2.5
The premise of this book was intriguing and had so much promise. I enjoyed The Silent Patient much more than The Maidens. While the setting and storyline were well established at the beginning, there were a lot of implausible plot lines and events which develop. For example, the detectives seemed completely incompetent and the murder alibis were never explained. Sebastian is shown as a perfect spouse - wouldn't there have been some clues of his betrayal? Would Sebastian choose to swim and then subsequently die if he was really an excellent swimmer who understood the ocean? And would Zoe have shown other disturbing tendencies and traits, not just depression? So many unexplained plot points that made this novel weaker. It's always great fun to read a book that takes one on an exciting and suspenseful journey, but this one just felt completely questionable and was not particularly enjoyable (I continually had questions and thought "What?!").
Overall this was a disappointing read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow. This was definitely one of my top 10 books for this year. So gripping—I couldn’t put it down!

Mariana is a group therapist who is struggling after the death of her beloved husband. She receives a frantic call from her niece Zoe, who is in college at Mariana’s alma mater. Zoe is worried about a friend of hers. Mariana leaves London to go check on Zoe, where she is shocked to learn that Zoe’s friend has been murdered. Mariana begins to suspect Edward Fosca of the murder, a popular professor with a special secret society of female students who he dotes on and calls The Maidens. Mariana becomes very involved in trying to prove her theory, even when things get more dangerous as another girl is murdered.

I loved everything about this book. It was such an interesting plot, and I loved the tie-ins to The Silent Patient. It really kept me guessing up until the end—I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was wrong! Be sure to give this book a read—you won’t regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review!

I feel soooo bad saying this, but it just wasn't a good book! There were so many great elements, but it just felt disjointed. I can't image how hard it is to write a second book after your first was such a hit.

Predictable and just not very interesting. So much time was spent pointing to other characters as suspects, I found it extremely obvious who the killer was. The only thing I actually enjoyed, was the tie-in to his first book.

This is actually a pretty solid sophomore novel. I impressed at the complex story complete with Greek mythology. My downgrade comes with the lack of fully explored secondary characters as well as a out of left field ending. I write that because I felt certain elements were leading down a pathway that made sense. Where the author went instead was somewhat unbelievable — but not that far out of the realm of possibility. All in all, it’s a fast and entertaining read — perfect for a summer vacation!

This books was very messy. I loved the silent patient and was so excited for this book. The actual “maidens” plot was merely a red herring and not even a major plot line. This book could have been 50 pages long.

I loved this story. It was the first book I had read by this author (although it will not be the last!), and I loved the twists, turns, and red herrings. I was truly insure about the what the conclusion would be until it happened. Captivating and very well done.

After The Silent Patient, I had high hopes for Michaelides next offering. This book completely delivers! This is a high-octane read that kept me up all night.

Alex Michaelides debut, the Silent Patient was what got me hooked into thriller genre back in 2019. The Maidens did not hook me in like Silent Patient. There were several nods to the Silent Patient in this book so it has me curious if this will continue in upcoming books.

I hate to pick apart a book but I tried to read this back in May when I was sent the copy and had to put it down as I could not get invested in the story. The chapters are really short so it makes the story go by quickly but also makes the story feel choppy. I did not like any of the characters. Mariana becomes hyper-focused on one suspect that she does not think through any other possibilities even when they right in front of her. A couple of the characters could have been left out of the story all together and it would not have changed anything. Mariana's character was just not believable to me.

I enjoyed all the Greek mythology references but if you paid close attention the Greek stories they mentioned gave away the ending.

I am looking forward for another book by Alex Michaelides.

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. Mariana, a university alumnus, rushes to comfort Zoe. When another body is discovered, her obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility and her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

That’s a killer (pun intended) premise, isn’t it? I became a fan of Alex Michaelides when I devoured his bestselling psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, in 2019. It was twisted and creepy, and very well done. Unfortunately, his sophomore novel just didn’t compare. Some aspects of the book were great. The protagonist was fascinating and flawed, (both books featured a therapist who grew obsessed.) The plot was definitely unique, although the story line about Persephone’s journey to the underworld just wasn’t my jam. I also had a strong inkling who the killer was from the get-go, always a disappointment in a mystery. Still, there were some surprises. It was a good book, just not great. 3.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy.

My Thoughts:
* Overall I enjoyed the book and thought it was creative how the author tied in characters from The Silent Patient (this was done briefly and is not a major part of the plot). I like when an author creates these connections though and adds another layer to the story.
* I liked the main character, Mariana, and thought she was well written with the constant internal struggle of wanting to find the murderer and having to deal with the anguish of her husband’s recent death and returning to places where they had first met.
* This was definitely a slower burn that kept me intrigued with the host of suspicious characters that entered the story along the way. There were a couple of suspenseful moments throughout the book that kept my interest and helped propel me to the end, where I was anxious to know the final twist.
* Without giving anything away, I’m still unsure how I felt about that final twist though. I think it lost a little luster for me and unfortunately changed some of my initial feelings about this book when I was reading it.

I was super excited to read Michaelides's sophomore novel The Maidens. He is so well known for his twisty and fast moving plot, that I knew I would be finished quickly. Well that wasn't my experience. Instead of a lightening fast pace, I found myself getting bogged down in his writing. It would go from beautiful quotes such as:

"And in her absence, the lonely girl would turn to her mother’s books for solace and companionship. During the long summer afternoons, Mariana grew to love the feel of a book in her hands, the smell of paper, the sensation of turning a page. She would sit on the rusty swing in the shade, bite into a crisp green apple, or an overripe peach, and lose herself in a story."

and also

"Ruth always said that forgiveness could not be coerced—it was experienced spontaneously, as an act of grace, appearing only when a person was ready."

...and then next be such a simplistic, obvious and/or out of pocket statement that I was thrown for a loop. I guess I expected more. I know there are so many pressures writing a followup to a massive bestseller, and I'm sure the COVID quarantine didn't help matters.

I did love the pyschology studies, Greek mythology references, his Greek landscape descriptions, as well as Cambridge's setting. For those parts, I felt like I was right there engaged. In addition he does a fabulous job dissecting the parent/child relationship in so many ways. I think the problem came with Mariana's inner dialogue and the fact that she couldn't read Greek when she was raised there.

This novel is a stand alone but with a cool connection to his best seller The Silent Patient. I do hope Michaelides keeps up the crossovers as its always a treat to find the Easter eggs hidden. At the end of the day, I did not enjoy it as much as The Silent Patient, but give it a try as you may. Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. 3/5 stars

When I first saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book no matter what the story was. It screamed mythology to me but sadly, the mythology theme was almost non-existent. The Maidens is actually a Mystery/Thriller by the author of The Silent Patient (which I have not read just yet). Writing this short review ten days after reading/listening to it, I can say that this book didn't have a huge impact on me as I already had to think about it for a minute or two to remember what actually happened and who "did it". It wasn't bad by all means, but this was a bit of a flop for me. However, you might like it more than I did.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I enjoyed this thriller. The setting and premise drew me in. I would recommend to someone looking for a quick read.

Death is no stranger to Mariana. She lost her young English mother to cancer, her distant older sister to an accident, and her complicated Greek father collapsed in an olive grove. The worst though was losing her husband, Sebastian, just a year ago. As a psychotherapist, Mariana knows the steps to work through grief. Now death arrives again.

Mariana met Sebastian at the venerable University of Cambridge. When her devastated niece Zoe, a student, calls to say her friend Tara was murdered, Mariana returns to these familiar ivy-covered grounds. When more ritualistic deaths follow, it is clear a serial killer is targeting The Maidens, a group of nine female students under the tutelage of Edward Fosca, a charismatic classics professor who retains a mesmerizing hold over impressionable young women, including Tara. Mariana, convinced he is the murderer, sets a determined course to prove it.

Michaelides (The Silent Patient) skillfully infuses Greek mythology stories of death and life, darkness and light, suggesting all is not as it seems. Indeed, several disturbing characters cast doubt on the killer’s identity. While the tension could have been heightened and the unforeseen conclusion tests believability, this is intriguing psychological suspense.

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 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. She becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? 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. review: After reading The Silent Patient last year, I was really excited to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the hype for me. This was a very slow burn and I often found myself wanting more. I’m not big on greek mythology though, so I felt like a lot of this book was lost on me. One of the biggest things that bothered me was that we were provided with so many details throughout the book, however most of the pieces never really tied together or came to fruition and I was left with more questions than answers. That said, I really like Michaelides writing style and this book certainly had a dark element to it with a few well placed twists. If you’ve had this one on your list – give it a shot! rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

Alex Michaelides, author of the breakout THE SILENT PATIENT, returns with a gothic murder-mystery, rife with dark secrets aplenty.

As in THE SILENT PATIENT, Michaelides features a psychotherapist as its central character. This time it’s 36-year-old widow Mariana Andros, who visits niece Zoe on her Cambridge University campus and becomes embroiled in the case of a murdered student.

The more she digs, and the more bodies are found, the more she’s certain Professor Edward Fosca—Greek tragedy professor—is the culprit. There’s a ritualistic nature to the murders with cryptic calling cards left as clues, and moreover, the victims were all part of a secret group forged by Fosca: The Maidens, named in reference to the cult of Eleusis in ancient Greece. But what did the Eleusinian Mysteries, and Persephone and Demeter, have to do with the killings of these young girls on the Cambridge campus?

Mariana obsessively searches for evidence as the stakes get even higher. Before the end, Mariana herself with be in the line of fire with a shocking culmination I didn’t see coming.

Michaelides weaves an intricate mystery elevated by Greek mythology references and thrumming with a foreboding feel that kept me rapt. While the book felt a little slower paced that THE SILENT PATIENT, I loved the immersiveness and mythological aspects of the novel.

Clever and sinister, THE MAIDENS is a solid atmospheric thriller perfect for poolside reading.

Michaelides' new novel is a page-turner with real twist in the end. Not to be put down, the novel is comprised of diction evoking an immediate image from that perfect accurate word. A jewel of writing!

oh the sophomore slump. I flew through The Silent Patient but this one is just...meh. Took me a long time to care about anything that was happening. The last 40 pages or so were quite captivating but I was disappointed in how long it took to get good.

This book just was not for me. I read The Silent Patient and enjoyed it, but thought the writing could use some tightening up. Being this was his second novel, I expected better.

Mariana is upset her husband Sebastian is killed. Then talks to her niece, Zoe who is troubled and worried about her friend Tara. All are concerned about the Professor Fosca. So, Tara is dead and Professor Fosca has a secret society of Maidens. Woman to serve him. So, find out Tara is killed and was part of this cult. Who do you think everyone suspects is the killer?

I guessed very early who the killer was. This just was not well written or entertaining or much of a thriller. This is an author who got enormous critical acclaim for his first book. Sorry, this does not pass My ok to read meter.

If you enjoy it, definitely read on, but I wished I’d passed. Perhaps, next book will be different, but thinking I’m kind of finished with Alex. There are so many great books to read, why waste time on this one.

Sorry, I usually love the books I get, but can’t say this was one.

Thank you NetGalley, Alex Michaelidis, and Macmillan Publishing for an ARC copy of this book.