Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Leech by Hiron Ennes

18 reviews

ellius's review

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? It's complicated

4.0

Wow. This was amazing. 

This is probably one of the most unique, atmospheric, beautifully plotted books, I have ever read. It was absolutely addictive.

The world was so gorgeous and well built, the characters where so smartly written and easy to get attached to or completely loath. And the set up of the book plays out absolutely wonderfully. I really loved the setting for the château. I could feel the environment leaping off the page. 

However, I struggled so much with wanting to pick it up and read it. Something about it was just a bit much to cope with in large doses. I think there were a lot of things that could’ve been done differently. It definitely could’ve used some technical polishing but it was still so good. 

Ultimately, very unfortunately, this is not a 5 stars. But still, a VERY positive 4 stars. I would definitely read from this author again, ESPECIALLY if it includes this world they’ve set up. 

9/10. Really solid debut.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

one of the plot twists of this book is that the mute servant is being raped and sexually abused by the son

bea_reads_books's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

 

Context:

I added Leech by Hiron Ennes to my TBR after hearing Kayla from BooksandLala recommend it. I borrowed it from my library through the Libby app.

 

Review:

I approached Leech with some trepidation based on the reviews I’ve encountered. However, I am immensely impressed by the book’s originality—in fact, Leech is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. I mean that as a compliment. Ennes crafts a world completely unlike anything I’ve ever read before with the precision of a surgeon. Everything feels deliberate and focused, from the French-inspired dialect spoken by some of the characters to the peculiarities of the setting. They use this specific setting and cast of characters to explore parasitism in many different forms, from the supernatural to the everyday.  I am also impressed with the book’s writing style, which is powerful and effective without being flowery. 

 

Despite my fascination with the world and my appreciation for Ennes’s writing, I did find myself somewhat reluctant to pick up the book at times. The book does not provide a strong “hook” for the reader to latch onto, either narratively or through its characters. Even well into the book, it is unclear which characters, if any, deserve our sympathy. Additionally, the narrative style of the book is inherently confusing due to the protagonist’s situation (I’m being intentionally vague here to avoid spoilers), and the murky positions of the side characters. If you’re looking for a book that prioritizes clarity and accessibility, you might want to look elsewhere.

 

There are a couple of other minor aspects of this book that didn’t quite work for me. The first is that it uses two characters that are twins in a very stereotypical and dehumanizing manner common to horror books that, in my opinion, did not add much to the story. The second is that the ending appears to abandon the character journey of the protagonist for another character; I would have liked a little bit more closure for the protagonist.

 

Leech will not be for everyone, but I loved its thematic explorations, writing style, and unique premise and worldbuilding. These elements were strong enough to overcome some problems I had with the narrative. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You might like Leech if . . . 

·      You are looking for a book with a very unique premise and world

·      You prefer deliberately crafted settings and characters to sweeping, epic fantasy/sci-fi tales

·      You are interested in a thematic exploration of parasitism

·      You like eerie, gory horror stories that do not deign to explain everything to the reader

 

You might not like Leech if . . . 

·      You are sensitive to the book’s triggers (please look at them before reading; they won’t spoil anything!)

·      You dislike experimental narrative premises

·      You like a story with a strong narrative driving force

·      You dislike complex plotlines that leave many questions unanswered

 

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, and Classism

bumblebeefarts's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Classism

Minor: Chronic illness, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury

mrkusabi's review

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Classism

ribbenkast's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.75

This book really impressed me with the way it is wirtten, Hiron Ennes really manages to write from the perspective of a super intelegent hivemind and sell it. The world building is amazing and is probably the best part of the book. It's got to be one of the most creative uses of the ghotic genre I've seen so far.

However the books suffers a bit from the gothic pitfall where in the first half it's just vibes and nothing much really happens. The pace really picks up near the ending though! Admittedly I do think the book ends on a bit of a weak note. I think there's space for a sequel I'll gladly pick up if it ever gets published. 

All in all, this was a great debut. I'll be certainly be on the lookout for any books that Hiron Ennes writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

velvet_young's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

pantaruja's review

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Drug use, Genocide, Suicide, and Dysphoria

cornsyrup's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

Not for everyone, but definitely for me.

I love medical horror and this was a treat, the concept of a hivemind of doctors tickled me just right. Then as I read more I discovered it's also a post-apocalyptic future setting which I think is so intriguing. As things get going, it then becomes so much more than jsut medical horror with themes of class and trauma and how systems leave us trapped!

There were some parts that I feel were shakey, but overall I think it was stellar. I'd also recommend the audiobook version, the narrator made things very clear for me when there were flashbacks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Classism

uncreativeoops's review

The worldbuilding was fascinating, but I just couldn't deal with the characters making one stupid choice after another. Some of them were also comically evil or unbelievably cliché.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic