I really didn't like this book. I was expecting to be enthralled, and mostly I was bored. There wasn't a distinct plotline to follow, and I really couldn't establish why Mariana took any interest in solving this murder mystery. It didn't make sense. The titular Maidens weren't very prominent and the ending can't be described as anything but "meh". Don't think I'll be reading another Alex Michaelides novel any time soon.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This book was definitely a wild ride and I totally didn’t see the ending coming- exactly what I want in a thriller! Add in a British college as the background and I’m sold. Recommended for some brain candy with the occasional Euripides reference.

I really liked The Silent Patient but no matter how many times I tried to read this book, I couldn't get into it. Did not finish.

Good story, good tension, Our heroine faces step is in her quest to prove that a handsome,charismatic professor is guilty of murdering her niece. The plot mives aling quite well but is ultimately ruined by and ending that comes out of left field. I would recommend for library purchase, since this author has a following, but personally will skip his next work.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this title. All opinions are my own.

I loved The Silent Patient, so was thrilled to pick up another title by Alex Michaelides and it did not disappoint. I don't want to give anything away, so will just say the the twists you expect will still manage to surprise you.

Basically "The Secret History" for Gen Z. I will admit I did not see the twist, so kudos for that one.

Mariana is a grieving widow who returns to Cambridge when her niece Zoe calls for help. Zoe's friend Tara has disappeared and subsequently found murdered. Several other murders of undergraduates then follow. The girls are part of a secret society, The Maidens. Is it the professor of Greek tragedy that is at the heart of this? Mariana is determined to solve the mystery, even if it puts her life at stake. Lots of twists, turns and misdirection in this book.. I wanted to like this book more then I did. The Silent Patient is a hard act to follow.

A fantastic read, well-written, and propulsive. Truly looking forward to the third installment from Alex. Bravo.

The Maidens is an engaging Greek mythological mystery set on a college campus. I was fascinated by the characters, and the ending definitely had the wow factor that you expect in a good mystery. Edward Fosca’s suspicious behavior leads group therapist Maria Andros to suspect Fosca may be responsible for a death on campus. Fosca draws impressionable young women in with his charm, and a select few are invited to become a member of his mythological society called the Maidens. Much to Maria’s dismay, her niece, Zoe, becomes a member of the Maidens. As Zoe’s primary care taker, Maria’s concern regarding Fosca’s seemingly inappropriate behavior is heightened once she discovers her niece might be in danger. As young college women are continuously found murdered in a ritualistic manner, Marina is convinced Fosca is to blame. Will Marina’s suspicions be confirmed, or is she missing evidence right in front of her eyes? I throughly enjoyed Michaelides subtle connections between his first novel, The Silent Patient and this current book. Overall, Michaelides does it again, delivering a suspenseful novel with quite the twist at the end. Thanks Netgalley for my copy!

I loved his first novel so much bur was really let down by this one. The plot seemed meh and best and just not there. I would still recommend this author but would suggest people start this one before the silent patient to enjoy him more.

Not quiet what I was wanting or expecting from this book. I really loved the first book by the author but this one wasn't as impscyful for me and was a little lackluster.

Decent thriller. I liked this one almost as much as the author’s other book, “The Silent Patient.” The main difference is all of the Greek mythology included in this one, it had dual narrators just like the other one - leaving you guessing who the hero and who the villain is. In the end, the killer in this one was pretty unexpected and there was good twist. I also enjoyed the setting - Cambridge, England. I’ve been listening to a lot of British mysteries lately and I love hearing the accent and different terms they have for things. I’ll definitely be reading her next book.

There's so much to love about this book! Dark Academia with twisted characters and a story that will keep you guessing. The Maidens is so atmospheric and is filled with delights for those who read the author's debut book. Michaelides is easily becoming an auto-read author. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I have heard so much hype around this author's previous book, The Silent Patient, and had high hopes for The Maidens as my first foray into his work. I love mysteries set in academia, so I figured this would be a great fit for me. Unfortunately, it was not. I found the characters unlikeable, the choices Mariana made frustrating, and the twists unsatisfying. I'm not sure if I went in with too high of hopes, but I've heard from several friends and coworkers who have read The Maidens that they felt similarly. I do love the cover design, which drew in my interest as well.

I had high hopes for this book but it was too dry and boring for me. Sadly, i couldnt finish. I could never really get into the story.

Having heard rave reviews for The Silent Patient, another novel by this author, and also having a soft spot for dark academia settings, I wanted to give this book a hopeful glance. While I can't compare it to the author's former novel, I can say that this first foray into his selection did kind of underwhelm me. Don't get me wrong, I still found that dark academia vibe very much so in the setting and the tone of the story. I still found a very interesting whodunit scenario with a dangerously mysterious prime suspect and various supporting characters that can't be trusted or seem a little too good to be true. All of this feeds into the kind of book that leaves you wondering, "I think I just solved this, but then again was that too easy? Maybe that was too easy. No, I should keep looking for clues." All things I love in a book, so kudos to that.

The main hurdle for me in this story were all of the flashback scenes with the main character. I understood it informed the story and the background of Mariana, but it just kept taking me out of the story. After a few flashbacks of Mariana reminiscing about her deceased husband, Sebastian, I began to get a little annoyed. It felt like she recounted memories of her past every few pages in a lengthy manner when I just wanted to get back to the present. Kind of like watching commercials. In saying that, even the writing and atmosphere in the flashbacks was done well. As I said before, the tone and the writing in this story was well done. I felt like I was in Cambridge walking the hallowed halls along with Mariana. The descriptive writing helped weave this story strongly enough through those flashbacks that it held the story for me. I didn't love the ending in the way that it played out, but I did appreciate that it had a complete ending. No cliffhangers or red herrings. Nice.

I give this a three out of five stars. Not a bad book by any means. Solid, gave me some entertainment, left me guessing at times, floated right along with the writing style. Crisp, tasty, but won't count it as one of my favorites of all time. Take a gander if you like that dark academia university setting, sketchy characters, a sly prime suspect, and also mythology. The book blurb isn't misleading. You will definitely see some mythology being discussed. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check it out. I will still be checking out The Silent Patient by this author.

P.S. I also listened to this on audio. Both narrators, Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, did an amazing job on this book. Definitely upped the enjoyment of this book listening to their narration.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title.

Unfortunately I gave up reading this book at 50%; which is a shame because I absolutely loved The Silent Patient. The Maidens was just so slow going and even at 50% I had no idea where this was going and kept waiting for things to get interesting.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book; sometimes the book and the reader do not click. Since I did not finish this book, I will not be leaving a review on any retail website as it would not be a fair assessment.

Thank you again.

3.5 stars for this dark suspense with a shocking twist but disjointed storytelling.

I enjoyed The Silent Patient, the author’s first book, and I sure do love a mind bending twist, but I was disappointed with this new thriller.

SYNOPSIS
Mariana is a group therapist mourning her husband’s recent death until a murder at her niece’s elite college brings her there to comfort Zoe, who is almost like a daughter to her. She finds herself investigating on her own and lands right in the middle of a Greek mythology-based killing spree.

THOUGHTS
I had a lot of trouble with this book. It was a pretty entertaining and very fast read, but compared to the author’s previous book, the writing was very clunky and a bit dramatic. There seemed to be some characters thrown in quickly and then left to fizzle out for the sake of possibly presenting multiple suspects? It felt a bit unrealistic at times (not that I need my thrillers to be realistic!) - the relationships and situations were strange and didn’t feel fully fleshed out.

There are some fun nods to The Silent Patient and definitely a WTF moment at the end, but the writing itself may throw you for a loop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced e-copy!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This was a slow start for me. I think it wasn't until around 55/60% that I actually wanted to finish and then the ending was such a let down.

I had high hopes for this title after loving The Silent Patient. I started with the written book, and transitioned to the audiobook. The book is both well written as far as prose goes, and well narrated, but the ending was so disappointing. It was definitely unexpected, but not in a satisfying way. The references to Greek mythology felt more stuffed on top of the plot than integrated, and the who-done-it felt incongruous for the character development - there was not a single hint that person was capable. It has, however, brought a revival of interest to The Silent Patient to our bookstore, and Alex Michaelides will continue to be an auto-buy author for me.