MAEVE FLY by C.J. Leede – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

MAEVE FLY by C.J. Leede – ReviewMaeve Fly by C.J. Leede
Published by Tor Nightfire on June 6 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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four-half-stars

The nitty-gritty: Shocking and audacious, Maeve Fly combines repulsive violence with unexpected emotion, and I could not put it down.

“Having stripped most of the flesh down with chemicals and the slow cooker, and having worked my muscles to a place beyond fatigue with the hacking, I now have to dry the bones outside in the sun, so I decide it’s as good a time as any to pull out the Halloween decorations.”

Where do I even start with Maeve Fly? I thought I was prepared, but folks, I was not. This is going to be a very divisive book for a lot of readers, and yes, there are parts I despised, but after all is said and done, I ended up loving it. There just aren’t enough stories about female serial killers, in my opinion, and I appreciate the fact that C.J. Leede has unleashed Maeve on the literary world, in all her deranged, feminist glory.

Maeve Fly lives with her comatose grandmother Tallulah in a large house on the Sunset Strip. By day, she works at the Happiest Place On Earth™ as the iconic Ice Princess from that really popular musical movie (you know the one). By night, she haunts seedy bars with her best friend Kate, a wannabe actress who’s just biding her time, working as the Ice Princess’s little sister until her big break comes along. Maeve loves only two people in this world, Kate and her grandmother, and by her calculations she’s got two perfect years left with them (figuring that Tallulah has two years to live, based on internet research, and that the estimated time for aspiring actors to make it big is about five years, three of which Kate has already paid for).

But Maeve’s carefully constructed world is about to topple over. One night she meets Kate’s brother Gideon, a good looking hockey player who insists that he and Maeve were meant to be together. And there’s something about Gideon that draws her in, but Gideon makes Maeve feel vulnerable, and that’s a feeling she doesn’t like at all. As Halloween night approaches, Maeve’s favorite night of the year, Maeve’s life takes a turn for the worse. And despite Tallulah’s stern warnings to “keep the wolf hidden,” Maeve can feel her wolf trying to burst free. 

Let’s get the trigger warnings and violent content discussion out of the way first. This is (at times) an upsetting, disgusting story full of depraved characters and actions. If you don’t think the worlds “kinky” “sex” and “torture” should go together, then this probably isn’t the book for you. I knew this content was coming, and it takes a while to get there, but by the time Maeve loses it and sets off on a bloody, revenge-fueled rampage, I was ready for it. Or so I thought. Lots of reviewers are comparing Maeve Fly to American Psycho, and from what I know about that book (although I haven’t read it), it seems to be a pretty fair comparison. One of Maeve’s favorite books is called Story of the Eye, and if you Google it you’ll get a taste of what you’re in for with this book.

But violence aside, Maeve Fly has much more than just cheap, slasher tricks, which is why I have so much appreciation for what Leede has done. Maeve herself is tough to love. She’s brash, unpredictable and mean. She’s sexually deviant. And oh yeah, she likes to torture and kill people. But. She’s also completely devoted to her grandmother, although their relationship is on the weird side (Tallulah was never a loving grandmother, but she understood and nurtured her granddaughter when no one else did.) We learn through flashbacks how Maeve came to live with Tallulah, and how she introduced her to the glamour of old Hollywood. Now Maeve prowls the Sunset Strip like it’s her second home. She frequents a dive bar where the only two people who ever go their besides Maeve are the bartender and a man who looks suspiciously like Johnny Depp. And Maeve loves her job with a passion. She loves to pretend, and dressing up as a princess and getting paid for it makes her ecstatic. 

When she meets Gideon, her world tilts. She’s not used to letting people get close to her, and Gideon really wants to get close to Maeve. Leede drops a bunch of hints about Gideon and the reason he’s so interested in Maeve, and the final chapter brings everything to a dramatic and violent climax. 

C.J. Leede’s writing is simply gorgeous, literary prose hiding a machete. Maeve Fly is a love letter to the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, and having lived on its outskirts for many years, I can say Leede got just about everything right. The author takes the overblown fantasy idea of L.A. and turns it up a notch, poking fun of the city and its inhabitants but making it appealing at the same time. I especially loved Maeve’s ruminations on “the Park” (the “D” word is never uttered in this story)—the hidden, underground tunnels used by the staff, the secret hotels and restaurants, and fun tidbits about the park like the feral cats that run around catching mice at night. Maeve knows it all, and she shares most of it with her audience. She also loves Billie Holiday and Halloween music, and the author includes lots of musical history facts that might have been a little too much—she does indulge herself at times—but which I found charming and entertaining. Of course all this charm is a cover for Maeve’s true persona, which comes crashing through when you least expect it.

Maeve’s craziness escalates as the story progresses, until the final tragic and bloody end. I have to admit I was relieved when I finished the book—and I needed a palette cleanser after it—but I won’t forget Maeve anytime soon.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Posted June 5, 2023 by Tammy in 4 1/2 stars, Reviews / 33 Comments

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33 responses to “MAEVE FLY by C.J. Leede – Review”

  6. Greg

    I am so unsure about this! On the one hand I want to try it but it might be too much for me! I don’t love gory that much! Hmm… it does sound so wild though, and I like the Disney tidbits. 🙂
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    Reply
  9. Pages and Tea

    I loved reading your review but that might be as close as I get to reading this. Am going to have to google the other story you mentioned now though, out of curiosity 😀

    Reply
    • Tammy

      I think the combo of all the Disney stuff and the hard core torture made it weird and interesting:-)

      Reply

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