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rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
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.'
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
readundancies's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
sylvestra's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Gore, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Medical content
hellocath's review against another edition
- 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
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
sarah984's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I really enjoyed this book's themes of identity and autonomy, and the use of language to denote the state of the main character is fantastic, however I dropped a star because I felt the ending was kind of weak and I don't like tropes that involve a race of people being genetically predisposed to certain knowledge and this winds up doing that a bit. Overall though, if you want something original and you've got a strong stomach I would heartily recommend it.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Cannibalism
Parasite/bug/worm content Mind control Graphic birth scenedernhelms_bag's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
caidyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition
4.5
That said, this book was a wild ride. This kind of strikes me like Donnie Darko in that it’s a thinker - you could read this a few times and potentially pick up on new aspects of this parasite and how all of the people in the manor react to the situation.
Imagining my brain being connected to other bodies I could see out of, think with, and talk to as if they were my own is a really interesting concept. Human internet.
A really fascinating read.
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol
feedthewriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Leech is a weird, literary, gothic sci-fi horror -- a stunning blend of genres -- that reminds me a little of Mary Shelley, a little of Jeff Vandermeer, a little of Sara A. Mueller and a little of Chana Porter.
It's a book that requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. If you skim any page, you're going to get lost real quick, because important information isn't repeated and the world-building is so subtle that most of it is seeded through conversation and one-off observations. Very little is explained (or answered), with the author trusting you to understand what's happening off of context clues -- refreshing for some, but potentially frustrating for others. And if you need characters and locations to be meticulously described, this isn't going to be the book for you.
But if you can deal with doing a little extra work as a reader, it's well worth the effort. Leech is spooky, strange, sad, gory and inventive as hell. I loved the time I spent with it, and I can tell it's going to live in my brain for a long time.
I received this book as a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to TOR and NetGalley!
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
oracle_of_madness's review against another edition
4.5
This book has given me a way to touch on every emotion. I am so shocked by the ending and it's so desperately sad and also profound. It's amazing to think that this incredible journey through this book began with a new doctor at a chateau in the far North. She was looking at how the doctor she is replacing died... and it's gruesome and the beginning of a parasite horror. This mixes old gothic feels with a new angle on scifi and also *content warning* a very strong and long look at trauma and sexual assault. But it's done in such a sincere way that I really was right there feeling those same emotions.
This book is incredible! Remember the content warnings but I have to recommend this to fans of parasite horror and scifi!
Out September 27, 2022!
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Sexual assault