Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

15 reviews

emilycox96's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5


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zoejfrank'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? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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bella613's review against another edition

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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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bwoo's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0


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axel_p's review

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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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iambigsmelly's review

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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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josie_reads_books's review

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dark mysterious 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

3.0


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gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

What a deeply disturbing and fantastic book.

Have was such an unhinged character but I somehow rooted for her and was utterly devastated by the ending.

There was a humorous yet strange scene that was definitely an ode to Patrick Batemen watching himself having sex.

This was such a captivating story. It was like a train wreck - I just couldn't look away. Every time I put the book down, it was all I could think about.

It had me physically cringing in disgust and shouting out in disturbance and I loved every moment of it.

This is going to stick with me for a very long time.



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jctur2's review

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

4.0

If a Disney princess was the main character in American Psycho.

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howlinglibraries's review

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medium-paced

1.5

 I am baffled by some of the praise going around for this book. "Extreme horror!" Okay, maybe for like, one chapter and half of another one? "Feminist horror icon!" You mean the woman who rapes nearly every victim she takes, finding especially creative ways to do so with the women?

I don't need to agree with a character's actions to like them, but aside from the previously mentioned issues, Maeve is so oblivious that it's impossible for me to get behind her as a narrator. There's a twist in this book that is painfully obvious from a million miles away, yet Maeve is taken entirely off-guard by it in the worst way. Oblivious.

Most of all, Maeve Fly is simply boring for the bulk of its duration. There's very little horror for most of the book, instead primarily focusing on Maeve's internal critique of everyone around her and a whole lotta sex.

The only major hype piece I've heard for this book that actually makes sense to me is comparing this to Palahniuk's writing style, which I'll agree with — Leede's style reminded me a lot of Chuck Palahniuk's style and I can definitely see the inspiration there (though it would be hard to miss it, given how much name-dropping happens throughout Maeve Fly, including many references to Chuck himself).

This was perhaps my single most disappointing read of 2023 so far. I would try this author's work again in the future, but don't recommend this one.

Buddy read with Reg! ♥ 

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