Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Maeve Fly

Maeve Fly is one of those rare books that feels like it was written for me. It has so many things that I love: horror, "D*sney", Halloween, horror movies, books, and so much more. I absolutely recognize that this book will NOT be for everyone. I would classify it as a very dark horror novel with its toes dipping into the extreme horror category.

I have not seen or read American Psycho, but I know enough about it and the character of Patrick Bateman to recognize the similarities between Bateman and Maeve. For one thing, Grady Hendrix mentions it on the cover's blurb, but Maeve goes through a critical change after seeing the book on her shelf. I have seen others say it's not as graphic as American Psycho, but I cannot speak to that.

Maeve mentions a few times the unfairness that men in horror are able to be killers for no reason while women always need some sort of trauma to justify their actions. We can only speculate on the presence of trauma in Maeve's past because we get absolutely no back story for her outside of a few flashbacks with her grandmother. Some may be frustrated with this, but I loved how it served to further Maeve's point. We don't know what's gone on in her life to bring her to this point, but that's not what this book is about. We're expected to buckle in and go for the ride, which I was absolutely willing to do.

For a former employee of the world's largest theme park, I couldn't help but notice some inaccuracies between the real world D*sney theme parks and the one presented in the books. I don't know if these inaccuracies are present to avoid potential legal disputes or if Leede genuinely did not know otherwise. Usually these inaccuracies would bother me, but I had no problem suspending my disbelief for this one.

This was a strong debut from CJ Leede and I cannot wait to see what's next.

Content Warnings

belletree's review

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dark sad 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

3.0

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mhh831666's review against another edition

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dark funny 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

4.0

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dernhelms_bag's review

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dark funny medium-paced

5.0

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connorjdaley's review against another edition

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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

I received the audio from NetGalley for review. This was one that I grabbed solely for the cover. After I was approved, I started seeing a lot of reviews, which definitely bumped it for me.

This novel is about Maeve Fly, a not-so specific “ice princess” at a not-so specific “amusement park” in California. She absolutely loves her job, but probably not for the reasons you’d imagine.

I enjoyed the literary voice in this as it’s almost poised as a good-for-her / finding yourself / meets Dexter-y esque inner-monologue type projection. I also liked how as the character becomes more unhinged, so does her crimes, and so does her public projection of herself. Sometimes literally going in public covered in real blood. Some might find that unbelievable, but I thought it nicely highlighted how people’s general perception is just I accept what they see and rationalize it. The police in the story included.

Other than that though, the character is incredibly narcissistic, completely misunderstanding themselves and the perception they present the world with. It’s arrogance in a not enjoyable way. Though the biggest flop for me, the stake in the heart, is the novels incredibly over-sexualized nature. This is something I’ve mentioned in reviews before, but it seems like such a large chunk of modern horror just uses sex and obscure kinks for whatever propellant it can get as shock value. And while again, I certainly find it “horrific” as it is a ‘horror’, that doesn’t mean I think it’s good or find it enjoyable.

The novel is still on the edge of enjoyability for me though for sure, and Sosie Bacon’s narration was fantastic. It’s quick, and that keeps it readable. Personally a 3/5* for me.

Content Warnings

aubdotcom's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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ande_thomas's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Maeve Fly is a princess. That is, she is an actress who portrays a popular ice princess at a large, unnamed and—I’m sure—entirely fictional theme park south of Los Angeles. She is also cynical, vulgar, unsympathetic, and struggling to control her violent urges. That’s pretty much all we know at the start of CJ Leede’s debut novel, Maeve Fly.

Even before its release on June 6, Maeve Fly has been building its reputation as a brutal, twisted addition to slasherdom, and we can go ahead and rip that band-aid off right off the bat—it’s a deserving reputation. Leede takes her time in building up to the mayhem, but it’s time well-spent, showing readers what makes Maeve’s brain tick in great detail.

Maeve is refreshingly complex, as far as antiheroes go. She is positively misanthropic, but she loves her job to death, despite it involving day upon day of countless interactions with children and families—a mandatory smile glued to her face. She’s good at it, too. In fact, even her rival and “unofficial” supervisor Liz, has to concede that Maeve, along with her best friend Kate (as the ice princess’s royal sister), garners more positive feedback from visitors than any other princess in the park.

Read more on What Sleeps Beneath!

Thanks to Tor Nightfire for an eARC of Maeve Fly in exchange for an unbiased review.

Content Warnings

clairebonney's review against another edition

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dark funny 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

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