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citybound13's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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
I loved the beginning of this book but the second half had some serious pacing issues. The budding romance between two of the main characters was the best part of the book aside from the murderous debauchery and I felt like that aspect gets neglected at the end.
Content Warnings
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
bucketsjen's review against another edition
DNFed after the main character and her love interest rape a woman on-page.
Weirdly, I can still see someone as a troubled or fucked up but still sympathetic protagonist when they've killed. But casually committing sexual assault has made it so I now just don't care what happens to either of these characters. It might seem like an odd difference but it's where it lands for me personally. Extreme violent behavior and murder is rare enough that it just hits a different compared to sexual assault that happens to a disturbingly high percentage of women, somowrhais that's why. I'm not traumatized but I think the book was gearing up for a tragic end and I just can't see myself caring about sorrow falling on them, so it feels pointless to continue reading.
Even before that particular point, I knew that I wasn't enjoying the book as much as I thought I would based on the premise. It tries a little too hard to be unique and edgy (just like its protagonist, who I think would have come off better if she'd been set as a younger age - her Holden Caulfield vibe just hits different when the character is 27). It plays with violence and sexual deviance and taboo in ways that are sometimes interesting but are also sometimes trying too hard to be weird and outlandish.
The detailed description of Southern California were not quite right. It reads like someone who was fascinated with the history and idea of Los Angeles and the surrounding area but was most definitely not from there. I'd say it'd fit the main character since she's not from the area but it didn't read like she was supposed to be seeing things falsely.
I did like that despite being edgelordy, Maeve also did genuinely enjoy things. The strict rules and expectations she maintained in her world was also interesting to see, and it touched her rage in ways that existed even before Gideon started to encourage her.
Overall, though, the book just didn't land for me.
Weirdly, I can still see someone as a troubled or fucked up but still sympathetic protagonist when they've killed. But casually committing sexual assault has made it so I now just don't care what happens to either of these characters. It might seem like an odd difference but it's where it lands for me personally. Extreme violent behavior and murder is rare enough that it just hits a different compared to sexual assault that happens to a disturbingly high percentage of women, somowrhais that's why. I'm not traumatized but I think the book was gearing up for a tragic end and I just can't see myself caring about sorrow falling on them, so it feels pointless to continue reading.
Even before that particular point, I knew that I wasn't enjoying the book as much as I thought I would based on the premise. It tries a little too hard to be unique and edgy (just like its protagonist, who I think would have come off better if she'd been set as a younger age - her Holden Caulfield vibe just hits different when the character is 27). It plays with violence and sexual deviance and taboo in ways that are sometimes interesting but are also sometimes trying too hard to be weird and outlandish.
The detailed description of Southern California were not quite right. It reads like someone who was fascinated with the history and idea of Los Angeles and the surrounding area but was most definitely not from there. I'd say it'd fit the main character since she's not from the area but it didn't read like she was supposed to be seeing things falsely.
I did like that despite being edgelordy, Maeve also did genuinely enjoy things. The strict rules and expectations she maintained in her world was also interesting to see, and it touched her rage in ways that existed even before Gideon started to encourage her.
Overall, though, the book just didn't land for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
fictionalfabrication's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There was one point in this book that physically brought me to my knees in the middle of my work day. It was vile and disgusting and brutal and beautiful. I've never been so horrified and enamored in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder
swrig052's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Not quite my cup of tea, that's all
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
selendrea's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I have a bone to pick with whoever decided to market this novel as "feminist" literature. Is the feminism in the room with us??
Maeve Fly has a lot to appreciate within its covers. Its antiheroine is unique and and deliciously depraved, and Maeve's descriptions of Los Angeles' ethos are interesting and thought-provoking. The contrast between working as Disney princess but moonlighting as a psychopath is a wonderfully macabre idea for a book. Too bad this book goes virtually nowhere with that idea.
Leede is talented at writing prose, point blank. She uses words like a skillful dance, constructing sentences that provoke emotion and vivid imagery. I was impressed by how well-written some of the paragraphs were. Unfortunately, at times, it felt over written, as if the author was trying too hard to come across as intellectual. Some run-on sentences started to drag on, requiring me to re-read them a handful of times to fully process their meaning. Additionally, the repetitive use of the wolf/monkey metaphor was more cringey than it was impactful or artistic.
On that note, the tone of this novel is the flavor of pseudo-intellectual that I would have loved as a teenager, and that's not a compliment. Maeve is insufferable. I could forgive an unlikeable protagonist if they have other redeeming qualities, if their flaws are making a statement, or if their character development goes anywhere. Instead, Maeve remains generally one-note, and spends her time belittling other women for their interests and motivations. I got the sense that Maeve took herself vastly too seriously while also being a bona-fide Disney adult with a Halloween fetish. Competing with other women over men's attention, purposefully making people - especially other women - uncomfortable, sexually assaulting multiple people, and viewing yourself as better than them for your "unique" tastes is not feminist - it's internalized misogyny to its core. I was hoping that Leede would expand on the metaphor of women having to put on a costume to survive in society, like Maeve dons the Elsa costume, but this connection is mostly left unspoken.
Moreover, finding yourself through a man is not feminist. Maeve does this both bygetting closer to Gideon, which helps to awaken this "wolf" inside of her, as well as being inspired by Patrick Bateman and literally copying one of his murders. The driver of her character development is not herself, is not her grandmother. It is primarily the influence of men.
Despite this novel's long list of content warnings, I found it to be particularly devoid of the gory, action packed scenes it needed to really solidify itself in the horror genre. I didn't hate the ending, but felt it was that same overused trope ofthe protagonist overreacting instead of communicating with their love interest. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but Maeve Fly is an example of such wasted potential that I find to be incredibly disappointing.
Maeve Fly has a lot to appreciate within its covers. Its antiheroine is unique and and deliciously depraved, and Maeve's descriptions of Los Angeles' ethos are interesting and thought-provoking. The contrast between working as Disney princess but moonlighting as a psychopath is a wonderfully macabre idea for a book. Too bad this book goes virtually nowhere with that idea.
Leede is talented at writing prose, point blank. She uses words like a skillful dance, constructing sentences that provoke emotion and vivid imagery. I was impressed by how well-written some of the paragraphs were. Unfortunately, at times, it felt over written, as if the author was trying too hard to come across as intellectual. Some run-on sentences started to drag on, requiring me to re-read them a handful of times to fully process their meaning. Additionally, the repetitive use of the wolf/monkey metaphor was more cringey than it was impactful or artistic.
On that note, the tone of this novel is the flavor of pseudo-intellectual that I would have loved as a teenager, and that's not a compliment. Maeve is insufferable. I could forgive an unlikeable protagonist if they have other redeeming qualities, if their flaws are making a statement, or if their character development goes anywhere. Instead, Maeve remains generally one-note, and spends her time belittling other women for their interests and motivations. I got the sense that Maeve took herself vastly too seriously while also being a bona-fide Disney adult with a Halloween fetish. Competing with other women over men's attention, purposefully making people - especially other women - uncomfortable, sexually assaulting multiple people, and viewing yourself as better than them for your "unique" tastes is not feminist - it's internalized misogyny to its core. I was hoping that Leede would expand on the metaphor of women having to put on a costume to survive in society, like Maeve dons the Elsa costume, but this connection is mostly left unspoken.
Moreover, finding yourself through a man is not feminist. Maeve does this both by
Despite this novel's long list of content warnings, I found it to be particularly devoid of the gory, action packed scenes it needed to really solidify itself in the horror genre. I didn't hate the ending, but felt it was that same overused trope of
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Excrement and Vomit
welsh_witch's review
I loved this from the first sentence, and I read about 3/4 of it, but Maeve got too disgusting and disturbing for me and I put it down, intending to DNF it. But I kept thinking about it… Had to go back and finish it off. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the ending (starting with the drugging, torture, and murder of Andre and Liz, which is where I tapped out) was as good as the rest of the book. Anyway, not for the faint of heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Excrement
coffincandy's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
2.0
This, surprisingly, was not for me & I’m sad about it lol. I’ll break my review down by what I liked & didn’t because there were a few things I enjoyed & I don’t want this review to only be a rant!
What I liked:
👍 the juxtaposition between Maeve genuinely loving being a theme park princess & Maeve being a torturer/serial killer
👍 the halloween setting (including the fun morbid diy decor *wink*), the parties, Grandma Tallulah
👍 the kills
👍 the many music & film references
👍 Andre’s mickey ears (iykyk)
What I didn’t like:
👎 this wasn’t splatterpunk/horror enough for me; I wanted more Hollywood men to get their comeuppance, and I wasn’t really shocked by the more gruesome scenes (the 🥚 tho, um…)
👎 now tell me ~w h y~ it took a MAN for Maeve to embrace her “dark side?”
👎 I’ve never read a dark or hockey romance, but I got heavy dark romance/hockey romance vibes that I was not expecting at all...& there was more description of those types of scenes than the crimes & the cleanup, although this is marketed as horror...
👎 a supposed feminist SA-ing women (kinda goes against a lot of what she says, especially about men)
👎 repetitive & cliche wolf metaphors
👎 people not using their words/people not listening for even two seconds
👎 the ending, which connects to my above point omg (but I also see why it had to be that way 😂)
What I liked:
👍 the juxtaposition between Maeve genuinely loving being a theme park princess & Maeve being a torturer/serial killer
👍 the halloween setting (including the fun morbid diy decor *wink*), the parties, Grandma Tallulah
👍 the kills
👍 the many music & film references
👍 Andre’s mickey ears (iykyk)
What I didn’t like:
👎 this wasn’t splatterpunk/horror enough for me; I wanted more Hollywood men to get their comeuppance, and I wasn’t really shocked by the more gruesome scenes (the 🥚 tho, um…)
👎 now tell me ~w h y~ it took a MAN for Maeve to embrace her “dark side?”
👎 I’ve never read a dark or hockey romance, but I got heavy dark romance/hockey romance vibes that I was not expecting at all...& there was more description of those types of scenes than the crimes & the cleanup, although this is marketed as horror...
👎 a supposed feminist SA-ing women (kinda goes against a lot of what she says, especially about men)
👎 repetitive & cliche wolf metaphors
👎 people not using their words/people not listening for even two seconds
👎 the ending, which connects to my above point omg (but I also see why it had to be that way 😂)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, and Murder
emsuleiman's review
challenging
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
4.25
This book made me feels things. Because at first thought really aant to see the good in Maeve no matter how many times she tries to tell you that she isn't good. I felt the ending was a bit rushed for me, but overall it was very interesting and I will definitely pick up more of CJ Leede in the future.
P.S. I'm never looking at a curling iron and a soft boiled egg the same.
P.S. I'm never looking at a curling iron and a soft boiled egg the same.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Sexual assault
thisiskellyok's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Deliciously dark, if a bit too much for me at times. A little let down by the ending, but overall a good one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
The sexual violence and animal death happens “off screen” or whatever the equivalent of that is for a book, but it is mentioned and described though not while it’s happening.sydnie90's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In this slasher story, Maeve Fly is sadistic woman who has learned to keep her murderous inclinations (mostly) at bay by her equally dangerous grandmother. That is until Maeve feels her world begin to fall apart. She decides to take a page from Patrick Bateman's book and inflict her evil on the world. This book is gory, upsetting, and very well-written. It's certainly not for everyone, but I couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder