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A review by athenian_frog
Leech by Hiron Ennes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.25
The book can get very slow but when the horror kicks in it’s usually pretty engaging. My main issue is with the lulls in between, especially in the first half of the book.
BUT think there’s some really interesting reflection from the perspective of such a complex organism that Hiron Ennes includes! That and the character of Émile in general were highlights. The story went in a direction I was really not expecting—in a good way—and the ending was pretty rewarding.
Some of the ideas that strengthen the conclusion that I found in the book—like the value of one’s bodily autonomy—could have been better weaved throughout the book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
PLEASE READ the content warnings below. Thanks! <3
BUT think there’s some really interesting reflection from the perspective of such a complex organism that Hiron Ennes includes! That and the character of Émile in general were highlights. The story went in a direction I was really not expecting—in a good way—and the ending was pretty rewarding.
Some of the ideas that strengthen the conclusion that I found in the book—like the value of one’s bodily autonomy—could have been better weaved throughout the book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
PLEASE READ the content warnings below. Thanks! <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
-the baron’s family (whose mansion is where the majority of the book takes place) generally holds pretty misogynistic beliefs of a woman’s role in the family, specifically that they are “responsible” for having children/a son in particular
-a female character has a history of miscarrying, makes one or two dark jokes about it
-descriptions of medical procedures that might upset readers including: several instances of needle insertion in various places, sedated/paralyzed patients during a procedure, often without consent, the removal of a parasite fragment from the optic nerve post mortem, descriptions of childbirth
- suicide is examined as a possible and very plausible reason that a character dies (via scalpel to the throat)
-In the latter half of the book it is implied that a character ends up in an emotionally abusive relationship with a member of the barony. The sex they have (very vague) reads very much as coercive/non consensual because of the power the barony holds over the rest of the people living in the chateau. There are moments of physical abuse as well.
- at least two characters vomit, and a couple more have something crawl out of their mouth