CJ Leede

The first thing I will say in regard to this book is to check the trigger warnings before you read this. It is quite graphic in more ways than one.

That being said, I absolutely loved Maeve Fly. I wasn't even halfway through the novel before I knew I would want to be rereading this one and annotating it.

I loved the analysis on villains. Specifically, it looked at who in society is allowed to be villains, what justifies becoming a villain, and what is considered villainous. The feminist take show more on how women always need a reason to do evil while men do not (and oftentimes have the exact same acts as the "evil" women not be considered evil when they do it) was exquisite.

It also looked at the idea of society's expectations of individual units within society, showing how Maeve's reliance on herself as an individual and distrust of anyone else ultimately leads to her own downfall.

I am sure if I had read the books it was referencing throughout, I would have even more of an appreciation for this book. show less

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I really liked this. It is a gory and disturbing apocalyptic read. The story was incredibly engaging and hard to put down. I enjoyed the main character's journey from mind-washed Catholic teen to a more self-confident and self-thinking woman.

Sophie is raised in a rigid Catholic family. She does not have a phone or exposure to outside news. Her life is very restricted; she is only show more allowed to read certain books at the library, she goes to a Catholic school with a very strict curriculum, and she lives a small and very sheltered life. However, when people start getting sick, some of them start getting sick in a way that leaves them sexually manic and violently insane. When the sickness spreads to Sophie's home town, she finds herself not only fighting for survival but questioning the ideals she was raised under in a hardcore way.

This is an uncomfortable and distressing read. There is a lot of violence, including sexual violence and violence against a pet. However, I thought the writing style and content really fit the story well. This story also has a lot of heart and focuses on the bright spots of humanity in the midst of so much pain and darkness.

Sophie grows a lot as a character. She is forced to confront realities outside of the small sphere she's been living in in a very sudden and shocking way. Humanity has turned into a mess of freakish sexual humans that are literally attacking and eating each other in violent ways. Unfortunately, there are other elements of humanity that are more evil because they are chosen. Sophie has to take an extreme step back to consider the awful things people are doing under the guide of religious righteousness. In the end, Sophie is left re-considering what it means to be family and what it means to be a "good".

I loved the close and trusting relationship Sophie forms with a dog in this book, and I loved how she builds a sort of new family for herself. There is a lot in here about what it means to be evil, religious brainwashing, and the crazy stuff humans do during a zombie/viral apocalypse.

I also found it strangely endearing that the characters spend part of their time hiding out at House on a Rock, which I have visited a couple of times. Yes, it is as weird of a place as it is described to be and just as creepy too. I have always found House on a Rock to be oddly intriguing and would recommend a visit if you are in the mood for something truly odd and slightly disturbing.

As with many apocalyptic books I read, I found the ending a bit unsatisfying but realistic. The story ends on a somewhat hopeful note.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a visceral and vicious read that I found strangely engaging. I enjoyed the characters and their growth throughout the story. I also enjoyed a lot of the irony in here around how Sophie had to reevaluate her whole upbringing in a whole new light. A lot of this story is uncomfortable to read; there is extreme sexual violence and just violence in general. So if that is not your cup of tea, I would skip this. However if you enjoy viscous zombie apocalypse novels with some heart I would recommend it. show less

Full disclosure, two weeks ago, I very briefly met the author at a Horror Reader Weekend event, and someone mentioned her newest release was quite good. I fully intended to buy it, but it quickly sold out...making me think that there might be something to this story.

After getting home, I snagged the audio. And I'm really glad I did. Leede takes the COVID pandemic, elements of Captain Trips from THE STAND, folds in a huge helping of Christian guilt ("There's no hate like Christian love") and show more the examination of how the fiction of religion can colour every perception of the world. At the same time, at the centre of this storm, is Sophie, the main character who's going through the traumas of losing first her twin brother, then her parents, then having the real world slap her around when she was completely unprepared for it.

Honestly, this book exceeded every single one of my already-high expectations, and it did so from many angles. The overal story, to start with, but also the scenes of devastating horror, as well with how much the book had to say. There's so much to unpack from this novel, it's one that begs to be read more than once.

There's so much I want to say about this novel, but I wouldn't want to steal all the thunder that's encased between its covers.

Just...read it. show less

I enjoyed this one, and how it unapologetically borrowed from—and in my opinion, vastly improved upon—AMERICAN PSYCHO, a book that I'm on record for absolutely loathing. I have my reasons, and I can't be bothered going through them yet again.

But this one? I enjoyed Maeve's journey to finding herself, to breaking free of the conventions, I loved the backstory, I loved all of it. Even when it got gorey, though Leede looks away as much as she stares down the gore.

However, when comparing it show more with her next novel, AMERICAN RAPTURE, I can see how she'd grown from this to that. Less reliance on other novels and music to make her point.

A good book, and worth the read. I'm looking forward to what she comes up with next. show less