I have to hand it to CJ Leede, she has some amazing book covers. MAEVE FLY was incredible and this one is stunning!
Thank you Tor Nightfire for the gifted copy
AMERICAN RAPTURE – CJ Leede (Released October 15th, 2024)
You can see my thoughts on MAEVE FLY here!
Book Description:
A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin.
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
As soon as I saw the cover reveal for this, I knew I needed to read it. I truly didn’t know what it was about when I started it. I can see this book dividing people due to the subject matter – if you aren’t a fan of religious themes to your horror, then you may want to rethink this one. Also, a good warning going in – due to the nature of the virus and its effects (I’ll explain further), there is a lot of SA and one pretty horrific animal death.
Sophie is a sixteen year old girl who has lived a sheltered life with a strict Catholic upbringing. We learn early on that Sophie has a twin brother, and he was sent away for unknown reasons. With the virus that has been sweeping the nation, Sophie is ready to brave the world outside of her conservative midwest home and find her brother.
Being a sixteen year old and discovering who you are is hard and confusing and a whirlwind of emotions but in an apocalyptic world after a virus has taken over? What kind of virus? Well, it starts with flu-like symptoms and then evolves into lust fueled rages. The assaults, the violence, and the murderous rage are palpable, and then you drop in a very sheltered and naive girl, and it’s a recipe for a disastrous awakening.
Her zealous Catholic upbringing and the visceral real world collide and Sophie is forced to experience things that make her question her faith, face the shame and guilt associated with any sexual experiences/thoughts, and all while trying to find herself as she tries to get to her brother.
This got intense, there’s a lot of real religious trauma she must face, the horrible acts she witnesses aren’t too graphic for horror (with the exception of an animal death), and seeing the character transformation was truly a thing to experience. This is VERY different from Maeve Fly. The storytelling, the pacing, there’s more depth and world building in this one, and the heavy themes really packed a punch. I can’t wait to see what Leede does next!
Jessicamap Reviews 