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mlovesbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gun violence, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
inirac's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
lady_valhella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
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
vixenreader's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug use, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Murder, Dysphoria, and War
Please remember to be aware of animal-human hybrids, death of a spouse, grief over a lost relationship, financial struggles, dehumanizations of slaves, attempted rape, animal violence, first sex experiences, narcissism, surrogacy, and experimentation on animals.deedireads's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Gun violence and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content
cloud_of_eden's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide
annemaries_shelves'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
4.25
Absolutely read this book in the summer!
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's skills with atmosphere and setting descriptions meant I felt the heat and sounds of the jungle, experiences all the more enhanced by the heat wave we're currently experiencing.
I haven't read The Island of Doctor Moreau (only familiar with the premise) so can't comment on the re-telling aspects, but I thought SGM did a good job of creating a new story wholly her own. As mentioned, the atmosphere and setting were fantastic, and I appreciated the characters. None of the characters are even close to perfect - in fact, Carlota and Montegomery in particular are frustrating in their flaws, but damn did I enjoy reading the dialogue, inner monologues, and character interactions. I think some readers will be frustrated with Carlota but I thought her quite realistic considering her upbringing and she really grew over the course of the novel. I would have liked more exploration of her feelings during/after the reveal, since the novel wraps up pretty quickly afterwards.
SGM had a lot to say thematically about colonialism, disability (coded with the hybrids), family relationships, religion, and power dynamics (to list a few). Doctor Moreau is one of those people so blinded by his own intelligence and goals, that he sees the ends justifying the means, and views everyone under his care/responsibility as lesser. The slow breakdown of his relationships and interactions with his daughter and the hybrids as more information is revealed highlights the power of knowledge (and religion) is maintaining control.
I would have loved to see more on-page scenes with the Mayan rebels, but will have to content myself with what's given to us. The afterword on historical context was appreciated. I always learn something new from her novels.
As with her other novels, the pacing is uneven - though I can never decide if it's intentional (I'm leaning that way). The first half is almost always slower than the second half, where the action takes off (and this novel fits that model).
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It's a fun and relatively fast read, with some good themes and a solid though somewhat open to the future possibilities ending.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Colonisation
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment