Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

65 reviews

beccaburchett's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal death and Drug use

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 it

until, just a little, and then it doesn't come up again

. This really prevented me from buying in to other aspects of the story.

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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

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.”

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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

folded_between_pages_of_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

p2rteltytar's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

e_mclou's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

katy_bee's review against another edition

mysterious 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

1.75

In its favour this was a quick read, and I kept going to see what the solution to the mystery was. 

But overall I didn't enjoy it. It felt like a loosely strung together series of dramatic events without much coherence or logic. The driver was to keep the reader guessing with misdirection and possibilities but nothing felt very satisfying and it came off as silly. I didn't connect to the main character of Mariana who's choices seemed quite random and yet each one led her to exactly the right place and time to find the next plot point, and be misled by it.  It might have worked as a farce but this seems to have been trying to be some kind of psychological thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Stalking, and Death of parent

allidone's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

I’m not entirely sure how, but I guessed the whole thing at one point, as kind of a “wouldn’t that be a wild twist”? I knew who the killer was from the 60% mark, but the rest of it? Wild.

I’m not sure if I liked it? If it was good? Right now I’m at a 4 but that might change.

As a therapist, it’s wild that she didn’t see any of what was going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Infertility

cinderpot's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Amazing book! Amazing twist!!! I read the silent patient about a year ago and really like it. This book follows a similar premise and over all ties in greatly. Some professional decisions from the main character is questionable… but what can you get with a fiction.

The added cameo from Theo was my favourite

Will be ready his next book with anticipation!!!! JUSTICE FOR FRED!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

dblue236's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Trigger warnings: Violence, gore, brief mention of an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a minor. 

This book vaguely ties in with this author's The Silent Patient, but you do not have to have read that book in order to follow this one, or vice versa. It amounts to a brief mention of a couple of characters who are included in the other book that doesn't relate to the story, and both books can be read as standalones. Having said that, I definitely felt The Silent Patient was the stronger of the two. This one certainly wasn't anything like BAD, but the pace was so painfully slow I struggled to follow the plot for about the first half of the book. It did finally pick up toward the end and it turned out to be well worth sticking it out, but of the three books I've read by this author so far, this was definitely my least favorite. It's still worth reading, but maybe don't make it the starting point by which you judge the author's work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content