Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

161 reviews

katizwitchy's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

ketamineio's review

dark reflective sad 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

5.0

this book is indescribable. i got this book because i asked the employee for a really nasty, gross, violent horror book. He didnt disappoint. you almost know what is going to happen, but it shocks you regardless. I love how it is simultaneously descriptive in the acts, without being too overbearing in regards to violence towards women. it is somehow one of the saddest stories you would read about an outcast, but you shouldnt feel bad. Not really

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

henripop's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

writerwoods's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Addiction and Cannibalism

rojohbi's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, and Violence

zoejfrank's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

whatkatyread87's review

dark funny informative tense fast-paced

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

4.0

It’s almost as if someone looked at Patrick Bateman, and then said “Hold my Fucking Beer”. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

bella613's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.75

This is wild. 
Gross. 
Edgy for the sake of being edgy. 

I didn't like it persay, but it was somewhat well done. I agree with most of the criticism I've seen about it, but I also don't disagree with most of the praise, so... I guess make of that what you will. I would not recommend this. Unless you're into very dark gory horror with no real point. 

I liked Gideon.
I didn't like Maeve herself and I can't tell if you're supposed to sympathize with her or not. She's very much a pick-me, impulsive, evil character without any intelligence or forethought. Extreme self-centeredness is typical for a killer in most cases, though, am I right? 

I heard reviews say it was funny. I did not find it funny. It wasn't dark humor, it was just dark. 
But I'm not mad that I read it, and I think in most cases with books like this I probably would be. So the author gets brownie points for making it somehow ok without anything ok in it lol. 

It was rather predictable and the pacing went up and down throughout the story. The characters are pretty flat, but it's clear that this isn't supposed to have redemption or growth because that's not the purpose of the book. It's definitely just a story as a catalyst for bringing the reader gore and graphic shock and repulsive horny murder. Psychological thrillers do more for me than horror that is only horror for the gore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

aelinreyed's review

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

3.75

There were parts I didn’t like and not the expected ones of gore but more of the I read Russian literature books in strip clubs cause I can’t bothered and I go to men’s bathrooms cause women bathrooms are ugh .. that part was literally pick me energy and lost the mark for me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Murder

Please don’t read if you can only handle light gore this is more medium- hard gore

harshharmony's review against another edition

dark medium-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

3.5

I can’t really tell how I feel about this book as it got extremely visceral in description and detail towards the end, and I was physically uncomfortable. The last book that made me want to stop reading due to what and how it described something was Almost Transparent Blue, soooo…

I don’t think I can ever recommend this book to someone, but I do wish I had someone to say “what the fuck?!” to regarding this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship