I was looking forward to this one, but it did not meet my expectations. The beginning was slow and boring. I felt the book took a few different unnecessary directions.

This was a good book overall. I would have preferred to read this one instead of listening, But it had me hooked from the beginning, and such a great mystery. I was not expecting the ending!

Oh how I wanted to love this one. Alex Michaelides seemed to have a hard time following up to The Silent Patient which was fantastic. The Maidens although entertaining at times, was quite predictable and unfortunately not worth the hype. Three 1/2 stars from me. Sorry Alex!

Thank you so much to the publisher, narrator/author, and NG for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for honest feedback. I also listened to this audiobook via my local library access and read a physical copy. This book was one of the best thrillers released in 2021. The audiobook was one which I found very enjoyable and entertaining. I loved the mythological and academic themes throughout this book. I think the audiobook helped with the pace of the book. The narration was easy to follow, clear, and the quality was fine. I really love the cover of this book and look forward to more pubs by the author.

DNF, this book did not end up capturing my interest and I really didn't care about what happened unfortunately.

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.

3.5 stars, rounded down

This was my first book by Michaelides. It might've been a mistake to start with his sophomore novel considering The Silent Patient was such a massive hit. However, I love dark academia and the premise of this book appealed to me. To be transparent, I started and stopped this a number of times. Then, one day I pressed play and was engrossed. I finished it quickly once the book caught my attention.

Every single character in this is sketchy and everyone, the narrator included, feels unreliable. The reader doesn't know who to trust and so, everyone is fair game for who could be committing the murders. The ending, which felt a bit abrupt, was shocking and seemingly came out of nowhere. I think by virtue of trying to be shocking it felt like a bit of a stretch and a lot of plot points felt like red herrings and nothing more. I don't read many thrillers, but this felt particularly heavy on the red herring front. I would've liked to see a slightly more intricately drawn plot. The big reveal made the whole story feel more like an overly dramatic story rather than a true thriller.

That all being said, once I was invested, I couldn't put it down. I loved the references to Greek mythology and did feel the dark academia vibes were present and well-done.

Perhaps audio books are not my thing or maybe I just did not like this book as much as I wanted to.

Alex Michaelides's The Silent Patient one of my favorite books of 2019. It kept me reading long after I should have been sleeping and the ending was worth the read, satisfying and surprising.

Mariana Andros goes back to her alma mater, Cambridge, where a friend of her niece is murdered. Mariana discovers compelling professors, attractive students and an uncanny amount of tragedy.

Great premise but I never connected, never cared enough to keep listening into the wee hours of the morning. Maybe, just maybe my expectations were set too high being such a fan of The Silent Patient. The book was good enough.

I will surely read Mr. Michaelides next book as I am a fan.

After reading The Silent Patient, I wasn't sure how Alex Michaelides could write an even more intriguing plot or murder, rituals and nods to Greek mythology, but he certainly did with The Maidens. Just as in The Silent Patient, Michaelides' decision to make the main character Mariana a group therapist and not a detective was truly ingenious.

I was a huge fan of The Silent Patient🤫 and it definitely made me interested to read The Maidens! This book has the same slow-burn psychological thriller pacing and it really worked for me.📖

Mariana is a psychologist who is grieving the loss of her husband; it’s just her and her niece Zoe now. Then Zoe calls her from university, and tells her that one of her friends has been found murdered.🔪 Of course Mariana goes to be there for Zoe. She wants to leave, but there’s something going on and Mariana is determined to figure out what. 🔎

I enjoyed reading about the various enigmatic men that Mariana suspects. Everything is interwoven with Greek mythology - I love reading about mythology and I thought it helped create that dark academia atmosphere mixed with ancient rituals and a different set of rules.📝

Honestly, I totally didn’t guess the ending or the culprit! I do wish there had been a few more breadcrumbs throughout the story, but I enjoyed how everything played out in the end. There was a tie-in with The Silent Patient which I thought was a bit cheeky and fun!🤭

First, I LOVED this author's first book, the Silent Patient. When I heard Alex Michaelides was coming out with a new one, I could not wait. I looked forward to taking my time with it and savoring it like a fine wine. Unfortunately this one just didn't live up to the quality of the last one. There were so many things happening in this book, I found myself daydreaming while listening and missing many key plot points. It was not my cup of tea, but it may be yours. It was still well written, the twists were interesting and unpredictable and there were parts of the story I was definitely drawn into. Will I give Michaelides another chance after this one, absolutely.

The Maidens is the second book from this talented author, though it should be a prequel to his first novel as references to the first novel are made, but the timeline occurs prior to the events of the first novel. This is very much a stand-alone story but hopefully will incite an interest to the reader for the first book. Once again, the author crafts a very twisty novel that takes the reader into some very dark places that, once illuminated, reveal some surprises that I was not expecting.

Mariana is the main protagonist of this story. Grieving the death of her husband the year before, she tries to stay busy as a group therapist. I found it interesting that her vocation was a therapist, helping others deal with their issues, but not dealing with her own. When Mariana is contacted by her niece, Zoe, about a murder at the university she attends, Mariana heads to Cambridge and finds herself right in the middle of the investigation when Zoe advises that the victim related to her that one of their professors threatened to kill her.

Frankly, I was surprised at how quickly Mariana accepted that Edward Fosca was the murderer when there were several viable suspects to my way of thinking. I thought Edward Fosca was a complex character and not hero material, but I figured he was a red herring and having him turn out to be the killer would be too obvious. I thought Mariana’s therapist training would prompt her to look deeper below the surface, but she spends most of the book adamantly, almost rabidly, trying to prove to the investigators that he’s the culprit. I was more suspicious of the other girls in Fosca’s student group, The Maidens. It had a cult-like feeling about the way they appeared to idolize and worship him.

I was also very suspicious of Fred, a young man that Mariana meets and who appears to be everywhere she is. At first glance, he comes across as an admirer of Mariana’s who is determined to start a relationship, but then I started wondering if he might be the mysterious man whose dark thoughts about his upbringing and complicated relationship with his parents are provided to the reader in short increments. Who is this man? Fred? Edward Fosca? The anticipation the author creates as the book progresses is palpable.

My Final Verdict: I really enjoyed this story but not as much as the first book by this author. I think it’s perhaps due to Mariana’s relentless pursuit of Edward Fosca’s guilt. Her perception was clouded through most of the story, which made her an unreliable character. I think readers will enjoy this story for the suspense and when all was revealed, I wanted more.

As a fan of The Silent Patient, I was thrilled to dive into The Maidens. Thanks to @MacMillanAudio I was able to listen to the audio version which was so well done. The audio can make or break a story, in my opinion and this one was definitely better because of the superb audio.

This was a slow burn thriller, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. College girls are being murdered and the prime suspect is professor Fosca. Mariana is consumed with worry as her niece, Zoe, is a student at that school. To add further concern, Zoe is also concerned for her safety and has provided evidence that further implicates the professor. Mariana immediately comes to her niece's rescue and starts doing her own investigating.

I had a lot of theories, non of them correct, and although the ending was a bit disappointing, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

Thank you @MacMillanAudio and @NetGalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book but I feel like the silent patient set that bar so high. I felt the final twist was a little lacklustre but other than that it was exciting and kept me in my toes. Great writing.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I wanted to give it a chance on audio but I didn't get to before it dropped off my phone. Learning the ins and outs of the audio-side of netgalley is tricky. Mine seem to expire pretty quickly even if I have them downloaded or they disappear.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Maidens. It had many similarities to and overlaps with The Silent Patient. The twist was a little less twisty than Silent Patient, but felt more credible. There were some loose ends that I wish were better resolved. In the end, you only have one, arguably highly unreliable, character’s take on what goes down.

The Maidens is an interesting thriller but unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations after reading The Silent Patient. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but as the story went on it became too predictable.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and enjoyed the narration.

I liked this one but definitely not as much as the Silent Patient. It was a bit slower and Mariana just drove me crazy the whole time. I guessed the killer from the beginning but the twist at the end was definitely a shock for me! I thought it was a bit weird of an addition though. I didn’t think it added anything to the story and I think it could have been a bit different. I enjoyed the few nods to the Silent Patient. I thought that was a nice touch. The narrators were great and I liked the dual POV which added to the mystery.

Another book I found just… okay. I have not read or listened to his first book, but based on what I’ve heard, it’s also a bit underwhelming (which is my conclusion here; though I will still at least try the first book). While short and a quick read, I just found it to be a bit too predictable with a meh storyline. Wasn’t a fan of the ending either. All in all, this was just not it for me.

I really liked this book. It was detailed and I never guessed the ending. It was a complete surprise.

The creepy cracked voice of the male narrator does full justice to the 'mastermind''s letter. It's the best thing in an otherwise run-of=the-mill mystery with too many greek mythology / goddesses references and a hysterical, idiotic female protagonist. The reveal of who is the mastermind is good.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.