Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

190 reviews

bdingz's review against another edition

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dark funny 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

4.5

A woman must first endure a victimhood of some sort—abandonment, abuse, oppression of the patriarchy—to be monstrous. Men have always been permitted in fiction and in life to simply be what they are, no matter how dark or terrifying that might be. But with a woman, we expect an answer, a reason.

This was a wild ride and my first foray into splatterpunk. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! Creepy, funny, icky. I support women’s wrongs.

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lackof_shelf_control's review

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3.0


‼️ᴛᴡ: ʀᴀᴘᴇ, ᴅʀᴜɢɢɪɴɢ, ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ ɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴜᴛɪʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴅɪsᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ, ᴛᴏʀᴛᴜʀᴇ, ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ᴀʙᴜsᴇ ‼️ 

ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴏɴ ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅs sᴛᴀʀᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜ “ ᴡᴛғ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ?” , ʙᴜᴛ sᴇʀɪᴏᴜsʟʏ ᴡᴛғ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ? ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴅɪsɴᴇʏ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇss sᴀᴅɪsᴛ 🤯 ɪ sᴀᴡ ᴀ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ʙʟɪɴᴅ 😳 ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs sᴛᴏʀʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜɴɴᴇᴄᴇssᴀʀɪʟʏ ɢʀᴏss. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ sᴇx ᴀɴᴅ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ 🤮 ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ sᴍᴜᴛ, sᴏ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴀ ʙɪɢ ᴘᴜɴᴄʜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. ʟᴜᴄᴋɪʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪsɴ’ᴛ sᴜᴘᴇʀ ʟᴏɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪs. ɪ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ 𝟹 ⭐️ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ғʟʏ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ - ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ɪ ᴡɪsʜ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ. 

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rowan27's review

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

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ladytanuks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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emilyyjjean's review

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dark tense fast-paced

5.0

Wow, just wow. I just don't know how to articulate my thoughts right now after reading this. I loved it, but also I'm thinking "WTF did I just read?!". It's teetering on extreme horror, and won't be for everyone. Definitely take a look at content warnings before starting. If you're someone that can stomach a lot of things and you love horror, I'd say give this book a try though. 

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biobeetle's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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

3.75


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brutallybookish's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

I adore this book. The author does a fantastic job of setting up an unsettling, off kilter inner world for our main character, Maeve, and being inside her mind was a dark and fantastic escape. The start was a bit slow for me, but as soon as the action started, I became fully immersed and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The characters were complex, and getting a glimpse into the LA world was fascinating. I also really appreciated all of the music and literary references throughout the story, and adding them in made Maeve even more realistic as a character. The ending was so emotional, poetic, and perfect, and I didn't see it coming at all. I highly recommend this to most readers who enjoy horror and don't mind some gore and a slight psychological break.

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aus10england's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

3.5

Maeve you freak nasty b*tch

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katizwitchy's review

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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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WOWIE. Wow. 
My first thought after finishing this was "I need to walk this off."

Man, what a novel. If you have the stomach to read this, please do. Yes, it is awful and grotesque at times, but oh my god it is also ART. Women being horrible, complex, violent beings in the way men have been allowed to be for years is a perspective I didn't know I needed. The scariest thing about this novel is how easily you can find yourself agreeing with Maeve, seeing the line of thinking, right up until the brutal reality hits you full force and you feel the weight of shame and disgust for ever even slightly agreeing with her. 

I cannot put into words how this novel affects me, other than saying that I will be thinking about it for a very long time. Where the R-rated scenes started to lose me, Leede would hook me back in with a beautiful piece of prose about grief, identity, and the depravedness and inherent evil that exists in simply being human. This book makes you confront the parts of yourself that are a bad person, even when you're nowhere near Maeve's level of bad person. 

I didn't like American Psycho the film, mostly because it gave me anxiety from all of the violence against women, but switching the narrative and confronting our gendered understanding of violence made me approach with curiosity instead of fear and disgust. And I think that's what I'm left with. I have so many questions I'd love to ask the author, and lots to think about in terms of how I approach typical horror media. 

If you don't have a stomach for some of the things I've described here, or aren't ready to confront darker shades of humanity than you deal with in your day-to-day, then don't read this. There were definitely parts that made me viscerally uncomfortable, as all good horror should have. But there were also very poignant commentaries on the idea of what makes an idol, what separates good and bad in a person, and what lies in between. 

I don't know that I could pick up this book again. And, in my opinion, that's what makes a great psychological horror story. 

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henripop's review

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challenging dark tense medium-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

3.0


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