Name: Victoria Justice's review of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Item: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Rating: 3
Author: Victoria Justice

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022--She Reads Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a man who is either a genius or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor's labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau's patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

Victoria Justice

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor's labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau's patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

Zoe R

How on earth was this nominated for a Hugo? It was really, ridiculously boring. The twist as to the daughter was so telegraphed that I was sure it was a misdirect—but no it is just really obvious. I slogged through to the end because a reviewer said the end was good; no, it’s not worth it. Do not read. 

Chris Wilcox

Karr

Historical Latino fiction with scifi, so cool!!!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

*A classic tale reimagined in a moody, atmospheric, and diverse way*

Since discovering Silvia Moreno-Garcia work, I have read several of her books. And while I don’t always love them, I always find them incredibly creative and lushly written. Moreno-Garcia is expert at taking tropes and themes and setting them against real parts of Mexican history as well as describing things vividly.

 set in nineteenth century Mexico. On the Yucatán peninsula (which the author’s note pointed out was thought to be an island at one point), Dr. Moreau carries out his madman experiments on animals while his daughter Carlota lives a pampered – but isolated – life in an idyllic setting with her only companions being her father’s humanoid animal experiments and his drunken estate manager, Montgomery. But when the son of Dr. Moreau’s patron shows up demanding results as well becoming obsessed with Carlota, the delicate bubble of her idyllic world quickly pops leading to more danger than she could have imagined.

 explored themes of humanity. But it also added in themes of colonialism, slavery, and feminism.

The love story subplot did not hold my interest at all. Though I found the characters compelling, I didn’t particularly 

 any of them. And I can’t say I was rooting for the romance. Moreno-Garcia’s writing often has an undertone of fatality that I find a little depressing. Realistic, sure, but it is one of the things that keeps me from enjoying some of her books more. Some of them are too much of a downer even when the core story is compelling.

 but mostly positive ones. If you like creative, diverse retellings of classics and don’t mind stories that are a little melodramatic and gloomy, then give 

Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars

Colleen

3.5 Stars

*A classic tale reimagined in a moody, atmospheric, and diverse way*


Since discovering Silvia Moreno-Garcia work, I have read several of her books. And while I don’t always love them, I always find them incredibly creative and lushly written. Moreno-Garcia is expert at taking tropes and themes and setting them against real parts of Mexican history as well as describing things vividly.


At nights, one could stand in the courtyard and look up at a rectangle of night sky and survey the stars, but in the daytime the sun bathed the ivy growing on the walls and made the decorative tiles of the fountain glisten. Light, air, and water mixed together to produce a realm of enchantment.


The Daughter of Doctor Moreau reimagines the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau set in nineteenth century Mexico. On the Yucatán peninsula (which the author’s note pointed out was thought to be an island at one point), Dr. Moreau carries out his madman experiments on animals while his daughter Carlota lives a pampered – but isolated – life in an idyllic setting with her only companions being her father’s humanoid animal experiments and his drunken estate manager, Montgomery. But when the son of Dr. Moreau’s patron shows up demanding results as well becoming obsessed with Carlota, the delicate bubble of her idyllic world quickly pops leading to more danger than she could have imagined.

Like its parent text, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau explored themes of humanity. But it also added in themes of colonialism, slavery, and feminism.


That strange dividing line inside her body, the crack that seemed to nestle at the center of her being, now felt deep and solid. A fault line, filled with dread and anger. It scared her, this capacity for strength, for violence. It also awed her.


The love story subplot did not hold my interest at all. Though I found the characters compelling, I didn’t particularly like any of them. And I can’t say I was rooting for the romance. Moreno-Garcia’s writing often has an undertone of fatality that I find a little depressing. Realistic, sure, but it is one of the things that keeps me from enjoying some of her books more. Some of them are too much of a downer even when the core story is compelling.


She wished to be unafraid and for the world to be good. Neither thing seemed possible.


I have mixed feelings about The Daughter of Doctor Moreau but mostly positive ones. If you like creative, diverse retellings of classics and don’t mind stories that are a little melodramatic and gloomy, then give The Daughter of Doctor Moreau a try.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Florence

I thought this was a great retelling (of sorts) of the Island of Dr. Moreau. However, I kind of wish this book had to end in a way that 'picked up' with the original story. It would've been far more depressing, sure, but I would've liked that a tad better.

Kiersten

The first half of the book was a bit frustrating in a good and bad way. Good because I was enthralled by the environment and scenery of the story. Gosh, I wanted to be in there and see everything for myself. Bad because I think a couple things in the story dragged a bit. I wanted a bit more character growth for Carlota. I was rooting for her to let loose and wreck some havoc on her oppressor's but I can also understand her restraint. Years of being shoved a lifestyle down your throat doesn't just immediately go away. Deconstruction doesn't happen all at once most times. Maybe I'm frustrated at her because I see myself in her, struggling to keep peace but fighting to break free. 

The writing by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is absolutely breathtaking per usual! 

Gisela Ayala 

The first half of the book was a bit frustrating in a good and bad way. Good because I was enthralled by the environment and scenery of the story. Gosh, I wanted to be in there and see everything for myself. Bad because I think a couple things in the story dragged a bit. I wanted a bit more character growth for Carlota. I was rooting for her to let loose and wreck some havoc on her oppressor's but I can also understand her restraint. Years of being shoved a lifestyle down your throat doesn't just immediately go away. Deconstruction doesn't happen all at once most times. Maybe I'm frustrated at her because I see myself in her, struggling to keep peace but fighting to break free. 

The writing by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is absolutely breathtaking per usual! 

I was really looking forward to reading this one, so I was pretty disappointed overall.  I found it incredibly long winded and found it really hard to stay focused/interested in the plot. It really only got good within the last ~100 pages, however the last bit was intriguing and led to a fantastic, bittersweet ending. 

Alyssa deRaad

Boothby

Weirdly enough, this is more successful as a drama of manners than as science fiction. For a large portion, the hybrids languish as set dressing for a courtship plot, which disappointed me. Granted, this courtship plot featuring rich boy with the bad vibes was tense, beautifully written and well paced. I think I might need to read The Beautiful Ones for more of that... 

I just wish the friendships and characters of the hybrids could have benefited from the same attention. Lupe for example. The sour voice of reason whom I couldn't get enough of. She'll sidle up to Carlota with the most cutting, brutally true statement about how stupid everyone is being, then slink into the background again. Come back!!!! We need you!

But if you're deciding between this and Mexican Gothic, choose Mexican Gothic. Everything that is enjoyable here is stunning and in full, creepy color there--just a stronger example of what SMG is capable of in the Gothic space. Moreau is good though! Definitely come back to it

Slow paced, annoying, dull and disappointing. 

Roxanne Ramirez

Promising idea, talented author, but hastily and poorly written novel that feels unfinished. Characters were underdeveloped and dialogue was awkward and stilted at times. Halfway through a pretty obvious twist is revealed that you can see coming a mile away. There just isn't the same polish of the prose that you'll find in Mexican Gothic. I was disappointed because I absolutely loved MG and had expected the same level of quality. 3 stars because it really could've been a killer book, but needed more thoughtful revision.

Katelyn Caillouet

I was excited to read another book from Silvia Moreno-Garcia after the Mexican Gothic. I was a little sceptic because of the theme borrowed from H.G. Wells (I like The Island of Doctor Moreau very much), but I was honestly pleasantly surprised. The book was lively, dramatic and deep. And had nice energy till the end.

Ilona Labská 

Ryan LaFerney

Silvia Moreno-Garica’s The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a rift on H.G. Well’s famous science fiction novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau. In the original, Doctor Moreau works on a remote island, where he uses the practice of vivisection to surgically transform animals into humans. In Moreno-Garica’s version, the story is set in the Yucatan, against a backdrop of a Mayan uprising against the colonial landowners.

The main characters are Carlota, the doctor’s daughter, and Doctor Moreau himself, who happens to be a scientific religious fanatic. Carlota is devoted to her father, who everyday injects her with medicine to help her thrive. They’re not the only ones on the ranch, however—it’s populated by Dr. Moreau’s “hybrids,” part human and part animal, the results of the doctor’s bizarre experiments. Looming over everything is Hernando Lizalde, Dr. Moreau’s patron, who bankrolls the doctor’s laboratory in hopes that he’ll eventually create hybrids that are fit to work on his haciendas, but he seldom visits the ranch. On one of those visits, he brings along Montgomery, a self-loathing, hard-drinking English hunter whom Dr. Moreau hopes to hire as a mayordomo, an overseer of the property and its hybrids. Montgomery takes the job, and six years later things begin to fall apart: Hernando loses patience with the doctor’s slow pace, and his son, Eduardo, visits the ranch and falls for Carlota; the results of their relationship threaten to destroy everything Dr. Moreau has worked for. Meanwhile, Carlota begins to question her adored father’s experiments; the doctor acknowledges the creatures suffer greatly but insists that “pain must be endured, for without it there’d be no sweetness. In the end, secrets are revealed, and Carlota and Montgomery are forced into a battle for survival. And while the revelations aren’t particularly shocking, the book ends in a bloody fashion. 

I did not find myself particularly absorbed or invested in this story the way I was with some of her other novels and I think that has to do with the pacing. I felt like the pacing rather slowed down once the Izaldes arrived. But, I do believe this is a very well-written and thought provoking book. It’s just not my favorite book I’ve read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia (that would be either Mexican Gothic or Certain Dark Things). However, I really respect Moreno-Garcia for writing this novel as I believe it is an important work of fiction that takes a questionable tale and makes it a contemporary one. This book addresses issues of colonialism, ableism, and misogyny - issues that the original story exacerbated. It also deals with how religion can be used to control others. I also respect Moreno-Garica for her ability to dabble in different genres - horror, fantasy, science fiction, noir. I like her work when it leans more into horror personally, and this novel does have horror elements. Yet, I would say this is mainly a work of gothic romance (a remote estate! A love triangle!) mixed with science fiction and some horror. 

This book will find readers who adore it. And it does deserve praise. It sadly pales in comparison to some of her other novels but that doesn’t make it bad. It is well worth a read even if it is a little uneven.

 I look forward to reading what Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes next.

Alice Hyman

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.

This is the first book I have read by the author. The prose is lovely and she explores her themes. The atmosphere was strong and the descriptions lush. It really says a lot more about Mexico and this time in history. The science aspects are there and add some plot and to her themes, but this is not a fast paced sci-fi centered adventure. There are a lot of characters and we get two points of view. There are a lot of social and relational dynamics going on. Perhaps it feels unneven or not as focused sometimes. The characters are not intensely developed with a lot of dimension. But I did get attached to a couple of them and enjoyed the sibling relationship between Carlota and Lupe. There is good coming of age growth that happens with Carlota. As a character, she comes into her own. The romantic subplot, possibly a romantic triangle, felt a little odd to me. But also feelings are messy and don't always make sense. So, not unbelieveable. It just was there and a bit blah to me. Look forward to reading more from her and seeing what she does with all the genres she explores. That is exciting to me.

Cheryl Hedlund

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loosely based off H.G. Wells "The Island of Doctor Moreau".

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau tells the story of Carlota, who lives with her father, Dr Moreau, and his host of "hybrids".

The pacing of this book just felt off throughout. It started out so slow, but just as it started to pick up, it raced through to an ending.

There wasn't much to the story, except from Carlota discovering herself and the hideousness of her father and his disregard for the condition his "hybrids" found themselves in. There was a touch of a romance, but this just felt so forced and wrong that I was relieved when it was over.

The characters were the highlight of the book in my opinion, especially little Lupe and Cachito.

I would definitely recommend this one for fans of H.G. Wells with a feminist streak.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loosely based off H.G. Wells "The Island of Doctor Moreau".

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau tells the story of Carlota, who lives with her father, Dr Moreau, and his host of "hybrids".

The pacing of this book just felt off throughout. It started out so slow, but just as it started to pick up, it raced through to an ending.

There wasn't much to the story, except from Carlota discovering herself and the hideousness of her father and his disregard for the condition his "hybrids" found themselves in. There was a touch of a romance, but this just felt so forced and wrong that I was relieved when it was over.

The characters were the highlight of the book in my opinion, especially little Lupe and Cachito.

I would definitely recommend this one for fans of H.G. Wells with a feminist streak.

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.

Victoria Justice &
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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