Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Fiica doctorului Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

25 reviews

elykeepthefaith's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book started off very slow but once I got into it, I could not put it down. The book is dual POV, switching between Dr. Moreau’s daughter Carlotta and the mayordomo of the hacienda Montgomery. The story is loosely based on the HG Wells book, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Moreno-Garcia weaves in a cultural element as the story takes place in the Yucatán. She is a master of this, taking time to add historical details and language. Moreno-Garcia builds this beautiful and mysterious world in which the story unravels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, and Violence

rhi_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jgalla's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

alicelalicon's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

javafenn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I would have finished this book much, much, much sooner if I hadn’t been dealing with health issues and small children. I have never read The Island of Doctor Moreau but I love that Silvia Moreno-Garcia took one genre and story then created a whole new story with a beautiful blend of genres. She’s excellent at creating these unique stories with a familiar feel to them. The book tells the story of a young girl who helps her father with his scientific studies without knowing all that he is truly doing as well as that of a young man who comes into the doctor and his daughter’s life when she was but a girl. Each does as the doctor’s tells them until one day it all comes to a very catastrophic head. All set in Mexico, Carlotta, Montgomery, and the hybrids must figure not only who they are but also what.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

professor_jango's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, and Classism

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really, really liked this book! It’s a new take on an old story, and the good part is the detailed characterization of the hybrid creatures that offers a fuller picture than I’d expected. While the story isn’t directly told from their perspective, their inclusion adds depth. 

The two main characters - Dr Moreau’s daughter Carlotta and his mayordomo Montgomery - are a good foil for one another; they’re each initially suspicious of one another but that evolves into frequent but mostly friendly squabbling. Carlotta is a devoted and obedient daughter, oblivious to her father’s hidden motives, thus his betrayal is crushing. Lupe and Cachito, the two hybrids, are true friends of Carlotta, and the relationship between the three is a strong part of the book. 

The introduction of outsiders is the catalyst for disastrous revelations and an end to the peaceful life as they’ve known it. How Carlotta, Montgomery, and her friends deal with the incursion informs the last third of the book. Moreno-Garcia is a fabulous storyteller - I will read anything by her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, and Classism

softanimal's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

4.0

I love the way Moreno describes physical spaces, bodily sensations, movement and action, clothing, and scenery. I really enjoyed the two perspective characters and the structure of the storytelling as it alternated between their perspectives. The plot itself dragged a little for me until the last fifty pages unfortunately. But overall this was a wonderful reimagining with carefully researched historical elements and relatable characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

aardwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

There's a good novella in this book if you chopped out a lot of nothing. The premise is intriguing, the prose is good, and Carlota isn't a bad viewpoint character. But 2/3 of the pages are taken up by tedious romantic drama that goes nowhere and could have been set up in a chapter. Montgomery also sucks a lot of life out of the story. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has many strengths, but writing a compelling protagonist man is not one of them. The human-animal hybrids who should be the stars of the story are barely there, but in them there's the bones of something great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism