Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Leech by Hiron Ennes

14 reviews

thehmkane's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-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

4.75

Every hour or so, this book delivered a line or a concept or an event that made me think, gee, this it the genderiest book I've ever read. That holds true to the end. It's complex. It's unsettling. And it is determinedly not cis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Stillbirth

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

rorikae's review against another edition

challenging 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

Leech by Hiron Ennes is a speculative horror novel steeped in body horror and with a perfect atmosphere for the winter months. 
We follow a doctor, a member of the Institute, who is heading up into the mountains. One of their colleagues has died and they are seeking answers for their death as well as taking up a position as the doctor at the baron’s Chateau. But when they arrive, they learn that a creeping force is threatening the town and may have directly contributed to their predecessor's death. 
Ennes’ writing is lush and descriptive. They bring you directly into the setting and story and refuse to let you go until the end. Their writing makes the body horror both fascinating and hard to read, which I think is a true mark of a good author. This is a story about possession, agency, and trauma. Set in a post apocalyptic world that gives hints to the world that preceded it, Ennes drops world building moments casually throughout. Though I don’t think more world building was needed to enjoy the story, Ennes has created such an engaging world that I want a full series that explores what happened and what will happen next. The ending was a bit abrupt and I was hoping for a bit more but it also fits the story so I wasn’t unsatisfied. 
I cannot wait for what Ennes writes next because they have proven in 'Leech' that they are a superb horror writer. If you are looking for horror set during the winter months, you must pick up 'Leech.' 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicide

sarah984's review against another edition

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

4.0

This book takes a bunch of gothic tropes (the opulent but crumbling manor haunted by past atrocities, the ailing patriarch grasping for control with his son and daughter-in-law squashed under his thumb, an outsider drawn into a terrible world they don't understand), drops them into a post apocalyptic future, and fills them to the brim with worms. I am not squeamish with descriptions usually but this one made me squirm a few times!

I really enjoyed this book's themes of identity and autonomy, and the use of language to denote the state of the main character is fantastic, however I dropped a star because I felt the ending was kind of weak and I don't like tropes that involve a race of people being genetically predisposed to certain knowledge and this winds up doing that a bit. Overall though, if you want something original and you've got a strong stomach I would heartily recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Cannibalism

Parasite/bug/worm content Mind control Graphic birth scene