The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is the brand new novel by the author of The Silent Patient out June, 15th.

The novel opens with group therapist, Mariana Andros, who is grieving the loss of her husband Sebastian. We are told right away that a man named Edward Fosca is a murderer, who has killed at least twice before, but will never be found guilty because he is too loved. Loved by the staff at the college in which he works, loved by the students, but especially loved by a small, special group of his female students who are known as The Maidens.

Mariana tries hard to prove that Fosca is the murderer no matter how many people do not believe her. She is determined to seek justice for the tragic murders he committed. With the only inside information coming from her niece, Zoe, will Mariana’s internal instinct be enough to catch a killer before any more innocent lives are lost?

The Maidens is a slow burn thriller similar to The Silent Patient. We even find that the two novels run on a similar timeline. I loved how Theo from The Silent Patient makes an appearance as well as the mention of Alicia, The Grove, and others from The Silent Patient.

While I am usually a fan of a slow burn, I felt that the pacing in this novel was too slow. I felt that the plot did not really go anywhere and the characters did not help pick up the slack. I did not particularly like the characters and even felt as if there were too many irrelevant characters. While I understand the importance they play, to keep the reader guessing, I felt they could have had a more significant role in the novel. Some could have even been omitted.

With that being said, I do feel that The Maidens is an average thriller. There are many psychological aspects that come into play which are interesting.

I listened to the audio version of this book and was interested to hear from a male character. This character is unknown in the beginning but his parts are threaded into the narrative. I am curious how this will play out in paper form since the transition from Mariana to the male voice comes suddenly.

Overall, I would give this book three stars, I definitely was not expecting the ending to end the way it did which, I think, is always a win for an author of a thriller. Alex Michaelides definitely does a great job keeping the reader on their toes throughout this novel. This is why I think The Maidens is a worthy read and I am sure it will have a solid fan base.

I highly enjoyed the narrators in the audio version and I felt they did an excellent job throughout the novel. I really think the narrators made me enjoy this novel even more. Having two narrators for the characters was also a great idea because we can distinguish between the male and female psyche.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Michaelides did it again!!! This is my first ACR from Netgalley. Thank you guys!!!

I enjoyed this book a lot! The plot is build up easily. This is not a faced paced thriller.
There is a dark, gloomy atmosphere throughout the book. Mariana's pain caused by losing the man she loved, her husband, is real and intense.

What I enjoyed:
- The narrative is good.
- The letters from the mystery man are interesting and provoking
- The story kept me guessing and I felt like I was reading one of Aghata Christie's books where I kept changing my mind about who the killer was and his/her motive.
- The ending was once again surprising and, in my opinion, not predictable at all.


What I liked less:
- Mariana is a bit naive at times (why would you go to be talk alone with an upset man while girls are being murdered around the campus)
- Mariana's love and grief for her late husband can be a bit overpowering
- I didn't really get why all men were so very attracted to Mariana.

I highly recommend this book!

A perfect encore novel from the author of 'The Silent Patient.' I read the Silent Patient earlier this year and was excited to see Alex Michaelides was coming out with another novel already.
I really enjoyed how the Greek tragedies were tied into the story. I did try to come up with my own theory as to who was behind the mysteries and am happy to admit that I didn't come close. I really liked Mariana and Louise Brealey does a very good job narrating her.
For those who have read 'The Silent Patient' there is a surprise waiting, for those who haven't, it isn't necessary to being able to enjoy this story.
I am looking forward to reading everything Alex Michaelides writes in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to enjoy this audio-ARC of The Maidens.

Trigger warnings: abuse, murder, violence, stalking

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook!
Mariana Andros is a group therapist in the midst of grieving her husband. One evening she receives a call from her niece, Zoe, who is away at college stating that there has been a murder on campus. Mariana must now return to Cambridge, where she met her late husband Sebastian, to help Zoe. There she learns of Edward Fosca and his group The Maidens. Convinced of his guilt, Mariana decides to launch her own investigation into the murder and the Maidens. Soon her investigation spirals to an obsession that she’s willing to do anything for.

This novel had a lot of great qualities and a few short comings. I enjoyed the switch between Mariana’s third person limited view. It established that Mariana could be an unreliable narrator, a theme in both of Alex Michaelides’ books. I also really enjoyed the setting. I think the turn of fall in Cambridge sets an interesting location for the story. I also really enjoyed the use of Greek Mythology in this book. Unlike his previous novel, there was not as much psychological terms which I appreciated. The choice in voice actors for each section of the novel was great. They really made the story come to life. As for the negatives, the novel took a long time to gain speed. It felt like the first chunk before the second murder could have been more condensed. The plot didn’t really take off until much later in the novel. I also felt that the plot twist came out of nowhere. There were so many red herrings that I was convinced one character was the antagonist until the reveal at the end. My issue is that there didn’t seem to be any sort of hints to the ending, and it was incredibly shocking and a bit out of character.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The themes, plot, setting and characters all really connected together to a nice cohesive story. The only reason it didn’t receive five stars was the shocking antagonist. Again thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

The maidens didn't disappoint. I love that I didn't guess the ending. I did have some sections of the book I struggled to keep attention but it always rebounded.

First off, I may be forever indebted to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for gifting me an early copy of my top most anticipated book of this summer. Thank you!

The Maidens intertwines pieces of group therapy psychology, Greek tragedy, grief, serial killings and the depths of secrecy together in a unique and compulsive way. It is the type of book that makes you wish you could abandon all adult responsibilities and human contact so you don't have to set it down. I savoured the madness and loved all the wild twists along the way, especially the references to aspects of The Silent Patient.

There is always a fear that the most buzz worthy books will not live up to their hype. Rest assured that this fear is unwarranted when it comes to the Maidens.

#netgalley #themaidens #macmillanaudio

Throughout the first 4/5 of the book, I was satisfied by the story - a fine little whodunnit but maybe not reminiscent of Michaelides' first novel. The last fifth changed my mind! Well done, sir.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Mariana, a group therapist, leaves her daily life behind to support her niece after a murder on her university campus. The victim was a esteemed student of Professor Edward Fosca and a member of a mysterious, cultish secret society called The Maidens. As more Maidens are found dead, Mariana becomes fixated on proving Fosca is behind the murders. .

Alex Michaelides' sophomore novel was just OK for me. In my mind, the all-female secret society is the most interesting part of the whole story, but the plot rests more on Mariana and her backstory than the titular Maidens. I wanted more of the Maidens! I also felt a little uncomfortable with some of the mental health elements of the story. The Maidens held my interest, but didn't blow me away.

I was looking forward to reading this book after greatly enjoying The Silent Patient, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Some will enjoy it more than I do, especially if you are well versed in Greek mythology.
For me it was a 2.5 star read, that I am rounding up to a generous 3.
The characters were unlikable, and really there seemed to be too many, especially when listening to the audio book. I had to stop a few times, just to try and remember who was who and what their roles were.
Speaking of too many... there were definitely too many red herrings throughout the book.
Everyone is suspicious, but not to the extend that it would actually distract you enough to not figure out the painfully obvious resolution. At the end there were a couple of twists I had not seen coming, but at about the midway mark, if not sooner, I had the murderer pegged.
The story never quite came together for me. The pacing was off. The beginning dragged and the ending felt rushed. Overall it seemed like the book as a whole was rushed, cobbled together from rough blocks of text, and if the author had had more time to polish it, the quality would have likely been greatly improved.
This seems to happen a lot with sophomore books.... maybe the publishers should take note and give their authors more room to breathe and be creative.

Let me start off by saying that ending though!!! I did not see it coming. The Maidens is easily a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book! At first I was hesitant about reading The Maidens because I did not enjoy The Silent Patient at all but I am so glad I read it anyways.

I was so excited when I got the audio galley for this book! Not only did I love The Silent Patient, but I love Greek Mythology and The Secret History & this sounded like the two smashed together...and it was! I love Michelaides’ writing style and this follow up to The Silent Patient did not disappoint. I loved going on this twisty ride with the MC in the atmospheric setting of Cambridge, learning about the secret society of The Maidens, and finding out what dark secrets these characters may be hiding. I can’t wait for another book by this author!

I’ve really grown to love this authors writing style! The endings are always a great surprise that you never see coming. Honesty loved everything about this read beside the Greek mythology references but that’s because it’s just not my vibe !

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.
The pro for me was the main Narrator. I found her voice pleasant and easy to listen to.

The con for me was I found this book forgettable.
I listened to to this with no children or work distractions, and I listened for good chunks of time.
Each time I started playing the audio, I honestly couldn't remember anything that had happened the past hour of listening. I know there is a difference between plot and character driven stories...I found this had neither. By 45% in, (I felt) nothing had happened...so lack of plot driven. I didn't care about any of characters...so lack of character driven.

I DNF this book.

In The Maidens, 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. First off, if you are a fan of dark academia this book is definitely for you. The story takes place in Cambridge and the atmosphere in this book suits that aesthetic perfectly. I strongly suggest listening to this one on audiobook I thought the narrator was lovely. She had the perfect voice that was not only soothing but haunting at the same time. I think I would’ve had a harder time reading this because it was very heavy on description and the main character inner monologue felt a repetitive so I would’ve found myself skimming but listening to audiobook I felt it was easier to submerge myself into the story. It took me a few days to listen to this but even when I wasn’t I was thinking about it. Alex Michaelides writes in a way that keeps you guessing and it feels like his writing was burned Into my brain cause it’s all I could think about. I was a tiny bit disappointed in the ending simply because I guessed it about half way through. I knew the who but I didn’t the why and that part definitely shocked me so in the end It was still a very enjoyable read for me.

I was expecting The Secret History, but unfortunately this book was hardly about these titular Maidens. It really sucks because I love Greek mythology and the story of Persephone but I could hardly enjoy this.

Therapist and recent widow Mariana’s life couldn’t get any more out of her control, until she receives a call from her niece that her friend has been murdered, and she thinks she knows who did it.

Usually when I go to write a book review, I have a single post-it of mid-read thoughts to consider, instead of just my post-read reaction. I had so many thoughts reading this book that I ran out of post-it space and wrote a full essay instead.

I have never read Michaelides’s first book, The Silent Patient, but the aggressive marketing for his new book (this one) based around its success kept popping up for me, I just said why not, right? I love Greek myth inspired dark academia, let’s go, right?

I knew this book would rub me the wrong way when I realized that much of the murder-mystery plot line in this book is built around the scientific misconception that you can pinpoint time of death to be within minutes (this actually happens more than once in the story and is used to really narrow in on a suspect, at which point, I almost DNFed). From there, the mystery falls to the wayside because the main character, Mariana, spirals into a very Nabokov-esque obsession with trying to find another character guilty.

Usually in a murder-mystery, you can expect there to be a red herring, but you can figure it out from clues and hindsight once you know who really did it. This is absolutely not the case in this book. At all. While this book definitely sets the blinders towards the object of Mariana’s obsession as the red herring, there’s an entire quartet of characters with the exact same backstory elements and unhinged moments who seemingly exist solely as suspiciously flat Maybes. Although the whole book felt riddled with plot holes, the final redirect and reveal is so hastily tacked on at the end, complete with a villain speech, that I was certain I had book-whiplash.

I feel like this book exists very much to be a somewhat forgettable vacation thriller for women in their 30’s, especially considering that there’s an entire plot detour that serves exclusively as an ad break for Michaelides’s first book. Following that bit, I definitely began to notice more and more elements that annoyed me while reading it, including, but not limited to things like an adult woman being able to slip an entire postcard into her jeans pocket. Parts like this make it abundantly clear that it was from the point of view of a woman who was written by a man.

I don’t know if it was the marketing for this book or my own expectations that did me in, but I just did not like this book. I went in expecting a combination of Sharp Objects and The Secret History, and it is that, but mainly the parts that I found most frustrating between the two. It’s very much a book that was written to fulfill a marketing pitch, it does it of course, but it falls prey to it too.

This was an interesting reading experience because I read and listened to the audiobook at the same time. My primary difficulty with this book, as I explained over on the ebook review, is thar I had some trouble connecting with the main character, Mariana, who was rather cold (I think by design). However, I will say that this narrator made her much more engaging in comparison to the text. So the audiobook gets a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for the great narration from me! I’d read another audiobook with this narrator.

This was a great follow up novel to The Silent Patient. Keeping me guessing. Stayed up way too late to finish. Highly recommend

Mariana is a group therapist and when her niece/daughter calls her for whelp when her friend is murdered at Cambridge she runs to be by her aide. There she stays as she tries to solve the murder and the mystery of The Maidens and the professor who seems to command them. Everyone in this story seems to have their own demons and shady past and you don’t really know who is the worst of the lot, until you do! The Ancient Greek references qnd setting at Cambridge contributes to the air of distinguished mystery. For the fans of Silent Patient there are some connections that will make you pleasantly surprised.I am so excited I got to read this!

The minute I heard that Michaelides was publishing another book, I knew I'd be willing to sell my right kidney for a chance to get my hands on an arc. The Silent Patient was one of my most favorite books evah!

Luckily Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley came through for me BIG TIME providing me an ALC, sparing me from having to sell an organ in the black market. Phew...close one!

The Maidens is a dark and atmospheric compulsive read. It's a bit of a slow burn thriller with a cult-like vibe and some greek mythology incorporated. It's a mysterious whodunit, which will keep you guessing.

Did I love it as much as I loved The Silent Patient? No. But, The Maidens is a thoroughly gripping and enjoyable read which kept me engaged and coming back for more.

And yes, I still might be willing to sell an organ for a chance to read anything and everything Michaelides writes. ;-)

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Celadon books for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!