Reviews tagging 'Death'

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

175 reviews

erin_mae9797's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.0

I feel kinda all over the place with this book. It felt really weird throughout the first half. Maeve talks a lot about her hatred of people but specifically her disgust for men. But then her initial two victims are women? I guess I could understand why
Hilda
gets the boot but I really didn't feel like
Claire's torture thing
was necessary. Also I really didn't like the fact that a lot of the more sexually violent methods of torture seemed to mostly happen to her female victims. Again, I just don't see how that aligns with her other beliefs or added much to the story.

Near the last 75 pages is where I was enjoying the story most. Once she finally breaks, the level of violence is so outlandish that it becomes fun. Whereas the violence in the first half of the book feels like it is teetering the line of being serious and being weird, the last section goes full throttle on the gore and absurdity. Maeve using
real human ears on a pair of mickey mouse ears
was so funny. Also the descriptions, specifically relating to the outcome of
the band and Dereck
were the perfect amount of stomach turning and cathartic gore for me. 

Weird mixed feelings on this one...was hoping to like it more than I actually did, so I guess I'll leave it at a 3  ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭ 
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nathaliereads25's review

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very graphic! 
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mleger97's review

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dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Psychooooo- I love it. Not me genuinely cheering for Maeve 🤪👹.  Where my hockey romance girls at 💘💘
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sydneyema's review

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kelsylee's review against another edition

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dark funny sad fast-paced

4.25

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trashynucleus's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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erika_iguess's review

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really needed things to start sooner and not in the last 50ish pages. But girl... if she would have stopped and LISTENED, they would have been unstoppable. 
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denee16's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I'll start by saying I actually really like CJ Leede's writing. Her word choice, vivid descriptions, well constructed characters (despite the insanity) was truly impressive. 
The amount of times I had to pause and process the insanity that I read was too many to count. I'm awful with gore descriptions, if you are too, this isn't the book for you. It was, to say the least, a LOT.
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soero725's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

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fayziekaywolf's review

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dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.75

"Maeve Fly" by C.J. Leede was a wild ride from start to finish. Right away, I was hooked by the writing—the rhythm and cadence of the prose made it so easy to fall into Maeve’s world. She’s such a fascinating character, and I loved being inside her head, following her through her day-to-day life as a theme park princess by day and something much darker by night.

This book was so close to being a 5-star read for me. While I loved the beginning and the overall atmosphere, I felt the middle section lost a bit of momentum. The pacing got a little choppy, which pulled me out of the story at times. But once the horror elements kicked in, they really kicked in. The last stretch of the book was an intense, fast-paced dive into gore and body horror—something I personally enjoy—but I do wish the author had spread those elements more evenly throughout the story to really let the gruesome moments land with full impact.

That said, I still think Maeve Fly is a great horror novel. It’s not for everyone—it leans into the grotesque and isn’t afraid to make the reader uncomfortable—but for those who enjoy extreme horror with a unique, modern voice, it’s definitely worth picking up. Leede delivers a bold and fearless debut, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next.
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