The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

In this magical retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau, Carlota Moreau lives in a luxurious, isolated estate in nineteenth-century Mexico. Her father, Doctor Moreau, has created a slew of “hybrids,” half-human half-animals, hidden away in the jungle. Despite their secrets, Carlota, Doctor Moreau, and the hybrids live peacefully as their own kind of family – until the son of Doctor Moreau’s benefactor suddenly arrives, threatening to unravel the life they’ve all known.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia proved her gift for haunting storytelling in Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night, and she takes her talents to a whole new level in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Her writing transports readers right into the jungle and the eerie, isolated world of Carlota and her father. Though I have not read HG Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, I have no doubt that Moreno-Garcia’s retelling is the perfect modern-day tribute with a feminist spin. Gothic in the best sense, with creative sci-fi twists and characters full of passion, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a gripping tale for readers of all kinds.