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sky_maris's review
- 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
4.75
Beautifully written - the prose feels ripped from a Gothic novel but maintains its own modern twist. The narrative style shifts throughout, but in a wonderfully subtle way that you don't really notice until you're In It (TM). I was expecting a good old body horror romp when I started, but this is much more existential than that and I adored it. Leech is a perfect example of how horror can be used to explore difficult concepts and make a point without losing the fundamental elements of the genre. I was creeped out the whole time while simultaneously pondering my own existence.
Cons:
The pacing is a tad slow, though never slow enough to become boring. The narrative style, particularly at the beginning, can be a tad hard to follow, but the author did an excellent job of orienting the reader.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
afterplague's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
The first thing you need to know is that Leech is entirely uninterested in explaining itself. There is a world in this book, and yet the narrative is completely uninterested in world-building. I can give you a few examples.
There is a character in the story called the Baron. He's not a native of the town of Verdina, but he essentially runs it. He has the town's law enforcement on his payroll, and he owns the mine where everyone works. The Baron is also a very sickly old man who is kept alive via tubes and machines. However, what the author fails to mention when describing him the first time is that the Baron is in pieces somehow. He's taken to the dinner table, and he complains that they left his colon in his room. Is the colon in a separate box? Is it a weird way of describing something like a colostomy bag? The author is totally uninterested in telling you.
There's another man named Baker. He has a mechanical heart. It's just a straight up machine and he has a metal nipple that the doctor twists off to access the heart. So we're in a steampunk type universe?
There's another character, Priest. He's described as being a midwife and a wet nurse. For those who may not know, a wet nurse is a woman who would breast feed the children of noblewomen or orphaned babies. The priest is described as a man and uses male pronouns, so I thought he was a "wet nurse" in that he would feed infants with rags soaked in milk or something of the like. Imagine my surprise when he's described, 200 pages into the story, as having AMPLE BREASTS. This man was breast feeding children! So that begs the question, is he trans? Or do men in this universe have breasts sometimes?
You might think the latter question is ridiculous, but the people in this world HAVE genetic mutations sometimes. Some people have grey skin and rat tails. Some people only have eight fingers and toes. There's an implication that this is actually a post-apocalyptic society. They speak languages derived from our own. Verdina citizens speak in a version of futuristic French-English that they call Franco. There's mention of a white sky and flying machines that brought death. There's mention of a nuclear plant once, I think. The author is uninterested in explaining any of this.
The world also runs on a specific mineral called wheat rock. It's somehow both completely integral to the story and completely unimportant at the same time. Wheat rock is a stone, I think. It's harvested in the mines in Verdina. People eat it, though it seems like it doesn't taste good. It's impossible to cut through except with super heated tools. The main city has machines and generators that run on wheat rock. Is it something like an edible version of coal? Or are people literally eating something that should not be eaten, like plutonium or something.
Genuinely, the world building in this book is SO bad. It was a major factor in my dislike of the novel. I felt like I couldn't properly settle into the world because every time I was starting to relax and drift into the story it would hit me with another insane world building fact. The other major part of my dislike was the actual writing itself.
It's DENSE. The main character is a doctor who is part of the Institute. The Institute is both an actual place where all of the doctors in the country train and research, and also a hivemind parasite that has infected hundreds of hosts. The Institute has killed all the competition for doctors as a safety measure. People can't eradicate the hivemind without killing every single doctor in the country. So, our main character is a doctor. They talk in stiff, overly complex scientific terms. They use the scientific taxonomy for the new parasite they discover every single time they mention it. I genuinely don't remember what it was called because I skipped that word every time I read it. Paracodoxyl? No clue.
The plot was also so...nothing. I wasn't surprised by anything, and the actual events of the story were very brief. However, they were spread out over hundred of pages. We also just had to read so much nonsense about dog noses falling from the sky, and dreams, and folklore. Somehow, in this world there are monstrous, unkillable deer that can cause blizzards with their breath. That's just a random thing thrown in there.
There's also a few instances of sexual assault in this novel, so if you're sensitive to that please be cautious.
I feel like my review is all over the place. I can't properly describe the experience of Leech to you. It was just bad. Boring, convoluted, confusing, irritating, and ultimately unsatisfying. I felt nothing but relief that the book was over.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Incest
dani_wasia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
ellius's review
- 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
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.
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
sam_emerson6's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Sexual harassment
barometz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
justatrinket's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Alcohol
zeus_strider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I'll just say it first and foremost I am unapologetically a Parasite apologist!
I found the beginning of this book to be utterly delightful and so charming, I love the Institute they were such a captivating character and I adored them as a protagonist, watching a hive mind unknowingly creep further into danger in this uncanny winter tundra was gold it would have been five Stars⭐ if they had remained the protagonist.
As for the world building I found it to be rather delightful again in the beginning, it was all very odd and sprinkled in gingerly and just a touch of lovecraftian flair but then the book has a crisis of identity to be a to be horror or mystery, with most mysteries you want an answer but when it comes to horror answers can be a fatal. As for this book it chose to answer every question I didn't want answered.
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality
asriram's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
ablanket42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicide