Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

161 reviews

fadeddpages's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

Points off for the inclusion of (potentially?) Johnny Depp. No thanks

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

archaicrobin's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

1.0

Maeve is a Disney princess that also happens to be a psychopath on the edge. She is full of trivia about Halloween, Halloween music, sex, movies, and local LA history. She is also a serial killer trying to hide in society. But once her grandmother’s health starts to decline and a new relationship escalates she begins to lose control.

I did not like this book. Maeve was not a character I liked, could relate to, or was even interested in, nor were any of the other characters. All of them come as pretentious in the worst way with no redeeming qualities, I couldn’t relate or care about any of them. 

This book was very slow in my opinion with the real killing not occurring until halfway through the novel, and since I don’t enjoy gore or torture porn the entire novel was boring and unenjoyable for me. I had heard this novel was amazing and a must read and I could see that if you’re a fan of gore or extreme horror, but if you’re not I’d pass. 

Maeve is essentially a female Patrick Bateman, and the character even alludes to this in the novel in a not so subtle way that just, again came off as pretentious to me. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone looking for a great horror read, UNLESS American Psycho was appealing to them (I also hated that book….). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

anouverlinden_'s review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was, honestly, amazing. I did not expect to love it as much as I do. 

You can definitely see the influence/inspiration of American Psycho but make it feminist, which is the best thing you can come up with. As disturbing as Maeve is, I weirdly grew fond of her and was extremely distrought by the ending.

You would think one wouldn't get attached to two killers, who happen to find one another and have a promising future together. Well, I did grow extremely fond of them and was even rooting for them, which is pretty fucked up if you think about it but it also made the ending even worse than it may have been when I wasn't so attached to them. Maeve really grossed me out with what she did to people (but that's what I signed up for) yet the fact she got back together with Gideon made me as happy as would I have been reading a romance. When he said 'Maeve, me too' but she still killed him, I couldn't function anymore. My brain was shut down and I was in disbelief of what I just had read. Why should that have been the ending? Why do authors do this? The ending is really similar to a tragedy (in my opinion, the ending makes this a tragedy) and I hate it (but also love at the same time because it makes me feel this way)

Yeah, this book really is one of my new favorites. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

cookiehuggles's review against another edition

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

THIS WAS EVERYTHING! There are soo many underlinable quotes that I will not forget for a long time. This was my first extreme horror novel and yet it wasn't as intimidating as I initially thought. Newbies to the genre would be able to read it and love it easily.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

jctur2's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

vixenreader's review

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Despite some over-indulgence on nihilism, this book is fun, bone-chilling, and surprisingly poignant, especially with the protagonist’s attempts at latching onto the people she cherishes the most. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Classism

Minor: Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Stalking, and Abortion

Be aware that there is a death of a grandparent, bodies in cellars, bones used for decorations, risky kinks and fetishes, urine, unwanted items shoved into unwilling orifices, hunger for fame, “the casting couch,” doll disfigurement, pornography, and drugging beverages for the goal of assaulting someone.

jasminechocklettslee's review

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood

behindherpages'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting

emelynreads's review

challenging dark tense medium-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

Psycho meets Dexter meets American Psycho in this countdown to Halloween female rage death spiral.

My stomach is feeling pretty weak after reading through/imagining some of the horror scenes. I'm not a fan of smut so that affected my rating. I didn't mind the numerous homages to other horror classics as some other reviewers have pointed out. I was bothered by the sky being described as 'bruised' every time it's mentioned. I enjoyed the "dark passenger" inner monologues and the character interactions and motivations felt to me like the show Dexter.

Bonus points for the author creating Spotify playlists from the songs mentioned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Suicide and Vomit