Latinx heritage month may have already passed, but any time is as great an opportunity to support latinx authors, so I’d like to recommend a book I recently read and loved, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-García. It is a retelling of the sci-fi classic, The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells, that takes place in 19th century Mexico, in a secluded hacienda called Yaxaktun. With dual, contrasting POVs, we follow Carlota Moreau, the only daughter of Doctor Moreau, who is possibly a genius, most definitely a madman, and Montgomery Laughton, the hacienda’s mayordomo and Doctor Moreau’s assistant, who is a brooding British outcast with a dark past and a penchant for alcohol, as they navigate life in Yaxaktun.

Not only is it a fantastic take on a well-known classic, with a gothic, atmospheric approach that’s become characteristic of Moreno-García’s works, it is also a brilliant, well-researched exploration of colonialism, racism, class and resistance during the Caste War, of the vilification of marginalized groups, relations of power, subjugation and exploitation. It also navigates themes of ethics and religion, given the nature of the story it draws inspiration from, where a scientist plays at being god by creating human-animal hybrids, giving us an insight into the dangers of science gone too far.

Silvia Moreno-García manages to weave science-fiction and history to create an exquisite exposé of humanity, in all of its facets and with all of its nuances, while also presenting us with a tender coming-of-age story of a brown woman who grew up secluded from the hardships and strife of the Yucatán peninsula, who is just now beginning to question the reality her father has so carefully built around her, and gain autonomy as she sets out to try to find her place in a society that is not only so adamantly set against people of color, but also set against women.

This fantastic blend of science-fiction and history, combined with Moreno-García’s ability to write incredibly atmospheric, captivating stories, full of intrigue and with a well fleshed out cast of characters, make the read incredibly worthwhile.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is without a doubt a talented writer. She can write in any genre and is able to give the setting, atmosphere a role in the story as well. This is no different in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Unfortunately, I struggled with this story from the beginning and had a hard time finishing. I might have enjoyed this one on audio more.

Rated 3.5 stars.

This had a slow start, like very slow. Once I got to a major plot twist in the latter half of the book, things went fast and became very interesting. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is always very engaging and lyrical. The setting sounded absolutely gorgeous and I seriously wish I had been there exploring. The historical aspects of it are always my favorite thing about Silvia's books. The overall plot just didn't capture me as strongly as her other books usually do. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of H.G. Wells's original story. and is interested in reading a story set during the time of the Caste War of Yucatán.

An excellent, well-written novel which takes the classic Island of Dr. Moreau and expands on that world, giving voice to his "daughter," his hybrids, and Montgomery. Garcia positions the novel in the Yucatán peninsula and brings in politics of the era. This aspect was only okay for me, but overall I really liked the book. I have never read the H.G. Wells novel and now I want to.

This is my second book by this author and will not be the last. Her writing is wonderful, characters are interesting, and the atmosphere created is the kind you don't want to stop reading.

I've loved everything Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written and this one did not disappoint. Excellent character development, great pacing, and just the right amount of action to keep me turning the page late into the night! If you've read H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, this is a dark, gothic retelling with a feminist vibe. I normally don't read anything sci-fi, but there's something about Moreno-Garcia's writing style that just draws me in. Excellent character development. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, I wanted a different outcome for 2 of the characters, but overall this was a great book that challenged my comfort zone.

I never read the classic story but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It is rich in historical detail and atmospheric.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read her first book and I loved it. But unfortunately for the second book I had a hard time keeping up with the storyline. It's very heavy-handed on the traditions and cultures which is amazing to read but it overshadows the mystery of the book.

I am a huge fan of this author after reading Mexican Gothic, Certain Dark Things, and Velvet Was The Night. The characters in Daughter of Doctor Moreau were well developed and I easily grew attached to them. The story line moved well, and I was happily unable to predict the ending. I found myself unable to pick up another book for a couple days after finishing this book because I didn't want to move on.

I adore Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She has a beautiful writing style that weaves traditional values, culture, mythology, folklore, and story together in a seamless way.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau had an intriguing premise as a retelling of the original tale of science and madness. However, I felt that this story was too slow. I had a hard time staying invested as the climax built. Perhaps I was comparing it to too many of her previous titles, which I loved.

Although the pace is slow, there is a lot I still liked in this book, but it would not be my first to recommend to someone wanting to try this author for the first time.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book started of slow when first reading it. This is a retelling of H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau which takes place on the Yucatan peninsula during the war with the Mayan people and the Mexican wealthy tyrants. This is a feminist view of the original story.

Carolata Moreau lives an isolated existence on the Yucatan peninsula with a few employees, her father and hybrid creatures her father created in the lab. It has a creepy vibe at first with the hybrid creatures. But as the story goes along you get a better understanding of the creatures they are a mixture of human and animal. Things begin to change when her father's patron who pays for all the research on the island is cutting the amounts given. He wants workers and Dr. Moreau wants to do more. Two men show up on the island one of them is the Son of the patron. He immediately has eyes for Carolata and Dr. Moreau sees dollar signs for his daughter and the son of the patron.

This part of the story was really good and I was surprised by the way it ended. I don't know the end was ok but something about it did not sit right with me. I like Carolata but thought her to be naive at times.

I was pulled in for most of the story but it still fell short for me. I know a lot of people will love this because it is a retelling of a classic story. It just felt middle of the road for me hence the 3 stars. It is still well worth reading it has its entertaining value. I recommend this if you like retellings and feminist view in a story. I don't want to scare people away from reading it like I said most of the story pulled me in I was onboard but in some areas it just didn't come together as I felt it should have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine books for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was really slow. I have liked previous books by Moreno-Garcia, but this one just didn't do it for me. There were moments where I started to get sucked in, but then it would go on in too much detail about something unrelated to the plot line and my mind would wander.

I didn't particularly like or feel a connection to any of the characters. I thought the relationship between Carlota and Montgomery was a little weird. The only real connection I felt was between Carlota and Dr. Moreau.

The entire time I was reading the book I kept feeling like it was supposed to be an allegory for another story, but I don't know what exactly. Maybe there was a deeper, hidden message I missed which may have helped me appreciate the story better, but as was I was just ready to be done reading it.

It's an original feminist retelling of the old and much-adapted Doctor Moreau story, and it features Moreno-Garcia's signature dreamy and disturbing vibe. I've never read the H.G. Wells original or seen any of the adaptations, nor read any of Morena-Garcia's work before. I had high expectations based on the praise I've seen for the author's previous work, but it didn't end up being for me. I'm not a horror fan, and despite not being particularly horrific, it just didn't quite work for me, partly because the genre-mixing was so intense, and partly because I really didn't understand the themes of the original enough to catch what Morena-Garcia was trying to say with this re-interpretation. I think people with more familiarity with the original story and/or the author's previous work woudl probably have a better time than me.

I love this author and I couldn't wait to read this book- it lived up to the expectations! As with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books, this one had an interesting science fiction element, a strong female lead, a fun plot twist, and a vivid setting.

This was an interesting take on The Island of Dr. Moreau that read much more like a YA novel full of angst and longing than what I was hoping for.

I enjoyed reading this historical story. This is my second book by this author that I have read. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one if not more. This is a well written story that took me on a journey of secrets and a start of a chain reaction that is dangerous. I enjoyed how the characters were creative and unique and made the story for me. I enjoyed how they pulled me into the story from the start. The author used details that gave the story a realistic feel. I had no problem picturing myself in the story. There is great growth of the plot which made the story easy and entertaining to read. This is a fast paced story that is not only engaging but hard to put down. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I dropped this at 20% and could not get into it.

I love Moreno-Garcia's other books but really couldn't get into this one. I don't really like stories that kind of flounder around without a specific end goal or plot in mind so this wouldn't have worked for me anyway. It's definitely got a more classical writing feel to it which was fine, but it felt like it didn't have a ton of substance under the words. I might try picking up this book again later.

very atmospheric, and the characters are very interesting. I love gothic books so I was very excited to read this. I naturally already love Silvia's writing, but I was hoping for more in this retelling. I am fine with a slow build but it felt like it was very going to get there. In the end it was beatiful, but there wasn't enough substance in plot for me.

3.5 stars

Carlota Moreau is the daughter of the infamous Doctor Moreau, who resides on a secluded island estate located deep within the Yucatán peninsula. Scientific experiments, the hybrids, and even the complicated Montgomery Laughton are all merely part of life in the peaceful Yaxaktun residence. But this is not the story of Doctor Moreau, this is about Carlota and how her tranquil, static world gets disrupted by the arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the reckless son of her father's patron who is quick to flatter and sets them all down a path that changes Yaxaktun and Carlotta forever.

I do want to preface this review by saying I came into this book knowing nothing about The Island of Doctor Moreau save he was a "villain", but I found myself quickly engaged with the gripping reimagining that Moreno-Garcia created. That being said, part three is where the plot went arigh for me, certain decisions made by characters, specifically Carlota, felt unfleshed out and inconsistent. The climax felt rushed and the resolution perhaps too neatly tied for me, but I did find the book to be one I'm glad to have read.

Science fiction meets historical fiction in this stunner of a novel. Moreno-Garcia's storytelling is like no other, and her most recent work is no exception.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a historical fiction retelling of the classic sci-do novel set in Mexico. The two narrators of the story is Carlotta and Montgomery. I found the writing to be very lush and lyrical. However, I could not really get invested in the characters. They did not seem to have enough character development. The romance was thin and very creepy. I found the story to be very slow-moving. Still, it had a very interesting twist at the end. Overall, this was a very faithful and fascinating take on the classic novel. This story will appeal up fans of horror as well as historical fiction. I recommend this for fans of The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, The Death of Jane Lawrence, and The Diabolical Miss Hyde!