Starts strangely, but the story emerges rapidly…this is the same Doctor Moreau (his replica, at any rate) of HG Wells sci-fi fame, and in this story he is transplanted to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico in the middle of Mayan unrest among European settlers, and is given a gorgeous and innocent daughter. We see the story from two balanced perspectives: Montgomery, the English Mayordomo and Carlotta, the meek and mild-tempered daughter of the unethical scientist. Secrets spill out in every chapter as we grow to understand the history of Montgomery’s personal dilemma, and the increasing danger surrounding Carlotta in her unpredictable environment.

Bolstered by secondary and tertiary characters of both vile and wonderful dispositions, mysterious motivations, and fractured loyalties, the story swings along as if carried in the hands of untamed animals as they navigate the treetops of a wild jungle, and the darkest truths finally come to light as the security of Carlotta’s safe little world comes undone.

This is a mature story with deeply troubled characters, glorified and harsh and beautifully untouched conditions, set in a period in history that reeled in a tornado of racism and territorial battles in the ‘new world’ of Mexico. A very creative modern take on late 19th century sci-fi that yields to appropriate lingo and the politics prevalent of the era, drawing the reader into the emotion of strained relationships and to sweat amid the humidity of a secluded jungle, building anticipation and dropping hints, exposing the twisted work of a mad scientist, and raising our hackles with red flags as we tumble along on the dreamy naivety of Carlotta and the coattails of Montgomery’s silent suffrage.

One of Moreno-García’s better ones. I’ll have to make a list of best to less for this author as I’m reading so much of her stuff this year, but this is probs #2 on that list, with The Beautiful Ones taking the chocolate.