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naomymarr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
annir's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bereft_of_frogs's review against another edition
3.5
Not what I was expecting. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing! I loved Hiron Ennes' prose, which was both grotesque and delightful, and I really liked the creative point of view. That was really well done.
It also did this thing that I'm finding a lot of modern books/tv shows do, where the author makes their themes really, sort of eye-rollingly clear right in the middle of the final act. I get why, because I've also witnessed how willfully ignorant audiences can be, but I think it comes at the expense of the quality of the work.
I also get what they were trying to do with the post-apocalyptic setting, could have been unpacked a bit more in a longer volume maybe (or is this meant to be a series?), it was interesting and I saw where it was going. However, as an aviation enthusiast, the whole 'flight evil' thing hit me hard. XD When one of the mothers says, "I spent years trying to prevent the resurgence of flight..." I was like ok ouch.
I do also want to stress to check the content warnings if you think you might be triggered, particularly the child abuse/sexual assault content warnings, because there was one part that came out of nowhere. It wasn't super well signaled by the text and I think the warnings are being buried by the death/murder/etc ones.
It also did this thing that I'm finding a lot of modern books/tv shows do, where the author makes their themes really, sort of eye-rollingly clear right in the middle of the final act. I get why, because I've also witnessed how willfully ignorant audiences can be, but I think it comes at the expense of the quality of the work.
I also get what they were trying to do with the post-apocalyptic setting, could have been unpacked a bit more in a longer volume maybe (or is this meant to be a series?), it was interesting and I saw where it was going. However,
I do also want to stress to check the content warnings if you think you might be triggered, particularly the child abuse/sexual assault content warnings, because there was one part that came out of nowhere. It wasn't super well signaled by the text and I think the warnings are being buried by the death/murder/etc ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
chris_reads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I haven't read anything quite like this in my life. There were so many interesting concepts (some of which surely went over my head) it was so smart. The writing was delightfully disturbing in its depiction of disease, isolation and the harsh environment. The characters were layered and utterly fascinating. Love what it had to say about parasites, capitalism, power and agency. I can't wait to see what else this author writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Leech by Hiron Ennes is a speculative horror novel steeped in body horror and with a perfect atmosphere for the winter months.
We follow a doctor, a member of the Institute, who is heading up into the mountains. One of their colleagues has died and they are seeking answers for their death as well as taking up a position as the doctor at the baron’s Chateau. But when they arrive, they learn that a creeping force is threatening the town and may have directly contributed to their predecessor's death.
Ennes’ writing is lush and descriptive. They bring you directly into the setting and story and refuse to let you go until the end. Their writing makes the body horror both fascinating and hard to read, which I think is a true mark of a good author. This is a story about possession, agency, and trauma. Set in a post apocalyptic world that gives hints to the world that preceded it, Ennes drops world building moments casually throughout. Though I don’t think more world building was needed to enjoy the story, Ennes has created such an engaging world that I want a full series that explores what happened and what will happen next. The ending was a bit abrupt and I was hoping for a bit more but it also fits the story so I wasn’t unsatisfied.
I cannot wait for what Ennes writes next because they have proven in 'Leech' that they are a superb horror writer. If you are looking for horror set during the winter months, you must pick up 'Leech.'
We follow a doctor, a member of the Institute, who is heading up into the mountains. One of their colleagues has died and they are seeking answers for their death as well as taking up a position as the doctor at the baron’s Chateau. But when they arrive, they learn that a creeping force is threatening the town and may have directly contributed to their predecessor's death.
Ennes’ writing is lush and descriptive. They bring you directly into the setting and story and refuse to let you go until the end. Their writing makes the body horror both fascinating and hard to read, which I think is a true mark of a good author. This is a story about possession, agency, and trauma. Set in a post apocalyptic world that gives hints to the world that preceded it, Ennes drops world building moments casually throughout. Though I don’t think more world building was needed to enjoy the story, Ennes has created such an engaging world that I want a full series that explores what happened and what will happen next. The ending was a bit abrupt and I was hoping for a bit more but it also fits the story so I wasn’t unsatisfied.
I cannot wait for what Ennes writes next because they have proven in 'Leech' that they are a superb horror writer. If you are looking for horror set during the winter months, you must pick up 'Leech.'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide
sarareadsstuff's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
readundancies's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Well, I must say, this turned out to be quite the creepy little gothic horror sci-fi moment, and I frigging loved it.
The synopsis is kinda perfect. It sets the story up without giving much away and yet everything it contains is truth. And there is still so much more to wade through within the plot, so many questions I still have that will never get answered. And I’m totally fine with it it despite my endless curiosity.
The narrator collective - the (initially) nameless representative of The Institute who was connected across the globe through a host of human bodies which they simultaneously inhabited and had networked into their consciousness so that it was very hive mind-like in nature but still solitary enough that you could still perceive them as a single entity - was entirely fascinating.
And the writing! I was so incredibly enamoured by the beauty and atmosphere that Ennes cultivated. There was this general reverence for anatomy that shined through but it was also dark and domineering and clinical and yet also moving all at the same time. This is a heck of a debut. It was littered with a ton of sensitive topics and issues and I beg you to search for content warnings before picking this one but rest assured it was fucking stellar all the same.
The audiobook is a fine choice to consume the story - the narrator Abigail Thorn really captures the world and the people with her accents and it’s very smoothly delivered. I loved listening to this right before bed because it had this powerful dichotomy of Thorn’s lulling voice as she read aloud that paired so well with such the strange and bizarre narration of a creature that does not seem wholly human and perceives humanity as needing to be kept alive but also revelled in the dependency of humans and how they had a seemingly large amount of superiority over them. The Institute aided not out of kindness, they aided because that is what they were born to do and they do it best so there was no need for alternatives.
The second person perspective that cropped up from time to time was interwoven into the first person perspective a bit clonkely - I didn’t have an issue with it, I rather liked it truth be told - but it was a tad bumpy at times and I could see some people disliking the reading experience because of how confusing it could get. I do think the bumpiness could be by design however; an (un)intentional means to make the reader feel much like the narrator and how disjointed the whole ordeal that she’s going through actually is.
The themes of this novel were posited in such a satisfying manner, from those of bodily autonomy, biology versus the psyche, the human connection, trauma and abuse, rebellion of the mind from body, gender and gender identity, etc. All of them were wrapped in this creepy and darkly disturbing setting where nothing was as it seemed, vitriol was either spewed violently from the mouths of the rich and powerful or toxically in the silences that lay behind every closed door. The hopeful glimpse of freedom at the end was such a breath of fresh air after having delved into the many horrors that the novel touched upon and for a shorter novel, it really did pack a punch.
This was menacing and thought-provoking and atmospheric in a way that felt claustrophobic and suffocating and I was in my element wading through it. Truly, this was such a fantastic gothic sci-fi that lives up to both genres and I loved how unsettled the ending leaves the reader because there were so many loose ends that were not knotted but everything still seeped with this feeling of resolution. It’s a hard line to toe and I think Ennes did so beautifully.
I need a physical copy of this. I also urge anyone interested in picking it up to check out the audiobook. It was bloody brilliant and the story was truly brought to life in a way that simply reading it cannot capture. If you can, make it a hybrid read, you won’t regret it.
The synopsis is kinda perfect. It sets the story up without giving much away and yet everything it contains is truth. And there is still so much more to wade through within the plot, so many questions I still have that will never get answered. And I’m totally fine with it it despite my endless curiosity.
The narrator collective - the (initially) nameless representative of The Institute who was connected across the globe through a host of human bodies which they simultaneously inhabited and had networked into their consciousness so that it was very hive mind-like in nature but still solitary enough that you could still perceive them as a single entity - was entirely fascinating.
And the writing! I was so incredibly enamoured by the beauty and atmosphere that Ennes cultivated. There was this general reverence for anatomy that shined through but it was also dark and domineering and clinical and yet also moving all at the same time. This is a heck of a debut. It was littered with a ton of sensitive topics and issues and I beg you to search for content warnings before picking this one but rest assured it was fucking stellar all the same.
The audiobook is a fine choice to consume the story - the narrator Abigail Thorn really captures the world and the people with her accents and it’s very smoothly delivered. I loved listening to this right before bed because it had this powerful dichotomy of Thorn’s lulling voice as she read aloud that paired so well with such the strange and bizarre narration of a creature that does not seem wholly human and perceives humanity as needing to be kept alive but also revelled in the dependency of humans and how they had a seemingly large amount of superiority over them. The Institute aided not out of kindness, they aided because that is what they were born to do and they do it best so there was no need for alternatives.
The second person perspective that cropped up from time to time was interwoven into the first person perspective a bit clonkely - I didn’t have an issue with it, I rather liked it truth be told - but it was a tad bumpy at times and I could see some people disliking the reading experience because of how confusing it could get. I do think the bumpiness could be by design however; an (un)intentional means to make the reader feel much like the narrator and how disjointed the whole ordeal that she’s going through actually is.
The themes of this novel were posited in such a satisfying manner, from those of bodily autonomy, biology versus the psyche, the human connection, trauma and abuse, rebellion of the mind from body, gender and gender identity, etc. All of them were wrapped in this creepy and darkly disturbing setting where nothing was as it seemed, vitriol was either spewed violently from the mouths of the rich and powerful or toxically in the silences that lay behind every closed door. The hopeful glimpse of freedom at the end was such a breath of fresh air after having delved into the many horrors that the novel touched upon and for a shorter novel, it really did pack a punch.
This was menacing and thought-provoking and atmospheric in a way that felt claustrophobic and suffocating and I was in my element wading through it. Truly, this was such a fantastic gothic sci-fi that lives up to both genres and I loved how unsettled the ending leaves the reader because there were so many loose ends that were not knotted but everything still seeped with this feeling of resolution. It’s a hard line to toe and I think Ennes did so beautifully.
I need a physical copy of this. I also urge anyone interested in picking it up to check out the audiobook. It was bloody brilliant and the story was truly brought to life in a way that simply reading it cannot capture. If you can, make it a hybrid read, you won’t regret it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
billies_not_so_secret_diary's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Leech
by Hiron Ennes
Science Fiction Dystopian
Scribd Audio
The Interprovincial Medical Institute is hundreds of years old, living in the minds of the young, molding their young human brains into doctors, and replacing the human versions so they alone can heal the ills of the humans. And in doing so, has eyes all over what is left of the world.
In the far north, there is a Baron, and after his doctor dies of mysterious circumstances, a new doctor is sent to replace him. After an autopsy, the new doctor finds a parasite behind the old doctor's eye, a parasite that just might be the Institute's replacement.
Even though this story is labeled as horror, I wouldn't call it that. It isn't scary. There is also really no time stamp on this story or a place, other than 'the far north', but it might have been the author's intention, though, without a place or time, I couldn't really connect with the world around the characters. The MC, I wasn't sure what sex she was until later in the story. I'm old school, so I need to know 'who' they are to be able to connect with them on a deeper level. I think the story takes place in the very far future on Earth, and I'm also not sure what kind of 'creatures' the characters were. Some were designated as human, but others...
The overall idea was interesting, but the execution wasn't that great. Without the who, what, where, and when explained, it made it hard to relate and get drawn into the story because I kept wondering what I missed.
And some of the filler, I felt was overly done. More background on the time and place, and how it ended up that way would've been a better use of the words. I'm always interested in what happened to create a world in this kind of distress. I think things like that give me a better connection to the characters.
Though, missing some tidbits could be on the narrator. She was good, and was able to create different voices for the characters, but her accents were too thick with some of them and that made it hard to understand what they were saying, and one did have a lot of stories to tell but I couldn't understand all of his words because of her accent.
2 Stars
SEMI SPOILER!
The LGBT/Queer genre tag, while it does have some relevance, I don't feel it's appropriate due to that relationship was rape.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
chessakat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
WOW was this weird and creepy and alarming and amazing?! The audiobook narrator was outstanding, truly impressive, with so many accents and characterizations. This took me a long time to get through, and I don’t regret the slow listen. I guarantee this is different than anything else you’ve ever read. If you would like to say “what the f—-?” a lot and be confused often but still be dying to know what is going on, take this weird creepy ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
hellocath's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, and Colonisation
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