I had such high hopes for The Maidens. Dark academia set at Cambridge, secret societies themed around ancient Greek tragedies, murders and general intellectual/poetic creepiness... I'm SO here for that. But while the concept was promising, the actual execution was tragically disappointing.

Despite the multiple murders, The Maidens was remarkably slow-paced. We spend a LOT of time with Mariana's backstory, getting much more than we probably need and, more frustratingly, getting it through shoved-in exposition chunks rather than more organically during the course of the story. The already slow-paced story is interrupted here and there by chapters from a second, anonymous, perspective, which are...technically necessary for the plot, I guess, but honestly, there's a lot of it and none of it was very interesting.

The details of the plot don't really hold up well to scrutiny, either, and too many threads just don't connect; the official investigation's total lack of anything like questioning a flimsy alibi, red herrings that don't even go far enough to count as red herrings, and nonstop awkward attempts to make Mariana's therapy background...more relevant than it really felt. I was hoping that, despite the obvious plot holes, a lot of these threads would tie together better in the end, but the solution is fairly nonsensical and messy, without wrapping things up the way I'd hoped. (Oh, and I hate that there's a romantic angle that involves a man continuously pursuing and pressuring a woman romantically, despite her explicit and recurring NOs, and that's supposed to be...good?)

A major component of dark academia is the atmosphere, aesthetic, and just general vibes, and I will say, The Maidens has that. It just has nothing really backing up that atmosphere. The Greek tragedy element, the Demeter & Persephone stuff, the supposed secret society angle - they all seem designed to give the book the veneer of dark academia that's so trendy right now, and to give it some intellectual heft, but they don't...really...do much? It's really a pretty basic thriller dressed up in fancy robes.

I didn't actually hate this book, for all my complaints. As I said, the atmosphere works. It's all right, if insubstantial and weakly plotted - I was just hoping for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advance review copy!

I was really looking forward to this one for a couple of reasons. 1) I didn’t love “The Silent Patient” and really wanted to see what Michaelides came up with next. 2) I love Greece and find Greek mythology extremely interesting. But unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I found Mariana’s character to be quite annoying at times. I’ve been noticing recently that I’m not a fan of characters who aren’t in law enforcement trying to solve crimes all by themselves which just ends with them in dangerous situations (no surprise there). Also the culprit was very obvious to me from basically the beginning. And the reason behind it was so out there and confusing and made no sense. I did however enjoy the connection made to “The Silent Patient”, and the Greek aspects were intriguing. I’m still willing to see what Michaelides comes up with next, but this one just wasn’t completely for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for giving me an advanced copy of this book for exchange of my honest review.

I was very excited to read another Alex Michaelides book after finishing The Silent Patient which I loved and gave 5 atars!
This book I love as well it has the combination of mystery, Greek history and thrills that keeps you hooked.
Many twist as well keep the reader guessing until the end. I want to give this book 4.5 stars.

Not my favorite from Alex Michaelides - but totally kept my attention. Loved that it referenced characters from the Patient - can't wait to see if that's something that keeps happening in the future.

Mariana is a group therapist grieving her husband who passed a year before. Her niece, Zoe, calls to say that a body has been found on campus at Cambridge, Mariana's alma mater. Without a second thought, Mariana goes to be with Zoe. Upon meeting Zoe's professors and classmates, Mariana immediately casts suspicion on Edward Fosca, a professor of Greek tragedy. She doesn't trust him from the start, picking up on Zoe's discomfort around him. He may be attractive and popular but that doesn't mean he is without fault. Especially because he has his own 'special group' of female students, The Maidens, who are beautiful, worldly, and brilliant. Mariana believes he's taking advantage of their adoration and as a specialist who works with groups, she sees the manipulation he holds over the young women and how they will do and say anything to please him. But does that make him a killer?

No one shares Mariana's opinion of Fosca, who happens to have an alibi for the night of the murder. The detective in charge is angry with her interfering and the blame she continues to cast on Fosca who has been eliminated as a suspect. She confers with old classmates and professors to get a feel for The Maidens and their attachment to their professor. They also believe she is obsessed with Fosca's guilt, but she won't listen to anyone. When more victims are discovered, she is determined to break through The Maidens' cold exteriors and warn them that they are in danger. But her obsession blinds her to the fact that she may be in the most danger of all.

As the story is set in Cambridge, be prepared for a plethora of discussion on Greek tragedies and the poetic works of Tennyson. An attempt to elevate the story from the typical whodunit to one of higher esteem? Perhaps. The victims aren't mere dead bodies, but ethereal Greek heroines resplendent in their tragic deaths. There are several characters on the fringes that exist merely to cast doubt on Mariana's certainty of the killer and to draw attention to their own suspicious behavior. And her own therapeutic issues that are referenced throughout are a bit too obviously connected with the theme. That the conclusion may not come as a shock to you, then, is a bit...tragic?

4.5 Stars. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this enthralling book. After reading The Silent Patient, I was expecting an amazing follow-up and was not disappointed. For me, this one was even slightly better, and if a reader enjoys a complex mystery with many twists and a shocking, stunning conclusion, Michaelides again proves himself a master. This is also a literary novel with beautiful, vivid descriptions of the Cambridge campuses and surroundings, the architecture, the bars, and the misty cobblestone streets. It is in part a spellbinding psychological thriller, exploring how past pains and suffering can shape adult wellbeing and warp mental and emotional adjustment. Interwoven throughout the story are references and connections to Greek tragedy and art and poetry.

Mariana is a group psychotherapist in London. She is independently wealthy from an inheritance and does not have to work. She is empathetic and credits herself with superior intuition for reading people and revealing the truth about her patients' problems. She is in great emotional anguish and turmoil, never coming to terms with her grief over the death of her beloved husband, Sebastian, who died by drowning on vacation to a Greek Isle. Her wandering mind blames Persephone, goddess of the Underworld, and imagines she took him as a sacrifice for some wrong Mariana committed. She prays to Persephone for forgiveness and comes across as unstable for her profound loss.

In the midst of her sorrows, Mariana is called away to Cambridge by her distraught niece, Zoe. Cambridge reinforces memories of happier days where she and Sebastian met and fell in love. When Zoe was orphaned, she and Sebastian treated the young girl as their daughter. Zoe's best friend, Tara, has been brutally murdered, and Mariana hopes to provide comfort. Sinister forces and menace lurk below the surface of this prestigious and idyllic campus setting. There is a pervasive feeling of foreboding.

A handsome, charismatic, and charming teacher of Greek tragedy, Professor Fosca has a cult-like following of the six most beautiful, talented, and entitled female students. They are called the Maidens and idolize him and attend secret 'study' sessions with him. Zoe's friend, Tara, belonged to the Maiden group and was the first girl murdered. Shortly after Mariana's arrival, two more group members are brutally killed in a similar manner, seemingly inspired by Greek mythology. Postcards have been discovered portraying Greek art with messages written in ancient Greek hinting that the girls are to be sacrificed to the gods.

Mariana's intuition tells her that Professor Fosca is the campus serial killer. She becomes obsessed with proving he is guilty. She receives a warning postcard and feels she is being watched and followed. The police think she is not thinking clearly, becoming paranoid, and warning her to stop harassing Fosca and interfering with the police investigation. She makes some impulsive, bad choices in her quest to prove the professor to be a cold-blooded killer with a malignant influence on the Maidens. She endangers herself. This all leads up to a mind-blowing conclusion that I never anticipated. Recommended.

◘ A lot of misdirection seemed pointless and ineffective for the “big reveal”. And I personally didn’t even find any of the twists to be that exciting. ⁣
◘ I didn’t care for the ending whatsoever. Maybe because I didn’t like any of the characters. Not even the main one, Mariana. I just... didn’t. That simple. And it’s not like they were written to be unlikeable. [BTW Mariana you are a therapist, not a detective.]⁣
◘ Sorry not sorry, the Greek mythology and Tennyson references seemed to muddy up the story. I concentrated so much on those thinking they’d reveal something and it was for naught. ⁣
⁣
I’m keeping it at 3 stars even though it was more 2 stars. Basically because I really liked his writing style and I just can’t fault Alex too much because his debut novel kicked so much ass. But this was such a miss for me. I was bored almost the entire way and felt obligated to finish it just so see if it got any better. And it didn’t.

This is one of those books that evidently has a great many readers who enjoy it, but unfortunately I was not one of them. I loved the references, both overt and subtle, to Greek classics (and that scorcher of a cover!) but beyond that there wasn’t much for me. This book fell victim to something that happens frequently in who-done-it type thrillers in that it seemed every character was so obviously ghoulish and suspicious that the suspension of disbelief is stretched to its limits. I really want to keep this review spoiler-free so I’ll be a bit vague, but our POV character’s unmoving fixation on certain characters makes the plot often feel like it’s dragging.
This might be a great read for someone who picks up a lot of thrillers, but this wasn’t really for me, however I might be interested to try some other Alex Michaelides some time.

Campus life can be…. Well deadly💁🏻‍♀️

Mariana is trying to come out of the depths of her grief after losing her husband. When her niece calls from University to say her friend has disappeared and everyone fears the worst, Mariana packs her bag to come and help.

Quickly Mariana is pulled into the investigation and her focus is on one of the male professors and his female groupies known as The Maidens.

I had read the previous book by Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient and loved it. This one just didn’t hold up in comparison.

The book reads very quickly but sadly I guessed the ending very early on. Leaving me with no surprises .🙁

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Arc to read and review.

3.25 stars
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TW; Murder, Blood, Death, Grief, Gore, Stalking, Animal death, Emotional abuse
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Mariana works as a group therapist with a troubled past. She finds herself returning to her University roots when a friend of her niece (Zoe), is found murdered. Being back in Cambridge brings up some troublesome memories for Mariana as she reminisces about her late husband. Edward Fosca is the current greek history professor at the University - he has a devoted group of students coined "The Maidens". So when they start turning up dead one by one, all fingers point to him being the murdered.

Mariana's story intertwines as she investigates who Edward really is, she will do whatever it takes to put his murdering days at rest. As one of my most anticipated reads of this year, I was left wanting a bit more from it. I found the book to be all over the place, and parts of the story were a tad unbelievable. It makes for a good mystery you can read in a few days, and has a "twist" ending that will leave you stunned.

The author does an amazing job describing the Cambridge atmosphere and sets up the scenes very well. I also love the Greek history that is used to create this modern-day Greek tragedy.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️
This author writes amazing books. His mystery, suspense-thrillers always have me on the edge of my seat.
So I was super excited about getting my hands on this one. It had murder surrounded by many mysterious events and crazy disturbing side characters. Some really good stuff and then....... he just drops off with this _______ ending.
I did enjoy it. I did. But. What. Was. That? Really?
Thanks to Celadon Books via Netgalley

Terrific book however a bit predictable. I am not one to guess who the killer is very easily however I did early on. It was just a feeling I had gotten. Even though I was right it didn't diminish how much I enjoyed the book. That twist at the end I didn't see coming!!

Alex Michaelides does it AGAIN. The Maidens will 100% have the same adoration as the Silent Patient. This book is atmospheric, strategically planned, woven neatly, and packaged for the reader to devour. I admit I was holding high expectations for this book coming off of loving Michaelides' debut and he did not disappoint.

The Maidens was not what I was expecting at all. Perhaps, I am just not intelligent enough to understand the deeper meaning behind the plot or I mistakenly assumed the book was going to be more in the realm of dark academia when all it was is set on the Cambridge campus but overall the storyline was so disparate and not cohesive. It was also predictable since one knows from the Silent Patient that the author likes to give the readers a twist in this book he leaves plenty of crumbs yet he seems to be trying to give a deeper meaning in terms of mental health and it just did not work for me. Very disappointing.

I'm almost positive I could read this book ten more times and STILL not get all of the Greek Mythology references scattered throughout. I tried really hard to guess which characters represented who and it was a total blast!

It was a well-painted story with vibrant charcters that all seemed to have their own sinister motives. The interweaving of mythological themes and characters into the current/timeless atmosphere was amazing. The mystery was also intense and shocking. Whether you're into mythology or not, this was a fantastic thriller!

Oh, and if you want to play a (what I thought was) a fun game? Google the meanings of everyone's names as you meet them. Still not sure what inspired me to do that...but it was enlightening!!

I had LOVED The Silent Patient. so it was with great anticipation that I began to read Alex Michaelides, The Maidens. Mariana is a group therapist who is still mourning the loss of her husband. She struggles with the memories of her childhood in Greece. - the death of her mother and the emotional abuse of her father. She receives a panicked call from her niece, Zoe, who is a student at Cambridge University. Zoe's friend is missing and she is sure the body that was just found, is that of her friend. She asks Mariana to come to Cambridge. Reluctantly, Mariana takes a train to Cambridge - the place where she met her beloved husband. Zoe is sure that Professor Fosca, the popular, charming Greek Tragedy professor has something to do with it. In cult like fashion, he has a secret society of girls who are his chosen ones, the "Maidens". They ardently protect Fosca, providing alibis and defending his integrity, Mariana focuses in on Fosca and is now convinced that he is the killer. One by one the bodies of Maidens start to pile up. Cards in ancient greek are sent to victims. Can Mariana get enough evidence for the police to take her theories seriously? Will she be able to move through the painful memories of her lost love that surround the campus? There are many twists to the story. It keeps you reading seeking the answers. Now I have to wait for his next book. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Maidens in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful yet unsettling atmospheric psychological "whodunnit" thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Mariana Andros, a group therapist grieving the loss of her husband Sebastian receives a frantic phone call from her niece Zoe when a dead body is discovered near Cambridge campus. Zoe strongly believes it's her friend Tara. Mariana drops everything and rushes to Zoe's aid. Mariana discovers Edward Fosca, a charismatic Greek Tragedy professor runs a secret society called The Maidens. Mariana is certain Edward Fosca is the murderer when another body turns up and she is determined to delve beneath the sinister surface to prove Fosca's guilt.

I loved being immersed into the vividly gorgeous setting of Cambridge and its surrounding. Encapsulated with beauty, Alex Michaelides unveils what's hidden beneath the perfect exterior. The build up to the climax is a little bit of a slow burner but I honestly appreciated this pacing. The pacing provided space and the ability to breathe in the riveting atmosphere. It gives us readers the opportunity to peel the layers of this enchantment walking towards the forbidding presence lurking in corners. Michaelides flawlessly interweaves Greek mythology and Tennyson in mirroring the essence of grief and the theatrics of the tragedies surrounding this story. I can list Michaelides truly as a master of misdirection. A page-turner suspense thriller filled with questionable characters that will have you doubting and guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is why I have trust issues! People change, people lie, people hide stuff. They don’t care about the imagine of them you built in your mind. They have their own agenda and they will do all things convoluted to get what they want. You’ll end up being treated like a mad person trying to protect them, solve their problems. That’s what’s going on here: buncha little girls acting like they are goddesses and one mastermind controls them in the most poetic manner only to turn Mariana’s love story to a tragedy

A young girl dies. Mariana gets a call from her niece saying it might be her best friend. She packs a bag and goes to Cambridge University (also her Alma Mater) to support her niece. It seemed to her that one of the professors is little too involved with his students and niece confirms that. That’s when Mariana decides to take matters into her own hands

For some reason I love stories that are developed in centuries old universities where subjects and teachers become best tools to weave background into the plot line. Languages and Greek mythology are the backbone of the story; the mastermind took few notes from them to devise the plan. I was waiting to read this story since the first moment I saw the announcement and I am not disappointed. Also, sneaky sneaky Michaelides for bringing somethings back from old stories in Stephen King manner!!!

I requested this one because it might be a 2021 title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book is not my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one rather than push myself to finish it only to give it a poor review

Mariana Andros is a group therapist who is also working through her own grief after the death of her husband, until her niece, Zoe, calls with the news of her friends murder in Cambridge. Upon Mariana’s arrival to the school, she instantly suspects Edward Fosca, an American teacher, despite his alibi. After further students turn up dead, Mariana will go to any lengths to stop the killer – including endangering her own life.

What I liked:
- The DARK ACADEMIA VIBES. There was just enough to make it a compelling read, but not too much where I wanted to throw the book across the room because of the unlikeable, pretentious characters (looking at you ‘If We Were Villains’).
- THE CROSSOVER MOMENT between The Maidens & The Silent Patient. Such an unexpected, but welcome surprise 😊
- Although the ending felt rushed, I wasn’t even close to guessing our culprit, so I was pleasantly surprised at the resolution of the book. When I’m caught off guard, I always end up enjoying the book more!
- With such short chapters, it was an easy book to fly through and fly through it I did.

What I didn’t like:
- The characters felt pretty one dimensional and honestly a little unlikable if only for their lack of common sense (i.e. Mariana traveling back to London to get advice on how to do her job from her mentor just for her mentor to tell her to… do… her… job…? GROUNDBREAKING!).
- The fact that we were introduced to one of Mariana’s more disturbed patients and then really got no explanation on him after a certain point… this felt like a loose end that had so much potential but no follow through.
- Some of the writing felt juvenile. The end of chapter cliffhangers were very ‘she was safe… oR wAs ShE?!?’ so it just lacked depth for me.

Coming off of the high that was the ultimate blindside of The Silent Patient, it’s hard not to compare the two. Although The Maidens won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, all in all, I really enjoyed this one and would still recommend this book despite it’s flaws as it was just plain entertaining to read. Thank you to Netgalley & Celadon Books for the ARC!