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axel_p's review
- 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
Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Body shaming, Gore, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, and Torture
trashgobby's review
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Death, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Animal death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Bullying
Minor: Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Vomit, Suicide, and Body shaming
ecn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Terminal illness, Vomit, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, and Fatphobia
vixenreader's review
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Bullying, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Fatphobia, Confinement, Physical abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Animal cruelty, and Classism
Minor: Xenophobia, Abortion, Racism, Stalking, and Rape
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.fangirljeanne's review against another edition
- 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
This is a great horror novel, beautifully grotesque and emotionally raw to an uncomfortable degree. It’s very much more lit fic than in tone and execution than horror or splatter punk, though it absolutely holds its own in both genres. The experience of being a woman, especially one who doesn’t fit the unattainable hypocrisy of socially acceptable feminine ideals, is a horrific mind-bending experience.
Maeve is not unique in her weird or messiness, take out the overt violence and this would be like many other women’s lit narrative about the trauma of living under patriarchy. But here, in the framing of a horror novel this narrative feels more authentic, more autonomous compared to the passive victimhood of a lot of white women’s navel gazing fiction, at least until the end. Maeve felt like she was going to give the cliche narrative of the weird girl, the creepy girl, the femme fatale a newer better ending. One where she embraces that aspects of herself that fear of society tells her to suppress and hate. While she escapes the typical fate of “fallen women” of literature, she is still punished for refusing to conform to society. That’s the only aspect of the story I disliked. It felt like a step back after so many subversive strides forward.
I get it, this is a horror novel. Heartbreak is an important aspect of that genre. But I would also argue that few things are quite as frightening to patriarchy as a villainous woman getting everything she wants including love and acceptance.
Highly recommended to fans of graphic horror and dark humor. If you love the movie May (2002) this book might be for you too.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Self harm, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Grief, Torture, Animal death, Bullying, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexual assault, Classism, Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Drug use, Excrement, Rape, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Chronic illness
cantfindmybookmark's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Gore, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Terminal illness and Body shaming
gia1303's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, Gore, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Mental illness, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Stalking, Sexism, Cursing, Rape, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kassmin08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for access to an advanced copy for my honest review.
Thank you CJ Leede for giving readers a strong feminist FMC. You will be an autobuy author for me. I can't wait to see what else you will bring into this genre
Graphic: Violence, Medical content, Terminal illness, Body horror, Gore, Kidnapping, Drug use, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
eternallyicarian's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
0.25
Graphic: Death, Excrement, Gore, Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Body shaming
very very intense, from the point of the one inflicting the harm and not the one experiencing itenchantressreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Life is fleeting and meaningless and crying to be seized from behind and fucked into obscurity.”
I went into Maeve Fly knowing very little, but the connection to American Psycho made me very interested. I love books with terrible main characters, and I’m not sure what this says about me, but I had a certain connection with Maeve that made this story all the more enjoyable.
Maeve Fly is the granddaughter of famous actress Tallulah Fly. They started to get to know each other in Maeve’s adult years, once she left behind her family for a life change. She plays an icy princess at a very popular theme park, but there’s something hidden inside her basement that makes her more villain than protagonist.
She lives a very solitary life, especially now that Tallulah has been in a coma for a while now. She has one friend, Kate, with lots of potential and she expects to lose her sooner than later. When Kate’s brother Gideon enters the picture, she gets an itch to change the way she’s been living.
This book was predictable, to me at least, but that didn’t really make it any less enjoyable. I loved Maeve’s internal dialogue and loved learning about the different ways she ticked. I definitely commend Leede for Maeve’s portrayal.
This is a dark story. There are plenty of content warnings (listed below), but there’s also some humor involved. It really is reminiscent of American Psycho without being any kind of ripoff or retelling. Maeve is her own story.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Torture, Sexual assault, Body horror, Gore, Death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Bullying
Minor: Racism