A review by lyzz
The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides
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.