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dernhelms_bag's review
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Violence, Physical abuse, Body horror, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, Torture, and Toxic relationship
enchantressreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Life is fleeting and meaningless and crying to be seized from behind and fucked into obscurity.”
I went into Maeve Fly knowing very little, but the connection to American Psycho made me very interested. I love books with terrible main characters, and I’m not sure what this says about me, but I had a certain connection with Maeve that made this story all the more enjoyable.
Maeve Fly is the granddaughter of famous actress Tallulah Fly. They started to get to know each other in Maeve’s adult years, once she left behind her family for a life change. She plays an icy princess at a very popular theme park, but there’s something hidden inside her basement that makes her more villain than protagonist.
She lives a very solitary life, especially now that Tallulah has been in a coma for a while now. She has one friend, Kate, with lots of potential and she expects to lose her sooner than later. When Kate’s brother Gideon enters the picture, she gets an itch to change the way she’s been living.
This book was predictable, to me at least, but that didn’t really make it any less enjoyable. I loved Maeve’s internal dialogue and loved learning about the different ways she ticked. I definitely commend Leede for Maeve’s portrayal.
This is a dark story. There are plenty of content warnings (listed below), but there’s also some humor involved. It really is reminiscent of American Psycho without being any kind of ripoff or retelling. Maeve is her own story.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Torture, Sexual assault, Body horror, Gore, Death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Bullying
Minor: Racism
booktoad's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Torture
autumnleafgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Genre: Extreme Horror
Themes: Quarter life crisis, killer women, extreme gore, slasher, the entertainment biz
The titular Maeve Fly is a 27-year-old on the brink of her quarter-life crisis: Her coworker and best friend is on the edge of stardom, her kindred-spirit grandmother is dying, and someone is leaving strange dolls at Maeve's favorite haunts in Hollywood. In the days leading up to Halloween night, we watch as Maeve slowly - and then all at once - loses the tight grip that holds her life together and gives into the extreme violence that sleeps fitfully within her.
Here's the thing, though: Maeve might be depressed, disgusting, and deranged but she's also somehow, some way, kind of likeable. Her morbid investment in every little thing in her quickly collapsing world, from the wellbeing of her grandmother's cat to the theme park princess job she unironically loves, is tenderized by her snide humor and endless supply of Halloween music trivia. She's not detached or unemotional - if anything, her big feelings about everything seem to be the thing she hates about herself the most. And frankly, all of that just makes what she does to express those feelings even more squirm- inducing to read about.
While only around 250 pages, this novel still manages to pack a very greasy, gorey punch with Maeve's explicitly visceral descent into madness. Gross from beginning to end with a significant portion of the book essentially a montage of graphic violence, this book isn't for the faint of heart, the faint of stomach, or the early horror reader. Instead, it's perfect for readers who thought Mona Awad's "Bunny" or Ottessa Moshfegh's "Eileen" didn't go far enough and should have been set in the glam and grime of LA. Think long and hard, then wait two hours after eating before dipping your toe in this pool.
The verdict: As nauseated as I still am an hour after finishing up this book, there's an excellent chance that Maeve Fly will top my horror list at the end of the year. I know exactly the horror fiend friends I'll recommend it to, and for those looking to fill a hypersexual murderess-shaped hole in their shelf, Maeve Fly will honestly soar.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Cancer, Medical content, Cannibalism, Gore, Abandonment, Drug use, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Murder, Stalking, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Violence, Vomit, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Classism, Stalking, Body shaming, and Suicide