This year I’ve found myself reading a lot of classic retellings and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is no exception. With a small cast of characters that widens the more you discover Moreau’s experiments, this one has the reader sympathetic with many of the characters. However, it took me a while to get into the storyline. I didn’t feel an objective for a good portion of the book. But then, somewhere around the halfway mark, the storytelling revealed the plot, and we see it start to unravel.
This is a fair retelling. It’s a bit of sci-fi, with historical elements thrown in and a good deal of romance in our idealistic young Carlota, who is “in love with love,” as Montgomery tells it. At what point has man gone too far? Carlota’s character development took a long time, but to be fair, she was a product of her father’s influence through and through. Overall, this is a good retelling in a beautiful setting. Thank you, Ballantine Books, for sending this along.
Book Links (releasing July 19th)
About the Book
Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is 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 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 live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. 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.
Rae's Reading Lounge 
Nice review, Rae! I love that cover, and I like re tellings too.
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