Alex Michaelides follow up book to <i>The Silent Patient</i> has set him apart, setting him up to be the Stephen King of the mystery/thriller genre. This truly is a deliciously, dark, completely compulsive read with one heck of a twist at the end! Michaelides had the gift of an elegant wordsmith, weaving a tale with an unlikeable narrator and plenty of red herrings along the journey. This is one you don’t want to pass up!

I will be posting a full review on June 15, 2021 when this tantalizing thriller will be released. That means you have a few months to preorder this gem... save your money... call in an early Christmas wish or birthday blessing, but whatever you do... get yours! You’ll be thrilled you did.

So many thanks to #NetGalley, #CeladonBooks, and of course the amazingly talented Alex Michaelides for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

My full reviews can be found at http://OceansOfBooks.com , Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and Barnes and Noble.

I wish I could say this was just as good as Michaelides tour de force "The Silent Patient" but I just can't. Despite being beautifully written, Michaelides is an absolute wordsmith of the highest order, with all the tension and dread of its predecessor the novels weak ending wrecked it for me.

Part of the genuine shock of "The Silent Patient" is derived from how insanely well plotted it is. The solution to its mystifying puzzle is staring you in the face the whole time but you simply don't see it. I suspect that Michaelides was hoping to achieve something similar this time around but it just doesn't happen. We're handed red herrings galore and some really great scenes between heroine Marianna and the person she suspects of committing some truly barbaric murders. There are deep and painful meditations on grief and loss. There's some heartbreaking and frightening journal entries from an unknown person breaking up the chapters that absolutely will have you flipping the pages just to find who who their author is. Then the twist comes and instead of marveling at another great success in pulling the wool over my eyes I found myself going "hang on what? how the heck does that work?"

I just didn't buy it. And more painfully I wasn't really ever given a reason to. "The Silent Patient" was like a literary "Sixth Sense" where you could go back to the beginning and look at every single moment you were essentially told what was going on but missed every single clue. That just doesn't happen here. In fact there are some genuine holes in the narrative that left me wondering if Michaelides himself changed his mind about the murderers identity at some point.

I also got bogged down in the idea that this takes place in the same world as "The Silent Patient." The "reveal" of Theo, the "hero" of "The Silent Patient" was more confusing then anything else.

Ugh I was so prepared to just adore this and in some ways I did but I felt so let down by the resolution.

I am usually not a fan of unreliable narrators but this book had me won over with Cambridge and the academic setting. I love anything Dark Academia. I guess the only sticking point for me Mariana. They set her up as so fragile and broken and that made everything she said and though suspect. I just dislike the device of making the female narrator fragile and broken to add tension and misdirection. While Mariana isn't necessarily a fragile flower, we are given enough information to question whether or not she is thinking clearly or if the grief over the loss of her husband is enough to distort her reliability. Using this as a force to drive your plot is always uncomfortable for me.
Given the popularity of books like this I have no doubt that this book will be a good seller and will get people talking.

After having read Alex Michaelides first book, The Silent Patient, I was eagerly awaiting this book.

Mariana is a grieving widow who is struggling to find her footing after the recent death of the love of her life, Sebastian. When her only living relative, her niece Zoe, is calling from Cambridge because her best friend Tara has been murdered, Mariana immediately comes to her aid. The hunt for the killer becomes an obsession for Mariana and tests her relationships with her niece and friends.
There is also some overlap with the characters from The Silent Patient, which in my point of view was entirely unnecessary. All in all I found the story a bit messy and unsatisfactory - maybe because I had so high hopes and expectations for this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in advance.

This is a good book that I'd recommend to folks who want a fast-paced murder mystery with hints of Greek mythology & secret society at uni vibes. Three stars for the following, without giving too much away: 1. Mariana is 36? She reads older to me. 2. I wanted more of the Maidens / mythology from the start. 3. That group therapy session with the Maidens was goofy. I couldn't imagine it happening in real life without major consequences, and it took me out of the story. 4. Maybe it's just me, but the stalking & abuse by men seem like poorly thought out plot and decoy devices. Idk, maybe I'm just sick of that narrative. 5. I guessed who-done-it from the beginning, but can admit that twist at the end got me. I liked the hints at The Silent Patient, and have added it to my to-read list. Thanks for the ARC!

From page one I was sucked into this fast-paced psychological thriller. Mariana receives a call from her niece, telling her that her best friend at college is missing. When this friend's brutally murdered body is discovered, Mariana heads to Cambridge to help Zoe through this terrible time. There are more murders, lots of twists and turns and an ending that will make you want to go back to the beginning and start over.

I raced through The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and The Maidens was no different! This novel is visceral and brought to mind Jack the Ripper. The fresh take of Greek mythology mixed in with a modern thriller was captivating and made this novel hard to put down.

Alex Michaelides has another winner....beautifully written. An added bonus was tiny tie in to The Silent Patient! A slow build to an ending I didn’t see coming in the least. And lovely bits of Greek mythology thrown in!

This book had me hooked from the first few chapters, and it never let up. I was always intrigued to see what would happen next, and found myself contemplating who the killer was with each new character who was introduced. Dotting the story with sparse excerpts from a second narrator was a masterful approach to keep the reader guessing, who done it? I find myself wishing for more as the novel wraps up, wanting to hear more about the outcomes of the relationships with Mariana, but I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable read. Looking forward to recommending this title once it is released!

Alex Michaelides approaches his novel, The Maidens, with the skillful hand and eye for the mystery / thriller novel while expertly intertwining dark academia and psychological influences. This is one that will keep you invested until the very end.

After reading Michaelides' The Silent Patient, I expected a surprise twist at the end of The Maidens, and there was one. I'm just not sure it was worth the read. I found the plot far-fetched and the red herrings obvious. I think this story will do better as a movie.

I wanted to like the book more than I actually did. Mariana, the main character, is a group therapist and a good one at that. I valued and believed her opinions and statements. But she does some really dangerous things that didn't complement her sound judgment. There certainly was a surprise ending that I didn't see coming.

The Maidens is a twisty psychological thriller that leans heavily on Greek mythology. It was highly readable but in some ways, needlessly complicated. There are many characters and potential red herrings to keep up with and the book keeps you guessing until the end.

This was a mystery that kept me guessing until the very end, which is the best kind. I loved The Silent Patient and this doesn't top that, but I really enjoyed this one too. The complex characters, lovely setting and twisty mystery kept me hooked.

This is a good, twisty novel, which reminded me in some ways of The Secret History (though not quite at the level of that book, one of my all-time favorites). The story starts rather slowly, but keeps building to a page-turning pace and an ending which I did not see coming. I loved the references to The Silent Patient, too! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so excited that Alex Michaelides wrote another book. Thank you to Netgalley for a digital ARC in change for my honest review. Alex does it again! The story unfolds likes a piece of origami, complicated and then quickly. Expect lots of twists and turns, naturally. The natural inclusion of Greek plays and gods was genius. I can't say I loved this book more than The Silent Wife, but I love any story set on a campus, especially a small, secluded school. A well-written and well-planned plot.

From the very beginning, we know that Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this the main character, Mariana, is certain. Fosca is a Greek tragedy professor at the Cambridge University and is loved by both his colleagues and students, especially the group of women known as The Maidens. Mariana is a group therapist who becomes obsessed with Fosca when one of the Maidens is found murdered. This thriller is twisty and a great sophomore novel to follow up The Silent Patient.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved The Silent Patient, so it only felt natural that I would love "The Maidens."
The best part about this book is the surprise ending, which I (obvs) won't give away, but was definitely not one that I had guessed. I loved the twists and turns in this novel. What I didn't like is that it sometimes felt like the historical parts of it (i.e. the Greek mythology) weighed the story down at parts. There were a few times where I wanted the story to move along a bit faster. However, overall, I would highly recommend this one. Great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

No sophomore slump for Alex Michaelides as he writes another solid thriller with The Maidens. Mariana is a group therapist who is still mourning the death of her husband Sebastian. Her niece Zoe is a student at Cambridge is upset as her friend was murdered and Mariana goes to her alma mater and gets involved in the case.

Lots of red herrings to lead the readers astray. I didn't care for Mariana as a MC--she's a bit impetuous and does stupid things like tampering with evidence. I enjoyed learning about Cambridge and I learned some very cool new words like buttery and bedders. Very different college living experience from what I had.

Loved the Easter egg referencing The Silent Patient.

Not quite sure where to rate this one. Definitely a page-turner and finished it in a day, but not as good as The Silent Patient. I was hoping to have it land on a solid 4-star but I think the way the ending turned out, it puts it more at a 3-3.5 for me.

What I enjoyed:
- I really loved the incorporation of mythology and how it was seamlessly woven into so many events throughout the story.
- I loved the fast-pace! This was definitely a page-turner.
- I liked the psychotherapist perspective of our main character and having little typed letters from our “villain” sprinkled throughout.
- I was excited to see a clever little nod to The Silent Patient and its main character, Theo. Fun Easter egg!
- There were red herrings everywhere but I love that about mystery/thrillers. It kept me guessing the whole time about who was really responsible.
- The descriptions of Cambridge were wonderful!

What I didn’t love:
- I was hoping for a grand twist like we had experience in The Silent Patient and was disappointed when it didn’t turn out as twisty as I was hoping for.
- Some aspects of the ending were tough and, content-wise, I was disappointed it went the direction it did.

Overall, fairly enjoyable read, fast-paced, good mystery/thriller that doesn’t require too much brain-bending to enjoy!

Content Warnings:
Death/murder, ritualistic sacrifices, child abuse, spousal abuse, animal death