"Montgomery, indebted as he was himself, understood that it was easy to lose control of one's life, that the reins could be yanked away with a smooth brutality. If he'd been a braver man, Montgomery might have put a bullet to his own head. But as he'd explained to Moreau, he wasn't brave. He was a perfect coward."

2.5

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau acts as a super slow burning, sort of feminist retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau. In terms of an actual retelling, it's actually pretty interesting and refreshing refraining from delving too deep into the realm of science fiction and instead opting to keep things loosely within its historical fiction bubble. Despite being a rather straightforward and typical read, the writing was still lyrical, lovely and captivating, which is the standard for a Moreno-Garcia novel. There's some absolutely fantastic things here, the exploration of colonization and the class divide is executed masterfully, it just never felt all that compelling or engaging as a novel.

The thing is, it's a fantastic novel. It's just simply a regular piece of historical fiction with some very light fantasy elements woven into the story. I feel certain that for many, this book will be a hit, for me, however, I feel rather apathetic about it. Sure, there's some standout moments of hyper-creativity, and perhaps it's an improvement upon the story it's based upon... But, there's just something missing from it all. There's no doubt that Moreno-Garcia is a talented storyteller, who has created an empowering spin on a much beloved classic. It just... Wasn't for me. I fear that it's a case of wrong book, wrong reader, which is a damn shame, as the writing is intoxicating and gorgeous.

"They both stared at the creature behind the glass, at the way its back was arched, and the backbone that seemed to stick out, razorlike, all the nubs tracing a long line against the taut skin. The eyes... She wondered what was the color of the hybrid's eyes. "