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afterplague's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I had hopes for The Maidens, but I'm not sure they really manifested.
The book started off well enough, and I was drawn in by the "dark academia cult" vibe that the synopsis was describing. However, I was terribly disappointed by how much we actually learned about the Maidens as a group. They worship Persephone and Demeter, the goddesses of "life" and "death" (kind of), and as such they often speak about a ritual that will place one upon that threshold to experience both. It's super interesting, but we find out what that ritual is, and it's so disappointing.
Fosca is their professor of Greek Tragedy, and also the sponsor of the club. He's suspected of being the killer because of course he is. The girls who are killed are part of the Maidens, and each girl received a card in ancient Greek from their killer. Fosca is charming and attractive, though there are a lot of rumors about him possibly sleeping with the Maidens.
The Maidens also don't really have any presence. They're generally disliked by the student body, even though the women who are a part of the group are successful and powerful. Unfortunately, they just come across as a group of love sick losers who are following around Professor Fosca because they think he's hot. Mariana doesn't even get to interact with them that much. She speaks with their members twice, and neither time is really anything too important.
Mariana is the main character. She's a therapist, and I think she's a horrible detective. She immediately jumps to a conclusion and sticks to it, not even considering the other possibilities. Mariana also gives off really...strange vibes. Like, she specifically describes herself as plain and ugly, but almost every man we hear about it enamored with her. Henry, Fosca, Fred, Sebastian... it's almost delusional. Just because she didn't have a boyfriend in high school she thinks she's hideous. Weird, right?
I liked her well enough as a character, but I wasn't really on board with her investigation. It just felt like she spent so much times spinning in circles and not progressing the investigation at all. How many times did she try to use the same evidence to come to the same conclusion and get shot down? Too many.
My primary issue with the book is that I think the twist really didn't make any sense. I'm probably going to have to go into spoilers here.
The killer ends up being Mariana's niece, Zoey, acting under the posthumous orders of Mariana's late husband Sebastian. However, I don't understand how Sebastian knew Fosca. Zoey was killing The Maidens to frame Professor Fosca all in the service of eventually killing Mariana and get all her money. I was under the impression that both Mariana and Sebastian had no idea who Fosca was, as I think the narrative implies that when they visited Cambridge they always went together, and Mariana had no idea who he was. Fosca seems to be new. I don't know if I just misunderstood Zoey's explanation, but it sounded like she was following Sebastian's instructions directly and not making plans of her own.
I suppose that Zoey is not a freshman, so it's possible that all of this was planned when Zoey first started school and was telling Sebastian about it. Then he decided through her telling him about the Maidens and Fosca the plan. It's just completely ridiculous.
I also find it a bit hard to believe that Sebastian had such a horrible traumatic childhood, and he was only ever completely stable around Mariana. I'm not saying that a therapist would be able to automatically detect something like that, but there were really NO signs whatsoever? I find that highly improbable. Sebastian's death also baffled me. I kept expecting the twist that he wasn't really dead, but no. He actually did just drown. It's likely that the weather wasn't bad when he decided to swim and the storm picked up quickly, but in my head I couldn't shake that he went swimming in a storm and drowned because he's stupid.
I liked that the chapters from the killer's perspective were narrated with a male voice in the audio book. It really fooled me for the killer to be Zoey then. I had my suspicions at first because she was acting really strangely, but when we got the first of the killer chapters it wiped away that suspicion. The twist did catch me off guard a little.
I thought the little integration of Theo in this story was so cornyyyy. I didn't even pick up on it being a reference to The Silent Patient until Theo specifically mentioned the female lead in that book. It's not like that conversation was really important to the story or anything, and it's kind of weird that these books are set in the same universe. I kind of smiled when I heard the reference, but I also think it was totally superfluous.
The writing was fine, and the atmosphere was fine. I was hoping for something a little more atmospheric in my dark academia books. I can't even really picture any of the locations Mariana was in throughout the story because none of them felt distinct or noticeable.
I just didn't like this one. I liked it more than The Fury, if only because the narrator of that book is the single most annoying man I've ever heard. I did think the mystery of The Fury was more engaging, though, and the twist was better executed. Michaelides officially has more misses than hits for me now. Hopefully, he can win me back with his next one.
The book started off well enough, and I was drawn in by the "dark academia cult" vibe that the synopsis was describing. However, I was terribly disappointed by how much we actually learned about the Maidens as a group. They worship Persephone and Demeter, the goddesses of "life" and "death" (kind of), and as such they often speak about a ritual that will place one upon that threshold to experience both. It's super interesting, but we find out what that ritual is, and it's so disappointing.
Fosca is their professor of Greek Tragedy, and also the sponsor of the club. He's suspected of being the killer because of course he is. The girls who are killed are part of the Maidens, and each girl received a card in ancient Greek from their killer. Fosca is charming and attractive, though there are a lot of rumors about him possibly sleeping with the Maidens.
The Maidens also don't really have any presence. They're generally disliked by the student body, even though the women who are a part of the group are successful and powerful. Unfortunately, they just come across as a group of love sick losers who are following around Professor Fosca because they think he's hot. Mariana doesn't even get to interact with them that much. She speaks with their members twice, and neither time is really anything too important.
Mariana is the main character. She's a therapist, and I think she's a horrible detective. She immediately jumps to a conclusion and sticks to it, not even considering the other possibilities. Mariana also gives off really...strange vibes. Like, she specifically describes herself as plain and ugly, but almost every man we hear about it enamored with her. Henry, Fosca, Fred, Sebastian... it's almost delusional. Just because she didn't have a boyfriend in high school she thinks she's hideous. Weird, right?
I liked her well enough as a character, but I wasn't really on board with her investigation. It just felt like she spent so much times spinning in circles and not progressing the investigation at all. How many times did she try to use the same evidence to come to the same conclusion and get shot down? Too many.
My primary issue with the book is that I think the twist really didn't make any sense. I'm probably going to have to go into spoilers here.
The killer ends up being Mariana's niece, Zoey, acting under the posthumous orders of Mariana's late husband Sebastian. However, I don't understand how Sebastian knew Fosca. Zoey was killing The Maidens to frame Professor Fosca all in the service of eventually killing Mariana and get all her money. I was under the impression that both Mariana and Sebastian had no idea who Fosca was, as I think the narrative implies that when they visited Cambridge they always went together, and Mariana had no idea who he was. Fosca seems to be new. I don't know if I just misunderstood Zoey's explanation, but it sounded like she was following Sebastian's instructions directly and not making plans of her own.
I suppose that Zoey is not a freshman, so it's possible that all of this was planned when Zoey first started school and was telling Sebastian about it. Then he decided through her telling him about the Maidens and Fosca the plan. It's just completely ridiculous.
I also find it a bit hard to believe that Sebastian had such a horrible traumatic childhood, and he was only ever completely stable around Mariana. I'm not saying that a therapist would be able to automatically detect something like that, but there were really NO signs whatsoever? I find that highly improbable. Sebastian's death also baffled me. I kept expecting the twist that he wasn't really dead, but no. He actually did just drown. It's likely that the weather wasn't bad when he decided to swim and the storm picked up quickly, but in my head I couldn't shake that he went swimming in a storm and drowned because he's stupid.
I liked that the chapters from the killer's perspective were narrated with a male voice in the audio book. It really fooled me for the killer to be Zoey then. I had my suspicions at first because she was acting really strangely, but when we got the first of the killer chapters it wiped away that suspicion. The twist did catch me off guard a little.
I thought the little integration of Theo in this story was so cornyyyy. I didn't even pick up on it being a reference to The Silent Patient until Theo specifically mentioned the female lead in that book. It's not like that conversation was really important to the story or anything, and it's kind of weird that these books are set in the same universe. I kind of smiled when I heard the reference, but I also think it was totally superfluous.
The writing was fine, and the atmosphere was fine. I was hoping for something a little more atmospheric in my dark academia books. I can't even really picture any of the locations Mariana was in throughout the story because none of them felt distinct or noticeable.
I just didn't like this one. I liked it more than The Fury, if only because the narrator of that book is the single most annoying man I've ever heard. I did think the mystery of The Fury was more engaging, though, and the twist was better executed. Michaelides officially has more misses than hits for me now. Hopefully, he can win me back with his next one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
hmatt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I did not get on with this book. I think it was trying to do too much.
It felt to me like the author had a really interesting concept in mind but struggled to execute it fully. Alternatively, the original manuscript was about twice as long and the author had to pare it down (and if this is the case, I think it was done poorly). There were also some aspects that I feel like "other" the reader: the Cambridge setting feels very surreal and elitist, as does the Greek tragedy... theme?
My biggest issue, though, is that the MC keeps sticking her nose into a police investigation very obviously and everyone just lets her. She is very clearly unwell and crossing so many professional lines and she doesn't try to hide her actions... but she just isn't called on ituntil, just a little, and then it doesn't come up again . This really prevented me from buying in to other aspects of the story.
It felt to me like the author had a really interesting concept in mind but struggled to execute it fully. Alternatively, the original manuscript was about twice as long and the author had to pare it down (and if this is the case, I think it was done poorly). There were also some aspects that I feel like "other" the reader: the Cambridge setting feels very surreal and elitist, as does the Greek tragedy... theme?
My biggest issue, though, is that the MC keeps sticking her nose into a police investigation very obviously and everyone just lets her. She is very clearly unwell and crossing so many professional lines and she doesn't try to hide her actions... but she just isn't called on it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Abandonment
devlev7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly I was very into this book right up until the ending. It was definitely scary and creepy, and kept me on my toes wanting to know what would happen next. I would still maybe recommend it if you like spooky thrillers. But the ending was a bit of a let down. *SPOILERS AHEAD*
I started to have an inkling that Zoe had something to do with the murders about midway through the book, but the way this was revealed was just bizarre and felt surprisingly unnuanced compared to the rest of the book. It felt like a lot of the buildup about the Maidens and Fosca was for nothing since it didn’t end up having anything to do with the actual murders. I will also say that listening to the audiobook caused a bit of a spoiler since the villains narration wasn’t in an American accent so I knew it couldn’t be Fosca from the beginning. Speaking of the villain portions, I was left with some confusion about Sebastian and his past, and why he was doing all that writing, what crimes he was referring to, etc. I don’t feel that was wrapped up or explained very well, nor was Fred’s “book” he was writing, nor who was following Mariana earlier on in the story (I guess it’s implied that it was Henry?). In general, I was left with a lot of loose ends, and one of the satisfying joys of a mystery novel is seeing them tied up. I also felt there was just so much that wasn’t believable or explained, like how the school kept allowing Mariana to talk to their students unsupervised, or how no one had suspected Fosca of any weirdness with his students before. Mariana was such an unprofessional and irresponsible therapist time and time again, putting herself and others in danger. Maybe this was part of the point, but it wasn’t really acknowledged as her main flaw. Lastly, I thought the themes of childhood sexual abuse were hit a little too hard. Not that this doesn’t happen in real life, but was it really necessary to make so many different characters have this in their past to explain their poor actions? I’m not sure.
Definitely check the content warnings for this one!
Definitely check the content warnings for this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
samgyupsal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Since it was Alex Michaelides, I already expected a plot twist but I still didn't see it coming. I just don't understand why the FMC was so nosy in the first place, I get that she was protective of her niece and her psychologist background made her really invested but, she was so nosy???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
probablypsychic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
leweylibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I read this for a book club and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I'm normally not a big "there was a murder and now the MC is investigating it before it's too late" premise, but maybe I'm alright with it in an audiobook?
It also helps that I just finished Pandora's Jar, so my mind was very much in a Greek myth mindset, and there was a TON of that going on. I feel like if I was more knowledgeable on Greek myths, there would be so much more to unpack in this book and connections I'm just not seeing immediately. This will definitely be a good one to discuss in book club I think, especially if someone there does know Greek myths well.
I knew there was going to be a twist near the end, but I was absolutely wrong about what it was 😅 I thought for sureFred was going to be the killer but yeah no definitely not lol . When it was revealed, I was on the train on my way to work and I audibly gasped. Mouth wide open and everything, the people sitting across from me were startled lol.
The twist is the part I'm most excited to talk about because there are so many aspects of it that I don't understand or have questions about. For example,did Sebastian intentionally kill himself? I don't believe his plan was as genius and foolproof as the author makes it seem. The MC should be way more fucked up afterwards than she seems. How the fuck did she not notice they were "in love" sooner?? He was having sex with her since she was FIFTEEN and grooming her that whole time?? Wtf, how do you not get any vibes at all. She must have been incredibly oblivious which I guess tracks since she also said they never talked about their pasts and she was just okay with that??
My biggest issues with the book were the ending, particularly how quickly it was "resolved."It makes no sense that the cops all of a sudden are so eager and willing to believe her when they do recently we're sure she was crazy and needed help. I also just don't think the characters, especially the MC. She's not the worst male-written character I've read, but she does still fall flat for me. And why is she surrounded by creepy dudes who want to hurt her or get into her pants? And idk how to feel about her relationship with Freddy/Fred/whatever lol and his whole prophecy thing, that aspect rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. All of that aside, I did enjoy reading it in the moment, and that's the biggest thing that matters to me.
It also helps that I just finished Pandora's Jar, so my mind was very much in a Greek myth mindset, and there was a TON of that going on. I feel like if I was more knowledgeable on Greek myths, there would be so much more to unpack in this book and connections I'm just not seeing immediately. This will definitely be a good one to discuss in book club I think, especially if someone there does know Greek myths well.
I knew there was going to be a twist near the end, but I was absolutely wrong about what it was 😅 I thought for sure
The twist is the part I'm most excited to talk about because there are so many aspects of it that I don't understand or have questions about. For example,
My biggest issues with the book were the ending, particularly how quickly it was "resolved."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
deanchaudhri's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
halfway through this book i ended up in a little reading slump but the final half really redeemed it for me. the book kept getting more tense & dizzying & immersive i loved it so much. also really cool how the plot weaves in greek tragedy. also the plot twist… GAGGED. truly had to sit in silence for a few mins. but also i have so many questions and need a sequel pls thxx. also definitely read The Silent Patient before this for reasons i can’t say without spoiling: i am so here for the Alex Michaelides multiverse - was not expecting to see THEO FABER and Alicia from the silent patient in this book wtf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed the first 75% of this novel. I like the references to Greek mythology, but it never really added anything to the plot. I like that the plot gestures towards dark academia; that was my initial draw to it. But again, it never went passed “old college = spooky.”
I enjoyed the mystery until the stupid twist in the final 25% of the novel. It feels like the author decided a twist was needed, but it really wasn’t. It would’ve made more sense if the killer had been one of the three actual suspects, or perhaps a less fleshed-out secondary character. It made me go, “Well that was stupid.” And soured me on the preceeding 75% of the novel.
This novel is what I’d call “just okay.”
I enjoyed the mystery until the stupid twist in the final 25% of the novel. It feels like the author decided a twist was needed, but it really wasn’t. It would’ve made more sense if the killer had been one of the three actual suspects, or perhaps a less fleshed-out secondary character. It made me go, “Well that was stupid.” And soured me on the preceeding 75% of the novel.
This novel is what I’d call “just okay.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
mmsbrooks24's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia
msnoir85's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Murder