This book is full of thinly drawn characters, uneven plot twists, and a boring set-up. Definitely not worth the hype.

I was thrilled to receive this ARC because I was blown away by The Silent Patient. Unfortunately, I found this book to be meh. I wasn’t invested in the characters, they weren’t very like able. Some of their motivations just did not make sense to me. The setting was great and I did like the Greek Mythology aspects. There was an unexpected twist at the end but as wether I actually buy it or not-the jury is still out.

To start-when I received this ARC, I literally started crying-
now that that's out of the way-I saw this book initially being talked about on Booktube and knew I had to get myself a copy ASAP. Greek mythology, University setting, and murder mystery-I was sold. Plus the cover is absolutely stunning. I want to frame it and put it on the walls in my study.

I will say-this was a thrilling story-just not as thrilling as the silent patient. When about half way through-I knew what was to come-and even so-I kept reading because it was so interesting. I will say -this is a beautiful book setting and atmospheric.

This would be a great addition to murder mystery fans-and greek mythology buffs.

Thank you again for the chance to read and review this beautiful book!

I received a free ARC of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides from Celadon Books in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Animal abuse

So many thoughts! While I can appreciate and certainly recognize the author’s talent, the melodrama and the over-the-top ending were not for me. I think this actually might make an intriguing movie (minus some of the unnecessary plot elements). Overall this book was just not the thriller I expected it to be.

All the finest ingredients are here: the English university setting, plenty of references to Greek literature, a charismatic professor who may or may not be a killer, a mysterious society of chosen students, and secretive behavior all around. It’s the sort of thing you start reading right away instead of letting it linger on the one-of-these-days list. True to form, the author keeps things moving and makes you want to forge ahead and read the whole thing all at once. There are even a couple of tidbits thrown in for fans of The Silent Patient. The problem is the implausibility of everyone’s behavior; these characters—even the highly educated, professional woman protagonist—seem to keep doing unreasonable things and trusting the creepiest people. If this were a movie, the whole audience would be shouting “don’t go in there!” at the screen. We enjoy the story and the juicy twist but realize that none of this would have made that much sense in the real world, where the university would have quashed the cult-like goings-on and fired some people long before anyone got murdered.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

When Mariana hears from her niece that a murder has happened at Cambridge, she leaves her home in London and goes back to the place she first met her husband, who has been dead for about a year. Mariana is convinced that charming Professor Edward Fosca is behind the murders; he runs a group called The Maidens, which is made up of all female students, one of whom led Mariana back to Cambridge in the first place because of her death. As more girls are found dead, Mariana is determined to find out what is really going on and who is behind the murders.

Alex Michaelides is officially one of my favorite authors. After reading The Silent Patient last year, I was obsessed, but I was nervous to read The Maidens because I was so highly anticipating it and didn’t want to be let down. Well, I am happy to say that I absolutely loved this book. It went straight into my ‘2021 Favorites’ shelf on Goodreads; this is going to be a book that I think about for a long time! Also, can we please talk about the connection in this book to The Silent Patient? I shrieked a little bit when I reached that part. The twists and turns woven throughout the story left me trying to figure out who was behind the murders. I was so set in my guess and was screaming at Mariana that it was right in front of her. . .only to find out that I was wrong too. Michaelides does such a great job of immersing readers into the stories he creates with his strong descriptions and captivating plots. I love books with dark academia vibes to them, and I didn’t want to put this one down after I started it. I really wasn’t sure who I could trust, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the plot twist at the end. Although many of these characters were unreliable and shady, I expect and even want to see that in thrillers—I think it makes the reading experience more interesting. I loved The Maidens so much and wasn’t quite ready for it to end. I would definitely recommend reading it if you love thrillers and dark academia books!

A huge thank you to Celadon Books for the ARC of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides!

I am a sucker for any book that has a university as it's setting. The Maidens lived up to it's hype as a real cerebral page turner.

While I liked the references to the Greek Classics, I found the mystery lacking. An unlikely predictable ending with a curve thrown in. none of the characters were especially developed or likable including the main character. this is the second book by Michaelides that has been hyped that I have been disappointed in.

copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Alex Michaelides present a chilling thriller which keeps you guessing until the end. Mariana, a group therapist, arrives at Cambridge after a call from her niece, worried that her friend may be the as-yet to be identified murder victim on campus. Mariana’s suspicions as to who could be the murderer settle on the charismatic Greek tragedy professor, who has gathered a group of followers, the Maidens. Mariana soon gets embroiled in the ensuing investigation , jeopardizing her safety and forcing her to reflect on some past tragedies. There are red herrings everywhere, leaving you guessing at every turn, but, sadly, the end seemed rushed and quite disturbing.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I am really conflicted on how to rate this book - the atmosphere and the 'dark academia' vibes 100% lived up to what I was hoping for, but the twist itself was really disappointing to me.

I think I'd give this a 3.5, because I did really enjoy reading it and could NOT put the book down, so I don't want to diminish the overall rating only because of the ending.

I don't think the ending was predictable, I think it was quite the opposite - so my problem lies in the fact that this did not fit with the rest of the book.

This delivered just as much impact as The Silent Patient did for me, proving that Alex Michaelides is definitely NOT a one hit wonder! I loved the twists, I felt like the atmosphere was perfectly executed, and there was never a moment where I put by book down without thinking about it constantly until my next opportunity to pick it back up again. Well done, Michaelides. Well done!

For all of the hype, this one was a disappointing miss for me. I was tempted to DNF but forged through and luckily it picked up some about halfway through. It seemed like the characters could have used some more development and there were plot holes. Here's hoping that his 3rd book is more of a repeat of The Silent Patient, which I did enjoy.

While I enjoyed this book while reading it, and it was well written, the twist reminded my too much of Michaelides' previous book, "The Silent Patient," which it alluded to multiple times. This is one that I think is good for those that want a fast read, but not something that they will think back on too much later.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is phenomenal! Alex Michaelides truly is the new must read mystery writer! I could not put this book down! Just when you thought you knew who the killer was, in comes a wrench. Set in the same world at The Silent Patient, The Maidens is full of psychological twists. We even got to hear about a few characters from The Silent Patient. Would love to see a third book with these two intertwined together.

The Maidens is everywhere, so I was excited to read it. I loved that there were elements of Greek mythology throughout the book. Plus, this book was in the same universe as Michaelides' first book the silent patient! I thought The Maiden's was an alright book. I loved the idea of it but felt that it was predictable and I didn't really like any of the characters.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Having loved the Silent Patient, yet seeing a few mixed reviews of the Maidens I was unsure when I delved in. However, I still enjoyed this book. Some of the twists were guessed fairly easily, although I didn't guess the why!

The Greek tragedy element of the book didn't feel necessarily needed, but it helped set the scene and give purpose to some of the areas the reader may usually question.

The only thing I wasn't sure of was the lack of resolution around Fred, I didn't feel his character was explained enough and what happened to him post the events that unfolded?

As I've seen with other reviews, I think fans of The Silent Patient will still enjoy this but take it as it is, a different book, not to be compared. Although I did like the connection made and nod to the original book, setting them both in the same world.

Thanks to Celadon Books and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC in return for my honest review.

This thriller novel feels flat, but has a tie-in to The Silent Patient. I think people that loved the first novel will like this one, but not love it.

“Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike―particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.”

This is one of those books that you finish and just kind of feel underwhelmed.

‘As she looked into his black eyes, Mariana no longer had any doubts. She was absolutely certain: she was looking into the eyes of a murderer.‘ 🔪

My Thoughts 💭

After reading Alex Michaelides’s first book The Silent Patient, The Maidens quickly became one of my most anticipated books of 2021!

Just like Alex Michaelides debut, I thought this was a very interesting psychological thriller. The Maidens definitely keeps you guessing throughout & I found myself turning these digital pages very quickly.
Also because I really enjoyed the Greek mythology aspects 🏺

Generally there were some elements that I was very intrigued by, but unfortunately they weren’t really covered in too much detail (for example the whole Maidens aspect, which was a bit strange as this is the book’s title 🤔).
There were also some elements, that I just wasn’t sure why they were mentioned in the first place.

Anyways, I am sure you have seen this all over Bookstagram and might be asking yourself if this lives up to the tremendous hype?

My honest answer is probably not. This is a decent, gripping mystery/thriller with many twists & turns, but I just thought it lacked in some aspects.

If you haven’t read anything by this author yet, I highly recommend to start with The Silent Patient.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this early e-copy (even though my review is now a week late) @killclubreads @celadonbooks & @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Maidens is out now!

Taken from https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcT6DKLVLT/

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book...wow! I loved The Silent Patient and was eager to see what Alex Michaelides would come up with next, and The Maidens did not disappoint! It did start a bit slower than The Silent Patient, but once it got going it was a roller coaster of a psychological thriller. I loved the dark academia vibe and the focus around Greek mythology. The characters were fascinating and well-developed, and the action-packed plot had me devouring this book in just a few sittings. I will be enthusiastically recommending this one!

I have to say, I really loved how this story played out. I wasn't expecting the ending to go the way it did and it was not a disappointment. My hats off to anyone who sees who the killer is with certainty right away. I also love how we have Theo, the doctor from The Silent Patient, incorporated in this story.

Mariana Andros is a fascinating character. We see her struggling with her story along with the stories of the murdered girls, the "maidens". You will definitely feel for her as she uncovers more and more of the truth. There are a few truly lovable characters but a lot of them will really have you second guessing yourself.

Another great outing from Mr. Michaelides.

Thanks to Celadon Books for an advance copy of this thriller.