Sure thing, thanks so much for the ask!
6. What books have you read in the last month?
The Bear and the Nightingale (Katherine Arden) - I liked the writing style, the folktale feel, and how well you get to know the characters. Though I wish the beginning hadn't meandered so much.
Grave Empire (Richard Swan) - Decidedly meh. Interesting ideas, but the author used tropes I'm really not a fan of.
Ode to the Half-Broken (Suzanne Palmer) - The ending was abrupt and left me seriously wanting, but the rest was a lot of fun.
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary (J.R.R. Tolkien) - Really cool! I loved seeing not just the translation, but the work behind it.
The Hexologists (Josiah Bancroft) - 10/10 in my opinion. This was a reread to refresh my memory before leaping into book 2.
Tin Swift (Devon Monk) - Unfortunately didn't live up to the first book in the series, imo. Probably won't pick up the third book.
15. Recommend and review a book.
Do you like hive minds? Do you like parasitic, body-horror-inducing hive minds? Do you like your gothic horror with an injection of scifi? Do you like books that make you go "what the FUCK!!!" (< enjoying it)? Then oh boy, does Hiron Ennes have a Leech for you.
The doctor of a reclusive baron has died, and the Interprovincial Medical Institute sends our protagonist to find out why. Except our protagonist is the Institute. The Institute is a parasite; once infected, you become just another body of a MUCH larger hive mind, one that's comprised of every medical professional remaining in an apocalypse-ravaged world. The Institute has literal eyes in every human settlement. Which is why the doctor's death scares it so much. It should know what happened to this body of its, and it doesn't. Our protagonist arrives at the baron's chateau, and things go. Uh. Poorly.
I've never read a book quite like this before. I loved the experimental aspects of the POV, how said POV evolved, and how the author played with language. I also loved how the author toyed with my expectations of the world itself (i.e. "is this post-apocalyptic Earth? I think it is, but it might - where are we? how many apocalypses have there been?!"). Take care if you're squeamish; there's a healthy amount of gore, violence and medical talk, as well as frank depictions of abuse. I appreciate that the author doesn't sugarcoat these topics, dark as they can get, and gives them the weight and seriousness they deserve.
Now, Leech isn't perfect. There were a couple fuzzy points re: character details and consistency (I was hoping for more from the ice elk...), though nothing that impacted my overall enjoyment. And there were a few points, especially in the middle, where I felt like the narrative got stuck in the mud, spinning its tires as fast as it could but going not much of anywhere. But! This was a good, solid debut novel, and has a permanent home on my shelf now.
(Here's a link to the ask game post.)
