This is one of my top ten audiobooks. This stunning literary thriller left me with a book hangover. It does get one trigger warning: a dog dies violently. Louise Brealey did a marvelous job narrating Mariana who was steeped in grief for her husband. At times her tone was flat and unemotional. Just right. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as the unknown male narrator drew me in and slayed me with his smooth, practically creepy tone.

Mariana is a widow who has been unable to move on after the accidental drowning death of her husband. When her niece calls from, Cambridge to tell of her friend’s murder, Mariana forces herself to go to her aid. She believes she can solve the crime and sets about using her connections to her own time as a student at Cambridge, as well as her knowledge of psychology. Michaelides kept me wondering and questioning. It is definitely on my list for a second read. The plot, the characters, the tension - I’ll be recommending this to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this alc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying I loved the audiobook for this. I’m actually really glad I read it that way because I think I wouldn’t have finished it as fast in the other formats. I think I did a decent job of not comparing this book to The Silent Patient and my advice would be if you go into this one after liking his first book try not to compare! With that being said I rated this 3.5 stars.

Michaelides does a fantastic job of giving you a twist (which you will probably guess) but then throwing ANOTHER twist in there that you won’t expect which was what I loved about The Silent Patient and The Maidens did not disappoint. I was enjoying this one for the most part but I knew I probably wouldn’t be rating it too high but when he dropped the real bomb? I was shocked!!!

Mariana travels to the college her niece is at after hearing that Zoe’s friend was murdered. She stays to investigate the mystery of the dying girls and inadvertently work through her grief after losing her husband Sebastian a year or so earlier. But through all of this she starts to question herself and if she is correct in accusing and going after the American teacher she and others think did it.

If you like a psychology dark academia thriller with a lot of creepy Greek mythology I believe you’ll like this. Are some things convoluted and hard to believe? Absolutely. Did I still enjoy it despite that? Yes!

The Maidens is a clever psychological thriller steeped in the academic atmosphere of Cambridge University and with a final twist, I only partially saw coming.

“The oracles agree, in order to defeat the enemy and save the city, a maiden must be sacrificed, a maiden of noble birth.”

I’m a sucker for an association to Greek mythology and with the Goddess Queen of the Underworld, Persephone ‘The Maiden’, teasing with ancient stories that draw a connection to a current set of events, this had me quickly engrossed in the story.

Mariana is a therapist and alumni of St Christopher’s College, Cambridge University, where her niece Zoe is currently a student. Mariana rushes to her niece’s side when her best friend Tara is brutally murdered. She needs to provide support to Zoe through her grief, all the more acute as Mariana is still reeling from the sudden accidental death of her soul mate and husband, Sebastian.

Zoe informs Mariana that Tara was a Maiden, one of a close secretive group of powerful and beautiful female students under the close tutelage of Professor Edward Fosca. A hugely popular and charismatic professor of Greek history, Fosca is suspected of being the murderer by Zoe, and as Mariana listens, she feels the need to protect her niece and investigate the crime. Mariana engages old and new friends with a steely intent to help explore what happened and gradually becomes more convinced that Fosca is the murderer. She just needs to find the evidence. What Alex Michaelides does well is to provide other possible suspects and motives, and as Mariana becomes fixated with Fosca, the little grey cells start suspecting other characters – but maybe that’s the point.

There is a different perspective listening to a book rather than reading it. As for this audiobook, I was completely engrossed, and the story had great momentum throughout. The narrator had a lovely tone and tempo that perfectly matched the pace of the narrative. The short chapters helped in so many ways, especially as I am still a novice at listening rather than reading books. The atmosphere of a prestigious academic institution was very well captured although most of the characters were very one dimensional with a specific role. The concept of the six beautiful Maidens was intriguing, and it tied reasonably well to the character of Fosca but not so well to the environment and the ostentatious display of their elitism in a place like Cambridge.

The Maidens is a very entertaining story with a brutal and chilling murderer that is clearly following a plan to right some wrong or gain something valuable. The plot is well thought out and the reference to Greek mythology is intriguing. I would recommend this book and would also like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook ARC copy in return for an honest review.

So I have to start by saying I didn’t completely love The Silent Patient like many people but still did like it a lot. Now I’ve also seen mixed reviews on this one however I LOVED IT! The story grabs you almost right from the start and really never lets up. I did not find there to be a lull in the story and I just wanted to keep on listening. The narrator was amazing in terms of her tone which kept me interested the whole time .

I was completely surprised by how the ending turned out and overall really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend this one and if you didn’t love The Silent Patient still give this one a chance.

If you are a fan of Dark Academia, this book is definitely something you should try. Mariana is a group therapist who has recently suffered a great loss. She’s still recovering from it when her niece Zoe calls her from university begging for her help after her friend and roommate disappears and is later found murdered. Mariana discovers a group called The Maidens headed by Professor Tosca of which the missing girl was a part and something about the group dynamics pulls her into the case and raises her hackles. We follow Mariana with her minimal sleuthing skills, trying to figure out the killer before too many lives are lost.
The setting of the story and Mariana’s inner turmoil both manage to give this book a very eerie, grim and sometimes melancholy atmosphere which works greatly for the story. It’s very slow paced and not a quick action packed thriller but the book did keep me guessing till the very end.
I couldn’t find myself sympathising with any of the characters. They were all some kind of unlikeable but plot managed to keep me hooked. It gave me serious Secret History vibes. Secret History is a book I didn’t enjoy much because of the lack of mystery, it was more about the group dynamics but The Maidens manages to combine the mystery and the group dynamics in a much more satisfying manner.
The ending was completely unexpected. I couldn’t have guessed it and it left me completely creeped out. Even after the killer is revealed in the climax, the book has an open ending and as someone who loves it, it made the book all the more interesting.
The narration was brilliant and the male narrator for the killer made the listening all the more sinister. Would definitely recommend the audiobook.
I would recommend this one for all DA fans especially for those who loved Secret History.

I really enjoyed this book and especially the narration. I thought the back and forth between characters was great and had me guessing until the very end. While I did not LOVE all of the characters I wish there had been a bit more depth from them. I found Zoey to be a bit Whiney at times and Marianna was a bit boring.

he Maidens hooked me and kept me enthralled for the entire reading. Mariana is a psychologist who is still reeling from the death of her husband, when her niece Zoe ( whom she has raised from childhood) telephones from Cambridge to say her best friend has been murdered. Mariana is sure that Professor Tosca ( you know, the handsome, charming teacher all the girls have crushes on), is responsible and decides to solve the case. She has no sleuthing credentials however, so as you can imagine, her decision is fraught with red herrings.
Highly recommended for a quick beach read.
#Netgalley # TheMaidens

wow I hated this book. I'm so upset because I loved The Silent Patient and had such high hopes for The Maidens but it was a huge let down. How can a book about murder and secret societies be so boring? First off, the "secret society" was barely even a plot point. It was not as integral to the plot as the synopsis, and title!!!, led me to believe. At 60% into the audiobook I was wondering when the real dark academia shit was going to start and unfortunately it never did :(

The thing I hated the most was the big reveal. I will admit that I did not guess it, but I still hated it.

I did like that Theo Faber, the main character from The Silent Patient, made a brief appearance and it made me want to read TSP again.

For the first time in a long time, I agree with the preliminary reviews and promos for this book - The Maidens gives serious Secret History vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook of The Maidens. Hearing the separate, male voice of the serial killer was chilling and spine-tingling. I loved the spooky element this switch in the narration gave, and I think I would have missed it in the text version of the novel.

At times, The Maidens felt too clever for its own good: there are quite a few characters to keep track of and Greek myths to familiarize oneself with, but I loved the nods to The Silent Patient. I had somewhat guessed which characters would end up being the "bad guys," but the ending still left me feeling a bit icky. In all. a thoroughly entertaining and intellectual thriller.

Not the best, not the worst, but one that’ll just be okay for me. Part of me feels bad for how hyped this book was coming after The Silent Patient, because it was only an uphill battle in my opinion. But like I’ve learned, we can’t be comparing books! Although it’s the same author, each story is different.

Except, there was some crossover (which of course I loved). But it also felt a bit forced.

Content warnings: murder, betrayal, cheating, grooming of a teenager, rape.

The book started like the famous gif of Oprah: “YOU GET A CHARACTER AND YOU GET A CHARACTER AND YOU GET A CHARACTER!” It was like a big bowl of character jambalaya where we keep sprinkling more and more people in. In a way, it was a bit of a turn off with how many people I had to keep track of.

Knowing Michaelides has a background in psychology, I was a little underwhelmed by how Mariana was written. I felt like it didn’t do her profession much justice and didn’t compliment the premise of the story.

Despite my feelings above, I loved the quick chapters, I loved how quick it was and overall, it was an easy and consumable read. I definitely hope I don’t discourage anyone from reading it! Because honestly I want to know your thoughts.

Big thank you to Celadon books for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook.

This is now the second book I've enjoyed from this author. In this story, we follow Mariana, as she is dragged into a mystery at her niece, Zoe's school. A girl has been murdered, and Zoe tells her she thinks it's her friend Tara, who has been missing. Mariana, a therapist, is determined to help investigate the crime.

Mariana discovers that Tara was one of a group of young women called "the Maidens", a female-only group of favored students in professor Edward Fosca's class. Edward Fosca teaches Ancient Greek. Having just finished the Secret History before starting this, there were definitely some similarities.

The Maidens instantly move to protect their teacher, providing Fosca with an alibi and telling Mariana nothing. But Mariana is convinced, despite the lack of evidence, that Edward Fosca is responsible for Tara's death.

This is a bit of a slow start, but I really enjoyed how everything tied together, and it had a great ending. There are 2 narrators, who I really enjoyed listening to, especially the male narrator who was just the right level of creepy. There is a bit of a light-hearted element of romance that I enjoyed, and provided the levity needed in this otherwise tense and suspenseful story.

4 stars.

I was excited to read Alex Michaelides’ new book, The Maidens because I had loved his previous book.

While this was a good thriller, it wasn’t what I would consider great. The book kept me guessing the whole time and Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t. While there was good character development for some of the main characters, there were also some characters that seemed random. The twist at the end was quite shocking but not exactly where I saw this story going and wish it had ended differently. At times it felt a little slow but then picked up quickly at the end which made it seem slightly rushed.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Alex Michaelides and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook before publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and nearly all of them are positive, I couldn’t put this down.

I am going to give this 4.5 stars. It takes a lot for me to be impressed with a thriller or mystery, as I often find them to be predictable and tried. The tropes are nearly always the same, just rearranged. I didn’t feel this way at all this time.

Marianna is a widow who’s husband died over a year ago during a beach vacation. She and her husband had taken in their young niece as a child. Today, Marianna is a group therapist who received her training at university in Cambridge. Zoe is now attending university, and calls Marianna one day to tell her that her roommate, Tara, has been found dead recently. Marianna rushes to Cambridge to support Zoe, and finds that there is something much more sinister happening there, and that Zoe and a group of friends she is on the periphery of seem to be involved in some way.

Something I absolutely loved about this is that we have a suspect from the get go, and Marianna is intelligently and vigorously investigating this for reasons that make sense. Her thought process is reasonable and understandable, and she is only cast as unreasonable when things have gone horribly wrong and profoundly confused her view on things. Marianna is likable and easy to relate to and trust, as is Zoe.

I definitely noticed threads throughout that I could sense were connected, but couldn’t quite compute yet. I enjoyed this because Marianna was often picking up on the same things. When the twist comes at the end, the threads absolutely add up, but are nothing like what I had guessed was going on. It was totally captivating and enjoyable, and it kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure it all out.

I don’t have very many qualms with this at all. All I would say is that Marianna is cast as unreliable a bit too early by law enforcement, for reasons that aren’t outlined. It also seems a bit nonsensical to me that she takes so long to share the postcards. I also would have appreciated a bit more development that would make the twist at the end seem like it makes sense specifically for the person whom the twist is related to. How surprising it is is mostly enjoyable, but I don’t look back on the characterization of this person and think “I didn’t see it before, but I actually totally do now” despite the threads and foreshadowing that pull together the plot.

Ultimately, these qualms are incredibly minor. I liked this Author’s debut, But I did not love it. This was a big improvement for me, and the best thriller I’ve read in a LONG while!

This is the second book that I have read by the author. This being a mystery, it is also, a who done it. Are usually don’t spend much effort to figure out who done it as I just enjoy the ride. Not to spoil the ending but I would say I did not see it coming. Well paced novel. Not exactly groundbreaking but enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

listen, it's not that i think alex michaelides is untalented, that's not the case, the guy's premises are great, there's just always another story element that isn't advertised that takes up way more of the book than i expected, and so far, it's kind of the same story element? the protagonist's troubled relationship monopolizes both the maidens and the silent patient and i wish i knew it before reading both of them. the maidens is less secret society than it is about grief and memory and loss. i do love when authors intersect their work, having a continuous story world to play around in, and certainly i had the most fun when mariana's story brushed up against the silent patient.

Following in the footsteps of The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides's novel "The Maidens" has received a lot of hype. Did it live up to that?

The narrator does a wonderful job of voicing the characters and places emphasis on the appropriate parts, driving the story forward. The author does a beautiful job of giving the characters personality and developing a plot.

I wasn't in love with it, but ultimately, I think that's just me. I was hoping for something more twisted than what was delivered. This is perfect for most people who love thrillers.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is a really interesting psychological thriller - I was drawn into this mystery and definitely wanted to "figure it out!" But alas, I did not. I did not figure it out. Much like Silent Patient, I was totally thrown by the big reveal. That's a good thing if you're satisfied with the reveal. Unfortunately, I wasn't very satisfied with this reveal. But that's just me! Many have loved it! 

I did love how this story introduced suspects around every corner at each turn of the narrative, you learn something new and meet a new person that you think will be "it." This is a complicated serial killer murder mystery story with a crazy unique Greek mythology feature that provides a satisfactory level of sophistication for every reader. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, for a copy of this book for review!

Overall this story was really good. The characters were really rich. I loved the historical context and the different timelines. Strong female narrator

In many ways this is your typical suspense novel, but the Dark Academia element added a lot of atmosphere and interest for me. It was a quick, engaging read and I thought the audio was well done and added to my enjoyment of the story. This is a solid 7/10 read for me and will be easy to recommend.

The only word I can think of when planning this review is "underwhelmed". I feel like I took a long journey with the narrator only to be left in the middle of a field with no where to go. I was very interested in the premise of this book and the plot had me hooked until the end. It felt rushed and forced.


I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.