4.5 upped to 5*
Silvia Moreno-Garcia excels at genre-hopping and I can’t remember one of her book as “bad” or “not valid”.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a slow burning book inspired by H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Doctor Moreau”.
It’s not a follow up or a spin-off, Ms Moreno-Garcia is inspired by the original book and deliver a plot that mixes horror with historical facts, feminism, romance, and interesting social and political remarks.
Carlota is a well developed and interesting character: a 14 years old girl who’s becoming a woman and is questioning what she sees around her. A well read and clever girl and an interesting human being.
The characters are fleshed out and interesting: you can love or hate them but they are never flat.
The tension in the book builds slowly and takes you to the last part keeping the attention alive and making you turn pages.
My only note is the repetition at the beginning of the chapter that makes it a bit too slow in the first chapters.
I liked the story as it’s riveting and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine