Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Leech by Hiron Ennes

31 reviews

dani_wasia's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

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

sam_emerson6's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

wordswritinstarlight's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book fucks supremely as a horror story. The Institute is a twisted knot of self-justifications and self-righteousness, the residents of the chateau are all compelling disasters, I really do think the twins were dead all along, and the newfound parasite is just [chef kiss] horrifying, 10/10 monster, will keep me up at night. 

The move of making Pseudomycota essentially heat-activated is a fantastic twist, especially after half the book resting on the Institute’s confidence and general genre tropes that “kill it with fire” is always the right answer.  The moment of realization that this battle was always over, from the moment they threw the first body into the furnace, really worked for me.

 Highly recommended if you have the stomach for truly buckwild levels of body horror.  Would especially recommend to anyone who really loved the Animorphs as a kid: the situations are wildly different and yet the vibes are very much the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

jully_bean's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

charlatte_lee's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Infertility

liltakeawaygirl's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Grief, and Colonisation

madzsmiled's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Ennes’ debut novel is a grotesquely beautiful, apocalyptic saga of disease, human hubris, and reclaiming identity. While it took awhile for me to ground myself in the reality of the story, Ennes unveils the secrets of this world layer by layer, building out the lore with every turn of the page. The more you learn about the Institute and Pseudomycota, the more tangled their reality becomes. Humanity has to survive not only invasive parasites, but its own ego and destruction. Every reveal hits you harder than the last. 

 

Definitely would recommend, but please read the content warnings. This one is a doozie, but oh so good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

augustboxer's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

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