I enjoyed The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. I did not see the ending coming. This book is well written and Michaelides does not disappoint.

This review is based on the audio production of "The Maidens." Main narrator Louise Brealey also voiced "The Silent Patient" (which I loved) and she does a brilliant job of bringing nuance and emotion to "The Maidens." "The Maidens" doesn't have the suspense and thrill of "The Silent Patient." Instead, it's more of a slow burn psychological mystery, dark with Greek mythological imagery. The main character is a therapist, and there are callbacks to characters from "The Silent Patient," but the setting and focus of "The Maidens" don't carry the same creepy intrigue and shocking turns. Red herrings abound, and the "Maidens" of the story warrant their own series separate from this book.

With "The Maidens", Alex Michaelides has written another page-turning thriller that lives up to all the hype created by the success of his first book, "The Silent Patient".

"The Maidens" follows Mariana, a group therapist, who returns to Cambridge when she receives a call from her niece Zoe who is worried about her missing friend. Zoe's friend is soon found murdered, and Mariana finds herself caught up in the mystery of what happened to her. First in her list of suspects is the charismatic Greek Tragedy professor, Edward Fosca. Fosca organizes a study group of loyal girls called The Maidens, of whom Zoe's murdered friend was a member. Soon Mariana finds her own life in danger as she gets closer to the truth of what happened to the murdered girl.

This was an entertaining and well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I predict that "The Maidens" will be THE big summer hit this year! I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.

A bit of a slower burn than Michaelides' first book (the Silent Patient; which I loved).

The whole premise rests on the fact that our main character knows who the killer is, and is working to prove it, however I didn't once think her suspicions were correct (so, the commitment to this idea being held through so much of the story felt frustrating at times).

Thankfully, the alternating chapters between our main character and the killer were a great way to keep things interesting. The killer's chapters were particularly entertaining in the times when the main narrative felt slow or grating.

I'll also give the author bonus points for the connection to the Silent Patient, which was so exciting and completely knocked me off my feet!

The biggest frustration for me was that I didn't really care for the revelation of the killer's identity. It was a little too farfetched, and the story didn't do enough to justify its conclusion.

Probably a 3.5 star read.

Grateful for the advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review

This book kept me engaged from the start. Leading you weaving through character development in pursuit of solving the underlying mystery.
Plenty of red herrings throughout the story to fool me more times than I can count. It’s laughable now that I thought I had it figured out

I listened to the audiobook for this and it was really well done. They utilized many readers to help differentiate between characters, further enhancing the story and the mystery and making it much easier to follow along in audio format

The addition of Greek mythology also added a fascinating element to the story. This one is a yes for me!

The Maidens is one of my most anticipated books of 2021 after reading and loving The Silent Patient! After all the hype for this book, I was ECSTAIC to receive the audiobook through @NetGalley (thank you also to @celadonbooks and @macillan.audio) and I started listening right away.

Dark academia, Greek Mythology and a secret society combine in this slow burn thriller. Mariana is a group therapist who receives a call that her niece Zoe's roommate has been murdered at her university, which is also Mariana's Alma Mater. Mariana inserts herself into the investigation of the campus serial killer as more female students are found murdered. She deliberately puts herself in harm's way because she is sure that the beloved Greek Tragedy professor, Edward Fosca, is behind the murders of his secret "girls, The Maidens. He is adored by these students but why are they turning up dead?

I'm not particularly interested in Greek mythology but throughout the book it presented in a way that wasn't difficult to understand and worked well with the plot. Short chapters - major WIN! There were so many unlikeable (and possibly guilty) characters, my head was spinning!

While the plot grew interesting, it did take awhile to really grab my full attention and the twist was pretty predictable for me; it's definitely not as twisty as TSP was but still worth the ride. I really loved that characters from TSP were intertwined in The Maidens.

The narrators did a great job executing the story. I especially enjoyed the creepy killer's POV (you know I love a good, creepy killer - haha)!

Make sure you grab this one when it publishes on June 15th!

I gave up on the audio version of this 40% in. I just could not get into the narration and found listening to this one far to slow.

I did switch to the ebook and finished it. I skimmed the majority of the middle. It finally sped up with about 20% to go.

Definitely don't recommend the audio on this one with the slow start.

Audio: 2⭐️
Plot: 3⭐️

If you like a thriller that is a slow burn with great dialogue, then check out The Maidens. It took me awhile to get into the story but once I got into it I felt like I was captivated.

Mariana is a group therapist. Zoe, Mariana's niece, called after the Monday Evening Group. That is how the nightmare began. She instantly went to Zoe’s side. Mariana gut told her that Edward Fosca was a murderer. She just couldn't prove it. Mariana thought Fosca was a monster and didn't want him to get away with it. He convinces the detectives and everyone around of his innocence.

Edward Fosca is a charismatic professor of Greek Tragedy at Cambridge University. Everyone loves him, especially a group of female students called The Maidens. Mariana quickly learns that the victim is one of The Maidens. This can’t be a coincidence.

The book is filled with red herrings and Greek mythology. I thought it was written well. I loved the short chapters. There were plenty of unlikable characters. The ending truly surprised me.

I want to thank @celadonbooks @netgalley and @macillan.audio for an advanced copy of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I’m asking too much. I absolutely loved ‘The Silent Patient’ (audiobook) and when I heard Michaelides was coming out with another book, I stalked NetGalley and finally managed to snag an ARC (audiobook). Sadly, that’s where my excitement ends.

‘The Maidens’ is about a group therapist who investigates a series of ritualistic murders at her old Alma mater/ her niece’s Uni. Her suspicions lead her one way only to find the truth so much more horrifying.

I wish I could pin-point why I wasn’t thrilled about this book - The Greeks, dark academia, murder, suspense… what more could a girl ask for? And yet, the MC felt hollow & sterile, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t bother to care about her. Now, I’m not sure, but maybe my opinion of the book lies on the shoulders of the narrator (the same narrator as ‘The Silent Patient’, which I loved). Her voice was even and strong, but cold, with minimal character inflections/ distinctions. In the end, I just wanted to speed the book up 3x and be done with it.

I did like the little nod to ‘The Silent Patient’. And the ending was a ride, totally unexpected, but not worth admission.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

I really really wanted to like this. I thought silent patient was def unique and was hoping for the same here. Unfortunately it was kinda bogged down in I don’t know what for most of the book and as we got to the end felt kinda predictable. I would not say this is an easy read... the Greek and the myths make in a lot and not in a good way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon for the eARC and physical ARC and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook.

Pub date 06/15/21

I mostly listened to this book and read a few pages here and there as time permitted. The narrators were excellent.

Unfortunately, I think that this author is just not for me. I read The Silent Patient after I requested The Maidens and there was no way to cancel the pending status.

The main character, Mariana, is a group therapist. When she finds out that her niece’s friend was killed at Cambridge University she decides that she will investigate. Why? I didn’t understand her sudden need to solve the murder, or how she thought she was remotely qualified to do so. Then there are the terrible decisions she repeatedly makes. One example - there has been a pretty brutal murder in the area, the killer is still at large. You know what I wouldn’t do? I wouldn’t go to the pub with someone I met for five minutes on a train, basically a stranger, and then proceed to walk home by myself down a dark and deserted street. Maybe that’s just me.

What I did like was that this was a fast paced read. If you were a fan of The Silent Patient then you will more than likely enjoy this. I loved that there were referenced from The Silent Patient, always fun when an author ties in characters from other books without spoiling the plot so you can read either book first. I did figure out who the killer was early on, but I definitely did not even remotely anticipate the twist so that shock factor was good.

I've been looking forward to reading this book because I really enjoyed Michaelides previous book, The Silent Patient. So, when I received the ALC I was so thrilled! I love audiobooks but I tend to get easily distracted, so I save them for very specific moments. This didn't happen with The Maidens. I was hooked since the first chapters. I think it was the perfect combination between a flawlessly executed story and a wonderful narration. The story is highly engaging, but the narration I so perfect. The cadence in Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Louise Brealey's voices is interesting and soothing and they sweeps you away into the thriller's world and makes the story flow naturally.
I really enjoyed this audiobook and would highly recommend it.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is the long awaited next book following The Silent Patient. For fans of The Silent Patient, know that this is a very different book. It is still very well written and does hold a lot of shock factor with the ending. There is also a lot of Greek mythology, given that the professor in the book teaches that subject. Mariana is grieving the death of her husband, Sebastian, from a drowning. She receives a call from her niece, Zoe, about a friends death in college and rushes her to aid. The killings continue at the college, so who is responsible?

Cambridge University is supposed to be safe, but after a series of murders of young women on campus, it clearly isn’t.

Mariana Andros, a group therapist and Cambridge alumna, is concerned for her niece Zoe after one of her close friends ends up being one of the victims. She heads to the campus aiming to comfort her, but ends up getting involved in the investigation of the murders, using her therapy knowledge to decipher the killer’s motives.

Edward Fosca, is a beloved professor of Greek Tragedy at Cambridge. He has a small tutor group called “The Maidens” who end up being the killer’s targets, murdered in a ritualistic fashion, which doesn’t look so great for the favorite professor. Mariana in particular doesn’t believe his innocence for a minute, despite his alibies.

Though I preferred Michaelides’ debut novel The Silent Patient, this literary mystery/thriller has short chapters and plenty of potential murderers to keep the pace moving quickly and the reader guessing. Some of those red herrings should have been a little further developed in my opinion as I figured out “who dun it” about half way through. Still, this was a quick read that would entertain anyone looking for a fast summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and Alex Michaelides for the advanced audio book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked the beginning part of the book with Mariana's group therapy. I wondered how her most needy patient would play a role throughout the book. I didn't like Zoe and felt she was a spoiled college student for a lot of the book. The greek words and phrases were an interesting addition to the book and fit with the plot around The Maidens. I will read more books from this author!

The Maidens is absolutely perfect for audiobook format. The story is compelling and addictive and I never wanted to stop listening. The narration is so well done and really captures the mood of the story.

The plot pulled me in from the beginning and had just the right amount of complexity. There was a twist and a reveal but not so many twist and turns and new characters to make it overly confusing. There were no unnecessary characters or scenes. Everything helped take me on a journey through the story and arrive at the final payoff of the plot.

The use of Greek plays and mythology plays a beautiful part in the story and made the plot more full and enjoyable. The Maidens is dark and creepy and tense in all the right places and I couldn’t put it down. It would be a perfect summer or fall read.

Therapist Mariana Andros receives a call from her niece Zoe after the body of a murdered young woman is discovered in Cambridge. After Mariana rushes to Zoe’s side, she entangles herself in the investigation. Mariana learns of The Maidens, a secret society of female students led by Professor Edward Fosca. Convinced of Fosca's guilt, Mariana attempts to prove he was involved in the young woman’s murder. Throughout the novel, Mariana must also confront memories of herself and her late husband during their time in Cambridge as students.

I enjoyed Mariana as a character. Both her backstory and her character are well-developed. The other characters were just okay for me. They didn’t seem to have nearly as much depth as Mariana. At times I suspected most of them of being the killer, perhaps because my insight into each of them was limited.

The dark academia aspects of the novel interested me. The setting was quite vivid, and I liked how Michaelides pulled in aspects of the classics and Greek mythology to add meaning to the story’s events. Those connections really helped to shape both the secret society and some of Mariana’s experiences.

The novel’s plot was interesting and not too predictable. I kept coming up with different theories about the killer, and while I did figure out one aspect, I never managed to work out exactly what was going on.

My only complaint about the novel is that the first ¾ of the book is so slow. Things finally pick up in the last fourth, but I honestly considered DNFing well before then. I suspect if I’d been reading a print copy rather than listening to the audio, I wouldn’t have made it through the novel. I also struggled a little to understand how parts of the timeline fit together. Sometimes events were explained in a way that made them seem like they took place at a different point than they actually did.

I haven’t read The Silent Patient, so my expectations may have been different than most readers going into The Maidens. I did enjoy the story, but I would have liked a bit more action throughout.

THE MAIDENS
I try to write short reviews, but this one is HARD. Like many people who are interested in this book, I LOVED silent patient. You have to realize going in this is not that book (nor do we want it to be).
For the silent patient die hards, you will appreciate some of the characters in the book (these were maybe the most exciting plot twists to me 😏🤐 ). This book maintains the vivid descriptions, Greek mythology, && suspense of silent patient but relating to a new murder & setting.

I’d love to say I guess who was committing the murders & I did!...but I also had a theory going for each person in the book, but did guess the whole story. This ending does have as large of a shock factor as Silent Patient, but does surprise readers & link back to multiple foreshadowing moments.

The cast of narrators was amazing & helped to pull listeners into the story even more with the vivid descriptions coming to life.

Thank you to NetGally & Macmillan audio for this advanced reader copy.

This is the story of a murder, the murder of a college student at Cambridge University. As the story unfolds, Mariana, the aunt and guardian of Zoe, whose roommate is the murder victim, tries to help Zoe with her grief. As a licensed therapist, Mariana not only tries to help Zoe recover but also find the murderer. It's definitely a slow burn but an enjoyable journey. I liked the references to Persephone and Demeter, Persephone, being the bride of Hades, King of the Underworld. I did have to look up some very english words that were not explained as well as a bedder, like a buttery and a punt, and punting is boating in a punt, and the punter moves the punt with a pole!

I know I was not alone in highly anticipating this novel after The Silent Patient. This is definitely a solid mystery thriller, but I wouldn't put in on the level of that previous work. I did enjoy how Michaelides weaved Greek mythology within the narrative and like The Silent Patient this mystery does not unravel until the final pages. I do think readers will appreciate this work, but I'm not sure it will create the kind of buzz that The Silent Patient did or end up best books of the year lists.