calcifire's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty
rhi_'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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
amartin48's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Gore, Death, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Confinement, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and War
birduh's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery
Minor: Trafficking and Death of parent
somebooksomewhere's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Medical content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Infertility
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Cancer
cozyteareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Cursing, Racism, Blood, Gore, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Medical content
dreareads_'s review
3.75
Unfortunately the story is missing some of the creepiness that made books like Mexican Gothic above the rest.
This is a good book, not amazing, but good nonetheless!
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Torture, War, Bullying, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
melliedm's review
- 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
3.75
My only dislike for this book is how the alternating perspective works in the first half. Too frequently the Carlota and Montgomery swaps spent too much time retreading the same moments before getting into something fresh. This lessened in the second half, which is when the novel began to really shine.
Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Body horror, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Classism, and Colonisation
bookish_afrolatina's review
- 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
4.5
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is such an intricate novel! It’s inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells, so if you want to know the connections, definitely read an overview of that book.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia seamlessly included the historical context of life in Mexico during the late 19th century; exploitation of Mayans and immigrant laborers, conflict between the white Mexicans and Indigenous peoples, and the racism.
Carlotta and Laughton’s narratives overlap one another which I found creative. There were a few parts that dragged a bit, mostly with Laughton, but I enjoyed the story overall.
Note: The audiobook is awesome because there are so many different accents we encounter!
Spoiler
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
‼️Spoilers ahead‼️
Moreau’s motives for his experimentation were pretty ableist, which was normal for that time. However, Carlotta’s increasing resistance to treatment for her “illness” or disability gave a message of embracing herself. The content’s connection to ableism is complicated because, on one hand, the disabilities were Moreau’s creations, but on the other hand, the “hybrids” have their own lives, wants, dreams, and beliefs. They have names and agency.
Graphic: Ableism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Colonisation, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail