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racl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Knowing the resolution of that
The twist is what you expect it to be, but is still fairly impactful and the ending is satisfying.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Slavery
cpardub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
maebemerissa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I LOVE Mexican Gothic by Moreno-Garcia, so when I read the premise of this book I was excited to read something in the same vein. This was not it for me, because the book felt pretty predictable. Dr. Moreau is a wanna be cult leader (an unsuccessful one), and he justifies his actions by saying he's trying to help cure diseases. He is clearly just trying to play God (think Victor Frankenstein if he didn't learn his lesson the first time around). Moreau tries really hard to keep his daughter in line (Carlota), and she stays blindly loyal to him to a very frustrating degree. All the characters seemed really flat to me, and there was a huge lack of character development. There is a bit of a love triangle, but the "love interest," is clearly a fuckboy, and the other love interest is...flawed. I was not feeling the romance. Definitely my least favorite book from this author, but not every book is going to be a win. 🧬👨🔬🧌
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Cancer and Infertility
meat_muffin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Pregnancy
aardwyrm's review against another edition
- 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
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
mandkips's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual violence and Suicidal thoughts
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and War
jupitermond's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and War
kari_f's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
“Hers was the water and the black soil and the trees and those birds in flight not because she owned them but because they had each other."
This was an interesting reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau that incorporates historical events and cultural ideologies from late 1800s Mexico.
💕Aspects I enjoyed: 💕
🐆 Much of the original premise is the same, where the doctor works on creating hybrid human + animal creatures. I love that we see some of them as primary characters! This allows us to examine what humanity really means, comparing the humanity of the hybrids against that of the humans.
🐕 There is a unique take on found family, and this is built upon throughout the novel.
🐐 There are multiple themes explored, including colonialism, gender stereotypes, racial inequality, and ethics in scientific experimentation.
🐆 The book steered away from some of the tropes I expected it to embrace, which was extremely refreshing!
🐕 The character depth and growth for the protagonist was wonderful to see as she grew in her own sense of justice and self-worth.
✨Some things I wished: ✨
🐐 I thought the book needed a bit more sci-fi material. For a story marketed as historical science fiction, I felt that it didn’t include much of the science. We come into the novel with the hybrids already in existence, and we don’t really learn much about the doctor’s theories or procedures.
🐆 While we get some depth and growth from a few of the side characters, I wish we’d gotten more of their perspectives and growth. I especially wish we’d had more from the housekeeper who watched over the household and a few of the hybrids.
Overall I enjoyed the book! I’m glad I read it, but there was a bit of spark missing for me, so I don’t know that I’d read it again. I’ll definitely be checking out other books by the author, though, as I thought her ideas were unique and her writing was engaging!
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts