I've seen so many 5 star reviews for this one.. unfortunately, I have to disagree (I'm sorry!!!). I was immediately turned off by how difficult it was to understand not only the plot, but even just what was being said in any given sentence. For context, I'm a fan of magical realism and horror, which I thought this one would be in the vein of. But it was more in line with fantasy, in which you really have to learn new words to understand (think DUNE and LOTR, which I am NOT a fan of). And the plot just did not seem like it would be worth sticking it out.

Based on the other reviewers, give this one a try. But I just couldn't get on board, I'm sorry.

Scary, compulsive and fascinating. A very readable but complex book, really difficult to classify it has just a bit of everything you would want in a novel.

I was not expecting how much I utterly adored this book.

A wonderful mix of Gothic, Sci fi and mystery all set in a haunting backdrop with a wonderful cast of characters which will have you mind racing long after you put this book down.

The perfect read as the nights are drawing in and getting colder here in the UK. Come on a journey with a new doctor heading to the cursed Chateau where his predecessor has seemingly taken his own life.

The start of this book gave me a similar foreboding to that of Jonathon Harker as he travels towards the counts castle in Dracula - and it does not disappoint.

The foreboding continues as the doctor arrives in this new snow covered location with everyone they meet inferring 'it's not safe at night' reading through my notes I wrote at one point 'Vampire/Demon Possesion/HiveMind' every page had me guessing on what was going to happen next.

But as the story unravels you realise the doctor is not at all what they seem and the dawning moments of realisation don't stop there.

Ennes did an amazing job at keeping you guessing and when you thought you had a grip on what was happening -BAM! another shocking revelation.

I dying to know if there is going to be a second book.

I would love to know what happens next...

Thank you to Hiron Ennes, Pan Macmillan, Tor and Net Galley for gifting me an ARC copy of this in exchange for an honest review

Gothic, atmospheric and unique. If you are looking for something a little different, look no further!

This was intriguing and quite interesting at times, but also super confusing. It was hard to follow the story and the pacing was super slow. I wish there had been some more horror elements, but the gothic vibes were fun. Not the best read ever, but certainly interesting.

Innovative Gothic horror

In a world long-since ravaged by environmental catastrophes, a young doctor arrives at a remote northern chateau to investigate the death of a colleague.

Leech is an extraordinary hybrid of Frankenstein, The Thing and Aliya Whiteley. Ennes is a skilled worldbuilder and manages the ambitious plot with aplomb.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

I’ve seen quite a few 5 star reviews for Leech, so my viewpoint might be in the minority but I was so tempted at multiple points to DNF this book, it was only down to the fact that I’m quite ahead on my TBR deadlines that I stuck it out.

The premise of Leech is an interesting one – the book is told through the perspective of an un-named Parasite infecting a Doctor’s body. The parasite is part of The Institute – an organisation which infects young minds and shapes them to be Doctors with enhanced knowledge of healing. When one of their bodies dies in a remote castle, our protagonist is sent to investigate.

Although the idea of a parasite as the lead character is an interesting one, it actually made for a confusing read. At the beginning they can see into other minds and other bodies in other places which makes the narrative a little hard to follow in places. When it then becomes just the main character you then don’t feel much empathy for them as they don’t have much of a personality. The ending then takes another turn as you see flashbacks from other characters who the parasite has infected. I think this perhaps needed chapter headings as it jumped from flashback to present day.

The whole book can be summed up by the word ‘confusing’. The local dialect that is used is very hard to understand and even in the standard prose the author uses unusual and difficult to understand words (or even words that are made up, in places) which makes for a very tedious read. Although it’s relatively short, it definitely drags. All of the characters are awful with no redeeming qualities which, without a strong or interesting main character, means you have no-one to route for throughout.

Although initially I thought it was a horror set in the past, there is actually a lot of fantasy elements woven into the story which just make it harder to work out what’s going on. One of the characters has a tail, which is never explained, there’s a pair a child twins whose hair gets tangled together at various points. I couldn’t really understand if they were supposed to be conjoined twins or not and then at one point they walk through walls and it’s implied they might be dead? I have no idea… The village is mining for Wheatrock which I understood until they started eating it. All of the scenes set in the dining room in the castle just read like a fever dream.

Overall Leech is an interesting premise but it’s a real mess - full of unlikeable characters, hard to understand words and a difficult to discern plot. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Tor for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an atmospheric Gothic-cum-sci-fi horror that focusses on a creature trying to study another. It has a cold, creepy feel but as is common with Gothic novels, it can take a minute to get invested/get into it properly as it comes with the slow burn. Set in a frozen north, in an old chataeu with some interesting history, Leech sets a close atmosphere that will keep you intrigued.

It is so difficult to describe this book because of its wonderful uniqueness. It is certainly a Gothic horror story, but there are also post apocalyptic science fiction and fantasy elements in the mix. This is one of the most original books I have read for a very long time and one I won't forget in a hurry..

At first I had no idea what I was reading and nearly gave up. I am so glad I persevered. The more I read the more I became immersed in in this dark and chilling tale. A disturbing read and at times I had to walk away from this book. Personally I have never read a book like this before sci-fi meets horror from a nasty little parasite. I must admit that after I had finished this book I slept with the lights on. Too many dark shadows, this book really got under my skin. You will understand once you have read this book. This is a MUST READ!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this to start off with as I found the style of talking of some of the characters incredibly annoying, and I was on the verge of giving up. I’m so pleased I didn’t…

Once I got my head into it I couldn’t put it down, the story sucked me in and spat me out at the other end feeling exhausted, and creeped out.

Very briefly, this is about a doctor from the Medical Institute who is sent off to the Baron’s chateau to replace his doctor who has just died…The Baron is an awful awful man, and lives there with his long suffering son, wife, grandchildren, staff….and a parasite…

If you like creepy, then you will love this!

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

There is a lot to unpack in this book and I don't think I'm smart enough to grasp exactly what it was trying to do. I spent most of my time with it pretty bemused over what was happening. There is some fabulously creepy imagery at work here and the author's writing is great, but the story itself just didn't connect with me as much as I wanted it to. I thought the discussion around being present in your own body was interesting and there was a definite 'body-snatchers' vibe running throughout, which I appreciated. Overall, this book will definitely find its audience, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm it!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I already can’t wait to reread this gem of a book at Halloween time. I’ve never read a book like this and it surprised me at every turn. It takes a little while to get used to the voice of the novel due to its detachment but you soon learn how vital the particular voice is. The tone of book remains sinister throughout but it’s not without its lighter moments. For fans of Sayaka Murata, you won’t be disappointed by this weird but wholly human story.

Closer to a 2.5 star rating.

Leech was ultra-weird, claustrophobic, and atmospheric.

I really enjoyed idea behind the plot. I love any kind of apocalyptic/disaster vibe and the snowy setting was right up my street. The medical aspect was great and felt really natural. However, overall, I really struggled with this book.

The writing style just wasn’t for me. I understand why the story was in first person, to make the hive-mind work, but I find it really hard to enjoy super atmospheric books when they’re in first person. Character-wise, I didn’t really connect to the main character, though I did enjoy Émile.

I wouldn’t say this was a particularly scary horror, which is to be expected as it is described as gothic horror and the unsettling atmosphere was the focus. It’s definitely on the slower-side of horror, but it didn’t drag. The author did do a great job of making the chateau feel super isolated and unsettling, I just struggled to get immersed in the story because of the writing style.

Overall, although this book didn’t work for me, I really was intrigued by the concept. I would recommend Leech to anyone who enjoys gothic and or weird books, such as The Book Eaters. I would also really recommend picking this one up in the colder months. It is worth noting that, although I didn’t find the body horror elements too bad, you might struggle with them if you tend to be more squeamish as they’re described in a good amount of detail.

Content warnings: Body horror, gore/blood, medical horror/experimentation, fire/arson, pregnancy, miscarriage/stillbirth, child sexual abuse, dysphoria.

I really loved the concept of this book, it was creepy and descriptive. It kept me hooked from start to finish and I think it's a really clever thriller that readers are going to love. Would highly recommend.

Leech is a genre bending sci-fi/thriller/horror mash-up following a doctor who is part of a hive mind known as the Interprovincial Medical Institute. For hundreds of years they have built up this hive mind by taking root in young minds, possessing them and shaping them into doctors, slowly replacing every human practitioner of medicine. Following the mysterious death of one of their doctors in an isolated castle to the far north, a replacement doctor is sent to investigate. Yet upon arrival they find not a simple cause of death for the original doctor, but another parasite. Along with the other inhabitants trapped inside the dark castle by the freezing winter winds, these two enemies will battle for ultimate control, amidst a web of secrets and lies. The question is not who will make it out alive, but what?

This was quite a strange book and I'm entirely sure how I felt about it. I was very excited to read it because doctors !! horror !! and the comp to gideon the ninth !! however I feel like it didn't really deliver on any of these things. Having said that it was very compelling to keep reading and an engaging writing style, with an excellent and atmospheric gothic setting.

I was slightly disappointed with the lack of medicine in this book, especially since the main character is a doctor and the author is a medical student (to my knowledge), however I feel that is a very personal thing lol and will not bother most people. I feel like there were enough medical words in there to fit an aesthetic but didn't really have any purpose or meaning beyond being there for the sake of sounding erudite.

The author also made a slightly strange stylist choice of dropping every instance of the letter f and I'm still not entirely sure of the purpose of this as was never explained and just seemed a bit strange if there was no purpose to it in the story.

I feel like I've been quite harsh so far but I did enjoy the thriller elements of the book, I thought the tension built up well and the climax was gripping. There was less horror elements than I was expecting although I'm entirely sure if I just felt like this because I'm immune to body horror and therefore didn't notice it lol or if it actually wasn't there.

Overall I would say if you are looking for an atmospheric gothic thriller you would like this one but I don't think it has had a long lasting impact on me or was I particularly attached to the characters.

Well, that was refreshing! It's been a while since I read something like that for the NetGalley review.
There are a few genres beautifully woven into this book - sci-fi, gothic thriller, horror, bits of drama... I love this combo. It's very atmospheric, the suspense builds up beautifully and evolves to more and more action as it goes.
Great idea of the surreal parasitic alternative world.
That's about as much as I can tell without dropping a spoiler or few. If you dig this genre(s), go, read this dark, yet fascinating book!
Also - the cover done by Sam Weber is fabulous and fitting, as always! A beauty worth having in a personal library.

Sadly I couldn't read this advanced copy.
It's totally fine in an advanced copy that there are spelling mistakes,
but this one had so many and sometimes half of the words were missing.
It was just not readable, I am very sorry.
But I'm very excited to follow up on upcoming reviews to see if this horror title fits for our bookshop.

(This rating does not mirror the book content whatsoever!)

An unusual, dark and very creepy novel. It crosses many genres, dystopia, horror, science fiction and may appeal to readers who want to submerge themselves. Sadly, the book was not for me.

An Unusual and Gothic Horror Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for this Advanced Review Copy.

I haven't ever read a book quite like this, I don't think. The main character is a parasite with hosts throughout numerous human bodies, across what remains of the known world, and who has memories and experiences spanning centuries.

"The sight of this old train car saddens me, though I cannot quite articulate why." ... from this opening line, we meet the new 'institute doctor' [AKA parasite] on their way to replace the old one, who's just died at a remote chateau. Quite quickly, things get weird and intriguing. Completely out of the parasite's experience, he/she/it cannot remember huge chunks of the 'doctor's' last days at the chateau. And that's only the beginning of the strangeness. It turns out another pathogen is on the loose, and it becomes a race against time for the 'doctor' to identify, find, and neutralise this threat, which seems able to disconnect the 'institute parasite' from its host[s]. All clear enough so far?

I don't know in what genre I would place this, and other reviewers call it 'Gothic Horror', which seems as apt as any, so I'll choose that too. First up, this book needs trigger warnings for content. As the story progresses, the reader will come across: dysphoria, child sexual abuse, blood & gore depiction, medical experimentation, and arson, etc. The chateau and its baron are awful, to put it lightly. So, at times, this makes for heavy reading. The narrative also has its light moments with a wonderful sense of humour throughout. The story is both chilling and morally complex, and from that perspective, incredibly well written. Here are some lines I loved ...

"He lied so well even he didn't know it."

And ...

"Fortunately, he is not the kind of man who explodes. He only simmers and melts."

And ...

"... she knew never to look in a mirror in that place, lest her reflection move without her."

Near the end, we have a lovely line which rounds off wonderfully to where we started on the train ... hint: it's about a pair of institute gloves. I don't want to put in spoilers, so I'll say no more here. Sadly, the ending fizzled out somewhat, after so much struggle and pain and perseverance, and the reader doesn't get to learn whether or not the surviving characters make it. This felt like a let down for me. So, all in all, I found this an enjoyable read--if confusing at times--but one that didn't satisfy in the closing. The book contains some wonderful lines and descriptions, and tackles difficult topics, with vivid and real-to-life characters and fantastic world-building. For certain, I found it compelling and had to keep going. It gets a soft four stars from me. If you enjoy something a bit different, then this might be the book for you.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.


5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.