Michaelides’ sophomore novel is just as enthralling as “The Silent Patient,” but that comes as no surprise as the similarities between the two stories are numerous. In “The Maidens,” another psychologist serves as the primary narrator who tries to unwind the mysteries which lie in the minds of the suspects all around her. The story is compelling and easy to read, breaking at times to insert a second narrator, and it includes a jaw-dropping unexpected ending.

There are some differences between the two books which I believe might hinder “The Maidens” success. Unlike “The Silent Patient,” there are a multitude of characters who at some points are hard to keep track of and don’t necessarily add to the story. Additionally, some of their motivations (including the maidens’ themselves) are never really fully fleshed out. There are also a staggering number of repetitive sentences, quotes, and unnecessary symbolism seemingly used solely to muddy the waters in the who-done-it tale. I believe this book could have benefitted from some tighter editing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It hooked me immediately, and I cruised through it in two days. I’m excited to see what’s next in store from Alex Michaelides.

The Maidens is the story of a string of grisly murders set against the backdrop of Cambridge University and its private colleges. There is something so compelling about the juxtaposition of an upstanding legacy of distinction and eliteness against chaos, controversy, and violence.

This was a great psychological thriller. One of the best I've read in a while. I thought I had it all figured out so many times but I was wrong. This is the first thriller I have picked up in a while since I was starting to find them predictable but this one had me constantly second-guessing my assumptions. I crushed this book in one sitting and highly recommend it.

I loved the tie-in of Greek Mythology in this book. It was nice to see a take on the story Persephone and Demeter that was reflective of the mythos surrounding the Greek gods.

The narrators in the audiobook were phenomenal, and the male narrator especially had me questioning my predictions throughout.

*trigger warning - drug abuse, violence, abuse

I found this thriller oddly soothing, not because of the story but because of the narrator! A fantastic choice, it kept me drawn in although the novel was not my cup of tea. Fabulous narrator!!

Let me begin with the audio book aspects:
Narrator--The female, who narrated most of the story, has a pleasant tone, an easily understood British accent, and used some voice variation to help distinguish between characters. There is also a male narrator who we hear from during certain chapters sprinkled throughout the book. His voice was also pleasant.

Default speed--The default speed of 1 was painfully slow. It began to sound more like natural speech starting at 1.5, but I listened at 2 for most of the book. (I typically listen to most audio books at 1.5.)

Story feedback:
The book itself is a combination of Greek mythology, dark academia, secret societies, and murder at Cambridge University. We follow Mariana, a recently widowed group therapist, who is also a Cambridge graduate. She returns to Cambridge after receiving a phone call about a body found on campus, and becomes obsessed with seeing the killer caught.

Mariana travels to Cambridge to console her niece when she learns that the body is that of Tara, her niece Zoe's friend. Upon her arrival, Mariana becomes convinced of the guilt of one of the college professors and works to see him brought to justice.

The book contains chapters sprinkled throughout where we hear from a male narrator who suffered intense abuse as a child, so that is something to be aware of before reading the book. There is nothing graphically described, but the reader should still be forewarned. There are numerous characters who could be the writer, as there are several male characters revolving around the plot.

Overall, I enjoyed the book--I finished it in a day. The mythological element was interesting, but might be confusing if the reader has no prior knowledge base in Greek mythology. There was one plot line from Mariana's personal life that didn't seem to add any value to the plot, but otherwise I found the book highly engaging.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.

Thoughts and Themes: I rarely read mystery books and I haven’t read many since I was a teenager. I used to love this type of book so I’ve been trying to get into them again. I listened to this one on audiobook and I believe that I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read the book.

I’m not a big fan of the way that the mystery unravels itself in the end of the book, I was really enjoying it until the last hour of listening. I found that this portion of the book sped up but it also was a little off to me. I found that the book kept speeding up while they were close to figuring things out only to slow back down with filler information. While I like twists and turns in the book, I would like the tension to remain in the story without it feeling like it was gone.

Something that I did enjoy about this book was the way that Greek Mythology was weaved into the murder mystery. While the beginning of this story was slow to start because it had to introduce the murder mystery and the Greek aspects, I found that the best part to read.

Characters: In this book you get to meet a few characters as they are interreacting with Mariana. I liked Mariana as a main character and found that she was easy to follow along with. I liked getting to learn a bit from her past and also see how that past informs the way she investigates this murder.

I also liked the short pieces that we get from the male perspective. I thought those pieces were just the right amount of creepy and the way they are written kind of deter you from figuring out who did it.

I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters throughout this book. I wanted to like Mariana but she was just the character we needed to tell the story to me. I did like Zoe though and really wanted to believe the best of her even as Mariana starts to doubt her. I like the relationship that Mariana has with Zoe and also the relationships we get to see that Mariana has with some of her patients.

Writing Style: This story is told in third person when it is about Mariana and then it switches to first person when it is the male perspective. I thought this was an interesting way to write this because it makes you feel like the male is our narrator for the rest of the story. I wondered if this was the case and someone was watching Mariana’s every move throughout the book. I really liked having the shift in point of view included because it throws you off and it also makes you question the reliability of our narrator.

5/5 ⭐️
Okay this is definitely up there with his first novel, which I liked a bit better but I still loved this one! I love anything to do with secret societies and Greek myths and tragedies!

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Mariana Andros is a group therapist that a year later is still reeling from the death of her husband Sebastian. When her niece Zoe calls from her college in Cambridge (the same college that Mariana went to and where she met Sebastian) to tell her she fears her best friend is the murdered body that the police have found, Mariana heads up to Cambridge to be there for Zoe. However, she quickly gets sucked in to trying to figure out who the murderer is all on her own... despite the insistence from the police that she stays out of it.

As Mariana starts digging, she discovers that the charismatic American professor, Edward Fosca, has created a secret group of some of his chosen students (all women, all beautiful, most powerfully connected in society), that he calls The Maidens, and something doesn't feel right about it to Mariana. Is Fosca the murderer? Mariana seems convinced that he is.

I did appreciate Michaelides' Easter egg of tying THE MAIDENS world into that of his previous novel, THE SILENT PATIENT.

Overall I felt like the suspense on this one fell flat, but a lot of that is because Mariana is an exhausting character. There were a few red herrings in the plot but the final reveal was a big let down for me. Maybe I set my expectations too high, it was an entertaining read, but I felt like it was a few plot twists short of being a really great thriller.

While both of the audiobook narrators (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Louise Brealey) did a great job, there was something jarring to me when the narrative transitioned from Mariana to the male character that caused me to lose the flow of the narrative every time.

As my first audiobook, I really enjoyed this! I loved the voices & actually hearing the characters. This was such a creepy story & I think Michaelides did wonderfully telling Marianas tale. I got a little tripped up on all the Greek mythology bits but overall I really loved this. I was a big fan of The Silent Patient so I was excited to be able to listen to this one. Thank you so much Netgalley for my advanced audiobook!

Overall I give this a 4.5/5

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is a book that I went into blind, and I'm glad that I did. The plot was largely unexpected for me. I enjoyed the story and the use of Greek mythology to provide a context. This book was a slow burn for me, and the author did a nice job using the slow build to create a dark and ominous tone. The characters in the story all come across as suspicious, and I found myself questioning all of them as they were introduced. I was surprised by the ending, but I almost wish that it had taken a different direction to wrap up the story and loose ends. I would recommend this for fans of tense mysteries with a slow build, misdirection, and surprises.

The audiobook comes in at 9 hours and 19 minutes. While I found the narration pleasant and easy to listen to, I did find that occasionally my mind was wandering while listening and I needed to rewind and listen to certain portions again. It was challenging for me to keep track of all of the characters, as I felt that some of the male characters blended together in my mind. I don't know whether this would be the same case in the print book or if it is something that was specific to the audio for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC of this title. This did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and McMillan Audio for this advance listener copy.

I had mixed feelings about this book. First, I'll review the novel itself.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides started off quite strong. It was a classic whodunnit mystery, marketed as though it was a Greek tragedy, so I had high hopes. In the beginning, the premise seemed original enough and I liked our protagonist, Marianna. The further into the story I got, the more predictable it became and the more annoying Marianna got. She went from a strong psychotherapist to a hot mess who made stupid decisions. I was also disappointed that the actual Maidens were a minor part of the story. I thought it would feature them more, but it didn't. And the ending was very disappointing because I saw it coming a mile away. It ended up being your run of the mill mystery. I was just disappointed. It started off so strong but fell flat. A straight 3 stars from me because it did hold my interest enough to finish it.

Now, for the audio review. The female narrator was perfect, but I really did not like the male narrator. He was flat and had no emotion.

I was blown away by The Silent Patient when I read it back in 2019 so I was so excited when I heard about The Maidens! I particularly love listening to Alex Michaelides' books on audio. This thriller really delivered and I never suspected the twist! Secret societies always fascinate me so I knew I would probably love this one and I really did!

Thanks to NetGalley for ARC audio of The Maidens!!

I think it’s only fair that I provide a small disclaimer that this genre isn’t my go-to and I’m very picky about my psychological thrillers/mysteries. I want to be shocked and for all the details to suddenly fall into place at the end. This book only scraped the surface of those expectations. I had an idea from the beginning what was going on and of course, as it all came together, there were details I hadn’t figured out or put together, which were nice surprises. I will also say, even though I was pretty sure from the beginning what was happening, the book kept me guessing and considering other outcomes. It kept me engaged and eager to keep reading to get to the end!

My biggest complaint/confusion with this book is some strange plot holes? I was waiting for things to fall into place at the end and fill them in and it… didn’t. So I’m still left with some questions and confusion.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and captivating read, there were just some things that I wish were a little more well developed or thought through. It’s a 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 for me!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing the arc audiobook to provide my honest feedback.

This is my second book from this author, the first being the popular novel The Silent Patient. This book is a bit different and at times felt it drug on a bit, but that could be because I didn’t speed up the narrator (ha). The narrator(s) did a wonderful job with the story and weren’t annoying at all, as some voices can be. I do have a short attention span for audiobooks so I had to speed up the narration to get through the story and a few times I was a little lost what was going on. I’m rating the book 4 stars but I think maybe in 6 months I’ll try reading the actual book to see if I get a different opinion (like if the book is actually a quicker read than what I’m expecting, or if I enjoy it better that way). Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and narration overall and would recommend others to try this one out. From other reviews it seems to be a hit or miss for some. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy!

The Maidens written by Alex Michaelides, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Louise Brealey.

“I am two people in one mind.”

Mariana is an empathic and compassionate group psychotherapist, but she’s damaged and a bit paranoid. She has lost most of her family, her parents, her sister and brother in law. 14 months ago, gutwrenchingly, her husband dies tragically and she’s still grieving and unable to heal. The only person left that she loves is Zoe, her niece.

Mariana inserts herself, playing detective when Zoe calls her one night distraught that her bestfriend was murdered in a frenzied killing. She becomes convinced that the charismatic and highly regarded Greek Tragedy Professor Edward Fosca is guilty of murder. For one, he’s leads a group of “Maidens”, a small cult-like secret society.

I recommend reading The Silent Patient first because you’ll see some special cameos from characters in that book. It was actually quite exciting as I love when authors intricately link characters from their other novels and creating a world, they all live in.

Alex Michaelides weaves together Green Mythology, deception & murder creating captivating psychological thriller – dark, eerie and provocative atmosphere at the University of Cambridge. I really loved the vibes of this novel and enjoyed Michaelides complex & creative writing style. The plot twist at the end definitely had me shook and I feel it is leading into the next novel!

“After all, everyone’s entitled to be the hero of their own story….even though I’m not. I’m the villain.”

Thank you Celadon for gifting me the physical ARC and Macmillan Audio for gifting me the Audiobook. Both narrators are absolutely fantastic & really kept me immersed. I love tandem or alternating the reading styles.

Mariana, grieving the loss of her husband, goes to her niece after her friend is found murdered. Intrigued by the circumstances of the murder, Mariana begins investigating on her own. Myth and knife-edge suspense go hand in hand in this gripping, fast-paced, and twisty tale perfect for fans of Alice Feeney and Lucy Foley.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio copy of this book. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides has received a lot of hype. I had previously read his The Silent Patient which I loved. This one I didn't live so much. Too many bends and curves. At times it was hard to keep up.

Thanks to Libro.fm ALC program MacMillanAudio, NetGalley and Celadon Books for the Advanced Listening Copy of The Maidens.

I really enjoyed The Silent Patient (I didn't see the twist coming) and I cannot believe Alex wrote a book I loved even more! Having a tie in to the debut was awesome and delving into Mariana's group therapist's view on crime and suspects. The second POV kept me guessing THE WHOLE TIME! Maybe I am not made for crime solving, but I love being surprised at the reveals.

I was first introduced to Alex Michaelides with the Silent Patient. It was such a fabulous book, that when I finished, I had to find more. I saw that Netgalley had the audiobook of The Maidens and I immediately requested it. I just finished the book and it was just as good as the last. I really enjoy Michaelides style of writing, plot twists and intricate characters. Wonderfully written and full of intrigue, The Maidens did not disappoint.

Wow! I loved The Maidens! Dark academia, murder mystery, plot twists, and secrets? yes, please! I think I liked this one even more than The Silent Patient! Michaelides does it again!

Was really hoping to like this one more than I did. Was a bit too much of a slow burn for me.


Amazing narration though from Louise Brealey & Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.