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hol13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
barometz's review against another edition
- 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
Content Warnings
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
circadroid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Medical trauma
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death
anteus7's review against another edition
5.0
About halfway through the book, I would have dropped my rating by a star, but things change...
This is one of my favorite recent unreliable narrator narratives. I feel like going too much into that brings me into spoiler territory, though. So I'll talk of other things.
The setting is pretty cool--kind of steampunk, set in Fantasy France many, many years in the future after everything has collapsed because of human hubris. Most of the story takes place in a crumbling chateau which had some Gormenghast-like vibes to it (only because it reminded me a bit of that place--the story does not feel derivative of Peake's work), peopled by some nasty, broken people.
As the story moved along, the layers peeled away quite nicely and the reader gets to see more and more of the world and how it came to be the way it is. The ending was satisfying in that the story came to a decent conclusion, but there is all kinds of room for more.
Dark, grim, bleak, and creepy--Leech ticked a lot of boxes for me.
This is one of my favorite recent unreliable narrator narratives. I feel like going too much into that brings me into spoiler territory, though. So I'll talk of other things.
The setting is pretty cool--kind of steampunk, set in Fantasy France many, many years in the future after everything has collapsed because of human hubris. Most of the story takes place in a crumbling chateau which had some Gormenghast-like vibes to it (only because it reminded me a bit of that place--the story does not feel derivative of Peake's work), peopled by some nasty, broken people.
As the story moved along, the layers peeled away quite nicely and the reader gets to see more and more of the world and how it came to be the way it is. The ending was satisfying in that the story came to a decent conclusion, but there is all kinds of room for more.
Dark, grim, bleak, and creepy--Leech ticked a lot of boxes for me.
thehaikubandit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
mr_bougie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
tayterchip's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Meh
erinlcrane's review against another edition
5.0
This reminded me a lot of my experience reading Viscera by Gabrielle Squalia. Not in narrative tone/style, but they are both so weird and imaginative. It’s very refreshing!
The story had a steampunk feel but dirtier and darker. Things would start to happen on the page (like replacing hoses inside of a person) that would startle me and change my sense of the setting/world without big explanations. It’s not a story with constant horror, but there are some very gory moments and some disturbing things going on.
Sometimes it gets very surreal and dreamlike, reflecting the state of mind of the narrator. So at times it was hard to follow, but I think in intentional ways. I think it would reward a reread.
The prose harkened back to an 1800s ish voice, and this was one of the few times when I appreciated the style of writing in a book. It’s dense and my brain definitely had a hard time slowing down in order to sink into it, but it added to a fantastic gothic atmosphere.
I love a psychological downward spiral in a book, and that’s how this reads. The fact that a parasitic entity is at the center made it all the better.
The ending confused me at first, but I reread it slower. Then I was like ooohh. That’s beautiful! I would love to read more from Ennes in the future.
The story had a steampunk feel but dirtier and darker. Things would start to happen on the page (like replacing hoses inside of a person) that would startle me and change my sense of the setting/world without big explanations. It’s not a story with constant horror, but there are some very gory moments and some disturbing things going on.
Sometimes it gets very surreal and dreamlike, reflecting the state of mind of the narrator. So at times it was hard to follow, but I think in intentional ways. I think it would reward a reread.
The prose harkened back to an 1800s ish voice, and this was one of the few times when I appreciated the style of writing in a book. It’s dense and my brain definitely had a hard time slowing down in order to sink into it, but it added to a fantastic gothic atmosphere.
I love a psychological downward spiral in a book, and that’s how this reads. The fact that a parasitic entity is at the center made it all the better.
The ending confused me at first, but I reread it slower. Then I was like ooohh. That’s beautiful! I would love to read more from Ennes in the future.
heliofoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death and Medical content