Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an Audio ARC of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

This was just as good as I hoped it would be. Alex Michaelides once again delivers an unputdownable psychological thriller. A serial killer is stalking a group of beautiful coeds known as The Maidens. When
Mariana Andros, a group therapist receives a frantic phone call from her terrified niece, a student at Cambridge, she drops everything to console her. Once at Cambridge, Mariana finds herself immersed in the mystery, using her intuitive skills as a psychotherapist to help with the investigation.
Plenty of intriguing characters, and a surprise visit from Theo Faber made this new thriller a treat to read. Audio narration was excellent.
This book/audio will be the book everybody will be talking about.
A sure fire summer hit!

I really liked the mythology that was just splashed in there. There were just random factoids that I just found really neat. It made sense in the end and that really kept my interest. Also, as a big fan of The Silent Patient I LOVED the references. If you could have seen me slap my desk when they started mentioning Alicia Berenson and Theo Faber! I was PUMPED.

However, that’s kind of all I really enjoyed about The Maidens. I found myself incredibly bored and just flipping through the book just to finish it. I thankfully received it on audio, so I could finish it via audio. I don’t think I could have if I didn’t have the audio. The ending was decent, but I was kind of expecting.. more? The reader of The Maidens was phenomenal and was the main reason I finished the book. I enjoyed her range of voices for each character.

Overall, I don’t know if I enjoyed The Maidens because I know what’s next is The Silent Patient, or because the Greek mythology was so wonderful. Regardless, I felt bored and underwhelmed with The Maidens. It had amazing potential that just fell flat for me. I know I am a very rare unpopular opinion, and I can name at least 20 others who gave this a 5 star. Thank you Celadon and MacMillan Audio for the gifted copy!

The Maidens was one of those popular books that caught my eye, so when I saw I could access the audiobook I was stoked. I listened to this book in 3 sittings. It follows Marianna, a psychologist who suspects that a popular professor at Cambridge, Edward Fosca, is sleeping with and subsequently killing members of a special group of girls known as The Maidens. I really enjoyed listening to this story via audio. The narrators have a really good way of hooking you into the book and continuing to maintain interest. The plot always had me changing my mind about the possible suspects and just the characters in general, and I was constantly changing my mind as new evidence or a new twist was introduced, which is a great element in a mystery novel. The ending itself, the big whodunnit reveal, was completely unexpected. I also loved the dark academia feel of this novel and the references to the Greek classics and all that literary goodness. The Maidens is a story about betrayal, exploitation and power, and if you're looking for a good mystery that will keep you guessing, this is it!

When I heard that Alex Michaelides had a new thriller with Greek mythology elements, I knew I had to read this book. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC on NetGalley; I also got a friend's ARC from Celadon Books.

Therapist Mariana Andros finds herself back at her alma mater Cambridge University when a friend of her niece Zoe is killed. As Mariana investigates, professor Edward Fosca becomes her lead suspect. As she falls deeper into the mysterious world of Fosca and his female followers, The Maidens, she realizes that she may be in grave danger.

I absolutely tore through this book - I could not stop reading it. I started with the audio - main narrator Louise Brealey did a great job bringing me into Mariana's world and the Cambridge setting. I also loved hearing the Greek passages read aloud. I then speed read through the text version, returning to the audio to re-listen to the ending and some of my favorite sections. The writing was lush and descriptive, perfectly suited to the rarefied Cambridge setting and excellent on audio and in print.

This is a different book than The Silent Patient - it's more character-driven with a mystery that ramps up gradually. I loved the feeling of getting deeper into this dark academic world with Mariana, as well as exploring her own past. Edward Fosca was also a highlight as he went toe to toe with Mariana.

Don't expect this to be a popcorn thriller - but if you like a good mystery, especially dark academia, you should definitely give this one a try. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Review posted to Instagram and Goodreads 5/10/21.

The Maidens by Alex MIchaelides follows Mariana Andros a group therapist who becomes fixated on Cambridge University professor Edward Fosca and his secret society of all female students known as The Maidens after a member of the Maiden's and a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered.

I've never been so excited to receive an ARC! I've been anticipating this book since reading and falling in love with Michaelides' debut novel, The Silent Patient. This novel was super atmospheric and the author did a great job of creating an engaging murder mystery set in a dark academia setting. I suspected everybody at least once in the course of this book and wasn't' disappointed at the end. Michaelides does an excellent job of leaving me shocked at his endings without feeling that the twists come out of nowhere. I also really enjoyed all the mythology entwined in this book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a quick read! I was hesitant to read this novel because the description didn’t appeal to me. I’m so happy that I didn’t listen to myself because this book was wonderful! This was written in a way that made me think multiple people could be to blame and I elated that the book ended that way! There were some unexpected twists (and that’s exactly what I’m looking for when reading mysteries). Alex Michaelides does a fantastic job of setting up the reveal.

The audiobook is also really well done. I especially enjoyed the male narrator for the few chapters that he appeared.

Possible Spoilers Below:
Those that read The Silent Patient will also be in for a surprise. One character from that novel makes an appearance in this book. It’s so great when authors put their books in the same universe as the rest. It makes me want to go back a read The Silent Patient again.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, I have to write that I absolutely loved the casting of the narrators. They did a fantastic job embodying the characters. And, their voices drew me in from the very beginning and made the book “unputdownable.”

I love that this suspense novel was a blend of British dark academia and Ancient Greek mythology. A slow burn, it was a delicious mix. And, the ending brought a big twist!

Overall, a very enjoyable listening experience!

I would label The Maidens as a psychological murder mystery. Most of the book takes place at Cambridge University and I found it extremely atmospheric. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll keep this short. I actually enjoyed The Maidens more than The Silent Patient; the chapters are short and the plot moves along at a nice pace. It was never a chore and I binged this in one day. I don’t know anything about Greek Mythology and this book is heavily influenced by the story Persephone but I didn’t have any trouble following along. My only real issue with this book is this: in order to keep the readers guessing, the author has created a lot of red herrings & misdirections with several subplots. Many of those just die off with no resolution or mention again. It ended up feeling a bit disjointed. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think readers who don’t read a lot of psychological suspense will love this book. I’m extremely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to The Maidens in exchange for an honest review. Current publication date is 6/15/21!

I had very high hopes for this one, as I loved The Silent Patient. The Maidens is more of a dark academia (sort of) with elements of Greek Mythology so off the bat it reminded me of things I’ve read before. I wasn’t hooked and sometimes felt like I wanted to skim through it to get it over with. SO MANY RED HERRINGS, that it felt excessive and started to get difficult to keep track of all of them. The ending was just okay, not mind-blowing. Also, I would’ve preferred less of a supernatural element, but that’s just me. One thing I really loved though, is the little subtle nods to Silent Patient that the author worked in. That was pretty clever. I will still pick up more Michaelides in the future, and I’d probably still recommend this book to some people but it wasn’t for me.

Right from the opening chords of the audiobook, The Maidens is a fantastically haunting thriller. The story begins with Mariana, a group therapist with with a tragic history. Mariana begins investigating the killing of her niece's friend from an exclusive Cambridge study group called The Maidens, which is based on the rites of Persephone. She suspects the Greek tragedy professor who leads this group, but there are many other suspicious people lurking in the darkness as well.

Louise Brealey's cool, detached narration of the audiobook is interspersed with chilling fragments from the unknown killer narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, which makes the story feel almost like live theatre.

I have read The Silent Patient, so I knew that the author would write an ending I could never predict, but even so, I couldn't help trying to figure out what was really going on and who was the killer! I found The Maidens to be a compulsively readable, thoroughly entertaining story.

There’s a justifiable amount of buzz swirling around Alex Michaelides’s sophomore novel, The Maidens, given the success of his 2019 debut, The Silent Patient. Said buzz (and early reviews) made me wonder a few things before I even cracked it open, so as an act of public service I’m sharing my pre-read Q’s with my post-read A’s.

Q: Do you have to read The Silent Patient beforehand? Or in my case, if you have read it, do you need to remember anything about it?
A: Not really, though you’ll miss out on some things if you don’t. I'd suggest at least reviewing a plot summary of TSP to bring yourself up to speed.

Q: Do you need to be familiar with Greek mythology beforehand, since it plays a central role in the storyline?
A: Nope! Everything is explained (maybe even in a little too much detail for those who already know Persephone, “The Maiden,” is Queen of the Underworld).

Q: What’s this I hear about animals being harmed?
A: There are separate scenes of sheep and a family dog being slaughtered.

Q: Will I like it more than The Silent Patient?
A: Probably not. It stands pretty well on its own, but the odds of it exceeding high expectations aren’t great. As with any thriller, your overall enjoyment will come down to if you see the twists coming and find the ending satisfying. I personally was surprised by the big reveals and thus appreciated the novel’s conclusion. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author does next.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook courtesy of Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. The narration is well done, and this format is recommended. The Maidens is slated for US publication on June 15th.

A solid sophomore effort from Alex Michaelides. I really enjoyed The Silent Patient and I think I liked The Maidens even more! Things I loved: the gothic vibes, the Cambridge setting, the atmosphere, and the tiny nods to TSP throughout (I squealed when I first came across one). Things I did not love: the constant gaslight of our main character, Mariana, with regards to her mental health and trauma and in relation to her role as a therapist. I can't decide if this was used as a plot device or if the author was really reflecting on this character this way, as I think it could easily be classified as both. Avid thriller readers will likely guess the plot twists here, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel, which I read in one day. Definitely a great page turner for your summer!

Thank you to Celadon Books for the arc and MacMillan audio for the advanced audiobook of Alex Michaelides newest novel The Maidens. I really loved The Silent Patient so I was really anticipating this second novel. I loved the narrator of the audiobook - she had the perfect voice and accent for telling this story and I found her quite soothing to listen to. This was a fairly quick book to get through although sadly I didn't love this one as much as The Silent Patient. Personally for me I didn't enjoy the greek mythology woven into the story although it did add to the atmospheric writing. I did like the surprise ending - it kind of redeemed the book for me as I was just in a place of - didn't love it and didn't hate it. I know a lot of people will love this book - I quite possibly had set the bar a bit high going in to this one The chapters in The Maidens were short which I liked and I think that the cover fits the book perfectly.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc of Alex Michaelides’ second book.
I had to listen to this audiobook twice because it was confusing for me the first go around. Maybe if I had it in print, I would’ve been able to understand it better. Luckily, I liked it more the second time I listened to it. Though The Maidens isn’t as good as The Silent Patient (in my opinion), it can still hold its own.

I can see that this novel piggy backs on to The Silent Patient. I havent read the first title yet. So I think I will go back and give that one a go before I delve more so into this one.

So far though I enjoyed the tone and style of the narrator she was a good choice. I plan to come back to review this after I get caught up with The Silent Patient.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this ALC in exchange fort honest review.

Alex Michaelides has done it again!
Solid 4 stars, there are some things in this that I find a little questionable, such as some of the motivations, and some things that I wish we could have expanded on, but the entertainment value was A+.
It kept me guessing, going back and forth on who might be the culprit as the story unraveled. I also enjoyed how the Greek tragedies were woven into the narrative and the parallels that ran through them. I just read several stories surround some of the players in those tragedies so I think that enriched the story, but I think that even someone who wasn’t familiar with them would still be able to get what the author was going after easily.
As I said, I really liked this! And the reveal made me actually yell, so that’s always a plus. Oh, and the nod to The Silent Patient was also a great touch. Quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors, already looking forward to what he comes out with next!

Wonderfully narrated! I love to listen to the audiobook as I am reading. I was just finishing up reading the book when the audiobook became available, so I had to request it! I highly recommend listening and reading to this book!
Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook!

This is a story about charismatic men & flawed certainties.

I’m torn on how to rate this. On the one hand, I loved the twists & didn’t predict the end. On the other hand, there was a fair amount of telling instead of showing, and as a therapist I didn’t love the exposition about this topic. I would absolutely love to see this filmed though- I think it would make for a really visual project.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 💫 /5 rounded to 4.

I requested this one because it might be a 2021 title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book is not my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one rather than push myself to finish it only to give it a poor review.

First, I want to thank Alex Michaelides not only for the amazing ARC I received but for the exciting invitation to The Maidens Society! What an amazing way to showcase a new release. I was on the edge of my seat as I received the secret messages in the mail which brings me to this Awesome Book! This book definitely made it to my 2021 Favorites List! The story will keep you guessing from the beginning and the ending is an "OMG" moment! The book follows Mariana, a group therapist who is going through the loss of her husband. She is called to Cambridge after her niece, Zoe, finds out her friend has been murdered. It is in Cambridge where Mariana finds The Maidens. I am not going into the story more as to not spoil it but I can not recommend it enough for all mystery lovers like me! I also want to Thank #netgalley for auto approval for the audio book!