I am so excited that Alex Michaelides wrote another book. Thank you to Netgalley for a digital ARC in change for my honest review. Alex does it again! The story unfolds likes a piece of origami, complicated and then quickly. Expect lots of twists and turns, naturally. The natural inclusion of Greek plays and gods was genius. I can't say I loved this book more than The Silent Wife, but I love any story set on a campus, especially a small, secluded school. A well-written and well-planned plot.

From the very beginning, we know that Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this the main character, Mariana, is certain. Fosca is a Greek tragedy professor at the Cambridge University and is loved by both his colleagues and students, especially the group of women known as The Maidens. Mariana is a group therapist who becomes obsessed with Fosca when one of the Maidens is found murdered. This thriller is twisty and a great sophomore novel to follow up The Silent Patient.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved The Silent Patient, so it only felt natural that I would love "The Maidens."
The best part about this book is the surprise ending, which I (obvs) won't give away, but was definitely not one that I had guessed. I loved the twists and turns in this novel. What I didn't like is that it sometimes felt like the historical parts of it (i.e. the Greek mythology) weighed the story down at parts. There were a few times where I wanted the story to move along a bit faster. However, overall, I would highly recommend this one. Great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

No sophomore slump for Alex Michaelides as he writes another solid thriller with The Maidens. Mariana is a group therapist who is still mourning the death of her husband Sebastian. Her niece Zoe is a student at Cambridge is upset as her friend was murdered and Mariana goes to her alma mater and gets involved in the case.

Lots of red herrings to lead the readers astray. I didn't care for Mariana as a MC--she's a bit impetuous and does stupid things like tampering with evidence. I enjoyed learning about Cambridge and I learned some very cool new words like buttery and bedders. Very different college living experience from what I had.

Loved the Easter egg referencing The Silent Patient.

Not quite sure where to rate this one. Definitely a page-turner and finished it in a day, but not as good as The Silent Patient. I was hoping to have it land on a solid 4-star but I think the way the ending turned out, it puts it more at a 3-3.5 for me.

What I enjoyed:
- I really loved the incorporation of mythology and how it was seamlessly woven into so many events throughout the story.
- I loved the fast-pace! This was definitely a page-turner.
- I liked the psychotherapist perspective of our main character and having little typed letters from our “villain” sprinkled throughout.
- I was excited to see a clever little nod to The Silent Patient and its main character, Theo. Fun Easter egg!
- There were red herrings everywhere but I love that about mystery/thrillers. It kept me guessing the whole time about who was really responsible.
- The descriptions of Cambridge were wonderful!

What I didn’t love:
- I was hoping for a grand twist like we had experience in The Silent Patient and was disappointed when it didn’t turn out as twisty as I was hoping for.
- Some aspects of the ending were tough and, content-wise, I was disappointed it went the direction it did.

Overall, fairly enjoyable read, fast-paced, good mystery/thriller that doesn’t require too much brain-bending to enjoy!

Content Warnings:
Death/murder, ritualistic sacrifices, child abuse, spousal abuse, animal death

Another surprise filled story between these covers!

I will recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a thriller

Twist endings are standard in the genres I read. What I loved so much about The Silent Patient was that the twist messed me up a bit. It's one of those books that I think about long after I've finished it. With that in mind, I was so excited to see what else Alex Michaelides could do. I'm not turned off him completely, but I'm disappointed. But I'm disappointed specifically because of how high my expectations were.

This book is your standard psychological thriller/mystery/ode to literature. The writing is fantastic, but just like with The Silent Patient, it doesn't quite grab you. You have to stick with it, knowing it will pay off. There's an unexpected twist ending that ties up all the loose ends. But it just felt like every other twist ending I've read. Theo Faber, the main character from The Silent Patient, makes an appearance, which made me feel like this book was written to ride on the coattails of the last.

In summary, it's fine.

An intriguing mystery with a dark academic setting. This book started off slow but picked up for a thrilling final third. I would recommend this title to anyone looking for a higher brow mystery.

#TheMaidens
A dark, beautifully written thriller that will have you thinking about it long after it is finished. A must read of 2021!

Lots of good qualities here: Suspenseful but still smart, twisty but easy to follow...but. it just wasn't altogether interesting. The main character is a bit...I don't know, she just didn't make me give a shit what happened to her, if you see what I mean.

This book will be popular, because of the author's.successful first novel. I liked this one slightly better, but then I really didn't like the first one. Simplistic writing. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Enjoyed it! Loved the descriptions of Cambridge and the snippets of Greek Mythology. The ending was a little far fetched but hey - it's fiction!

WOW! Blown away! With so much joy, I came to the realization that Alex Michaelides wrote another book. A happy dance followed when I received an ARC via Netgalley (Thank you!) and ever since reading the last page I can't stop thinking about 'The Maidens'. Alex did it again, a master piece! I'm so in awe of his unique storytelling ability, the way in which he can set up characters and in this case bring so many different feelings and emotions together. The story in itself is extremely well done as well, it twists and turns, but never for one second did I see that ending coming and I'm really impressed that Alex was able to give me such a satisfying ending. I loved the way in which he brought the Greek plays and gods to live as well, gave the story an even deeper dimension. I can go on forever, there was nothing not to love about this book and I'm already saying it here: this has to make the top 10 of best books in 2021.

I can’t imagine writing something as stellar and perfect as the THE SILENT PATIENT, and then having to follow up with a new novel!

This book definitely kept me on my toes, and just like his first book, kept me guessing until the very end. A thrilling and enjoyable read!!! Will recommend.

First of all I want to thank NetGalley for this eARC for my honest review. The Maidens is a twisted psychological mystery that is cleverly steered first this way, then that. You will assume one antagonist only to be sure that your wrong, no right. An almost joyful messing with your mind. Alex Michaelides is a writer that works this magic better then most.

I would read the phone book if Michaelides wrote it. The Silent Patient is one of my favorite books ever and I couldn't wait to read The Maidens. Greek tragedy, murder, obsession - Yes, please!!
I loved the incorporation of the Greek tragedies and the uncertainty of what the heck was going on in this book. The ending came as a complete surprise as Michealides did a fantastic job of making you wonder who was responsible for the killings of these college students. I also loved how he incorporated The Silent Patient into this novel (you'll have to read it to see what I mean!).
Can't wait for another book by Michaelides! Read this NOW!!

Alex Michaelides has hit the ball out of the park once again with his latest psychological thriller that takes place at Cambridge University. Therapist Mariann is still recovering from the death of her true love and husband, Sebastian, when she is summoned by her niece, Zoe, to help her deal with the murder of her close friend on campus. All of Mariann’s therapist abilities come into play while she tries to make heads or tails of a cult-like environment and multiple stabbing deaths of young women, all-the-while putting her own life in grave danger.

I am usually pretty good at figuring out twists but this one had me completely blindsided and I loved it! Not only was it completely unexpected, but it also was plausible and made complete sense when looking back at the narration. This is one book that I might actually read a second after knowing the ending to see what I might’ve missed. What a gift Michaelides has in being able to write in such a brilliant manner. Expectations of this are high after the outstanding popularity and success of the Silent Patient and Michaelides has by far exceeded these expectations. 5 well-deserved stars!

I am the only person in the world that has not read the author's hit book, The Silent Patient, so I am going in blind on his writing. I really enjoyed the short chapters, which made it an easy read despite the heaviness of the content. I loved the psychological messiness of Mariana and how this event affected her. There were so many twists and turns that the ending was such a shocker! I half guessed it but I was wrong as to why this all happened. This is a great book and I think the author's fans will be happy!