Member Review
Review by
Krystal F, Reviewer
“We all seek the dream of beauty even as we know fundamentally it is only a façade for the decaying in the dark.”
There are so many things to enjoy about Maeve Fly, so many things to devour. While Maeve does have a little of the “not like other girls'' trope, the way in which she is “not like other girls'' is so unique and extreme. I’m not sure we (as in society) would want other women to be like her. I mean there are snippets of her attitude as well as her lessons from her grandmother that are useful. My favorite being “People will try to take what belongs to you. As soon as you possess something worth possessing, someone else will inevitably emerge from the crevices to worm their way in to try and steal it.” But, and trust me on this, we would want to sift through Maeve’s character and personality with a fine tooth comb to find the bits of “good.”
Maeve is an amazingly complex character. She is young and unsure about life while being a complete sociopath and serial killer. Somehow she comes off vulnerable although she can not understand the emotions and actions of others. I found myself rooting for her throughout the entire book. I enjoyed reading about her daily life and interactions with others.
I also really appreciated Maeve’s love for Los Angeles. The way the author describes LA is definitely from the perspective of someone who was either born and raised in LA or someone who moved there and understands LA at its core. When tourists think of LA, I imagine glitz and glamor is what they think of, but LA is multifaceted. As someone who lives in Southern California, I have a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles. It is dirty, congested, and hell to get into, around , and out of. But, it is so full of culture, great food, great sites, and a superb amount of entertainment from the lower echelons to the highest. As Maeve explains, it is “the grime and the shine together.”
Grime and shine can also be applied to a couple of the supporting characters. Outside of Maeve (and her infinitely interesting grandmother Tallulah), there is Kate and her brother Gideon. This was where my interest in the story plateaus. Neither Kate not Gideon are as enticing a character as Maeve or Tallulah. Kate is a “typical” aspiring actress who moved to LA to become a star. She portrays all the negative aspects of that stereotype. She is shallow and self-centered, which may actually be just the kind of friend Maeve needs and deserves. However, she is replaceable, making her fit the aspiring actress stereotype even more. Her brother Gideon, though, is the ultimate in the “taking of the cake.”
Gideon. Hmmm, Gideon. Ugh, Gideon. He could have been such an fascinating character, but he comes off as a total douchebag. He is a typical looking and acting jock. He takes a sexual interest in Maeve, and right off the bat just comes off as not being good enough for Maeve. It’s the approach. It’s all in the approach man. Gideon is set up as a love interest for Maeve, and this causes Maeve to go through a crisis of consciousness, or what I like to call the “Dexter Method.” She begins to question who she is and what she wants out of life. I felt like this storyline weakened the plot a little. How, you ask?
Maeve’s entire narration is built on the idea of women not needing a reason to be “bad.” If she’s a serial killer, then she’s a serial killer because that’s who she is, not because she went through some kind of tragedy and has been changed. “We are what we are what we are.” But, she proceeds to change her life because of some guy she just met. Best friend’s brother or not, that’s a jump, especially for Gideon. He put his number in Maeve’s cellphone under the name “Kate’s Hot Brother” for crying out loud.
Regardless of my straight up dislike for Gideon, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Maeve’s adventures. The compare and contrast of personalities between Maeve and Kate and Maeve and Tallulah really helped to identify who Maeve is. I also appreciated all the Disneyland references and innuendo. The violence and gore were also top notch. Had me mouthing “Eww” and caressing my temples.
4 / 5 soft-boiled eggs
Eww!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There are so many things to enjoy about Maeve Fly, so many things to devour. While Maeve does have a little of the “not like other girls'' trope, the way in which she is “not like other girls'' is so unique and extreme. I’m not sure we (as in society) would want other women to be like her. I mean there are snippets of her attitude as well as her lessons from her grandmother that are useful. My favorite being “People will try to take what belongs to you. As soon as you possess something worth possessing, someone else will inevitably emerge from the crevices to worm their way in to try and steal it.” But, and trust me on this, we would want to sift through Maeve’s character and personality with a fine tooth comb to find the bits of “good.”
Maeve is an amazingly complex character. She is young and unsure about life while being a complete sociopath and serial killer. Somehow she comes off vulnerable although she can not understand the emotions and actions of others. I found myself rooting for her throughout the entire book. I enjoyed reading about her daily life and interactions with others.
I also really appreciated Maeve’s love for Los Angeles. The way the author describes LA is definitely from the perspective of someone who was either born and raised in LA or someone who moved there and understands LA at its core. When tourists think of LA, I imagine glitz and glamor is what they think of, but LA is multifaceted. As someone who lives in Southern California, I have a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles. It is dirty, congested, and hell to get into, around , and out of. But, it is so full of culture, great food, great sites, and a superb amount of entertainment from the lower echelons to the highest. As Maeve explains, it is “the grime and the shine together.”
Grime and shine can also be applied to a couple of the supporting characters. Outside of Maeve (and her infinitely interesting grandmother Tallulah), there is Kate and her brother Gideon. This was where my interest in the story plateaus. Neither Kate not Gideon are as enticing a character as Maeve or Tallulah. Kate is a “typical” aspiring actress who moved to LA to become a star. She portrays all the negative aspects of that stereotype. She is shallow and self-centered, which may actually be just the kind of friend Maeve needs and deserves. However, she is replaceable, making her fit the aspiring actress stereotype even more. Her brother Gideon, though, is the ultimate in the “taking of the cake.”
Gideon. Hmmm, Gideon. Ugh, Gideon. He could have been such an fascinating character, but he comes off as a total douchebag. He is a typical looking and acting jock. He takes a sexual interest in Maeve, and right off the bat just comes off as not being good enough for Maeve. It’s the approach. It’s all in the approach man. Gideon is set up as a love interest for Maeve, and this causes Maeve to go through a crisis of consciousness, or what I like to call the “Dexter Method.” She begins to question who she is and what she wants out of life. I felt like this storyline weakened the plot a little. How, you ask?
Maeve’s entire narration is built on the idea of women not needing a reason to be “bad.” If she’s a serial killer, then she’s a serial killer because that’s who she is, not because she went through some kind of tragedy and has been changed. “We are what we are what we are.” But, she proceeds to change her life because of some guy she just met. Best friend’s brother or not, that’s a jump, especially for Gideon. He put his number in Maeve’s cellphone under the name “Kate’s Hot Brother” for crying out loud.
Regardless of my straight up dislike for Gideon, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Maeve’s adventures. The compare and contrast of personalities between Maeve and Kate and Maeve and Tallulah really helped to identify who Maeve is. I also appreciated all the Disneyland references and innuendo. The violence and gore were also top notch. Had me mouthing “Eww” and caressing my temples.
4 / 5 soft-boiled eggs
Eww!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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