Member Reviews
This had me in a chokehold, I literally couldn’t put it down. Growing up in midwestern/southern Catholic schools from kindergarten all the way through college, and now having stepped far away from that culture, I was immediately transported back (and may have experienced a touch of PTSD 😅). I love a good dystopian novel, and the way CJ crafted the setting of the “new” world that the characters found themselves in was perfection. I felt all the things for all the characters, and that one scene broke me (IYKYK). Safe to say that one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 lived up to my expectations.
This is a book that is going to stick with me for a while. I have so many feelings and I’m not sure I have the right words to articulate them but here we are.
Our protagonist is an extremely sheltered Catholic school teenage girl who is rapidly thrust into her own awakening thanks to a global pandemic that is set to rapidly take out the entire world and has her questioning her faith. Still grieving the excommunication of her twin brother, Sophie’s life turns upside down when a mutant virus begins to rapidly spread in her hometown and across the Midwest. As the pandemic increases rapidly and becomes more violent and deadly, a group of extreme religious activists take advantage of the chaos to launch their own attack on survivors, in the name of God. Sophie travels across the state desperately looking for her twin brother and meets a diverse cast of characters along the way. Her journey is physical, gruesome, violent and spiritual.
This book, though incredibly graphic, is beautifully written. The underlying religious awakening is just as impactful as the gore. This book is a study in religious fanaticism, politicization of science and modern day medicine, misogyny, and coming of age.
I was equally disturbed and enthralled, one of the most visceral reading experiences I’ve had in a long time. I will absolutely be checking out CJ Leede’s debut novel, Maeve Fly, after a few therapy sessions to process my feelings 😂
For fans of:
🦠End of the world/apocalyptic stories
🦠 Religious fanaticism resulting in trauma
🦠dark and graphic horror
🦠pandemic outbreak stories
Please check trigger warnings on this, it is not for the faint of heart, or stomach. American Rapture is out now!
Thank you to @tornightfire and @netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.
Received as an ARC from Netgalley:
This was absolutely outstanding. If you have any amount of history with the church this book will hit and it will hit hard.
A really well drawn apocalypse story that really gets to some of the issues at the heart of modern society.
C.J. Leede continues to be an author to watch. She's 2 for 2.
Be aware read the content warnings if you are sensitive to certain subjects as there was a death in this book that had me in absolute TEARS. It destroyed me.
5*
This was a brutal and beautiful journey through an apocalyptic landscape where the monsters aren’t always the things you expect.
This book made me weep. It’s so tender and vicious and powerful and poignant. I couldn’t put it down.
“It’s easy to shut people out, I’ve learned. You don’t even need a door.”
A teenage beauty overrun with religious guilt, sheltered and uninformed
+
A cop who is just trying to do the right thing and maintain some level of normalcy
+
A doggo, a very big, very good boy. A staunch companion and guardian.
+
A rapidly spreading viral infection that turns you into a rapid killer with a voracious sexual appetite.
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A C.J. Leede novel of apocalyptic shame, needless remorse, teenage lust, attitude, and repression.
› I love the cover for American Rapture. This image is of a beautiful young woman and cartoonish clothing. Her face is realistic, yet her clothing and accessories are fake-looking. Are they a real depiction of what she feels? The bright neon colours remind me of neon signs. And the fire - certainly makes me think of hell. This newest horror from C.J. Leede will appeal to teenagers, however it doesn't read like a young adult novel. It's very mature, violent, and sexual - yet appropriate for most high schoolers. I admire authors who respect teenagers and believe they can read about hard things. I haven't read from C.J. Leede before.
› Leede wrote this book before COVID-19, so it's not inspired by that. I noticed nods to Stephen King's work about a virus, but these characters and story are unique. This book is about American culture and the complicated relationship with sex and religion.
› Sophie is a sheltered 16-year-old girl who lives with her parents in a small town. She attends Catholic school and her parents run a strict religious household. Her mother doesn't pass the milk for cereal until Sophie has prayed. They have a strict diet of "pure" food (no fried food or treats). She isn't allowed to walk to school alone. Her parents control which books she's allowed to read, mainly how-to books, which has made her extremely knowledgeable. She sneaks books from the librarian to read in secret. Books like Brave New World and The Valley of the Horses. Her brother was forcibly removed from the home five years ago and Sophie feels like it's her fault. She hates living with her parents and yearns to see her brother. Her brother Noah lives 200 miles away at Sacred Hearts "a spiritual sanctuary for families afflicted with challenged children and teens."
› One school day while reading outside at lunch Sophie sees a group of boys dropping off a couple of girls. The driver catches her eye. She later sees him at the mall and learns his name is Ben. At the mall, she notices people wearing masks and talking about a sickness spreading. She's not allowed on the internet so she has no idea what this sickness is. The symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, irritability, increased appetite, and erratic sexual behaviour. Certainly a horror to religious people who don't believe in having sex for pleasure.
› Sophie must find a way to survive, going on a roller-coaster of an adventure across the midwest, finding new friends, experiencing romance, discovering her strength, and being determined to reunite with Noah.
› American Rapture has well-developed characters, excellent description and mood, and high-quality writing with well-developed dialogue. I didn't want to put it down and I had a really good time with this read.
APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: action-packed, character-driven, issue-oriented, unconventional, tragic
Pace: medium
Tone: emotional, bittersweet, heartwrenching, romantic, sad, suspenseful, thought-provoking, dark, edgy, bleak, gruesome, violent
Heat index: steamy
Humour: offbeat
Writing Style: conversational, well-crafted dialogue, compelling, descriptive, gritty
Character: authentic, awkward, complex, flawed, likeable, relatable, strong female, unlikeable, well-developed, diverse
LGBTQIA+ Representation: asexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, queer
Racial Representation: Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, people of colour
Read Alikes:
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston
Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King
The Fireman by Joe Hill
› Final Thoughts
• American Rapture is a suspenseful coming-of-age Apocalyptic horror novel about guilt, shame, religious trauma, sibling love, found family, friendship, and love. I highly recommend this and can't wait to read more from C.J. Leede!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
American Rapture was good. I liked it. I did wish that we got to see her reunite with her brother. Besides that it was good.
Leede’s newest novel examines a virus that is spreading across America. What makes this virus unique is that it makes the infected full of lust. Our protagonist, Sophie, has been extraordinarily sheltered and has been raised to be super religious. When the virus makes it to her town, she has no choice but to leave home in the hopes of finding her brother, Noah (who was sent away by their parents).
After reading Leede’s “Maeve Fly” I had high expectations going into “American Rapture” because “Maeve Fly” was so great. Leede certainly lived up to my expectations with this novel. Unlike “Maeve Fly”, this novel’s balance between body horror and characterization is more balanced. Along the way, we get the opportunity to see Sophie grapple with religion and her entire lifelong belief system being challenged by the virus.
This novel is perfect for anyone who enjoyed “Maeve Fly”, enjoys horror and/or body horror, has religious trauma/grappling with religion, or likes survival books. I would strongly advise people to check the warnings before delivering into this novel!
American Rapture is an uneven overly long horror thriller combining Stephen King’s Carrie with the real life Covid-19 epidemic, if it was made infinitely worse.
Novels written during Covid all have a dark heart but this one is the darkest. After infection, everyone starts raping anyone nearby. Then they die a few days later. Large swaths of the country are quarantined leaving the uninfected within powerless to do anything but hide…and pray.
Sophie has grown up in a very religious household. She is allowed to only read the Bible and how-to manuals from the public library. No television or newspapers. She only recently is allowed to attend public high school after years of home schooling. Sophie is almost seventeen with no worldly knowledge at all and just beginning to feel the tug of hormones. Then the pandemic begins. Her parents believe their God will protect them. Spoiler, He doesn’t. Sophie is concerned about her twin brother stuck in a religious conversion center 250 miles away. She desperately wants to be with him no matter what happens. And so the most bizarre fictional roadtrip begins. And goes on and on…
I just realized that American Rapture is only 384 pages long. It seemed much longer. Sophie’s decisions tend to be very stupid, which makes sense with her upbringing. However, they made me yell silently at her throughout her roadtrip, “don’t do that” and “don’t go in there right now”. It was exhausting for both of us.
Back to my review, I think American Rapture has a very specific audience. A reader looking for a truly horrific journey who is not offended by rape or a disbelieving take on religion looking for a female coming of age tale might enjoy this book. Me? Not so much. I’m just glad it’s over. 3 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an advanced review copy.
Ever since the announcement was made that CJ Leede had an upcoming novel I knew I had to get my hands on it. I was beyond excited to be approved for the eARC for American Rapture and I slow jammed this one to the max because I was TERRIFIED of how it would end.
Overall, I was so happy with this novel and I was completely immersed into the world that was rapidly falling apart. It was giving me some serious The Walking Dead and Bird Box vibes and I found that really exciting.
I didn’t know how I would feel reading a novel centred around a pandemic so soon after Covid but it honestly didn’t bother me. It was handled so well and not overdone that it didn’t even feel like the main focus of the plot like I expected.
I will say, if you have any history of trauma surrounding religion then American Rapture may hit close to home. I don’t have any religious background and even I found it hard to read in some places regarding this.
If you’re in the group of people who either didn’t read Maeve Fly, or read it and didn’t know how to feel about it, I’m here to assure you that American Rapture is a wildly different novel and experience. It’s not even close to being as gory and graphic. The bonus is you’ll also have no problem eating eggs after reading this one. Iykyk.
Huge thanks to netgalley and tornightfire for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review. American Rapture is out now!
4.5 ⭐️
Potential spoiler but also trigger warning: the dog dies. Quite horribly.
That being said, I love this book. We follow a girl due in an absolutely soul crushing and terrifying virus outbreak that somehow results in rape. There’s a found family who helps her navigate losing and questioning her faith. It’s heavy. But it’s beautifully written and will definitely touch someone. Somewhere. Anyone who has had intense religion pushed onto them rather than being allowed to choose it on their own will have something they can relate to. A lot of commentary in women being the tempters, the sinners.
The action really propelled this tense plot. I almost DNF'ed at about the scene with the main character and her father on the porch, but I ended up reading through the end. That scene did bother me, but the writing was wall done.
I was so excited to pick up American Rapture after hearing that Rachel Harrison absolutely loved it. A deadly virus is sweeping across America, turning the infected into feral, lust-driven creatures. Sophie, a devout Catholic girl, must navigate the nightmare of a collapsing Midwest as she searches for her family amidst the chaos. As the world around her crumbles, she soon realizes that there are far worse horrors than dying a virgin.
I didn’t love Maeve Fly, so I was apprehensive. That being said, my opinion on this book was mixed. The first 40 pages really hooked me in, but then it slowed down so significantly that I wanted to put it down multiple times. At times, the plot was difficult to immerse myself in and was very frustrating.
However, the latter part of the book picked back up for me, especially when it delved into themes of religious trauma. I enjoyed the apocalyptic setting and appreciated the tension created by the virus's sexual component, which added to the horror. Though the writing style felt choppy and could’ve used an edit of maybe 100 pages shorter, the intense conflict did hold my attention even when I wanted to DNF. This book is getting a lot of 5-star reviews and it dives into unique storylines and metaphorical themes, so if you’re interested in the synopsis, it definitely is worth picking up
Just when I thought I was completely done with COVID-related novels, American Rapture comes along and makes a fool of me.
Before I start, I just need y’all to know I stayed away from reviews and posts about this book before I read it because I wanted to go in blind. I didn’t even read the synopsis before I requested the early digital copy. I just knew I missed Leede’s Maeve Fly and regretted it so I was going to read her next novel no matter what it was titled or what it was about.
That’s all a long-winded way to say that I honestly think going in blind was the right call and it might be for you too (though, if you’re a sensitive reader there is some material in this book that could be triggering and you might want to look into that before reading).
American Rapture wasn’t simply an excellent read: it was the type of book I couldn’t bring myself to put down or look away from. From the intriguing opening to the (in my opinion) perfect ending, this book not only engaging me on a cerebral and emotional level but it absolutely swept me up into the drama, horror, and debris of this apocalyptic and disease-ridden hellscape with Sophie and crew on their calamitous road trip through the upper midwest.
The writing is so strong and tight in this book it feels like a visceral pull to just sink in and let the rest of the world fade away as you get to know the cast in this book so intimately through the eyes of Sophie, our protagonist. Sophie may be a human on Earth, but for all intents and purposes she might as well be an alien because of how little she knows about humanity and other humans besides the people she went to church with all of her life. In this sense, she’s a fish out of water: the reader’s insight into the found family she forms, the revelator of all of the exposition for the story, the oracle for the insider information on the side of the antagonists, and the ultimate authority on herself.
It’s a mind-blowing book and I enjoyed every page.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Found Family/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/LGBTQ Sci Fi/Sci Fi
AMERICAN RAPTURE by CJ Leede (@ceejthemoment )is one of the most original and horrifyingly too-close-for-comfort books I’ve read this year. With the election looming, the questions about religion versus morality, Christian hate, and a woman’s ownership of her body felt incredibly timely. Yet, for all the serious topics and ways CJ Leede makes her characters suffer, (and, oh my how she makes them, and us, suffer!), this book was shockingly fun.
Sheltered Catholic school-girl Sophie must fight for survival as a terrifying virus transforms people into dangerous, lust filled maniacs. As the country dissolves into madness, she journeys through the Midwest in search of her brother. She discovers a found family, and herself, along the way.
Thank you @netgalley and @tornightfire for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The end of civilization is an inherently frightening topic, a fact that has been exploited time and time again across popular media to sometimes great effect. Having been used as the basis for stories so many times, it’s not easy to come up with a fresh angle on the idea, but in her sophomore novel author C.J. Leede has done just that, and the results are harrowing, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking.
Only days away from her 17th birthday, Sophie is beginning to notice that something feels off in her Wisconsin hometown. She lives with her strict religious parents and attends a rigid Catholic school, both of which do their best to shield her from anything to do with the secular world, and as such she knows next to nothing about the NARS-CoV viral outbreak that has been spreading across the United States, nor the more dangerous and deadly secondary infection it enables that the public have dubbed Sylvia, which causes the infected to become violently lustful, helping it to spread, before killing them with fever.
As people around her begin to become ill, Sophie tries to glean whatever information she can. On the phone with her twin, Noah, who was forcibly removed from his home and put in a facility by his parents 5 years prior when they discovered a gay magazine in his room, he urges her to try to learn what she can by whatever means necessary, which leads her to the local library, a place she reveres. The usual librarian isn’t present, but her son Ben is, who Sophie has been developing an unexpected crush on, and he helps to fill her in while also recommending she read a racy novel.
The following day, when Sophie returns home, she is shocked to find her parents in the full throes of the virus, engaged in acts her sheltered existence doesn’t allow her to fully understand. When they attack her, she manages to fight them off and steal her mother’s car, deciding to drive to the facility holding her brother. While she’s on the highway, the state enters lockdown and she becomes stuck in a traffic jam full of panicked people. Chaos ensues when various drivers begin showing symptoms and attacking one another, but a young police officer named Maro pulls her from the madness and then makes it his mission to try and get her to safety while she insists that she needs to get to Noah. At odds on their destination, but stuck in an increasingly perilous landscape, the pair have to learn to work together in order to survive, befriending additional survivors along the way.
The zombie holocaust road trip novel isn’t a new idea in and of itself, but Leede adds some truly unique twists to the formula, most notably the distressing attacks that the infected are compelled to carry out. In the wrong hands, the material could feel lurid and exploitative, so it is a relief to see that Leede handles it thoughtfully while not downplaying the horror of the situation. That being said, anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence should use their best judgment before reading this book, as parts could easily trigger a strong reaction in them.
There are some wonderful characters in here, that will truly endear themselves to readers and make it hard not to skip ahead to make sure they make it safely through each dangerous encounter. Told from Sophie’s perspective though, this is really her book, and watching her struggle to move beyond the repressive ideologies that have been so thoroughly ingrained into her psyche will put readers through the emotional wringer. There are moments of joy as she comes more and more into her own, discovering that many of the normal teenage emotions she is beginning to feel aren’t a sinful anomaly, and building a new family that seems willing to accept her for who she is instead of who they demand she be. But this is tempered by the constant reminder that she is only getting to experience true freedom for the first time as the world around her disintegrates.
A hate-filled preacher with a large social media following has inspired a group known as St. Michael’s Crusaders to begin attacking the government’s newly established vaccination centers and shelters, killing everyone they find inside, increasing the danger to Sophie and her group, and shining a light on the ways that people warp religion in an effort to control and punish those they deem unfit for society. It’s a stark reminder that no matter the horror we find ourselves in, the greatest threat will likely be other humans. But our characters never give up hope, finding examples of humanity’s goodness in the wreckage of society that can never truly be snuffed out.
Terrifying, touching, smart, empathetic, and hard to put down, American Rapture is a book that will stick with me for a long time. The parallels to our current society, even without the zombies, are truly chilling and will hopefully inspire at least some people to take a closer look at their treatment of others. But it’s the goodness of Sophie and her new friends that truly stands out, and the inevitable loss of some of them that will linger (even writing about it has me tearing up). This is an epic end-of-the-world saga that rivals The Stand and is easily my favorite book I’ve read this year.
Sophie's character development was my favorite part. She becomes her own person while attempting to shed all the religious guilt bestowed upon her by her parents.
This book is gory and gross, described so vividly I felt a little sick. However, the storyline with the horror worked great together. I found myself so invested in all the characters. This is one of those rare books where I loved every single character. The end absolutely destroyed me.
I only deducted a star because of the dogs brutal death....it was tough to read. After reading the authors note though, I understand why she put it in there.
I stayed up late reading this and I haven't done that in a while. I will be raving about this book forever!!
This book is going to be one I think about for a long time. This is *the* end of the world book of the year and I will not hear otherwise. Sophie is a very sheltered Catholic girl living in the bubble her parents have created for her. She isn’t even allowed a full length mirror because vanity is a sin. It’s no surprise that when a virus begins to ravage the US she isn’t aware of the severity until it ends up on her front lawn. Literally.
There were so many moments in this book that just felt like a punch to the stomach. My heart kept breaking for Sophie and then breaking even more. Yet still - she is a survivor and one hell of a final girl to root for. This was very much a coming of age story as Sophie is on her own and experiencing the real world for the first time in her life. She just happens to be thrown into an actual horror movie. I loved all of the side characters we meet along the way, especially Maro and Barghest, and they all added so much to the story.
Check trigger warnings if you need. There is a pretty horrific animal death that has me near tears even now as I write this review. There were pretty graphic instances of violence and attempted sexual assault, but I appreciate that the author kept the descriptions of the SA to a minimum. I appreciated it and found that it really drove home Sophie’s limited knowledge of that aspect to life.
Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for a review copy. I love CJ Leede forever and ever, even though she made me cry more than once with this one.
American Rapture by CJ Leede is an absolutely stunning read that captivated me from start to finish! The vivid storytelling and rich character development create a powerful emotional experience, making the themes of love, loss, and redemption resonate deeply. Leede’s prose is both lyrical and engaging, drawing readers into a world that feels both familiar and extraordinary. I couldn’t put it down, and the unforgettable moments lingered long after I turned the last page. This book is a true gem—definitely deserving of five stars!
The Last of Us vibes?! I think-YES PLEASE!
Wow…. I am still pretty much speechless. This is EASILY one of my top five of the year. I loved Maeve Fly, don’t get me wrong. This though, this book is special. It’s dark, bloody and dystopian but, it has hope, love and light in it as well. Just check trigger warnings my friends.
All of the characters are exquisite. Any book with a religious theme always intrigues me and this really dives deep into it. Don’t get me wrong, the master that is Leede weaves so many themes in this novel and reflects on faith, identity, morality, choice and sexuality. It broke my heart into a million tiny pieces and had me crying (second book ever to do it by the way) It’s fabulous and powerful. I will be reeling from it for days. Leede’s could right the DMV handbook and I would be reading with baited breath.
RIP Barghest.
Thank you so much @netgalley!