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A review by feedthewriter
Leech by Hiron Ennes
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
I have no idea how to talk about this book! I went in having read absolutely nothing about it, including the synopsis, and I think I enjoyed the experience all the more for it. But this book definitely isn't going to be for everyone, so I'll try to say something about it without saying anything about it.
Leech is a weird, literary, gothic sci-fi horror -- a stunning blend of genres -- that reminds me a little of Mary Shelley, a little of Jeff Vandermeer, a little of Sara A. Mueller and a little of Chana Porter.
It's a book that requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. If you skim any page, you're going to get lost real quick, because important information isn't repeated and the world-building is so subtle that most of it is seeded through conversation and one-off observations. Very little is explained (or answered), with the author trusting you to understand what's happening off of context clues -- refreshing for some, but potentially frustrating for others. And if you need characters and locations to be meticulously described, this isn't going to be the book for you.
But if you can deal with doing a little extra work as a reader, it's well worth the effort. Leech is spooky, strange, sad, gory and inventive as hell. I loved the time I spent with it, and I can tell it's going to live in my brain for a long time.
I received this book as a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to TOR and NetGalley!
Leech is a weird, literary, gothic sci-fi horror -- a stunning blend of genres -- that reminds me a little of Mary Shelley, a little of Jeff Vandermeer, a little of Sara A. Mueller and a little of Chana Porter.
It's a book that requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. If you skim any page, you're going to get lost real quick, because important information isn't repeated and the world-building is so subtle that most of it is seeded through conversation and one-off observations. Very little is explained (or answered), with the author trusting you to understand what's happening off of context clues -- refreshing for some, but potentially frustrating for others. And if you need characters and locations to be meticulously described, this isn't going to be the book for you.
But if you can deal with doing a little extra work as a reader, it's well worth the effort. Leech is spooky, strange, sad, gory and inventive as hell. I loved the time I spent with it, and I can tell it's going to live in my brain for a long time.
I received this book as a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to TOR and NetGalley!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy