My oh my, writing this review will be quite a challenge. Upon reflection, I might say I abhor this novel. In another moment, I might gush about how much I loved it. The pacing is challenging, and the journey to the final act sometimes proves very laborious. At times I was annoyed at how obvious and sloppy some of the red herrings were, as if Alex Michaelides was an amateur mystery novelist and not the biggest upcoming writer in the genre. At other times, I was biting my nails down to the nubs totally enveloped in the world that was being created. Some characters are written brilliantly, so easily to create an image and voice of them in your head. Some characters are so poorly written that getting through their parts is eye-rollingly difficult. And not in a you-hate-them-because they're-written-so-well type of way, more so that they just feel like after-thought fodder. But the conclusion is so satisfying that you feel like all the imperfections can be forgiven, even though we are shown that giving forgiveness isn't always our choice to make.

Flashy with all the current trendy bookish buzzwords (#darkacademia #mythologyretelling, #twisteneding), underneath the shiny coat The Maidens is a fairly average commercial thriller, while captivating, never achieves anything particularly memorable.

What The Maidens has in spades is atmosphere; Alex Michaelides took full advantage of the Cambridge setting, with its aged campus and dimly lit interior soaking the narrative in an appropriately morbid mood. The literary references throughout is another nice touch, though some readers might find its display of tragedy drama principles a bit too on the nose—no one in this story had a decent childhood, and everyone was psychologically scarred because of it.

While I enjoy the leisure pacing, letting the atmosphere settles in rather than in a rush to propel forward, the lack of true plot advancement in effect provokes me to scrutinize its flaws: the laughably absent police force (the book completely skips over any routine forensic activities), the protagonist Mariana, a 'brilliant' therapist, can barely retort / defend her words under normal conversation, and constantly puts herself in shady situations—why would a woman so willingly go to strange man's house solo? It's not unusual for stories to require a suspension of disbelief, in the case of The Maidens, there's simply not enough story to distract (at least for this reader) before starting to poke holes at its logic.

The Maidens is a calculated bestseller in the making; built around some of the most talked-about elements in the zeitgeist, with inoffensive execution—but it also doesn't dive deep into its inspirations and aspire to be more. It's no surprise its already being optioned and developed into a series—as it has some fundamental mass appeal; hopefully the screenwriters will embellish it with some worth-chewing meat on its bones.

Thank you Celedon and Macmillian Audio for this free ALC of The Maidens! I am probably one of the only people left on earth that hasn't read The Silent Patient so I went in to this book without any expectations from the author. Dark Academia is my jam so when I heard it was about a culty group of college girls and murder, I was all down! Sadly, the pacing of this book was too slow for me. I didn't really see the ending coming but I was also not very invested in the characters. Mariana was too fraught for me, and it seemed so silly that she wanted to play detective. Especially considering that if she really was concerned about her niece and the murder running around her alma mater college, she would have just grabbed Zoe out of school and brought her back to London with her. Not hang around and be basically bullied and picked on by half the people she met while there.

I wish there was more of The Maidens and their strange and Svengali-like professor and less of Mariana and her trauma. Sorry, this one was a miss for me.

Specifically for the audio book, the narrator had great tone and cadence, but her American accent was very inconsistent and it took me out of the story a few times.


I am sure many people will adore this book, though. It does have some good twists you don't see coming.

Nothing but love for Michaelides' second thrilling novel!
Mariana Andros is a group therapist, but after the death of her husband, she could use some therapy herself. When her niece, Zoe, calls with news of a tragic murder in Cambridge, Mariana drops everything to be there for her. The pair are quickly swept up in the drama of the campus, the dazzling and dangerous nature of Professor Edward Fosca, and the mysterious group known as the Maidens.
Michaelides kept me guessing in this novel, just like in The Silent Patient. The characters are well written, the setting was unique, and it is easy to get wrapped up into the story. And just when you think you have it figured out, you better think again! I listened to this on audiobook and found the recording was extremely well done--loved the narrators.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of this novel.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides.

I really enjoyed The Silent Patient and was ecstatic to receive The Maidens. I really try not to compare books to each other, but in this case I just couldn’t read The Maidens without also thinking of The Silent Patient.

Unfortunately, with my high expectations and the comparison between books, The Maidens fell flat for me. I didn’t get the thriller I was hoping for and the dark academia vibe that seemed sure to be interesting was just plain boring. The twists were obvious and the ending was too frantic.

I enjoyed the bits and pieces of mythology weaved throughout the story, although I will say I wanted more even of that aspect, and I look forward to future books by Alex Michaelides. However, I can’t say that I would recommend The Maidens as a “must read” for thriller fans. I will say that one bonus is that the narration of the audiobook is superb.

Synopsis:
Psychotherapist Mariana rushes to Cambridge to comfort her niece, Zoe, after her friend is murdered. Mariana believes the police have the wrong person, and decides to investigate. She becomes fixated on one of Zoe’s professors as the likely suspect.

I’ll get my unpopular opinion out of the way: I felt The Silent Patient was just ok. I enjoyed it, but didn’t think it was as good as many others thought. So, I approached this one with that in mind. I was blown away with this one! It’s set against a backdrop of Greek tragedies, of which I have very limited knowledge. From that aspect, I learned a great deal. It’s also set in the context of grief and trauma and explores the way we process our experiences, and the long term impact they have on us. Of course, being a thriller, there was “the twist”, and I didn’t see it coming. Initially, it bothered me that there were few (if any) “clues”, but I think that was the intent-for the reader to be just as surprised as Mariana was. I will give just a touch of criticism about the treatment Mariana gave one of her patients-in my opinion (I’m also a psychotherapist), it was completely incorrect. I won’t say much more to avoid spoilers. Overall though, this one sucked me in completely! The narration of this book was very well done, and totally hooked me. The male narrator, in particular, lent a particularly creepy vibe to this production. The audiobook was so good, I chose The Maidens as my BOTM pick!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audiofor an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was just meh for me, which was very disappointing, seeing as I LOVED Michaelides debut, The Silent Patient. Unfortunately, The Maidens was just too predictable and silly, and the ending left me feeling empty and let down. I'd definitely still try another book by this author, though and I thought the female narrator did a wonderful job.

audiobook wise, this was great, the narrator was great. book wise, it didn't work for me. fell a bit flat for me, it was slow and dull, i didn't click with it at all, which is a huge bummer after loving the silent patient so much.

Thank you, Alex Michaelides, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book. It releases on June 15th, 2021!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides has been everywhere since its release. It is sitting on my shelf right now and I hope to read it soon. But, when I received an audiobook copy of his second book, The Maidens, I could not wait to read it! It doesn’t release until June 15th, but I have been seeing this book everywhere FOR MONTHS! Mariana is a group therapist who lost her husband a year ago. Now it is just her and her niece, Zoe. Zoe calls her from college saying that her best friend, Tara has been murdered. Mariana goes to Cambridge, her former college to be there for Zoe. Mariana is convinced that the professor, Edward Fosca is a murderer. He is the leader of a female-only group, called The Maidens. It is an exclusive group and Tara was a member. But Mariana has no evidence, then another member is murdered. Mariana begins to investigate on her own and will do anything to bring down Fosca before another member is murdered.

When people say this thriller is a slow burn, there should be an extra emphasis on SLOW. I almost gave up. But I must say, I am so glad I didn’t give up. I was really conflicted with Mariana as the main character. While she is obviously brilliant and truly wants to help people…she can also be pretty idiotic. She gets EVERYTHING wrong. –I don’t want to expand on that thought because it may lead to some spoilers. The thing is, readers will see clearly that she is wrong but she just keeps forcing herself into an investigation that she is clueless about and her decisions do affect those around her. But let me get back to the pace of the novel. I felt that there are a few unnecessary moments, particularly at the beginning of the book. I understand that the author wanted to give readers more than one suspect but it did not help the pace. THANKFULLY, at about 65% in the book, I did not want to put it down. I went an extra mile on my run, just so I can finish it.

The author does an amazing job at intertwining ancient mythology with the crime and within Mariana’s life. I loved the addition of the stories of Demeter and Persephone. It is important to connect Demeter and Persephone’s relationship with Mariana and Zoe. Plus, the author really showed why women often don’t come forward to report crimes because they are often not believed.

The narrators are Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I thought Kobna Holdbrook-Smith did a phenomenal job by adding a very eerie aesthetic to the audiobook. But Louise Brealey left me a little disappointed. She does some amazing accents but her narration didn’t quite keep me hooked to the story. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I have to say that the ending of the book was pretty brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook. I have not yet had a chance to read Michaelides earlier book, the Silent Patient, but this one was ok. I enjoyed the narrator, but there were definitely places in this one where I got sidetracked or my brain wandered and I missed some key information and had to go back. Overall, a decent thriller.

Holy crap.... What in the heck?!

The Maidens is an incredibly well written and will have you guessing 'who done it' the entire time.

Ya'll, I'm going to be honest, this book was a little slow but the writing was fantastic. The plot twist at the end, I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. It was so good and I would highly recommend giving it a read.

One of the most captivating and fun thrillers I have had the pleasure of reading this year. The obsessions, the drama, the twists and turns.... and the final twist at the end!!! It was one of the first plot twists that I truly did not and could not have guessed. Wow. A five star thriller!

There is so much hype around The Maidens  right now,  and I'll confess it was one of my most anticipated reads after loving the silent patient. However it definitely didn't love up to my expectations. I did enjoy this novel but not quite as much as others. I thought the plot didn’t have enough cohesiveness to pull off another shocking surprise twist at the end. The atmosphere was creepy and fear of the unknown was prevalent but it wasn’t enough to hold the story together. Overall, this book was average and a bit predictable and not up to the silent patient standards.

In the story we follow, Mariana Andros a therapist who is still grieving the tragic loss of her husband. Mariana gets a frantic call from her niece, Zoe, over the disappearance of her college roommate.

Mariana travels to the university to offer support to  Zoe. Mariana becomes immediately suspicious of a popular professor, Edward Fosca and his group of female students deemed ‘The Maidens’.

Another student is murdered and Mariana steps up the pressure on the Professor. Her actions begin to border on obsession, making her appear more and more unhinged…

High on atmosphere with a pace that’s deliberate rather than breakneck, The Maidens did draw me in and keep me guessing.

Main character Mariana has had a tough life - both her parents died, then her husband. Her only remaining family member is her niece Zoe, a student at Cambridge. When Zoe calls saying a close friend has been found dead, Mariana rushes to her side. But she finds much to investigate: a charismatic professor, a group of beautiful, privileged young women, and ... murder.

As a mystery, The Maidens is a classic amateur detective story in its format, with Mariana going around interviewing witnesses and suspects in an attempt to figure out who is killing the Maidens (an elite literary salon of women handpicked by Professor Fosca) one by one.

Mariana is an interesting character. Still struggling with grief over the death of her husband a year ago, Mariana becomes obsessed with the man she thinks is guilty of the murders: Edward Fosca, an American professor at Cambridge.

I loved The Maidens. But if you’re a fan of thrillers and like your books fast-paced and twisty, The Maidens could feel a little slow to you. There’s a lot of Mariana’s thoughts on her grief, and psychotherapy, and Tennyson and mythology. Let’s just say that if this were adapted, I’d expect to see it on Masterpiece Theatre, not Netflix.

If you’ve read The Silent Patient, you’ll love that The Maidens is a crossover book set in the same story world. I don’t want to say more so you’ll be surprised. I liked this aspect of the book, but I need to go back to The Silent Patient and investigate further.

I was so excited to dive into this book! From the beginning I was intrigued and found the mystery aspect to be well done.

Mariana, a therapist who is dealing with her own past trauma, starts to ask questions concerning a death at her nieces university. More deaths lead to more questions with very few answers. I enjoyed following Marianas thought process as she was trying to piece clues together. I also loved the little ties to The Silent Patient!

The ending SHOCKED me! I would 100% recommend this book

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An exclusive academic university setting with loads of references to classical Greek studies and a high body count. The mystery itself is unpredictable, with a great twist and plenty of red herrings. I guarantee you won't guess the ending! Overall, though, the characters were mostly unlikable, I was even unsympathetic to Mariana and Zoe, who are supposed to be our main heroines. It seems so unlikely that the police would invite a psychiatrist so closely connected to the case to be a part of the investigation that I just couldn't get past the fact that Mariana was essentially questioning witnesses and searching crime scenes for weapons and clues. Sneaky references to Michaelides's first novel The Silent Patient as well, so there's a connection for readers who enjoyed the other book!

I probably would have enjoyed this more had I not read The Silent Patient because Alex Michaelides likes a good twist, leaving me expecting 50% the ending. The red herrings are very, very red.

Mariana is a decent audience surrogate but her deduction leaves a lot to be desired, particularly considering that she's a therapist. She also falls into the trope of Every Man Who Sees Her LOVES Her, which was exhausting, and I don't understand why a therapist of all people, especially one who is related to one of the impacted girls, is conducting an investigation with very little resistance from authorities.

The setting is sufficiently atmospheric, the cast of characters is thorough (although I wanted more of Clarice), and the story is well-plotted.

The narrators of the audiobook are Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Louise Brealey, both of whom are very good. Louise Brealey has an excellent voice that I'm pretty sure I've heard before. (I looked her up and yep, she's an actress and I really like her.) The audiobook is also really short, making it perfect for a commute.

Overall, this is a book worth reading or listening to, despite the lackluster ending.

I received a copy of this audibook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Ugh…You could have just in-deal answered the lingering question, Michaelides, and I would have given you 5/5. I kind of loved this book with serial killer mystery, the dead husband worship with the Greek mythological stalker letters mixed in…but for the love of everything, I need closure, and you can’t plant a “Castaway package” of ending on me.

I just reviewed The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

4/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook-arc!

This tale was thankfully narrated well and i applaud the team behind it for that. Just like with The Silent Patient, i somehow predicted the end. Though not the circumstances and reasons to why. The cliché of the untrustworthy female protagonist was done a bit better here in comparison to the other, of the few, thrillers i've read. I was a bit disappointed in the Dark Academia part as the characters of that type didn't feel developed. But then again, the aura of snobism is what makes DA the aesthetic that it is. The continuity with his debut is a nice touch and i hope to see another fun predictable book from the author set in the same world!

2.5 rounded up to 3.

Mariana is a group therapist recovering from a trauma of her own, who returns to her alma mater, Cambridge, to comfort her niece whose friend was murdered. Mariana meets an interesting cast of characters as she begins to unravel the mystery of who may have murdered her niece’s friend. Interspersed with Greek mythology and psychology references, the atmosphere of this book is very unique. It gave me A Secret History by Donna Tartt vibes.

Overall, this was a compelling mystery with short chapters ending in cliffhangers that made it a pager turner. The ending redeemed the book.

That said, this book didn't totally work for me. None of the characters were likable, which is usually the kiss of death for me.

Mariana must be as beautiful as a greek goddess because men were literally throwing themselves at her upon first sight, like every man in the book. It was very annoying and unrealistic. This is just one example of some of the silliness of the book. Farfetched and unrealistic.

If you are looking for a book as good as The Silent Patient, you will probably be disappointed.

Special thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.