Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Maeve Fly

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

sofipitch's review

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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ztremohno's review

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dark slow-paced

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

2.75

You know those days you have where nothing major really happens but suddenly you're completely thrown off by something and that sours the whole day? This book is kind of like that. Nearly nothing of substance will happen, for long stretches, and then something gruesome will occur that will remind you you're reading a horror book.

The way the work is advertised would have you believe that the Main is some kind of 1/1 reimagining of Patrick Bateman but I'm sorry to say, the character veers closer to a blend of a cenobite and Patrick Star.

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alukalani's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

I enjoyed this budding serial killer story. It definitely gives American Psycho vibes.

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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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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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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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