Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede

31 reviews

pigsjillyjiggs's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Medical content, Grief, Vomit, Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

hauntedantiqueshop's review

dark mysterious 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

3.5

Hey, quick question— what the fuck was this?

Oddly enough, I did kind of like it though. Not the gross shit but the overall story I suppose. The ending made me a little sad for Maeve but I didn’t really expect a happy ending for her. Definitely not a book for everyone, I don’t think there’s anyone I would ever recommend it to. But I am interested in reading something from this author again!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Death, Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Drug use, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Excrement

Really weird sex stuff. Like uncomfortably weird sex stuff.

mxpringle's review

dark medium-paced

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

4.25

This is probably one of the most depraved and bizarre books I've ever read, which is definitely saying something. I feel like I could've used more background as to how the events that happened in Maeve's life or thoughts she had led her to doing certain actions in the book, because a lot of the actions she did just seemed so off the rails that I couldn't see any human reasoning behind it anymore. It kind of felt like the things she did were just like trying to get a reaction out of the reader rather than being authentic character development. However, this was still overall a really interesting/enjoyable read (though very dark and depraved). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Mental illness, Rape, Medical content, Blood, Gore, Murder, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Drug use, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Alcohol

Minor: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy

alicelalicon's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, and Torture

albernikolauras's review

dark funny 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

3.5

An utterly disgusting book following a grossly unlikeable main character who works as a Disney princess in (what I assume is) California Adventure. This book was one of those "it's a trainwreck but I can't look away" where Maeve is the trainwreck. Cue the body horror in so many indulgently gross ways. I enjoyed this in a very uncomfortable way and just because, in some ways, I think Maeve and the city of Los Angeles were well-portrayed - even if they were unbearable at times.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. It felt like a complete severing of the tension building throughout the novel. Overall, though, I feel like some of the scenes from this will haunt me - which is exactly what I would want from this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Torture, and Grief

Details on some of the content warnings -

Very graphic scenes of torture, of sexualization of torture, of cutting up bodies or sticking hamsters in orifices. Of doxing people's information. Just a lot.

atmissv's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I loved this book, but it is DARK! I read a review that compared it with American Psycho, and that is an apt comparison - though this one has more moments of (dark dark pitch black) humor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

axel_p's review

dark funny 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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Content Warnings

Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Body shaming, Gore, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, and Torture

trashgobby's review

dark reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Death, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Animal death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Bullying

Minor: Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Vomit, Suicide, and Body shaming

natahoochie's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

WTF. Horrifying. Brutal. Incredible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug use, Stalking, Gore, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Body horror, Blood, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, Child death, Bullying, Rape, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia and Vomit

Minor: Abortion

iambigsmelly's review

challenging dark 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

3.5

This book is difficult. In a sense that it's messed up in every way. But this trope of body mutilation during sexual acts is tiresome. It's too easy. I was recommended this as body horror. It is not. It's scrapping the bottom of the barrel in terms of body horror. 

That being said it is a book that makes you want to keep going. Every "what the fuck" moment makes you want the next one. Just like our killer Maeve it taps into a primal obsession. 

It's odd, disgusting, but intriguing, possibly projecting? 

I give it 4.5-5 in terms of how it's written, fast paced, and in your face. Poetic but not too cliché that it's boring. But it takes a bit hit cause IMO I hate this trope in "body horror". It's 2 dimensional. Instead of putting things in places that don't belong, why not make places become something that don't belong?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Rape