Maeve Fly

My immediate thought after finishing this book is - does the ending make my reading experience worth it? I'm not sure hence it doesn't quite get up to the 4 stars. 

I really struggled with Maeve's rambling internal thoughts. It went on so many flashbacks and random rambling thoughts about LA and its history at absolutely random points that it just took me out of the story. I'm not saying the flashbacks weren't interesting or important to the story and relationship in it, but I just found that there were moments I wished we stayed in the moment rather than the side tangents it went on. I also see the importance of that information about the city and how it ties to who Maeve is, but I just didn't care about it every time so it brought my enjoyment down.

I received the audio from NetGalley for review. This was one that I grabbed solely for the cover. After I was approved, I started seeing a lot of reviews, which definitely bumped it for me. 
This novel is about Maeve Fly, a not-so specific “ice princess” at a not-so specific “amusement park” in California. She absolutely loves her job, but probably not for the reasons you'd imagine. 
I enjoyed the literary voice in this as it's almost poised as a good-for-her / finding yourself / meets Dexter-y esque inner-monologue type projection. I also liked how as the character becomes more unhinged, so does her crimes, and so does her public projection of herself. Sometimes literally going in public covered in real blood. Some might find that unbelievable, but I thought it nicely highlighted how people's general perception is just I accept what they see and rationalize it. The police in the story included. 
Other than that though, the character is incredibly narcissistic, completely misunderstanding themselves and the perception they present the world with. It's arrogance in a not enjoyable way. Though the biggest flop for me, the stake in the heart, is the novels incredibly over-sexualized nature. This is something I've mentioned in reviews before, but it seems like such a large chunk of modern horror just uses sex and obscure kinks for whatever propellant it can get as shock value. And while again, I certainly find it “horrific” as it is a ‘horror', that doesn't mean I think it's good or find it enjoyable. 
The novel is still on the edge of enjoyability for me though for sure, and Sosie Bacon's narration was fantastic. It's quick, and that keeps it readable. Personally a 3/5* for me. 

Thoroughly enjoyed throughout the book. At first I found the wording pretentious but it suits the narrator perfectly, and I'm glad it didn't stop me from reading. Had a good few wide eyed moments reading this one. I'm new to horror so I don't know how it compares, but I'd rate this more a fun read than a serious one

I do have some mild feelings about the way it ended because it did feel very movie scene worthy where you just want to smack the person for being undoubtedly stupid but it wasn't enough to make me lower my star rating and having this be a favorite. It's truly enjoyable. And to the credit of the ending if I had a secret like that I also wouldn't be thinking straight at all, I suppose should that have been potentially outed.

As crazy as this sounds, this book was comforting to me. Maeve was very similar to me in many ways, and I just loved her story. This book was such a fun time. I loved the ties to Halloween, and might even have to reread it during the season, with a playlist of all of Maeve's favorite songs of course! The ties to being a Disneyland cast member were so relatable, and the LA scene was a great visual throughout.  Many emotions were felt. Sometimes I was laughing out loud, and other times Maeve would think of something that would have me tearing up, neither I expected. Even the death scenes were fun and fresh. Definitely an all time favorite, I cannot believe this is the author's debut novel. I will read anything she writes. 

Rating: 2.45 leaves out of 5Characters: 2/5 Cover: 2.75/5Story: 2/5Writing: 3/5Horror: 2.5/5Genre: Horror/Contemporary/RomanceType: AudiobookWorth?: MehHated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedWant to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this book.What a shit show. It was praised so much and if I have to get to anything good in a book PAST the damn 50% line it isn't it. I shouldn't be bored out of my mind for half the book. Maeve is a psycho, simple. The horror she brings is decent, nothing horrible. I am not big on gore but it seemed to line up. I knew some guy was suppose to be there and it basically turned into a horror spicy romance book. Not mad about it, Gideon sounds hot as hell... given his craziness. In the end what really rated the story low was 1. How boring it was for a good chunk of the book. It was basic trash. Nothing stood out. Nothing really held my grasp. It got really good towards the end and that's about it. 2. The ending. It could have really gone a great way and it just fell flat.So basically it is like sex with a hot guy and you think it is going to be great but in reality it it is shitty for play and 5 seconds of actually shitty intercourse.

I've been wanting to read about a female killer for a while and wow did I get it with this one. The narrator, Maeve, is absolutely insane and a perfectly terrible concoction of all the wicked literature she loves. The reader gets to see the horrific inner-workings of her mind and a glimpse of her backstory. This novel is filled with pure depravity, absolute brutality, and extreme debauchery. This is an ode to those who adore the works of Bret Easton Ellis, George Bataille, and Chuck Palahniuk. I'm not sure if the grotesque imagery will ever leave my mind.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't really like this book that much while I was reading it. It read slowly and I had to push through most of it. Kind of boring for awhile. And then it was just straight torture porn that didn't really do anything for me. Maeve was extremely unlikeable.  None of the “reveals” felt like reveals and I saw them all coming. 

But it made me feel a lot of emotions; emotions I didn't want to feel. Emotions that were very intense and confusing. 
It made my heart hurt, but I felt bad that my heart hurt. I shouldn't have been heartbroken, but I was. The ending hurt my heart. Most of the book I knew it was going to be a 2 star. But the feelings the ending elicited against my will? That bumped it up a bit. 

Half of this felt like a romance novel which is not what I came here for, yet the end jumped straight into the torture horror aspect but still somehow tied the romance back in? 

I'm confused that despite not really enjoying the journey, and really disliking  the  majority of the “horror” (read torture porn) I'm somehow also kind of impressed? This is unlike any genre of book I've ever read, but it all came together and sort of worked for me in the end.