Maeve Fly
Author : C.J Leede
Publisher : Titan Book
Released : June 6, 2023
Page count : 288
Format : paperback
Genre : Horror, splatterpunk
Content warnings : Gore, deaths, Violence, Blood, swearing, graphic sex, cannibalism, torture, sexual violence
Source : Local Bookshop
Representation : LGBTQIA+, female lead
Part of a Series : No
★★★★★ — A new favorite
"He howls questions to me: Who are you? Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything to anyone. I don't deserve this. Why me?
This is a failing of men. This same violence applied to a woman, she does not ask why it is being inflicted upon her, she only struggles unsuccessfully to free herself and grieves the fact she has grieved her entire life, one that she understands fundamentally and innately. That violence simply occurs."
Summary :
By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child's favorite ice princess.
By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.
But when Gideon Green – her best friend's brother – moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet.
Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it's Maeve's turn with the knife.
My Thoughts on this Book :
A provocative, blood-soaked slasher about unsung villainesses – a nightmarish blend of Eric la Rocca meets American Psycho
This book was awesome, gory, terryfing, witty, dark, feminist, disgusting, psychological, fun and perfect !
I loved the writing style. The deep POV and the character development.
It's interesting how I was able to root so easily for this crazy, unhinged and sadistic main character (female lead). It's not morally ambiguous, it's definitely and totally amoral 😅 but it is also so true, so unapologetic and original. And in some way, you get it. She has technically good reason even if she's a psychopath 🤣
I'm usually put off by this new graphic sex trend, stereotypical and biased on top of that. Authors seems to feel the need to fill plot holes and bad writing with stereotypical graphic sex to cover up and meet the trend criteria. Fortunately, even if sex is graphically describe in this story, it is not long length descriptions of sexual intercourse but mention of sex intercourse here and there and it is fitting the rest of the story. And this book definitely doesn't need cover for plot holes and bad writing.
The third part of the book is my favorite. World building and character development, backstory and setting up the vibes and atmosphere. It gave me an incredulous and grotesque Hollywood Vibe that I quite liked. The last third of the book is more graphic, bloody and gore but it is not as much as I though. American Psycho was definitely more graphically gore.
One of my favorite reads of this year.
I'm not easily triggered, though, so maybe read the trigger warning first of you are easily triggered 🫣
And the last star of my five stars rating definitely goes to the music. I have now more old school Halloween and creepy songs on my horror reads playlist on Spotify and some are top notch classics !
I totally recommend reading the book with a playlist made of Halloween songs from the 70's. The authors mentioned some of them in the story.
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