A review by beesbookhaunts
American Rapture by CJ Leede

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Maeve Fly was one of my favorite books from 2023, so hearing that CJ Leede was working on a religious horror book? Hell yeah! I received an advanced reader’s copy to review and couldn’t be more happy that I didn’t have to wait any longer to read it. 

American Rapture ramped up quickly and stayed there, giving the reader little rest between scene after scene of violence and mayhem. Sophie is an extremely sheltered girl in Catholic school, dealing with normal teenage problems. She’s processing her developing sexuality and beginning to question her Faith for the first time, so why not throw an apocalypse into the mix? From there we’re constantly moving forward in an attempt to find her twin brother and just one tiny moment of safety between scenes of violence as the world quickly falls apart. 

I was drawn into the frantic pacing and had a sense of anxiety the whole time, barely able to process the horrible events before the next thing was happening. When it begins to feel like too much, Leede slows down. Not to give respite-we would be so lucky! No, we’re then treated to the most heartbreaking moments of the book, drawing out the gory details that made me squirm a few times. The very few bits of peace provided insight into Sophie’s inner thoughts about her twin brother who she’s desperately trying to find, her feelings for a boy, her growing doubt in the Catholic Church and whether or not sin is even real.  As someone who grew up religious but has moved on from that life, I knew exactly how Sophie was feeling. Deconstructing your religion is hard enough without living through a violent pandemic sweeping the world. 

As you can see, I loved American Rapture. CJ Leede, you know what you’re doing-please don’t stop. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings