Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Maidens

I finished this book in a day and a half. It was impossible to put down. I haven’t read his other book — I find it interesting that most of the negative reviews simply say that this one isn’t as good as The Silent Patient (makes me wonder how great that one is if I loved this one so much) — but I’m happy I read this one first because there’s a subtle connection between the two.

I actually suspected the right person early on (ultimately for the wrong reason), but mostly dismissed it because of a very powerful red herring (even though I at one point suspected the red herring as being such). I would say the true ending would be very difficult if not impossible to guess the first time through; I almost want to re-read it again now that I know how it ends.

The audiobook was fascinating to listen to; they used a different voice actor for the alternate perspective.

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miggyfool's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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syinhui's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

I picked up this book for the dark academia vibes along with the expectation that it would be as good as The Silent Patient, but this one turned out to be a downer. I find the plot twist at the end awful. The red herrings weren’t used as effectively as they could have been, which left a lot of loose ends and plot holes that will never be resolved. The plot twist, for what it’s worth, was indeed… unexpected. I had three people in mind for the identity of the second POV; all would make better and more plausible killer. None made it, to my dismay. It’s disappointing how such a reveal seemed to have been pulled out of nowhere.

Spoiler

I don’t buy at all the part where Theo said Zoe is merely a proxy and controlled by

Spoiler

Sebastian

the whole time, somehow making her inculpable of her actions. This kind of unsettled me because as a psychiatrist, shouldn’t he know better? She may have been a victim but she’s also old enough to know right from wrong. Like wtf.

Zoe suddenly going unhinged and murderous in front of Marianna feels so random. Fred following her and for some reason knowing she’ll be in danger is just convenient.

Spoiler

I think I would’ve even preferred it if Fred and Fosca were actually the secret lovers. Fred, contrary to his clumsy and boyish demeanor (the picture of him with a dog though – one of those frustrating red herrings) as the real cold-blooded murderer and Fosca as an accomplice. Both seem to have had unhappy childhoods. Turning out to be monsters themselves, like their own fathers, killing young women as a means to channel their hate as well as their desire for the love of their mothers. Sounds like classic abused/neglected-child-turned-predatory behaviors. Cliché, but at least the motive is there. Using the story of Persephone, the cult of maidens, and Greek tragedies as a backdrop.. Fred eventually betraying Fosca after finding out he’s sleeping with the girls. Uses him as a scapegoat, frames him up to take the fall. Fosca’s demise (better at the hands of Marianna or Zoe) or arrest would be an opportunity to further explore the themes of grief, regret, loss and longing. Not to mention, a potential parallel to Tennyson and Hallam. Now that I think about it, this could be a good BL fanfiction idea.

I could see Zoe as a total nutcase. Still sticking with the plan to frame up her professor. She’s suspicious from the very start and I wouldn’t mind if the second pov was actually her alternate personality/identity. With a little tweaking, it would probably make sense. Better than a kid having romantic and sexual relations with a deranged man twice her age.

Spoiler

Me trying to make sense of Sebastian’s role as Hades?? and how ridiculous and unbelievable it is:
"Oh, I’ve got an idea for the twist! What if we make someone who has no established motivation so far whatsoever our mysterious killer?? Remember how I’ve repeatedly alluded to the story of the Maiden, Persephone? That’s the central focus. Not those characters who I already hinted to have daddy/mummy issues. Nooo! Everything else is a mere diversion. The goal is not to weave clues together but to have readers think in retrospect. For what could be more effective than the dead? The least harmless character in the story. Plus, this serves as a sort of divine punishment or justice, y’know. I bet no one would see that coming."

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its_erin's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

2.25

A decent mystery and an easy read, but I can't say that I truly enjoyed it. I personally didn't connect to the main character and didn't find any of the other characters particularly likeable - which made it more difficult to be invested.

That being said, there were some interesting plot weaved in, such as the threads of Greek tragedy. But that's all they were, threads. Threads that, by the end of the book, you find didn't weave together anything of import.

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gondorgirl's review

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challenging mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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imogensbooks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and liked the writing! I was flying through it each time I picked it up, but unfortunately the ending wasn’t very strong to me.
But still enjoyable and very readable :)

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phoebebird's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I, quite literally, couldn’t put it down. The plot twist was satisfyingly shocking, but with every single character being suspicious (including characters that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot) there are very few chances to make educated predictions about the whodunnit of it all. Plus, all the women in this book are all easily manipulated idiots which doesn’t make for a totally enjoyable read. But despite all of this, it still kept me up late turning page after page.

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