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fayziekaywolf'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
4.75
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.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use
zoidtobias's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
amaranth_wytch's review
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Rape, Terminal illness, and Cannibalism
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Stalking
gmrickel's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Rape, Torture, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug use
percy_still's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
anjnryn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This author is credited as being a new entrance to feminist horror lit, but I didn’t find any feminist angles in this book other than the main character was a female psychopath. Another review I read noted the incredible amount of groping by this character which I have to say was notable. The character also tries to liken herself to Elsa and keeps trying to emphasize how different Elsa is from other princesses and it got tiring and reeked of insecurity from the author and character. Other feminist angles were also pushed, such as being dominant sexually, taking back control, and channeling her grandmother, but they were lost for me in the writing and honestly erratic storytelling.
Ultimately, while this was a hugely character-driven story, there was no big growth or revelation in my opinion and the change in the characters persona was predictable and frankly underwhelming. Paired with the fact that the character was written to be an insufferable narcissist, the lack of redeeming qualities made it more difficult for me to enjoy reading about her. In fact, the secondary characters were much more interesting to think about but the book was about this one person. There is also a heavy leaning on the grandmother but it doesn’t really add anything much to the story overall, other than maybe her grandmother was like her (or rather, she is like her grandmother).
Despite all this, the book is quite a fast read. The second half seemed really rushed and the first half I guess was meant to be some psychological thing but it really fell flat. The second half of the book, where the horror aspects pick up, is easy to get through which is really what got me through to the end.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Excrement
anatomicalpuppet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
kimnairn86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
citybound13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
yellerreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i loved maeve. i loved her with my entire heart and more. she was an iconic character with just an incredible persona and story. i became her when i read her words, and heard her monologue. normally, i am not a fan of the monologue inner dialogue books (namely, my heart is a chainsaw). however, this one was different. it was beautiful and absolutely gut wrenching. i laughed, i gasped, i rooted her on, and most importantly, i cried my fucking eyes out for the last few chapters.
i don’t know what it is about her, but something about her was so different from any other character i have read. she was unique in the best way. she wasn’t obnoxious and annoying. she wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t a typical woman main character. she was something different entirely.
SPOILERS AHEAD
my heart absolutely broke because i KNEW what was about to come at the end and i was begging her not to do it. gideon was just like her. they were perfect for each other. so so perfect for each other and she KILLED. HIM. they could have had everything. and i sat there begging her to just listen to him, not to do it. but she did it. and i cried while she killed the man she loved because he thought he didn’t see her. but he saw her more than anyone. more than even her grandmother. this book is so much more than what it seems. the entire thing is a metaphorical masterpiece of love and loss and pain and growth. i love these characters and i love this book.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Eating disorder