I thought this was a really good book! It’s really hard for me to write a review and not compare this book to The Silent Patient. That was such an amazing book, I feel like nothing compares to it. I enjoyed this book as well, but I do feel it has been a bit hyped up.

I did enjoy how this book was based around Greek Mythology. I thought that was a cool concept for the book. I found I was engaged and did not want to put it down. There were so many shady characters in this book, I wasn’t sure who to trust. And the twist at the end was great! If you’re a fan of Greek Mythology and thrillers, I recommend checking it out! I just highly recommend not comparing it to The Silent Patient and try and treat it as it’s own book.

Wow, wow, wow! Alex Michaelides does it again. If you liked The Silent Patient, you'll like this one. This slow burn thriller, is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review. #NetAGalley #TheMaidens #AlexMichaelides

Still reeling from the sudden accidental death of her husband, group therapist Mariana finds herself having trouble focusing on her patients, including her most troubled, Henry who seems to be more than mildly fixated on her.

She is suddenly pulled away from her patients when she receives a frantic all from her niece, Zoe telling her that her friend had been murdered and that she suspects Professor Fosca who seems to show more interest than he should into a certain group of young female students he has dubbed "The Maidens".

After another member of the group is murdered, Mariana decides to take a closer look at professor Fosca and The Maidens but everyone she meets seems more than a little suspect.

Add in some Greek tragedy and mythology and the gothic atmosphere of the college and you have a very a very captivating mystery. Plenty of breadcrumbs to follow but also plenty of red herrings. I was captivated and couldn't stop trying to figure out the whodunit aspect. I found it hard to put down.

The 2 perspectives on audio were very well done, and the narrators were perfectly cast.

What an engrossing novel! It took me only two days listening to the superb narrative by Louise Bealey to finish the book. It is the best type of psychological thriller/murder mystery.

Marina Andros is a group psychotherapist with too much tragedy in her personal life. At 36 she is grieving the drowning death of her husband Sebastian a year earlier. When she receives a frantic call from her only relative, a beloved niece she helped to raise after the girl's parents were killed in a car crash, she drops everything to go to her support. Zoe is an undergraduate at St. Christopher's College, Cambridge. The body of her best friend, savagely mutilated, has just been discovered in the woods not far from the college.

The police have a ready suspect in Tara's drug-dealing boyfriend, but Mariana believes that this is more than just a brutal killing. There seems to be a ritualistic aspect to it which points to Professor Edward Fosca, a charismatic classics professor with his coterie of eight beautiful, brilliant students labeled "The Maidens." Tara was part of this group.

Mariana's two day visit extends while she tries to make sense of Fosca's role in Tara's life and the thrall he has on the eight young Maidens. At the same time, she is personally overwhelmed by new sorrows. She cannot help but relive her student years with Sebastian. There was the corner table they sat at in their favorite pub and the bench on the river where they ate lunch. Everywhere she goes he seems to be there, just out of sight.

Even though there is no proof that Professor Fosca is a murderer Mariana knows he is guilty. Her investigation uncovers too many secrets, too many references to classical tragedy to be coincidental. When another student is murdered in the same ritualistic manner Mariana rushes to connect the dots. Someone is watching her. Will she become another target of the killer?

Another twisty thriller from Alex Michaelides! This one was a little slow for me in the beginning, but it picked up around 30% and near the end I couldn't put it down. The Maidens kept me guessing and had me evaluating the possibility of several characters as the murder suspect. I didn't see the reveal at the end coming and while it seemed a tiny bit of a stretch, I do still think it worked.

I'd suggest reading The Silent Patient before reading The Maidens. It's definitely not necessary, but there's a pretty wild connection between the two and it had me re-reading parts and looking back at my Silent Patient review to be sure I was remembering it correctly. The set up at the end of the book also leaves a possibility for a connection in whatever Michaelides writes next. Overall a great book to pick up if you enjoy thrillers.

The Silent Patient was one of my favorite books that I read last year. There were so many plot twists and red herrings and Alex Michaelides really knows how to write a thriller. So I was expecting really great things from this. There's so much in here that I should have liked, but I think I just got a little lost. The cast of characters is quite large and I never really got attached to any of them or cared what happened to them, which is why the plot twists weren't as impactful, because I was apathetic about what was happening. I definitely see how a lot of people will like this, even if they didn't like The Silent Patient, but for me, it was a miss.

This was a compelling audiobook. The narration was outstanding and the story gripped me from start to finish. It was the perfect book to have available on a long car ride - it made the time fly! I have listened to both of Michealides books (this one and The Silent Patient) and they both make great listens. I really liked the twists and turns of this psychological thriller and I loved the literary bent - the references to Greek Tragedy woven into the story were wonderful and the description of Cambridge made me feel like I was there. It was twisty, just the right amount. I appreciated that a character from his previous book showed up as a minor character in this book. It reminds me of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad (and this is high praise). Alex Michaelides is now on my auto-read authors list.

This was a slow burn of suspense. Not to gory, not too scary-- just the right about of mystery to keep you going without giving away too much until the end. Highly recommended for those who like a twist.

Let me start by saying Michaelides's The Silent Patient was was right up my alley because it was an impossible-to-put-down type of psychological thriller that I really gravitate towards. The writing really kept me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed the twists and turns. I guess I thought going into The Maidens that it would give me a similar feeling. It wasn't quite the page turner as its predecessor but it was definitely still compelling. One thing I really do like about Michaelides's writing and especially The Maidens, was that he includes some elevated subjects as finer details in his writing such as in this case all of the Greek tragedy references woven into his murder mystery. Mariana as a character was very interesting and relatable. In the first half of the book I couldn't quite figure out why there was such a focus on her grief but by the end it all made total sense. What I didn't like was the direction the book took in the latter half of the book. I was completely shocked at the turn of events but not in a way that at the end I was like "oh that makes sense - the author really had me convinced otherwise" but more in a "that was so out of left field and I'm still not sure that explanation makes any sense when taken with the rest of the story." I was also confused why there was such a focus on some of the odd male side characters, and realized it was only to mislead the reader and neither of the strange men actually had much of anything to do with Mariana's journey to the truth until the very end. Overall, I was really compelled by this and I LOVED the narrator - one of my favorites I've ever listened to. However, I wasn't satisfied with the ending at all. I'll still read the author's next books though because he is an excellent writer.

So I haven't read the The Silent Patient yet (I have it but just haven't opened it up on my Kindle yet) call me crazy I know! LoL
But I felt The Maidens to be a slow burn! With amazing twist that I never saw coming! love the way the author writes, he is so talented as he effortlessly pulls you into the story! Just amazing! After reading this one I've now got to open TSP! Because I absolutely love Alex and his writing

Mariana, a group therapist, comes to Cambridge University because one of her niece's Zoe friends is found murdered. Determined to figure out who the culprit is, she comes back to the university where she once attended to help.
Mariana is very suspicious about a group of students called The Maidens. Although she is also very certain that the professor in charge of that group, Edward Fosca is the murderer. However the professor seems untouchable and always a step ahead of her and as more girls are found murdered her suspicion only grows even more! While things are spiralling out of control Mariana is determined more than ever to stop this killer even if she becomes one of his victims!
I loved how the author included his first book in this one, he included Theo and I was really surprised but delighted that these books were connected. Although I think I was kept on my toes a bit more on The Silent Patient this book was still amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers/mysteries that are more in depth than what they seem to be like.
Now, I read the book then I listened to the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook was amazing and I really enjoyed the cast as they changed back and forth that really added to the suspense of the book! I also enjoy hearing the story so, if you love enge of the seat thrillers then this one would definitely be one for you.
Thank you Netgally and Celadon Books as well as Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this one! Keep your eyes out for this one it comes out June 15, 2021 and you don't want to miss it!

This read kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. There are so many twists and turns throughout that it really keeps you engaged. It is a slow burn thriller, but once I got started I wanted to finish it all in one setting.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

3.5/5

I had so much anticipation for this book! A thriller mixed with Greek Mythology is like my ideal scenario. The Maidens is a well written book. It was exciting, thought provoking, and had just the right amount of suspense. I didn't know quite how to rate this book, because it by itself was very good. My rating (probably lower than it deserves) primarily comes down to one main thing. I LOVED Silent Patient and the surprise ending of that book still shocks me to my core. The Maidens just didn't have that shock factor for me. I was able to determine the twist fairly quickly on in the book, so once it happened I was left a little underwhelmed.

Being a lover of Greek Mythology, I really wanted more of Fosca and the Maidens. I really enjoyed the snippet's of the mythology peppered throughout the work, and found the book to be very smartly written. I still debate on changing my rating since it has more to do with my love of Silent Patient, but it should not stop you from reading or listening (since the audio version was great) to this thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for granting me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The second book in Alex Michaelides trilogy tells the story of London psychotherapist Mariana Andros, who leaves her patients' group therapy to rush to Cambridge University to comfort her niece, Zoe, whose best friend, Tara Hampton, has been murdered. Mariana soon focuses on the American professor Edward Fosca, who has a secret society of female students known as the Maidens. Grieving her husbands death a year before, Mariana's obsession to prove Edward guilty of murder overtakes her life and increased by her duty to take care of her niece Zoe, whom she raised after the young woman's parents died. Her investigation intensifies when two more of the Maidens are murdered, but the police and Zoe dismiss her theories. The way Alex Michaelides weaves the Silent Patient characters into The Maidens is brilliant. The ending shows just how little Mariana knows about the human psyche or herself. I can't wait to read the final book in Michaelides trilogy.

Thank you to #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio and #CeladonBooks for the ARC

Mariana Andros is still reeling from the tragic loss of her husband when her niece, Zoe, calls from college needing her help. Mariana arrives to the discovery of Zoe’s friend murdered. While there, Mariana uncovers a secret society, calling themselves the Maidens. They are an elite group of female college students dedicated to their beloved Greek Tragedy professor. After another murder, and then another, this book keeps the reader mystified and wondering who the killer is.
Author, Alex Michaelides, does an excellent job with twists and turns and unexpected characters.
This book kept me guessing until the very end, which made this page turner an excellent and fast read. Highly recommend.
**huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

🕯ARC BOOK REVIEW: The Maidens
Author: Alex Michaelides
Page Count: 352
Publish Date: COMING SOON: June 15, 2021
Audio: 👍🏻 well done
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Fans of the Greek Classics and dark academia will be interested in this sinister story. I loved the Cambridge University setting and the intricate weaving in of Greek mythology.

The Maidens is more psychological and eerie than a true thriller, but there is a definite creep factor. - It’s a slow burn murder mystery that takes the reader on a whodunnit journey when high society young women begin to be murdered in ways that replicate the Greek tragedies they are studying.

Although the book was more cerebral than full on scary, it had me intrigued throughout. I appreciate how this author explores psychology through his storytelling. I do wish there was more dimension to the characters, but this aspect didn’t take away from the overall feel of the novel too much.

I was super excited when there was a slight crossover with characters from Michaelides’ first book, The Silent Parient, mixed in with this one. That was fun to spot! (I LOVE when authors do this, and have been noticing it more & more... writers, please keep it up!)

🎧 The Audio of this was great! I really appreciated being able to hear the Greek words spoken when clues were read instead of trying to sound them out in my head on my own. The narration was executed perfectly.
3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4

This was totally awesome . The story was fantastic and the audio narration was excellent, I got totally immersed into the story and was disappointed when it ended,

I was super thrilled to participate in celadonbooks LFL book drop off campaign! I read The Silent Patient last year and was captivated by the story, the suspense and the final twist and am in complete awe of Alex Michaelides!

I could not contain my anticipation while reading The Maidens and this book did not disappoint a bit! The Greek mythology, the fictional setup of the Cambridge university with rich ancient history and the author’s build of suspense kept me on my toes from page one!

Mariana is pulled into the mystery of her nieces’s friends murder at the Cambridge university and after diving deeper into the search, she learns about the secret society of the female students named as The Maidens. The Greek tragedy professor Edward Fosca is very loved and popular amongst the students and Mariana suspects him to be the most likely culprit of all the mysterious tragic events.

I listened to the complimentary ALC by Macmillan audio and netgalley audiobook and the narrators did an amazingly chilling job of portraying the characters and building the suspense. The end was so unexpected! I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book and am very grateful to celadon books for the complimentary copy of the book!

This was one of my most anticipated red of this year and I am eagerly looking forward for it to released!

I’m probably going to be in the minority for this one, but I was a bit disappointed. The story definitely kept me guessing but it also just kind of fell flat for me. I wanted more from several of the characters and felt we just got a glimpse and not anything in depth from them.
I’m sure many will really like this, I just wanted a little more. I thought the narration was great. I throughly enjoyed the listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for the opportunity to listen and read this book for an honest review.

Holy moly I couldn’t put this thriller down! I had high expectations after devouring The Silent Patient. This book did not disappoint. With many twists I didn’t see coming, I couldn’t put this book down. With a satisfying ending I didn’t see coming. Would highly recommend!