When I started this book, I expected a terribly creepy, twisted, disturbing, dark story. From the description on the back of the book, I was expecting an island with talking chimera-like beasts. 
 Now, I did enjoy the book, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. 
 First of all, while it was a dark story, there weren't really any truly creepy or disturbing parts. (Except for the one scene with Caesar.) The author tried, but for some reason the shock and horror and feeling of foreboding just wasn't there. It could be because Juliet was too busy worrying about whether she loved Montgomery or Edward and not nearly worried enough about her father's experiments. It could be because we mostly saw the products of his experiments and not much of the actual process. It could just be because after so many episodes of CSI and the like, it just takes more to disturb me. Maybe a combination of all three. I'm not sure. But it wasn't as creepy and horrifying as I expected. Which might well be a good thing-- I freak myself out easily and I'm a total wuss. 
 I was also a little disappointed that the beasts were so humanoid. It stretched credulity too much for me to really fully get into the story. I just never could figure out how you could take a sheep and three rabbits and end up with something that looks nearly human. Or how it would be possible for the beasts to revert back. I know it's fiction and all that jazz, but it was just too hard to even picture, let alone rationalize. When sh!t started hitting the fan, it kept me from really being pulled into the story. 
 It was a very unique concept though, and I didn't even realize it was a twist on another story until after I'd finished. I've never read the Island of Dr.Moreau. The premise of the second book was intriguing enough that I went out and bought it as soon as I'd finished the first, though. Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde? Oh yes please!