Reviews with content warning for Blood - Maeve Fly

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

still_percy22'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

2.5

This book was well written but the MC was so annoying with her weird victim complex that it wasn’t a very enjoyable read. Just fast!

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sofipitch's review

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dark 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

4.75

I feel like it's been a while since I've read a (new not reread) stay up late reading book. I read the last half of this book all in one sitting. This book was both fun and well written. The prose serves this book and it's tone so well. I really didn't click with Mosfeugh for example and this book somehow doesn't manage to be insufferable like some other "feminist serial killer"/femcel lit. I think a big part of it is something the narrator points out herself, women are expected to have a tragic backstory. This book is only feminist in that it allows the MC to take the same serial killer role only afforded to men. But she doesn't kill due to an injustice done to her. She isn't richteous, he is just as despicable as the rest of them, which was refreshing. It also strikes a good balance of still making her interesting while she is awful, which sets it apart from a lot of extreme lit where the loadstone is that shock/disgust/horror reaction, but it doesn't have much else going for it. Again, so well written.
Definitely had some horrific parts but sometimes I felt like the author was a little frugal with descriptions. I also saw someone say the last 1/3rd was pure gore but also not really. Not the book's fault but in case anyone reads this before reading the book you will feel less let down bc that was how I felt. But I will be reading more by this author holy shit. I might feel inclined to give it 5 stars but I don't want to have to see the cover when it pops up in that display section lmao

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audsquad's review

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

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souponthebarby's review

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

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baileybeloved's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Things I loved about this book: extended metaphors, Maeve's all-consuming possessiveness, and the absurdity of being a Disney princess / killer. CJ Leede does not shy away from or minimize the dark nature of Maeve and I respect that a lot.
Leede is also great at detailed scenes and places which really transport you. Gore/body horror were definitely there, but some things glossed over enough that even I (new to the body horror subgenre) was okay with reading it. Suspense was definitely there - I felt genuinely nervous reading this. Ending was exactly what it was going to be, with who Maeve is. I was disappointed by and for her, but it never could have ended any other way.

Things I didn't love about this book:
-the pacing!!! I felt like the first 60-70% were just slow meanders through Maeve's head, with no real plot or character development or an occurring - either make the book longer or make things happen faster. The back of the book talks about her following Patrick Bateman but that is such a small short part of the story that I felt the selling premise was not an accurate reflection of the book's contents.
-the egg subplot/kink (but not for the reason you think). My issue with the egg thing is that it just seemed very heavy handed (lol) for the metaphor the author was trying to convey. On one hand, I get it - Maeve's constant struggle is eased when she finds someone who can help her, who does not judge her interests but instead assists with them, that Maeve is all or nothing so she never considered anything in the middle ground. But on the other hand.... really? She has been

attempting to put an egg in her ass for YEARS and never considered a temperature between hard boiled and raw?????? How many eggs has she wasted on this??

. This is probably also a commentary on the single-minded pursuit of her goals, how inflexible she is, how everything must go exactly as she imagines it, that she needs a companion to ..... soften ? .... her ridged nature. But I was just so annoyed by this for some reason.
-the answer about the dolls:

It seemed so obvious to me that Gideon was making the dolls. I did not for one second consider or buy that it was some random girl making them

. The writing seemed to say we should be shocked by this but I was not surprised at all.

Other: A lot of the really positive reviews are audiobook specific so maybe I would've liked it more if I would have listened to it. Also I ADORE the other cover, with Maeve in the princess dress holding an eye.

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mswarning's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

4.25

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lilbookbee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Wow. What can I even say about this book?

I spent much of this book absolutely baffled by what was going on. Maeve was a fascinating character, whose actions left me with question after question. Everybody in this book is terrible in their own way, and I think that's part of the appeal.

When the book concluded, I felt myself trying to puzzle out *why* everything had happened. There was so much brutality, so much violence, and I wondered if it crossed the line into gratuitous. But, the longer I pondered the point, the more I realized *that was the point*. Early on, Maeve talks about how men don't have to have reasons for the horrible things they do, but they always question why women do horrible things. I think I fought with the urge to do the same, to try to make sense of it all. But her violence and lack of reason behind it, that was all that mattered. We didn't need any answers beyond that.

Now, Gideon. The romance reader in me desperately wanted this strange little hockey romance to turn into murder spouses. I mean, cmon, it could've been so fun. But I don't think it would've made sense for Maeve's story. Maeve's entire arc was about feeling alone and hiding who she was, which by the end she seemed more able to embrace both the loneliness and her inner "wolf". She was, arguably, finally free at the end, but at great cost.

I think that, overall, this book was worth reading. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook (shout-out to a great narrator) and I really did tear through this book wanting to hear more. Do I think it was profound? Well, no. Do I think I'll recommend it or ever read it again? Probably not. But I'm happy I did read it, and it was enough to warrant me picking up this author's other book.

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avkeenan's review

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dark tense slow-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

2.0

I’m…. Not sure why I finished this. The concept of this book sounded intriguing, a murderous Elsa from our favorite theme park, but it wasn’t well executed. This book was trying to be like a female, LA version of American Psycho. However. It got a little too weird and the gore was gratuitous. Also hated how hard the story was to follow when Maeve’s memories would jump around in time.

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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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