The Silent Patient was such a great thriller with the best "What?!!!" moment of all time so I was so super excited to get my hands on Alex Michaelides' new book, The Maidens. It's definitely a page turner but I'll be honest that you have to separate yourself from The Silent Patient. Don't expect the same book. With that said, if you enjoy a good psychological thriller, then definitely pick this one up!

Edward Fosca is worshipped and adored at Cambridge University; especially by his "special" students, a very small group of beautiful young women called The Maidens. To Mariana, he's a murderer. Mariana was once a student at Cambridge, but goes back when her (current student) niece Zoe calls her, informing a good friend has been murdered.

I could NOT put this book down! Terrific writing, twists, turns and an ending I would of NEVER DREAMED!!!
Bonus: I learned a bit of Greek tragedy!

Thank you firstly to Netgalley and Celadon Books for this gifted copy of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, one of my most anticipated thrillers of the summer! This story felt so unique and I loved the tie ins to Greek Mythology, it was fast paced which kept me engaged and wanting more, and the twists were well thought out! For those who were fans of The Silent Patient by Alex then you'll be in for a treat in regards to several Easter eggs thrown into the story. When you compare both of his publications, The Maidens falls just below the spectacular workings of The Silent Patient, something was just missing but I could never put my finger on it. At times the characters felt a bit unbelievable and made me ponder how certain plot points even made sense. Regardless, this was still a fun thriller that will be devoured by many this summer!

Wowza, another mind blowing book by Alex Michaelides! One that will glue you to the pages, keeping your attention from start to finish, and addicted! In love with his amazing use of Greek mythology! He is able to develop his characters flawlessly, which really makes sure and keep you addicted to the story! Unique anc realistic, which I find to be amazing in the psychological thrillers! A must read for mind blowing shocks, thrilling thrills, chilling chilling, and dizzying twist and turns!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This was a great novel. While it wasn’t quite as entrancing as The Silent Patient, it was a great thriller in its own right. I liked the references to his earlier work.. Although it’s completely not necessary to read The Silent Patient first to enjoy this one, readers of both will see how this one is a prequel of sorts to the first novel.

The atmosphere in this novel is throughly drenched in slowly suffocating dread and the historical references and setting add to the creepiness. The plot is unique and the characters all interesting and suspicious. The misdirection is great and the final twist completely unexpected. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Based on this novel and The Silent Patient, I’m pretty sure Alex Michaelides is quickly going to become one of my favorite authors.

QUICK TAKE: if you enjoyed THE SILENT PATIENT, chances are you'll enjoy THE MAIDENS, an almost prequel/spin-off to that bestselling book from a couple years ago. Unfortunately, I liked, but didn't love TSP, and I enjoyed THE MAIDENS even less than that. A lackluster mystery, a main character who claims to be a therapist but somehow forgets all of her training throughout the story, a twist that didn't land for me, and ultimately a big letdown. Unfortunately, this one ultimately wasn't for me.

This is one of the most anticipated books I’ve been waiting to read and it truly did not disappoint! MC Marianna, a psychotherapist and widow, is grieving the death of her husband Sebastian. She keeps herself busy with work until a phone call from her niece, Zoe, prompts her to leave town. Zoe’s friend, Tara, is found murdered on the grounds of the university they attend and fingers are pointed at Professor Edward Fosca. He has an arrogant flair that charms everyone especially a group of students known as The Maidens! Another female body is found and Mariana does her own investigation into Fosca. There’s a few red herrings, a bit predictable & cliche, but still an entertaining suspenseful mystery! Thank you Celadon Books, NetGalley, and to the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Many thanks to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and Net Galley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like many, I very much enjoyed Michaelides’ previous novel, The Silent Patient, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this latest novel. It had many aspects that intrigued me — Oxford university, Greek mythology, mysterious murders — so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, this book didn’t meet my (admittedly sky-high) expectations. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters, much of the writing consisted of dumps of lengthy back-story, and the ending just seemed utterly ridiculous.

The Maidens has many, many positive reviews, so I may just be an outlier on this one. I’ll still look forward to Michaelides’ next novel, and I have my fingers crossed for a return to the well-crafted, well-written thriller that he brought us in The Silent Patient.

The Maiden's was Alex Michaelides second suspenseful book. I enjoyed his first book the silent patient and the Maidens did not disappoint. I loved the suspense that the reader was never really sure what was happening and where the story would go.

I enjoyed Mariana's story as it slowed unfolded and her narration became the main driving force of the story. A second narrator comes in and you are wondering where this will go. I loved the relationship between Mariana and Zoe and how Zoe really took a backseat to Mariana and the story that was happening around her. A truly captivating story that took me a good 50 pages to really get into. It's worth the journey. Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian for my advance copy.

Thanks to Net galley for the ARC of this book. As a fan of Alex Michaelides's first book, The Silent Patient I knew this book would be just as good. I was not disappointed, it had a twist at the end that I didn't expect. The main character in the book Mariana is called to the college by her niece Zoe after a murder takes place. Mariana's suspicions fall on a professor at the college, Edward Fosca. Mariana pretty much makes herself a nuisance during the police investigation with her wild theories and her lack of evidence. There is a secret society of young women call The Maidens whom I'm not really sure what their purpose is. This book keep me interested and I was satisfied with the ending. I will be recommending this book to my library patrons.

The author of The Silent Patient has come up with another mind-turning, explosive thriller that will have you racking your brain trying to figure out what is really going on. A picturesque setting, a grieving therapist and horrible murders that draw Mariana into this twisted web of academia shenanigans, diabolical characters and seething undertone of secrets kept too long. Will she solve this puzzle, or will it destroy her?

Wait until you get to the end........

Another winner!

With his book The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides set a standard for dark and twisty psychological thrillers. His next work, The Maidens, follows in that same genre and does not disappoint. The academic setting provides a great backdrop to the creepy story of the cult-like "maidens," their leader, and the murder of some of its members. Just like with The Silent Patient, there's a twist you definitely won't see coming, and the dark and atmospheric work is overall quite enjoyable.

With the major success of The Silent Patient (debuting at #1 on the New York TImes Best Seller List), I was so excited to receive this advanced reader copy from NetGalley. The Maidens is formatted into six parts - most of the narration coming from a group therapist named Mariana Andros and chapters scattered throughout from an ambiguous narrator. Mariana tragically grieves over the death of her husband Sebastian and decides to get herself involved in a major investigation of a series of murders at Cambridge University. Instead of stepping back from this scary situation, she gets in many altercations with the Greek Tragedy Professor, his secret society of female students called The Maidens and many others!!

Alex Michaelides thrives when it comes to red herrings, greek mythology, creating unreliable narrators and making every character look super suspicious. I enjoy his writing, attention to detail and hope to see The Silent Patient and The Maidens on the big screen some day. Ultimately, he keeps the story moving.....WITH MANY TWISTS AND TURNS! Set in The Silent Patient world, readers will be reunited with some notable characters from Michaelides debut and wonder what will come of his next book! Thanks again to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this compelling read.

This one certainly surprised me! It’s not every day I find myself saying that.

On to the review...

From the very beginning, we’re introduced to a plethora of characters. I found this particularly pleasing, given how often in the genre there is usually only a handful of suspects, and it’s fairly easy to spot the “killer” (at least, in my experience). With The Maidens, however, having such a large cast of suspects kept me from guessing too easily the culprit.

I found myself impressed with Mariana, our main character. She’s practical, capable, rational, and just the right bit of flawed & broken. She is such a well-rounded character, and so I commend the author for not making her annoyingly one-note, daft, and grating—as is the case with many main characters in the Mystery/Thriller genre.

One thing I will say against this book: I was unable to suspend my disbelief that the police were so inept at their jobs. I know it was convenient for the plot that Mariana did most of the investigating, but I find it hard to believe the Chief Inspector AND all his men/women were that, well, dumb! You would think “the maidens” would’ve been put under some sort of protective detail, or at the very least surveillance. Or, police patrols around the campus! I don’t buy it that they just let the murders happen, with little effort to prevent them.

But that gripe is small potatoes given just how good this book is. Alex Michaelides’s The Maidens is an unputdownable thriller that will be the perfect beach read or book club choice this year.

Cambridge University is a prestigious one that excels at churning out successful students. It also has some of the most well-respected professors...except that one might be a murderer.

That is what Mariana thinks. She is a group therapist living in London, and drops everything when her niece, Zoe, calls her. Zoe’s best friend has been murdered on campus where they are both Cambridge students. Mariana makes her way to the University, where she herself attended years prior.

With bittersweet memories of the college, Mariana quickly learns that Zoe thinks Professor Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. Mariana finds herself agreeing. As an instructor of Greek tragedy, he seems to hone in on a particular story given the circumstances. On top of that, what is up with the secret society he runs...The Maidens?

After another murder takes place, Mariana becomes determined to stop Fosca...and will not stop digging into the investigation...

...no matter what danger she might be putting herself in.

I was a bit nervous about reading The Maidens. First, I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s debut novel, The Silent Patient, and had guessed the ending early on. In addition, I recently finished a novel where Greek Mythology played a part (Madam), and that was not an enjoyable experience...to say the least.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. This mystery kept me engaged the entire time, and while Greek Mythology plays a role, it didn’t bore me. Nor did it try to suffocate my tender brain. The progression of suspense is a bit slow at times, but I never noticed while actively reading. The writing is a bit simple, leaving the characters mostly one dimensional. There was nobody I particularly cared about, and yet the words flowed effortlessly with some nice atmosphere. It’s also a quick read with short chapters.

As for the ending, I suspected part of it at one point or another, but was genuinely surprised by another aspect of it. That was a treat! There is also a brief tie-in to The Silent Patient that I thought was really clever.

Maybe it has to due with expectations, but Alex Michaelides’ sophomore effort is a win for me, and better than its predecessor. I’ll be looking forward to his next one.

3.5 stars rounded up.

TW: Brief animal harm in two sections.

Thank you so much to DeAnn, who kindly sent me a copy of the physical ARC. Also thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley, who sent me a digital ARC afterwards, in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Holy mackerel with a huge pile of red herrings!  The Maidens is set in the same world as The Silent Patient, even allowing us to see a couple of The Silent Patient's characters. Whereas the big twist in The Silent Patient got me, which is very hard to do, The Maidens throws so many suspicious people our way that I suspected everyone of being a murderer. Still, this was an enjoyable story, even as I rolled my eyes throughout the book, as the main character made one irrational decision after another. 

Mariana Andros is a group therapist, still grieving over the death of her husband. She seems to have trouble setting boundaries for herself and her patients. One patient harrasses and stalks her and she quickly meets several men at her old university that scare her yet she puts herself in close proximity to them, even allowing them to pour her drinks that take her past her tipsy limit. She is back at Cambridge University because her niece's good friend has been murdered and she wants to give her niece the support she needs to get through this sad time. 

But once on campus, things are even more dire than the murder of one university student. A popular professor, Edward Fosca, seems to be up to no good, with his followers made up of a secret society of female students. Mariana's niece seems to know a lot more than she will admit to Mariana and soon is Mariana dangerously poking her nose in places that will get her in trouble. She claims she is being careful, when in reality, she is anything but careful or subtle. The story has such a dreamlike, misty quality to it and Mariana is still so damaged by the death of her husband, that her lack of clear thinking seems to fit in with the atmosphere of the story. 

There was no way I could guess who the murderer was because every man seems to have something that might point to him. Everyone speaks in circles and there is a sense of foreboding, as if more is going to happen (and it does). I suspect that there will be more of this world, where The Silent Patient and The Maidens intersect in a third book and I look forward to reading that story. 

Expected publication: June 15, 2021

Thank you to Macmillan Publishers/Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I thought the author’s first book, The Silent Patient, was a decent book and was hoping this one would be an improvement. I was wrong. This one was a mess. There was so much about this book I disliked.

To begin, I’m not a fan of therapists as detectives. If murders are going to be this gruesome, you need a real detective. People playing detective belong in cozy mysteries. Also, it annoyed me how easily Mariana was allowed access to the investigation. When she merrily wandered into a crime scene to check out a recently discovered body, I was beyond shocked. I couldn’t believe how quickly and freely she immersed herself in the investigation simply because she was a group therapist. I also thought the book suffered from sloppy writing and/or editing. Perhaps some of this will be fixed by the time of final publication, but these errors were like little speed bumps throughout the book, slowing me down.

I felt the plot was forced and things were thrown in simply to muddy the water. including Theo from The Silent Patient several times was simply annoying. As I read, I also got the sense that the author was quite impressed with himself. Not even the beautiful cover can save this one.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

I'm not going to lie, The Maidens was a frustrating read. The twist ending *almost* makes it worthwhile, but I have some complaints. I'll start with the things I loved about this book so as not to discourage anyone from picking it up.

The Cambridge setting and mythological references were palpable and made for an engaging backdrop.

The twist ending was unforeseen (though, to be quite honest, a little bit of a cheat! see below.)

The fact that the book takes place in the same universe as The Silent Patient and integrates characters from that book (albeit briefly) was a welcome surprise. I'm a sucker for this type of pandering to readers. :)

However, the characters were ALL frustrating. Especially the moronic investigators and administrators. I almost felt like I was reading one of those kids books where all the adults are ignorant and unbelieving to the point of absurdity (think A Series of Unfortunate Events).

There were also multiple characters who seemed to serve no purpose. What was the point of the other therapist who had access to the investigation? Was he simply a vehicle to grant Mariana access to a crime scene? His presence goes nowhere and adds little to the story.

The reason I say the twist ending is a cheat is that we never actually learn enough about the murderer to suspect them. We meet and "get to know" them only through the perspective of someone delusional and grief-stricken. All the while, we are presented with red herring after red herring, some of whom never have any other purpose in the book besides flimsy misdirection.

Besides the frustrating aspects, I found many enjoyable moments. I especially loved the very last pages of the book. They bring the universe full circle in a very satisfying way. Fans of The Silent Patient will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Maidens.

I was very disappointed with this; the narrative was slow, lacked suspense and urgency, and all the characters were flat, one dimensional and lacked substance.

I found it hard to identity or sympathize with Mariana; she's described as being a brilliant therapist but nothing she says or how she acts lends credibility to her maturity and experience as a therapist.

She spends nearly the entire story talking about the love of her life, Sebastian, and the fairytale life they held before his untimely death.

All the main male characters in this story are terrible brutes; predatory and charismatic, and the young women they prey on are vulnerable, naive and barely developed as strong individuals.

The writing was simplistic and the author is infatuated with the often used reply "I see." It's used copiously and numerously. I counted three "I see"s on one page.

I would recommend this book only to fans of the author's first book.

I was insane with joy to see the hype regarding this novel, knowing it was going to by by the author of The Silent Patient.( a book that will be hard to beat). The Maidens was just a tad disappointing, but I can live with that as I like Mr. Michaelides writing style and enjoyed the twist at the end. Keep them coming!!