CW: Animal death, death, blood, religion, drugging, drugs, alcohol, abuse, sexual abuse

Alex Michaelides has done it again. He had the best-selling debut in 2019 with The Silent Patient and he’s got another winner with The Maidens.

I love a good mystery/thriller/suspense book. The less predictable the better. Trust me when I say that The Maidens is in no way predictable. The twists just keep coming in this book, you never know what to expect. Just when you think you might have something figured out, a twist comes up and leaves you with your mouth hanging open. I literally got chills from a couple of the twists.

My favorite character in this story, to be honest, was Fred. He was a bit obnoxious, but you could tell he was sincere. Fred is one of those characters that seem to be just some side character who will have no real role in the story. Then you find out you’re wrong.

Mariana was a character that was likable enough. She can be annoying sometimes as well, but she’s an interesting enough character. Although I have to say - for a psychotherapist she’s a bit out of touch with herself.

The rest of the characters, for me, functioned exactly as they should. They did what they were supposed to do, took whatever was thrown at them, and held up the way they needed to - or didn’t.

One thing I will say - you’ll get a pleasant surprise during one of the chapters - but you won’t understand unless you’ve already read The Silent Patient. And no, you absolutely don’t need to read that first to read The Maidens. They’re two separate stories.

If you liked The Silent Patient, you’ll love The Maidens. I recommend this for fans of psychological thrillers.

For people who have read The Silent Patient this one is definitely a step down from that one. It just wasn’t as engaging and interesting as his other novel. That being said I will still likely read his next one in the hopes that we meet the level The Silent Patient had. The whole premise of The Silent Patient and the mysterious characters, mind manipulating games, hidden agendas had me loving his first book. This one just didn’t reach that level. We still have the mysterious characters. We have this creepy guy who basically stocks Mariana the whole book (I hope this comes around for the third book! Fingers crossed!), we have Mariana with the tragic backstory, and we have the weird group of college students called the Maidens.

It still has this author's known for elements of weaving Greek mythology and tragedy with some form of psychologist. I personally really like having the main characters are in the psychology field. For me, it adds a lot to the book and just sets up the story really nicely.

I do have to say just like with his other novel, he is very good at fast conclusions that throw you for a loop. I thought for sure I knew who had done it. I could even see little clues that led to this person, but now I am thinking this was purposely added in to throw us off because I didn’t expect the ending at all. This ending came like a flash and was over quicker than that. The whole book was slow but then once the climax happened the book basically ended and I was left hanging. I don’t say this because there was a cliffhanger. After all, there wasn’t, but I do see how the ending could lead to his next novel. I say this because the book ended so quickly after the big reveal. I just wish the whole book was this fast-paced. The truth wasn’t as surprising as his first novel but I definitely didn’t see it coming. At some point in the novel it crossed my mind this could be the person, just like it did for basically every other character, but the why is what I didn’t expect.

Another thing that bugged me was how naive the main character was in this book. She was so stuck in her thinking that literally until the last possible moment she was blind to the truth. She could have been told the truth flat out and would have heard something different. I realized the truth way before her and continued to read as she was still stuck in the shadows.

The books had a lot of little things that took you on completely different paths throughout the book. I think this is what could definitely make a lot of people like the book because it makes it harder to pinpoint the true person, but for me, they were too little and too far apart to fill in a lot of time-wasting words. There were also a lot of plot whole and things that Mariana did and got away with in regards to the police and how they acted that seemed very unrealistic.

But I enjoyed the little added touch of having his characters from The Silent Patient show up. This was a nice touch to tie his books together. Of course, this is a stand-alone but for those who have read his other book, it is just a little nice touch that adds some behind the scene stuff.

I have hope for his next book!.

I received an ARC of this title via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.
This author has succeeded in surpassing their debut novel and I didn’t think it would as I truly enjoyed The Silent Patient. I was throughly convinced I was not going to let myself be bamboozled into thinking the wrong person was the culprit but yet again I was left going, WHAT?! Without any spoilers you also get a little cameo of characters seen in The Silent Patient as it is set in the same world, However this is perfectly good as a stand-alone and reading the other title is not necessary to enjoy this one. For all your thriller mystery fans, you are in for a treat!

First of all, I can’t explain enough how excited I was to receive this ARC. It was a gift from the literature Gods because of my obsession with the Silent Patient. And Alex M. did it again! Round of a freaking plause!!!!

I went into this one blind because I didn’t want any reviews or comments or backstory intervening with what I was about to read and I’m so glad I did. Now that I’ve finished and had the chance to review reviews I noticed that some say it begins slow. I would have to say that it may SEEM slow but it’s just so vivid. You really get a grasp on the character Mariana’s mind and setting and engulfs how the story will go. So be patient because it unwinds beautifully in the end.

I don’t want to give much away so I will be brief. Marianna was married to Sebastian who passed away a year ago. It begins with showing she’s still mourning his death and introduces her life as a group therapist. Her niece calls her with news that her best friend was brutally murdered and needs her help. This is where it all begins and the mystery of who the killer is gets dragged through your brain and I loved every second. I also loved that there was a nod to his first book with characters that made me squeal with delight!

Super well developed characters and story line and I would highly recommend to all!

Thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read The Maidens by Alex Michaelides after reading and liking The Silent Patient. Alex is a fantastic writer, there is no doubt. I liked a lot about this book but wasn’t as into the Greek mythology that he often delved into. It wasn’t as fast-paced as I wanted it to be but I was curious about what was going to happen next and the twist in the book did surprise me.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

The beginning part of the book is mainly about Mariana and by the time Edward Fosca enters the story, I was a little bored with Mariana’s inner thoughts and her issues. I would have loved to have met Edward and his band of female students who follow him around (The Maidens), sooner and also skip the deep mythology stuff. I did note the cross-over between this and one of the characters from The Silent Patient, watch out for that!

While this wasn’t as dazzling as The Silent Patient, there were parts I enjoyed and others are raving about this book so you will have to read it and see for yourself!

Coming out on June 15.

Perfect psychological thriller too engross the reader. I absolutely love this book. I highly recommend reading it.

This book left me feeling slightly ambivalent by the end and I needed some time to gather my thoughts. After reading the Silent Patient, this was one of my most anticipated reads for the year but unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for it.

However, expectations can be a hard thing to maneuver around when writing reviews and when viewing this book as a standalone, I did find it to be extremely well done as I flew through it and was quite intrigued throughout!

I found it to be quite well paced, captivating, extremely chilling and definetly shocking at times. While I was able to foresee part of the ending, I did really enjoy how everything came together and how the remainder of the unpredicted twist was revealed!

Bonus points for The Silent Patient goose eggs in the middle and the ultimate connection in the end! This I loved!

I had high expectations after being blown away by the author’s previous book, The Silent Patient. The Maidens was just as dark, twisted, and enjoyable. I love the depth of the main character and the ending that made me say “wow!” This book will definitely be a best seller and I’ll be telling everyone to read it!

This author has a way of creating a sinister and compelling atmosphere like no other! The writing is absolutely beautiful, and creates tension so that you are turning, turning the pages to see what happens next. There was a clever use of a red herring, and a twist I didn't see coming. I loved the depth of the main character.

This won't be a hard sell due to the popularity of The Silent Patient, but it's a worthy successor, and will be fun to give to those looking for psychological suspense with a very enjoyable a literary bent.

I will add that I usually stay away from recommending suspense, thriller, and mystery books for book clubs. But this one could work. There's enough real psychological depth/heft to the main character, herself a therapist, which could lead to good discussion about "how well do you ever really know someone," how trauma follows us around our whole lives, causing history to repeat itself...etc.

I didn't LOVE the ending but let's be honest -- I don't think any ending could have lived up to the beautiful build-up experience, here. I will recommend this one to British psychological suspense and thriller lovers ala Elizabeth Haynes, Sophie Hannah, Ruth Ware, and the like. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read, review and recommend this one ahead of time. :)

I would not have wanted to be this author and try to follow his first masterpiece, The Silent Patient, but he is equal to the task. This second thriller is quite different, thank heavens, but still mesmerizing and intriguing. Mariana, the protagonist, is a group therapist, and tries to use that knowledge to solve multiple homicides at her niece's elite private British college. I'm not sure that a therapist can be a successful crime solver, but it is a change from the traditional type. Adding the flavor of Greek tragedies to the story is another unique twist that improves the story. I did not solve the mystery but it made sense after the big reveal. I also liked the way the author wove facets of The Silent Patient into this story, which required me to return to that original work. The author writes beautifully, and tells a walloping story. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing an ARC.

Because I really liked The Silent Patient I had high expectations for The Maidens.. And while The Maidens is a good enough read, it failed to match or exceed what I expected. At its base level, The Maidens tells an unexceptional story, filled with twists and turns and a surprising ending. But not a single character is so well developed that I felt I knew him or her, and thus their motivations became blurred or obliterated. Relying on stereotyping, Michaelides presents us with a cast of tired players in a much-told tale. By the end, I felt sympathy for none of them except perhaps those who had been murdered. There are bits of cleverness, unnecessary displays of erudition, and holes in the action as well as in the plot. I think it would make a good enough read on a hot beach (perhaps in Greece), where one drifts out and back in again repeatedly, but it definitely is not good fare for readers who want to engage their minds in a clever riddle or who want to be lost in the layers of a good psychological thriller.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

“The Maidens” is another killer psychological thriller novel by Alex Michaelides, author of “The Silent Patient.” While set in the same universe and acting as a prequel of sorts to “The Silent Patient”, “The Maidens” works well on its own as a standalone novel, and does not spoil the former. Any references to “The Silent Patient” function more as Easter eggs for diehard fans, rather than substantial plot points.

This novel has a different focus and feel, featuring a new cast of characters. The author’s Cypriot and British roots are evident throughout the novel, with major influences on plot, settings, and characters shining through. The story did get a little mythology-heavy at times, and as that is not an area of interest for me, I found it hard to get through those parts of the novel. This made the plot lag a bit in places. I loved how much depth the author gave the characters. It was so easy to feel the emotions of the main protagonist seeping through the pages, affecting my own feelings.

A few of the twists were fairly obvious from the beginning, but the main twist was one I never saw coming. Looking back, the set up and execution of this twist was masterfully crafted and written. However, the book still lacked a bit of the “zing” that I felt when reading “The Silent Patient.” Though I did love this novel, it did not elicit in me quite the same feelings of shock and excitement, and I was a little disappointed. It is still one of the best thrillers I have read this year so far.

Overall, I fully enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers, especially those who enjoyed “The Silent Patient.”

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

An ominous murder mystery with Greek tragedy adeptly interwoven.

This was an easy book to get lost in. The short, concise chapters kept the book moving at an ideal pace, and I said “just one more chapter” until I had flown through the book in one sitting.

Michaelides created the perfect, menacing atmosphere on the Cambridge campus that kept me drawn in and on edge as the murderers were unraveled. He also masterfully utilized Greek tragedy (I mean can anything be more ominous that Greek tragedy?) to deliver an extra punch of foreboding. And as things unfolded, I enjoyed the extra level to the puzzle as it became obvious that while everything was as it seemed, nothing was as it seemed.

But then, at about the 85% mark, the twist was unveiled, and it just didn’t sit right with me. There wasn’t enough groundwork in place for it to hold true to me. And the loopholes I had overlooked previously became too blaring to ignore any longer. Is it possible to thoroughly enjoy the story while also hating the conclusion?

The crossovers from The Silent Patient gave an extra layer of drama and intrigue to this novel. I enjoyed tapping back into that same world and seeing connections between these two stories. Michaelides could easily create a third novel with these two intertwined, and I would absolutely be there for it!

Thank you Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

The Silent Patient is a book that I recommend to anyone who asks me for a thriller rec. I read it in one sitting and it still remains the top thriller for me. Needless to say, I had super high expectations for The Maidens.

The Maidens has all the Michaelides' trademarks - compulsively readable (I read it one sitting), movie-like writing where you can vividly imagine the scenes happening in the book, and multiple characters who you will suspect throughout the book. This book also has a background of psychotherapy - the main character Mariana is a troubled therapist. The pacing of this book is amazing and it makes you not put down the book at all. The atmosphere of the book is perfect, with a sense of foreboding always hanging around in the background. Sadly, I was able to guess the murderer quite early on - maybe because I was expecting the unexpected.

Is this the best thriller that I have read since The Silent Patient? A resounding YES. But did it surpass my expectations set by The Silent Patient? Not quite. But I still think that this book is really good and you should definitely read it. This book will make a GREAT movie (the book rights have already been bought from what I know) and I will read whatever Michaelides writes since he is my favorite thriller author. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

REVIEW • The Maidens • Pub Date: June 15• #gifted @celadonbooks

I’ll start this by saying, The Silent Patient was one of my favorite books of the year when it came out, however I read thrillers a lot less than I did then. Despite that, I was really excited for this one because of how much I enjoyed the author’s debut.

Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me. I’ll try to keep my thoughts brief/kind of vague to avoid any spoilers, but if you’ve read it and want to talk in more detail, just message me.

It seemed like there was way too much going on, it didn’t feel super suspenseful to me until the ending, which was a bit rushed and abrupt. Some of the writing was a bit cringey to me and I found our main character, Mariana extremely annoying. There were also a few elements of the story that I would have liked a bit more explanation of, or more time going in depth on.

All that said, I know so many people have loved this one, and if you are a thriller lover or have really been itching to read this, give it a try because you may love it too!

The Silent Patient is my favourite thriller so I went into The Maidens with high hopes and it did not let me down, I was hooked right off the bat!

This is another one that kept me guessing, I was suspicious of way too many characters. But that’s exactly how I like my thrillers, not knowing at all what’s going to happen next!

I really liked the bits of Greek mythology tied into the storyline, I am all about that these days! I also loved the shorter chapters and how we were thrown right into the whole murder mystery right away, which is why I had a hard time putting it down! I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a fast paced thriller!

Believe it or not, this is my first book by this author! I know, I know, I’m the only person on the planet that hasn’t read The Silent Patient, but I do plan on changing that soon.

I meant to just read a chapter or two of the Maidens, but instead, I found myself reading the whole book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. Plus the chapters, which alternate points of view, are nice and short so it’s a fairly quick read.

The Maidens is mostly set at Cambridge University in the UK, and follows Mariana Andros, a therapist, as she tries to find out who is killing off female students. There is a lot of Greek Mythology throughout the book, and Mariana’s own history comes into play fairly significantly.

She’s determined to prove that it’s charismatic Edward Fosca, the Greek Tragedy professor, who is behind it all, but no-one seems to believe her.

Despite working out who the killer was by about halfway through, I found that my enjoyment of the story wasn’t diminished. It’s so rich with dark, moody details that you really feel you’re there watching over Mariana’s shoulder the whole time. Plus there were still several twists and events I didn’t see coming.

There were a couple of characters that I didn’t feel were totally necessary to the storyline, and some parts that I think could have been fleshed out a little more, but having said that, it was a very entertaining and immersive read and I highly recommend it.

I lucked out and received one of the physical ARCS of The Maidens from the publisher/bookishfirst! I loved Alex Michaelides's first novel, The Silent Patient, and couldn't wait to read his second novel. I once again enjoyed the writing style, was surprised by the twist at the end but did not care for the pacing of this novel. It took me a while to get into the story and felt like it dragged. I am looking forward to reading what this author writes next.

3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars.

I was so excited to receive a copy of this highly anticipated thriller. I never like spoilers, so I recommend going into this book with as little knowledge as possible and avoiding synopses. The story brings in Greek mythology and takes place at Cambridge University. That's all I needed to know to be intrigued.

The chapters are quite short, and the book is fast paced with great prose throughout. It kept me guessing and suspecting everyone. I never did figure it out, but all the clues were there. I especially appreciated the incorporation of clinical psychology, both in the group sessions and the application to forensics. I recommend this great novel for all who enjoy thrillers.

Thank you so much to CeladonBooks for sending me this Advanced Reader Copy.

The Maidens is a smart and sly thriller that kept me intrigued and guessing the whole time I was reading. And as someone who studied psychology and read the Greek tragedies in college (approximately a thousand years ago 😂) I absolutely loved how the plays were woven in to the story, and the fact that our MC is a psychotherapist.