Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

21 reviews

spicycronereads's review

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.

Spoiler

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*

Spoiler

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Suicide, War, and Classism

paulineerika's review

adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely one of my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia books, if not my favorite. It's a fresh and engaging take on The Island of Doctor Moreau. The characters are wonderfully written (even if I did roll my eyes once in awhile at Carlota) and the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico, with all the themes of colonialism and imperialism and everything that goes along with those, was perfect. And I loved the ending--very fitting for the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, and Racism

madamenovelist's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Gore, Murder, and Animal death

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Sexual content

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: Violence, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Gun violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship

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

jgalla's review

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

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

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

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

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

readwithbells's review against another edition

3.5

So I was expecting a different book than the one I got. This was marketed as more of a gothic sci-fi but it’s definitely not, it is a true historical fiction with some sci-fi elements that focuses on a woman’s position in the late 1800s on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. SMG’s characters are still immediately engaging and I really liked the use of the hybrids as a metaphor for race during the period. I just wish I had known it was going to lean into historical romance more than sci-fi because I LOVE her horror and was expecting that style of a book—to that point, the small bits of body horror in this book were great! I would have loved more of that. That’s not her fault at all nor is it the fault of the book and I definitely feel comfortable recommending this to people wanting a twist in their historical fiction. It just wasn’t what I was really looking for.

Spoiler

I’m also really pleased that SMG didn’t have Carlota fall in love with Montgomery. That felt vaguely icky to me at first but it was handled so well and I’m so glad she got to be the one to kill Eduardo!! That was a great moment.

I do want to add that the setup for this book feels like it takes forever but when it pays off it really pays off. I personally find most of SMG’s payoffs to be worth the wait, but if you are someone who wants to skip to the action, this might not be the one for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Body horror

Minor: Animal death

javafenn's review

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

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism

jessthanthree's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Racism, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Violence, Gore, Religious bigotry, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Cannibalism

Minor: Child death

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Body horror, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Colonisation, Racism, and Gun violence

Minor: Death of parent