this one. I think I just read it at the wrong time.

I've never read The Island of Doctor Moreau, but I feel like this was a really interesting interpretation. On audio, I loved the various accents she used (both French and regional) to distinguish between the various characters. We get to interact with Moreau's hybrids and grow attached, all while the world tries to tear them away from us. I particularly enjoyed Laughton's perspective as a newcomer to all of this. This features Silvia Moreno-Garcia's classic worldbuilding magic, with everything feeling luxurious. But as usual, there's a darker side... and it's executed gorgeously.

*Thank you to PRH Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

I will definitely be recommending this one! This author is becoming one of my favorites and I will continue to read their work.

enjoyed this a lot. silvia moreno-garcia is a queen. enough said.

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

Disappointed to say that I had a hard time getting into this one. I think it’s more of a me problem. But I normally love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books.

I am a big fan of the Island of Dr. Moreau. This was an interesting take on the original and there was enough for fans of Wells original tale but it is not required to be familiar with that to read this fantastic novel.

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of an infamous researcher with a secret even she’s unaware of, living in Yaxaktun. Montgomery Laughton is a high-functioning depressed alcoholic who grows fond of the remote island and its inhabitants. The hybrids, Lupe and Cachito, are the fruits of the doctor's labor and Carlota's only family.

They live a (mostly) blissful and unbothered life in the "beautiful dream" that is Yaxaktun until their world is upended by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the son of Dr. Moreau's patron, Fernando Lizalde. This retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau is a dark, historical sci-fi with some slow burn romance and veiled horror. It took a while for me to get into this, but it’s hard not to be invested in Carlota. We meet her as a young, naive teenager who loves her home and trusts her father completely. When’s she’s twenty and meets Eduardo, she believes she can have love and marriage while staying on her beloved Yaxaktun, but Eduardo has other plans. When things begin to fall apart, Carlota is forced to question everything she thought she knew. Lush, atmospheric and dark, this book makes you think about what really makes a monster.

This was such an unexpected gem for me!! I don't love historical fiction and I didn't like Mexican Gothic at all. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far and hopefully Moreno-Garcia comes out with more titles similar to this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? I was left in shock and loved the mystery and story telling. A brilliant follow up to Mexican Gothic, I was on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to read more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is certainly the queen of the retelling, and while I didn't enjoy this one QUITE as much as I did Mexican Gothic, I still found enjoyment in this story and can absolutely see how others who aren't me would enjoy this even more. I think my first mistake was in comparing it to her other work instead of letting the text speak for itself. That being said, this retelling of the H.G. Wells classic has a cast of characters I won't soon forget with an enjoyable romance at the center. The pacing may seem a bit slow at first but things speed up towards the end and the antagonist adds just the right amount of tension to spice things up as well. All together it was incredibly okay.

I was really looking forward to this one which is why I'm especially disappointed that it just did not work for me. It was too slow to start with, and it didn't really pick up for me until very close to the end, which means I spent a majority of the book uninvested. I love other books from the author, and DID enjoy the writing here and the atmosphere - albeit slow, it had that sort of southern gothic vibe that makes me think of blood & fun in the sun. The characters didn't particularly engage me, but the writing did!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t my normal type of read but I enjoyed it. I thought the story moved along well. I enjoyed the characters. It was an interesting take on the story of Doctor Moreau. The writer really made you picture the characters and locations.

I love this author and also the story of Dr. Moreau. This is a lush, imaginative and interesting retelling. Almost makes me want to go back and read the original to compare the two more closely.

While this starts off a little slow, it quickly turns into a fast read. At least it did for me. I love the way this author writes and weaves a story so it's no surprise I enjoyed this one.

I enjoy science fiction so this was a perfect read for me. Those who enjoy historical fiction with Sci-Fi mixed in will enjoy this one too.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Moreno-Garcia is a master at atmospheric, eerie tales. Her prose lingers on the line of reality and paranormal… think Frankenstein. You don’t know when and if she’s going to cross that line. This gothic book is a spooky and enjoyable take on an old classic.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get past the first few chapters. I believe this is just an issue of my taste not aligning with the story. I recommend others try it!

Though beautifully written I spent the whole time drawing comparisons to another book with a very, very similar premise, The Madman's Daughter, and unfortunately this didn't do enough that was notably different enough for me to feel like I was getting something new.

I loved Mexican Gothic so I jumped on the chance to read this arc! The author’s engrossing writing style is still prevalent in this book, and it was hard to put down. I found the story a little predictable, but overall it was a good read and I’d recommend checking it out if you like her other work.