The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

After the infamous “ The Silent Patient”, Alex Michaelides comes up with a brand new novel this year.

The Maidens has a lot of parallels with the silent patient. A psychotherapist as a protagonist , the Greek mythology references, the emphasis on childhood. It feels like Alex was very hesitant to deviate farther away from his debut. Still , The Maidens felt different.

Mariana, a psychotherapist rushes to Cambridge to support her niece Zoey, whose friend Tara is brutally murdered on the campus. On arriving there , she suspects the American professor Edward Fosca is the murderer. Edward Fosca is always surrounded by his secret society female students, called the Maidens and Tara is one of them. What starts as a suspicion, becomes a bit of an obsession for Mariana as the other members of the maidens get murdered as well. Was Mariana able to prove that he was the killer ?

This book is definitely a slow burn , it takes its time establishing the characters and moves rather slowly on the first half. Once it picks up , the story keeps you intrigued.Mariana is an interesting character who is struggling to be there for her niece while dealing with her own grief. What i liked about the maidens is it’s Greek tragedy references and how it plays into the whole story. This was the case with the silent patient as well.

However, I felt there were lots of things just written as a deviation and they weren’t completely tied up at the end. In a whodunnit, it feels like a bit of cheating. And I did not guess the ending at all, which was good .

Though it’s not as good as it’s predecessor, The Maidens is definitely a solid thriller.

Thanks to McMillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook. I think it was brilliantly produced and the narrator was great .

"The Maidens" by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller with dark-academia vibes that follows Mariana Andros, a psychotherapist who specializes in group therapy, as she investigates a string of related murders in Cambridge. Drawn to the murders by the relationship of her niece Zoe to one of the victims, Mariana begins to suspect Edward Fosca, a charismatic professor of Greek Tragedy who has a loyal following of female students he calls "The Maidens."

While I read Alex Michaelides's debut novel "The Silent Patient" last year, I wasn't much impressed. I thought the book was very readable but overall bland and predictable. Therefore, I wasn't expecting to pick up this one. That was before I saw the gorgeous cover and read the synopsis, which both got me hooked. Since I was auto-approved on NetGalley for the ALC, I decided to give it a shot.

What Michaelides does very well is writing short chapters that are very readable, making his books very quick reads. This was also true of my experience reading "The Silent Patient." I think this a quality of his writing since I read "The Silent Patient" in print and "The Maidens" on audio and finish them both in about a day of reading. I liked the incorporation of Greek mythology elements, particularly since I've been binging Greek mythology retellings this year.

I also quite enjoyed the narrator, particularly the female voice. I thought her voice was pleasant and contributed to the development of the story, and she was very easy to listen to.

However, while it had an interesting premise and was a fast read, this book was a bit bland and, at times, underdeveloped. I also didn't quite care for any of the characters, and their motivations were either too superficial or too contrived. Many of the male characters seemed very cartoony, and the instances of actual predator and stalker behavior were never fully discussed as they were just glossed over by the main character. Many side characters were also introduced as red herrings, and I thought there were too many red herrings in this book that didn't really serve their intended purpose as my initial inkling proved to be correct.

Nevertheless, while I don't think this book was for me, I'm sure I will be in the minority. I would also probably recommend this book for fans of Greek mythology retellings who want to start getting into the thriller genre.

"Childhood is a reactive experience. Meaning that in order to experience empathy for another human being, we must first be shown empathy by our parents and caregivers."
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An invincible Greek Tragedy professor, mysterious ritualistic murders, and an obsessed therapist with a troubling past of her own? Count me in!

This was my first novel by Alex Michaelides and certainly will not be my last. I thought I knew who the murderer was, but Alex Michaelides included so many twists and turns that I never truly saw it coming when the true murderer was revealed. The chapters were short and switched between various POVs adding another aspect that kept me engaged and wanting to read on. I don't typically read thrillers, but I truly enjoyed the suspense and the mystery that this one brought and look forward to reading more from him!

The female narrator, Louise Brealey, was really engaging and did a great job. The male narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, was truly phenomenal. Kobna's narration was so powerful and eerie it really added to the layers of suspense that were building. Throughout the entire novel I was easily able to transition from advanced listening copy to the physical review copy I had received which was a huge plus. Together the two narrators truly brought the story to life sweeping me away to Cambridge making this such an enjoyable listening experience.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this book in return for an honest review!
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Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4)/5

Intriguing tale, with excellent pacing and good mystery vibes. Twists were unexpected which I love. Found it hard sometimes to sympathise with main character which made it a four star read for me. Loved the connections to the previous story, very well done. Audio narration was excellent.

Alex Michaelides has done it again with "The Maidens." The story follows Mariana, a group therapist who travels to Cambridge where her niece Zoe is attending school. There have been a series of murders and Mariana uses her skills to help assist in solving them.

I won't give anything away aside from saying I couldn't have guessed the ending in a million years. Some truly brilliant, twisted turns in the story.

The first section drags a bit but I still couldn't put it down.

Remember how we all absolutely lost our minds when we read “The Silent Patient?” It was pretty much the best thing, reading-wise, that happened to us during the pandemic.

So earlier this year, I was thrilled to find out that Alex Michaelides’s next psychological thriller comes out on my birthday, June 1. As soon as the advanced reader copy of “The Maidens” was available, I put in my request to the publisher. And lo and behold, the audiobook became available, too. I was a double-download winner!

But, alas, my hopes were dashed. This is a Greek tragedy that I just couldn’t get behind. This murder mystery started off really slow and finally picked up until about two-thirds in. For me, there were way too many references to the underworld, the rites of Persephone, and yes, the maidens. It just wasn’t my thing. And, while the ending left me surprised, I felt let down instead of shocked (as I had last year).

As for the audiobook production, Louise Brealey did a fine job narrating the majority of the book. Then Kobna Holdbrook-Smith read the super-creepy chapters from the pages of the killer’s journal. It was ok. Not great. I did enjoy the short chapters so it was easy to get through fairly quickly.

Special thanks to Celadon and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies. This is my honest review.

I believe I have over hyped this one to myself. I was more a fan of The Silent Patient but this was not terrible, for me it just didn't feel as good.

✨Book Review✨
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
3.5
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This book follows Mariana Andros as she gets a call that her niece Zoe's best friend has been murdered. As Mariana goes to help investigate, she becomes quickly convinced that Edward Fosca, the university's Greek tragedy professor, is the man responsible. As more and more bodies keep turning up, Mariana is more and more sure about who has killed them. She just needs to convince everyone of what she so clearly sees.
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It took me a while to figure out how I felt about this book. While reading the first half of the book, I didn't find myself wanting to keep picking it up. I didn't NOT like it, but I wasn't fully invested. At about the halfway point, things started to pick up for me. I definitely became more invested at that point and didn't want to stop reading. In fact, I read the second half of this book extremely quickly. But alas, the ending just didn't do it for me.
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I will say, I was NOT a big fan of The Silent Patient. Everyone was obsessed, and I just didn't get it. I was definitely less lost during the ending of this book, but it wasn't what I expected, and not in a good way. I will leave it at that and let you decide for yourselves.
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If you were a fan of The Silent Patient and/or are fascinated by Greek Mythology, I think you will really love, and should read, this book.
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I both read the hard copy and listened to the audiobook. The main narrator was difficult for me to listen to at first, but about halfway through she grew on me. :p

** Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. **

I think this book was written really well however it did not keep my interest throughout the book. I thought the storyline was okay but I was also bored at times. I’m still giving it three stars based on the fact that I was shocked at the outcome.

Alex Michaelides delivers another amazing read with the Maidens. A slow burn but intriguing mystery that had me genuinely guessing until the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The audio narration was excellent as well. Highly recommend.

When I saw Alex Michaelides had another book coming out I knew I had to read it. The Silent Patient was of my favorite reads of 2019. This book definitely didn’t disappoint.

I thought I had the twist figured out about halfway through but I was very, very wrong.

I received an advanced audiobook copy and really enjoyed the narrator. I also liked how there was a second voice that narrated parts of a letter that we don’t know who wrote until the end. Definitely upped the creep factor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Pros: I really wanted to like this book because it contains some of my favorite literary tropes--a campus setting and a secret society. Also, I didn't guess the twist, which I always appreciate.

Cons: This book was not for me. Some parts of the book felt forced and heavy handed (e.g., the connections to the author's other book, The Silent Patient), and others felt underdeveloped (e.g., the main character's motivations and her suspicion of the professor). An unreliable main character as a trope feels very overdone in this genre. Also, I do not know anything about the ethics of being a therapist, but I think the main character broke all ethical guidelines in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book!

Well, this one kept me entertained the whole way through. I loved the easter eggs I caught from The Silent Patient and the tie in as well.
Mariana is a group therapist who lost her husband the year before and is unable to get over his death. She floats through her days in sadness and grief, holding onto the love she had. Her "niece" Zoe calls her one night because her best friend has gone missing and she fears that the body they just found could be her. The next morning, Mariana sets off to be with Zoe and try to find out the truth of what is happening there. As soon as she arrives, Zoe tells her about a professor that teaches Greek Philosophy that everyone loves, but she suspects there is more to him than meets the eye. She said her friend was scared of him before her death and suspects he has something to do with it. As Mariana learns more about Edward Fosca and the secret group of girls he tutored, the more she is convinced he is the murderer, but can she prove it?
As more and more bodies pile up and he continues to evade blame and is smug about it, Mariana becomes increasingly frustrated and no one believes her.
You can tell something is off with pretty much everyone in this book from the beginning, but it also kept me guessing because literally everyone was a suspect in my mind. There was a huge twist I wasn't aware of, but I should have caught on honestly and I am upset with myself for not. Other small twists I did see coming, but I did enjoy this book. The narrators did a fantastic job and I have listened to them before. They kept me fully engaged in the story the whole time. Thank you to Macmillian audio, Netgalley and the author for an early audio copy.

Setting us in England where Marianna Andros is a group therapist. One of her patients Henry, has a problem with boundaries and watches her from outside her home and constantly calls to say how much he needs her. She realizes she needs to nip this obsession but has been dealing with the stages grieving the loss of her Sebastian. She sees the love she and Sebastian shared wherever she turns in her home. When Marianna gets a call from her niece Zoe who says her friend has been murdered Marianna leaves right away to Cambridge University where Zoe attends school. Marianna ends up finding out that Zoe is messed up in a secret society called The Maidens and Marianna feels a professor named Edward Fosca is the murderer in which she ends up risking everything to try and prove it ....... then Mariannas world turns upside down.

What an enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

Ultimately I was very let down by this book. I'm sure the intention was to lead the reader in one direction while having the real solution be completely opposite, but the entire experience ended up feeling like a waste of time to me. I really enjoyed The Silent Patient so I was REALLY excited to read this, but it just fell short for me.

Midway through I figured out who the killer was - although I will say the intentions I thought were wrong and That did catch me off guard. I just felt like I was so invested in one story, for it all to go to waste was a bit frustrating for me as a reader.

The book was still beautifully written and Alex Michaelides is a wonderful story teller. If you liked The Silent Patent I would give this a try - everyone likes different books! This may just be a miss for me personally.

Three years since this author’s debut but this second book was no less thrilling. I love it when the author can really keep you guessing until the last pages! The audio was absolutely stunning!

What did I like? As far as the audio goes, loved the reader! Read in a lovely lilting English voice that was utterly perfect. The male voice held a malevolence that definitely added to the story! Both worked really well!

The author though ....has come up with such a psychological twisted story that it just gave me shivers. Mariana felt lost due to the death of her spouse and pretty much her entire family. Barely living she goes to Camden to help her niece and gets caught up in a murder investigation. A thrilling tale!

Would I recommend or buy? I loved listening to this in audio, and would recommend to anyone who loved his first book or loves unguessable thrillers. I would definitely read this author again! Five huge stars!

Thanks Macmillan Audio for an advance listen copy and I voluntarily left this review!

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is an enjoyable, solid murder mystery that will keep your interest until the end. The setting of Cambridge is dreamy, I found the book's parallels with greek tragedies interesting and the narrator was fantastic - I adored her accent ! A suspenseful story with a twist that I didn't expect.

A master at the ending twist, Michaelides weaves together a story around Greek Tragedy and Cambridge. A riveting psychological suspense that has the reader thinking they know exactly what’s happening all the way through ... until they don’t! Well done! I really enjoyed the voices on the audio and felt like they brought the story to life.

The Maidens has a lot going for it: an intriguing story line, an assorted cast of characters, atmosphere and a murder mystery of young university students shrouded in blood and Greek mythology. Sounds great! So, what happened?

While I love descriptive text and atmospheric reads - hence my fondness for Nordic Noir - The Maidens may have overreached. At times I caught myself second guessing the genre - thriller, psychological suspense or literary fiction, tropes I all enjoy and that fill my bookshelf. If this is your cup of tea then you will likely enjoy The Maidens.

Unfortunately, I found this book reaching and narrowly missing, the threads of Nordic Noir fused with psychological thriller. While I sussed out the culprit pretty early on, that is neither here nor there. I enjoy the profile and dimensionality (not word but is now!) of characters. I am intrigued to learn about the why's and how's of character's and how they reconciled their actions, the story behind the main headline. Personally, I found the overly descriptive narration about the minutia of each scene took away from the story being told and something was lost in the details. But that's just me.

Regardless, there will be oodles of people who will love this book, as they may have also enjoyed The Silent Patient. My "3" may be your "5" and vice versa.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of The Maidens.

I love a story that includes real life and mythology. This novel does a fascinating job of creating those two worlds together. This is set mostly at the University of Cambridge. I've never been, but the writing created a sense of being there- illuminating pieces of an historic campus with details about the landscape, the weather and of course, the buildings. All good thrillers have red herrings, but this novel did a great job of keeping the guessing game going. While the ending isn't as mind-bending as The Silent Patient, I was so fascinated with this book, I blew through it. I'm sure there will be a third, and I can't wait to read it. Also, for the audiobook, please keep this man as a narrator. His voice is so powerful.