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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
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
mxcoyote's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Murder
lindsaybethlyons's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infertility, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia and Suicide
annieree's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Forced institutionalization
torisunshine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
kaylokay_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
positive points for the tense feelings I had during the last third of the book. I enjoyed the contemporary gothic vibes. However, I think the plot twist could’ve been tighter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
soswiin'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? Yes
2.75
the more i think about this book the lower i rate it
the good
- loved the setting and the way it was written almost worshipfully. i too idolize cambridge and all its uneven cobblestones and river-soaked undergrads
- + 1 star because the best breakfast spot in the city was mentioned: the copper kettle
the bad
- the way mythology was used. OKAY yes i picked this up because it was so “heavily versed in greek mythos”. it just felt very elementary. i wasn’t opposed to the vengeful almost teenage-bully nature of persephone but i didn’t love it. fosca’s lecture on the cult of eleusis was a great mythology-centric plot point but it was only truly relevant that one time.
- for a book called “the maidens” the actual maidens really aren’t that prevalent. there’s not much of a cultish/abuse of academic authority vibe going on despite the fact that it’s a selling point of the book (it was for me)
-the red herrings; spent the entire book trying to guess who the bad guy was because the wrong choices were so obvious. i did get fooled but it wasn’t satisfying or well done in the slightest.
- maybe i’m just looking for things to complain about but a lot of the phrasing was just very cliche
the ugly
- the ending. rushed, confusing, and unnecessary. also really gross
- the characters. i’ve walked on floor tiles with more personality. there is not a single person in the entire story that i was rooting for or who’s downfall i was praying for
- where do i even begin with the pedophilic/incestuous subplot. what?? thrown out there without an ounce of comprehensible elaboration. made no sense to the story despite it basically causing the entire thing. just a nasty shock grabber
there were so many aspects of the book that would’ve been so interesting if they hadn’t been brushed over; henry’s role in the story, morris’s blackmail, the actual maidens themselves, the abuses of power. the author spends the entire book reiterating how terrible men are but never shows any woman successfully winning against the circumstances imposed on them. an amazing concept with poor execution
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Self harm
Moderate: Body horror and Rape
gwenswoons's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nehaanna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I’m not entirely sure what this book accomplishes. It has the twists and turns of any murder mystery but the character development of the female characters is reprehensible. They are written through such a paternalistic and chauvinist viewpoint that it is overpowering to the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol