Date Published: July 19, 2022
Genre: Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, Horror
Rating: ★★⍣☆☆
REVIEW
I already had this book on my TBR since I loved Mexican Gothic by Moreno-Garcia, but the fact that it was nominated for the Goodreads choice award solidified that it was a solid follow-up. After months of having this on hold at the library, it finally came through and it is needless to say, but this was one of my most anticipated backlist books of the year. Sadly, it did not live up to her previous work.
SYNOPSIS
"Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.
Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.
The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.
All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.
For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey."
MY THOUGHTS
I will begin by saying that I have no idea how this was nominated as a sci-fi. If anything, it should have been in the historical fiction or general fiction category. The sci-fi elements were minimal at best and weren't explored enough for it to be considered a sci-fi novel in my opinion. This book was a bit underwhelming as a whole. I absolutely loved Mexican Gothic so I knew to expect a very well written and atmospheric novel. However, this being described as both sci-fi and horror, it felt like neither. I seemed more like a historical fiction mixed with a family drama and romance. I feel like if it was advertised in a different way, I would have enjoyed it more.
While the characters were very fleshed out and described superbly, the book suffered from a lack of focus. There were almost too many characters, each competing for the spotlight. It also is let down by the pacing, which was, at times, agonizingly slow. While the actual writing was good, I don't think beautiful writing can save a book that is otherwise underwhelming. I feel bad that I didn't like this book. Carlota was so passive in her own story, and it was about her! She didn't exactly feel like a fully formed character, rather an idea of one, which is so surprising because I loved Noemí from Mexican Gothic.
The ending was altogether predictable and didn't pack any punch. Overall, this just felt like a subpar historical romance with a dash of sci-fi thrown in. Even with the romance though, it didn't really head in any direction, and instead lingered in limbo the whole time. I kept waiting for something, anything to happen, but it never did. I really wish Moreno-Garcia either fully leaned into the historical romance or explored the sci-fi, hybrid elements more. While the ending did try to do that, it felt too little to late for it to bump up my rating.
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