Space cats, warm fuzzies, mercenaries working for the big corporation, and discoveries that could save everyone. Loved this read! 

This book is JUST A GEM. The REVEALS in this second book in the series are WHEW so WHEW!

Azura is living and she's no longer trapped! Caiden/Winn is the perfect Graven being ahhhhh!!!! Ksiñe being taken by the Prime at the end and his scientific knowledge being used abusively - which will come back to bite our protagonists in the butt, of course

. This novel is just so SMART dammit. It's flawlessly planned and executed in the unfolding of the story arc, perfect found family themes (one of my favorite SF themes in particular), this shit warms my cold black little heart. 

The ending... so much in the ending...! I will be anxiously awaiting Ethera Grave out in March! 

Moreno-Garcia does it again! First and foremost, big thanks to NetGalley, Random House-Ballantine, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia herself (learned about this eARC on Twitter a number of months ago when she encouraged folks to read on NG) for early access by eARC for The Daughter of Doctor Moreau in exchange for an honest review! I've thoroughly enjoyed all other novels by Moreno-Garcia, and am thrilled to contribute to folks raving prior to release on this one with my first Moreno Garcia eARC.

Releasing later this month (July 2022), Moreno-Garcia graces readers once again with a historical SFF novel, this time set in the 1870's in Mexico. Based loosely on a reimagining of H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau, alongside an actual conflict that was happening in the Yucatán (México) in the 1870s called the Caste War of Yucatán, beginning in 1847 and lasting more than 50 years (see Afterword for more information), which resulted from the abusive labor system that discriminated against and indebted native Maya in the region. This likely isn't the right place for new readers of Moreno-Garcia looking for a faster-paced read (she's released other novels that fit a quicker pace), and isn't usually my first choice, but took my sweet time enjoying the read and the pacing doesn't detract, rather lends itself to the slow burn and build of the narrative.

With familiar tropes from Moreno-Garcia including enemies to lovers (sort of? with a twist?), the horror of racism and classism through a historical lens, and elements of sci-fi horror, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is another slow-building, slow-burn of fabulous quality by one of my contemporary favorites. Do see CWs on this one, as there are elements as relate to the status of femmes during this time period, as well as relate to differences of class/caste that include emotional manipulation, gaslighting, and the possibility of violence (including sexual), which could be troubling for some readers. These are moderate CWs at most from my read, and are incorporated in a way that focuses the reader on how the characters are/might/will fight back against this (sexual) violence and oppression in ways that are compelling and satisfying. 

What a gd joy this book was. 

A classic of Zora’s that appealed to readers in the late 1930s who knew nothing of Voodoo/Hoodoo and little or less about Haiti and Jamaican practices. She’s hilarious, reflective, and so warm on these pages. Part travelogue, Zora spent time with the Maroons, lounging on beds suspended as swings at the home of a white Voodoo practitioner formerly of the US Navy, participating in induction rituals, and recounting her own experiences of Haitian Zombies.

For folks interested in other cultural anthropology on the subject of the Zombie poison in particular, I recommend The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis.