Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Leech

This book has one of the most fascinating concepts I've ever encountered. I spent the first chapter so confused about what was going on, and then the next chapter cleared it all up and I was floored, and so excited to see how the premise would develop. It did not disappoint. Leech is a clever, fierce, and disturbing exploration of the ways in which people have their bodily autonomy taken from them and they ways in which they take it back. It also raises the question of to what degree our bodies are truly our own.

I often struggle with stand-alone SFF because I find that there is not enough room for the requisite world-building, but Hiron Ennes populated this book with numerous small lines that fit seamlessly into the narrative and yet did wonders to flesh out the world.

I did find that the pacing changed rather suddenly about 2/3 of the way through, from a contemplative dread punctuated by brief bursts of action, to suddenly everything kicking off, with revelations and major plot developments happening left and right. This sharp change is my only real quibble with the book.

Bonus: This book has a nonspeaking major character who is never portrayed as needing to be "fixed." There's also just casually a trans old man side character.

Content Warnings

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

Brilliant. The pacing of the book at times can be meandering, with the poetic prose heavy in the first half of the book. But boy, the incredible way they illustrated bodily autonomy, from so many different lenses. The political pressures and historical colonialism they sprinkled in to bring color and complexity to a world, when the plot at its heart was focused on unraveling a medical mystery. I loved the excellent world-building. I loved the depth and nuances in character development. I loved the medical clues and slow unravel to reveal the origin(s) of the disease(s) that started it all. The messages were not missed. They were potent and powerful. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Content Warnings