who_gives_a_book's review against another edition
3.0
I’ll start by saying I loved The Silent Patient it is my most recommended book. When I saw this one up on Amazon I had to buy it.
It took me a while to get into this, there was a lot of green methodology reference, which was hurting my small brain.
Once I got into it though I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know if Mariana was right or she was not seeing the wood for the trees. Mariana was a character I empathised with but didn’t always like.
Mariana’s life was turned upside down and she was basically functioning like a robot until Zoe calls her and tells her she needs her.
Zoe’s character was a strange one as I don’t think we learnt enough about who she was, more what she had endured.
With Mariana and Zoe are convinced Professor Forbes is the killer but is he? There was lots of curve balls through and in the end I think Michaelides delivered a well and truly shocking ending.
It took me a while to get into this, there was a lot of green methodology reference, which was hurting my small brain.
Once I got into it though I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know if Mariana was right or she was not seeing the wood for the trees. Mariana was a character I empathised with but didn’t always like.
Mariana’s life was turned upside down and she was basically functioning like a robot until Zoe calls her and tells her she needs her.
Zoe’s character was a strange one as I don’t think we learnt enough about who she was, more what she had endured.
With Mariana and Zoe are convinced Professor Forbes is the killer but is he? There was lots of curve balls through and in the end I think Michaelides delivered a well and truly shocking ending.
katecharlton's review
4.0
Another belter from mr silent patient man. I thought I was really clever when I realised I figured out the twist but THEN there was another I never saw coming and I was sat on the train, jaw to the floor, audibly gasping type of shocked. This decade’s the secret history, loved the dark academia Cambridge Classics society setting very moody I loved
miyasbookshelf's review
3.0
This book is written the same way as the silent patient and I love that book, but for thriller I'm always looking for something new.
lyzz's review against another edition
3.0
The Maidens is the second book by Alex Michaelides who previously wrote The Silent Patient. I read that book and enjoyed it, but didn’t love it like many. The Maidens focuses on a series of brutal college student murders in Cambridge. Marianna becomes convinced that a professor, Edward Fossa is behind the murders after she learns about his cultish secret society called The Maidens.
Three words to describe this book: Gothic. Tragedy. Anagnorisis
Cover: The cover perfectly matches the vibe of the book.
Character Development: The main character, Marianna is not well-developed. We learn that she is grieving the death of her husband, is a therapist, and becomes involved in the deaths of the college students of her niece, Zoe. But aside from that, we know little about her.
World-Building: I felt transformed to the campus of Cambridge and the shores of Greece, the two main locals in this book. I loved this contrast of a rather gothic setting of a college campus and the beautiful islands of Greece.
Plot & Pacing: This was a slow-burn, Gothic thriller with a lot of focus on the mood and atmosphere. I felt the plot was a bit plodding and I felt anxious for the next plot element to develop. The ending twist was a nice surprise and one I had not seen coming.
Narrator: Louise Brealy did an excellent job narrating this book. I did find her a bit slow, but she continued to sound great when sped up to at 1.5x.
Verdict: I enjoyed this book, especially hearing about the Greek tragedies and the settings. I’d recommend it to folks who like to slow-burn Gothic thrillers.
ARC was provided to me by MacMillan Audio, in exchange for an honest review.
Three words to describe this book: Gothic. Tragedy. Anagnorisis
Cover: The cover perfectly matches the vibe of the book.
Character Development: The main character, Marianna is not well-developed. We learn that she is grieving the death of her husband, is a therapist, and becomes involved in the deaths of the college students of her niece, Zoe. But aside from that, we know little about her.
World-Building: I felt transformed to the campus of Cambridge and the shores of Greece, the two main locals in this book. I loved this contrast of a rather gothic setting of a college campus and the beautiful islands of Greece.
Plot & Pacing: This was a slow-burn, Gothic thriller with a lot of focus on the mood and atmosphere. I felt the plot was a bit plodding and I felt anxious for the next plot element to develop. The ending twist was a nice surprise and one I had not seen coming.
Narrator: Louise Brealy did an excellent job narrating this book. I did find her a bit slow, but she continued to sound great when sped up to at 1.5x.
Verdict: I enjoyed this book, especially hearing about the Greek tragedies and the settings. I’d recommend it to folks who like to slow-burn Gothic thrillers.
ARC was provided to me by MacMillan Audio, in exchange for an honest review.
lhar22's review
5.0
I haven’t read a book this quickly in a long time. It had me hooked from the very beginning. The writing is easy to follow, but still was so engaging. I can’t wait to see what else Alex writes.
leslico's review against another edition
5.0
Right from the opening chords of the audiobook, The Maidens is a fantastically haunting thriller. The story begins with Mariana, a group therapist 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.
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.
bookishfables's review
1.0
1.5/5 stars>
I generally do not give books 1 star but?? this??
After all, everyone’s entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I’m not. I’m the villain.
Even tho I went into this with very low expectations, thanks to Twitter for telling me about it lol. But I was still somehow so mad at the ending? The story was so bland, to begin with, and they somehow managed to make it 10X worse with that ending. Going into it I knew the ending was weird so I kept making up the most bizarre theories in my head as to how it would end and somehow the ending was even worse than this!?!?!
As someone who really liked the plot of The Silent Patient (gave it a solid 4 stars), this was such a fucking letdown. Do yourself a favor and don't read this book. Save your time and energy, please.
Don’t glorify the events of your life and try to give them meaning. There is no meaning. Life means nothing. Death means nothing. But she didn’t always think that way.
Book Trigger Warnings- death of a loved one, death of a parent, parental abandonment, drowning, abusive parent, child abuse, death of a pet, sexual assault, drug addiction, alcohol, gore, negative stereotypes of people with mental illness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, stalking, grief
I generally do not give books 1 star but?? this??
After all, everyone’s entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I’m not. I’m the villain.
Even tho I went into this with very low expectations, thanks to Twitter for telling me about it lol. But I was still somehow so mad at the ending? The story was so bland, to begin with, and they somehow managed to make it 10X worse with that ending. Going into it I knew the ending was weird so I kept making up the most bizarre theories in my head as to how it would end
Spoiler
(from Henry the patient gone rogue to Fred the nerdy guy using that as a disguise while actually secretly trying to befriend the main character)As someone who really liked the plot of The Silent Patient (gave it a solid 4 stars), this was such a fucking letdown. Do yourself a favor and don't read this book. Save your time and energy, please.
Don’t glorify the events of your life and try to give them meaning. There is no meaning. Life means nothing. Death means nothing. But she didn’t always think that way.
Book Trigger Warnings- death of a loved one, death of a parent, parental abandonment, drowning, abusive parent, child abuse, death of a pet, sexual assault, drug addiction, alcohol, gore, negative stereotypes of people with mental illness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, stalking, grief
jocelyn_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Listen, I read The Silent Patient like a month before this and so I was TRYING to guess the twist. And I did not. My jaw dropped. Alex Michaelides is brilliant. And also scary. He’s got a scary brain up there.
jjusa's review
4.0
This book was one of the most suspenseful books I have ever read. I listened to it on audio, and it was beautifully narrated. I could not stop listening. The Tennyson allusions throughout were a lovely touch and woven in seamlessly. If you like atmospheric thrillers, especially those with a literary element, you’ll enjoy this. It reminded me of The Secret History, which I read earlier this year, and I liked this more than that one. This was a much tighter story, with cleanly edited prose, and I liked Marianna. Also, I enjoyed the nods to literature and Shakespeare.
I do want to give a warning for sensitive readers to be aware of some violent scenes.
Can’t wait to check out The Silent Patient.
I do want to give a warning for sensitive readers to be aware of some violent scenes.
Can’t wait to check out The Silent Patient.