Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Fiica doctorului Moreau

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Fiica doctorului Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

54 reviews

racl's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Mexican Gothic, mostly due to the will-they-won't-they relationship between a 35 year old man and the girl (now 20) that he's known since she was 14.
Knowing the resolution of that

They DO NOT get together, but there is a near sexual encounter

removes some of the uncomfortable tension for me and I imagine with more time removed, I'll like this book more.
The twist is what you expect it to be, but is still fairly impactful and the ending is satisfying.

Content Warnings

alixbx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense 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

3.0

You most likely will not like either of the characters from whom we hear this story: Carlota & Montgomery. Carlota is childish and selfish to a fault and it is very rarely endearing. Montgomery struggles with addiction and is jaded by his ex-wife for who he went into extreme debt to try an keep her married to him. Carlota instigates fights with everyone and Montgomery buys into any disagreement no matter what. Eduardo is a brat. Doctor Moreau is an absolute jerk beginning to end. The only redeemable characters are the hybrids, specifically Cachito and Lupe. Ramona is also a gift. By the end epilogue, Montgomery is somewhat likable because he has the most character development of anyone in the book, but the epilogue's end is really confusion. This next section is really important and contains some level of spoilers and will be marked as such, but if you have any sexual triggers, it'll be important for you to read it.

There are two sexual triggers in this book: age-gap attraction and undisclosed beastiality. The signs that Montgomery is attracted to Carlota are evident pretty early in the book, but it is unclear what their age-gap is until much later in the book. Since Montgomery has already been married and divorced, you can surmise there is a notable age gap, but about 2/3 of the way into the book we learn that it is a 15 year ago gap. The bulk of the book takes place when Carlota is 20 years old and Montgomery is 35. He meets her when she is 14 and still play dolls, and even discussing watching her grow up. It's really uncomfortable to read. Later in the book, there are sexual encounters between Carlota and Eduardo Lizalde. I was not keen minded enough to realize that Carlota herself is a hybrid, shame on me, but she has sex with Eduardo multiple times before it is revealed that she is part jaguar. Eduardo still wishes to have a sexual relationship with her for the remainder of his time in the book. So we learn after the fact that we have this unknowing beastiality and then it becomes a desired sexual encounter. I had to take a break from the book for several hours to really process if I was going to finish it because that's just not something I really want to read about, but I was able to overcome it only because I don't like Eduardo so I never wanted there to be a sexual relationship between Carlota and him, but also because I just don't care for Carlota's character either.

In thinking about all the trigger warnings, my love of Silvia's other book (Mexican Gothic), and the epilogue - I'm not regretful that I've read this book, but I am not as impressed with this story. It is rated lower on average by readers than Mexican Gothic, perhaps because some of the other content in the other book being even more controversial than this, but the plot of the other book is resolved much more neatly than this one. Do not expect a happy ending or a concrete vision of an ending, either. I think I honestly had more questions than answers by the end of it. The only thing I can say positively is that Carlota

doesn't end up in any romantic relationship

and it is so rarely seen for stories where there is a female lead character.

My best advice - really look at the trigger warnings.

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inirac's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Really enjoyed this. I'm glad it made an effort to ground the original story in the history of the area and gave agency to characters that I had been curious about.

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apgodsen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed the narrative created in this novel. I also appreciate the fact that relationships were not forced, and characters were allowed to grow individually. The character growth of Carlota was excellent, and Montgomery is really just a big old softie which I love.

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c100's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

Half of the book is more about atmosphere than plot. Be patient, because you will get a thrilling climax once you get over the hump and see how the author subverts Wells’ sci-fi classic in the best possible way.

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sfdogmom's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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bessadams's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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deedireads's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a smart, atmospheric, anticolonial / feminist reimagining of an H.G. Wells classic. It’s not the fastest paced, but it is very good.

For you if: You like gothic sci-fi novels that dip a toe into body horror.

FULL REVIEW:

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau has been sitting on my shelf since it came out, but its nomination for the 2023 Hugo Award bumped it to the top of my list. And I’m glad it did! This book is smart and well done, and I enjoyed it.

This book is a loose reimagining of a classic sci-fi novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. That book is about a shipwrecked man who bears witness to Moreau’s vivisection experiments, which attempt to turn animals into humans. This one places the story on the Yucatan Peninsula during the war between its indigenous people and colonizers, gives Moreau a daughter and makes her — and the caretaker, Montgomery — the focus, and replaces the shipwrecked visitor with the son of their wealthy patron. It takes the original’s themes around morality and man playing god, and adds colonization and misogyny into the mix.

I haven’t read The Island of Doctor Moreau, but I did read a summary before starting this, which was enough (and a choice I highly recommend). This book’s brilliance is in the way it clearly pays homage to the original while also reclaiming it to say something wholly new and also critique that work itself. Without a glimpse into that conversation, I don’t think this book would be as engaging or impactful.

Regardless though, it’s not the fastest paced, but it’s extremely atmospheric and leans into the gothic, light body horror vibes. Perfect for readers who don’t shy away from the grotesque but also don’t love full-on horror. The audiobook was also a fantastic accompaniment!

I’d be happy to see this book take the Hugo!

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spicycronereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-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

4.5

This novel is loosely based on HG Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau. Like much of Moreno-Garcia’s work, the novel takes it’s time establishing characters, world building, and bringing the reader into the political context of the setting. And much like other work of hers that I have read, once the conflict of the plot is established, I didn’t want to put it down. There are romance, action, and science fiction elements that blend seamlessly into the backdrop of conflict between indigenous Maya people and European-descended landowners in Yucatán, Mexico.

The novel is a split POV between Carlota, the daughter of Doctor Moreau, and Montgomery, the mayordomo of Moreau’s scientific hacienda. Though we also hear Montgomery’s perspective, the novel is indisputably Carlota’s tale. Her narrative arc, including the challenges in her relationship with Lupe, drive home the horror of Moreau’s experiments. The references to eugenics add nuance to the novel’s backdrop against the Caste War of Yucatán.

I was waiting and waiting and silently cheered at the moment that she owns her power and uses it to save those she loves and to avoid the life in which Eduardo would trap her. Then when she manipulates the class-anxiety of her uncle to get her hopeful ending… *chef’s kiss*

Montgomery’s perspective serves most usefully to ratchet up the dramatic irony as his (sometimes drunken) observations of Carlota clue the reader in that there may be more to her story than anyone realizes.

Montgomery’s backstory gives the reader a sense of the possible tragic alternatives that Carlota faces. His trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms drive home that colonialism and patriarchy are toxic for everyone.

The secondary characters of Lupe, Cachito, and Ramona add dimension to the novel, suggesting a model of chosen or found family that can be more caring and supportive than biological family.

If you are looking for a traditional romance plot and a neatly tied up HEA, this isn’t it. But if you want an atmospheric novel with action and romance, a FMC you can root for, and an ending in which the marginalized can thrive against imperialist forces, then I highly recommend this one.

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