Mariana, a group therapist, comes to Cambridge University because one of her niece's Zoe friends is found murdered. Determined to figure out who the culprit is, she comes back to the university where she once attended to help.
Mariana is very suspicious about a group of students called The Maidens. Although she is also very certain that the professor in charge of that group, Edward Fosca is the murderer. However the professor seems untouchable and always a step ahead of her and as more girls are found murdered her suspicion only grows even more! While things are spiralling out of control Mariana is determined more than ever to stop this killer even if she becomes one of his victims!
I loved how the author included his first book in this one, he included Theo and I was really surprised but delighted that these books were connected. Although I think I was kept on my toes a bit more on The Silent Patient this book was still amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers/mysteries that are more in depth than what they seem to be like.
Now, I read the book then I listened to the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook was amazing and I really enjoyed the cast as they changed back and forth that really added to the suspense of the book! I also enjoy hearing the story so, if you love enge of the seat thrillers then this one would definitely be one for you.
Thank you Netgally and Celadon Books as well as Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this one! Keep your eyes out for this one it comes out June 15, 2021 and you don't want to miss it!

This read kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. There are so many twists and turns throughout that it really keeps you engaged. It is a slow burn thriller, but once I got started I wanted to finish it all in one setting.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

3.5/5

I had so much anticipation for this book! A thriller mixed with Greek Mythology is like my ideal scenario. The Maidens is a well written book. It was exciting, thought provoking, and had just the right amount of suspense. I didn't know quite how to rate this book, because it by itself was very good. My rating (probably lower than it deserves) primarily comes down to one main thing. I LOVED Silent Patient and the surprise ending of that book still shocks me to my core. The Maidens just didn't have that shock factor for me. I was able to determine the twist fairly quickly on in the book, so once it happened I was left a little underwhelmed.

Being a lover of Greek Mythology, I really wanted more of Fosca and the Maidens. I really enjoyed the snippet's of the mythology peppered throughout the work, and found the book to be very smartly written. I still debate on changing my rating since it has more to do with my love of Silent Patient, but it should not stop you from reading or listening (since the audio version was great) to this thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for granting me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The second book in Alex Michaelides trilogy tells the story of London psychotherapist Mariana Andros, who leaves her patients' group therapy to rush to Cambridge University to comfort her niece, Zoe, whose best friend, Tara Hampton, has been murdered. Mariana soon focuses on the American professor Edward Fosca, who has a secret society of female students known as the Maidens. Grieving her husbands death a year before, Mariana's obsession to prove Edward guilty of murder overtakes her life and increased by her duty to take care of her niece Zoe, whom she raised after the young woman's parents died. Her investigation intensifies when two more of the Maidens are murdered, but the police and Zoe dismiss her theories. The way Alex Michaelides weaves the Silent Patient characters into The Maidens is brilliant. The ending shows just how little Mariana knows about the human psyche or herself. I can't wait to read the final book in Michaelides trilogy.

Thank you to #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio and #CeladonBooks for the ARC

Mariana Andros is still reeling from the tragic loss of her husband when her niece, Zoe, calls from college needing her help. Mariana arrives to the discovery of Zoe’s friend murdered. While there, Mariana uncovers a secret society, calling themselves the Maidens. They are an elite group of female college students dedicated to their beloved Greek Tragedy professor. After another murder, and then another, this book keeps the reader mystified and wondering who the killer is.
Author, Alex Michaelides, does an excellent job with twists and turns and unexpected characters.
This book kept me guessing until the very end, which made this page turner an excellent and fast read. Highly recommend.
**huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

🕯ARC BOOK REVIEW: The Maidens
Author: Alex Michaelides
Page Count: 352
Publish Date: COMING SOON: June 15, 2021
Audio: 👍🏻 well done
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Fans of the Greek Classics and dark academia will be interested in this sinister story. I loved the Cambridge University setting and the intricate weaving in of Greek mythology.

The Maidens is more psychological and eerie than a true thriller, but there is a definite creep factor. - It’s a slow burn murder mystery that takes the reader on a whodunnit journey when high society young women begin to be murdered in ways that replicate the Greek tragedies they are studying.

Although the book was more cerebral than full on scary, it had me intrigued throughout. I appreciate how this author explores psychology through his storytelling. I do wish there was more dimension to the characters, but this aspect didn’t take away from the overall feel of the novel too much.

I was super excited when there was a slight crossover with characters from Michaelides’ first book, The Silent Parient, mixed in with this one. That was fun to spot! (I LOVE when authors do this, and have been noticing it more & more... writers, please keep it up!)

🎧 The Audio of this was great! I really appreciated being able to hear the Greek words spoken when clues were read instead of trying to sound them out in my head on my own. The narration was executed perfectly.
3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4

This was totally awesome . The story was fantastic and the audio narration was excellent, I got totally immersed into the story and was disappointed when it ended,

I was super thrilled to participate in celadonbooks LFL book drop off campaign! I read The Silent Patient last year and was captivated by the story, the suspense and the final twist and am in complete awe of Alex Michaelides!

I could not contain my anticipation while reading The Maidens and this book did not disappoint a bit! The Greek mythology, the fictional setup of the Cambridge university with rich ancient history and the author’s build of suspense kept me on my toes from page one!

Mariana is pulled into the mystery of her nieces’s friends murder at the Cambridge university and after diving deeper into the search, she learns about the secret society of the female students named as The Maidens. The Greek tragedy professor Edward Fosca is very loved and popular amongst the students and Mariana suspects him to be the most likely culprit of all the mysterious tragic events.

I listened to the complimentary ALC by Macmillan audio and netgalley audiobook and the narrators did an amazingly chilling job of portraying the characters and building the suspense. The end was so unexpected! I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book and am very grateful to celadon books for the complimentary copy of the book!

This was one of my most anticipated red of this year and I am eagerly looking forward for it to released!

I’m probably going to be in the minority for this one, but I was a bit disappointed. The story definitely kept me guessing but it also just kind of fell flat for me. I wanted more from several of the characters and felt we just got a glimpse and not anything in depth from them.
I’m sure many will really like this, I just wanted a little more. I thought the narration was great. I throughly enjoyed the listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for the opportunity to listen and read this book for an honest review.

Holy moly I couldn’t put this thriller down! I had high expectations after devouring The Silent Patient. This book did not disappoint. With many twists I didn’t see coming, I couldn’t put this book down. With a satisfying ending I didn’t see coming. Would highly recommend!

The Maidens is a dark thriller with elements of Greek tragedy fixed in. I really enjoyed this audiobook and when I started listening to it I couldn’t put it down, plus the shocking twist towards the end I never saw coming. I highly recommend this book the narrators were great. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this ARC.

What a wonderful thriller that was completely entertaining as an audiobook. Both narrators made this twisty novel of murder, academia, and Greek mythology come alive. I listen to audiobooks as I walk and found myself doing extra miles each day.

I was so excited to read and review The Maidens. I was a huge fan of The Silent Patient and I had big expectations for The Maidens. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint.

This novel did a great job of weaving in Greek tragedies into the plot and making significant comparisons to our characters and the murders occurring throughout.

I was able to figure out the ending but really enjoyed getting there.

I had high expectations after The Silent Patient, and I think this book delivered. It was easy to get hooked and stay interested in the plot line. I love guessing what the twists might be, and you're set up to wonder about several of the story arcs before being given confirmation at the very end.

Those interested in Greek tragedies will enjoy the addition of some of those tales. (Though you don't have to know anything to stay interested in the story.)

I did this one as an audiobook and the narrators were both great.

Having read Silent Patient by this author, I was very excited to read this new book. Alex Michaelides has a gift for delivering psychological thrillers with twists that the reader will not see coming.

In The Maidens, I loved the gothic feel of the story, and the setting added to the foreboding atmosphere of the story as it unfolded. I'm a fan of books with themes in dark academia, and the mix of Greek myths with the thrill of a serial killer lurking about at the school made for an intense page-turner.

I would have liked getting to know The Maidens a little bit better, but other than that, this book was great and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller with a twist.

Wow, I am so happy to have listened to this book! I was immediately sucked in. The narrators were incredible - I loved their voices. This is one of those audiobooks that made me glad I didn't read it myself because it added so much to the story.

I loved the elements of Greek mythology, history, and psychology. There were multiple seriously creepy characters which really added to the suspense, and I honestly could not figure it all out until right before the end - if you know, you know.

I haven't read The Silent Patient, but now I absolutely have to! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen early!

If you're looking for a dark academia thriller with lots of atmosphere and a truly shocking twist, you may want to check out The Maidens. (seriously, I yelled out loud. I almost always at least partly see things coming and did not at all expect this one)

I don't want to say too much about it, but this follows Mariana, a woman who is a group therapist, grieving the recent loss of her husband. When a young woman and friend of her niece is murdered at Cambridge University, Mariana returns to the campus where she met her husband for the first time since his death to support her niece. While there, she becomes embroiled in an unsanctioned investigation of the young professor she is convinced was the murderer. Lots of atmosphere, quotes from ancient Greek, references to mythology, and themes involving how abusive childhoods can lead to people perpetuating abuse themselves. The story is a bit slow to get going, but once it does I really sank into the atmosphere and tension of the plot.

I'm going to say this is definitely one to go in knowing the content warnings because it can get quite dark. The murder is obvious, but there are also flashbacks to and discussions of abuse of children in various ways, as well as general abuse of power. I don't want to get any more specific than that because spoilers, but it's worth noting. I think there are things about this that will bother some people, although it all felt thematically consistent to me if that makes sense to those who have read it. This also makes me much more interested in picking up The Silent Patient by this author. Oh, and there is some crossover! There are cameos of characters in that book and references to the titular patient. I always think that kind of in-world consistency is fun to see. The audio narration was also really fantastic. I received an advance audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is my first book by this author but it will definitely not be my last. This book threw my so many curves and spins and I still didn't see the ending come. Well done, Well done.
This is a story about a troubled group therapist Mariana and her obsession with a Greek professor Edward Fosca. She is determined that he has committed a murder after a body of young female student is found. This student so happens to be one 6 in a group called the Maidens. The leader of the group is professor Fosca.
Mariana has a little shaky past herself and only has one surviving relative her niece who is also a student at the college. It all intwines so well and will keep you turning the pages.

I listened to this on audio from NetGalley and highly recommend the narrator. I have this a 5/5 star on goodreads and will definitely be picking more up by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Alex Michaelides has done it again! I absolutely LOVED The Silent Patient with all of my heart, so I was anxiously awaiting his new release, The Maidens. And it was worth the wait.

Reading The Maidens had all of the same elements that I loved in The Silent Patient, and Michaelides somehow managed to stay perfectly true to his voice and unique writing style while also bringing us a fresh, new mystery.

I absolutely LOVED the setting for The Maidens; the feel of Cambridge as the backdrop provided the perfect atmosphere for this book, and allowed the dark intricacies of the story to shine. I loved every twist and turn of this story and already missed it the second it was over. This book is pure brilliance!

Wow: I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook version of <u>The Maidens</u>, read by Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Brealey's dramatic reading tone injected a mesmerizing sense of dread and suspense into the narrative, and Holdbrook-Smith's husky tone did an excellent job of creeping me out!

Mariana Andros is in deep mourning: Her beloved husband, Sebastian, died a year ago while they were on vacation in Greece.

We watch as Mariana struggles to move on with her life, but one day she receives a panicked call from Zoe, her only living relative. Zoe is a student at Cambridge, and one of her school friends, Tara, has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Zoe's fears are confirmed that very evening when Tara's body is found: she had been brutally murdered.

When Mariana dutifully arrives at Zoe's college the next day, she is disturbed to discover that the charismatic Professor Edward Fosca has seduced the entire college. Mariana immediately suspects that Foscas is behind the deaths of several of The Maidens - six young female students who are Fosca's adoring and devoted acolytes. Zoe's friend Tara had been one of those Maidens. Then, another body is discovered....!

As you would expect from a thriller, there were a ton of red herrings and loads of misdirection in this novel - as well as the potential for two unreliable narrators. The story is told from two alternate points of view: Mariana, in the third person, and a mysterious psychopath who regales us with harrowing recollections of his abusive childhood. (That poor dog, and what it revealed about his family dynamic! That was a jaw dropper.)

I did suspect the culprit/s - no spoilers here - but couldn't figure out the when and how of it all. The why was pretty obvious, but I will leave you to figure that one out for yourself. Even though my suspicions were correct, I was still gasping and squealing with delight at that action-packed ending.

I have to say, my most favourite character in this novel was young Fred: he just cracked me up and I was rooting for him all the way (but don't count him out as a suspect - just saying!.) I'm still chortling with laughter at all of his "moves"- I'd take an apple from him each and every time!

I'm rating this one a 5 out of 5 because I was truly entertained.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
(P.S. I am now planning on ordering the audiobook for The Silent Patient, even though I read the ebook version. Theo Faber's reappearance in this story is not really pivotal, but I'm intrigued - what if Mariana and Theo reappear in Michaelides NEXT thriller! I think I had better refresh myself and take some notes!)