The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

"Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible."
—The New York Times

"A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read—with a twist that blew my mind. I loved this even more than I loved The Silent Patient and that's saying something!"
—Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers Weekly).

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

3.5 star“You can't love someone if you're afraid of them,”So I finished this about a week ago and I have no idea what to rate it but I feel like it would be within 3 to 4 stars.I think this is an unpopular opinion but I like [b:The Maidens 45300567 The Maidens Alex Michaelides https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608557750l/45300567.SY75.jpg 70020242] more than the [b:The Silent Patient 40097951 The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582759969l/40097951.SX50.jpg 59752778] and it's prob coz I had zero expectations for this, but for the [b:The Silent Patient 40097951 The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582759969l/40097951.SX50.jpg 59752778] my expectations were so high which is prob why I was so disappointed. So if you are thinking of picking this one up, or any hyped book for that matter go into it with no expectations and you might end up loving it.I must say tho I guessed the killer about halfway into the book and brushed it off coz it didn't seem possible but that didn't spoil the book for me.So here are a few things I loved in the book;1) The setting (I LOVED), was set in Cambridge in a Gothic atmosphere and it was described so well, I felt like I was watching a movie. And coz I'm jobless I did a bit of research on Cambridge and it is the 2nd oldest uni in the English speaking world!! What?! Also, I added it to my never-ending bucket list of the places I want to visit someday.2) Short chapters (it was so easy to read)3) Dual povs.4) Flashbacks to the past5) The silent patient references ( I love it when an author does that)6) The psychological aspect of it. ([a:Alex Michaelides 17621440 Alex Michaelides https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1526317750p2/17621440.jpg] knows what he is talking abt)7) Greek mythology- ever since I read Percy Jackson a few years ago I have been OBSESSED with Greek and Roman mythology, so much so that I wanted to do it for my ALs but my parents advised me against it.lolAs always every book has stuff I don't like too, here are some of them;1) Marianna2) Marianna 3) You guessed it- Marianna (she was so persistent to the point where it became so annoying) I think everyone who has read the book will prob agree with me about this.4) The book is called ‘The Maidens' but most of the plot was focused on Marianna I wish we had gone into depth about the maidens.5) I wish [a:Alex Michaelides 17621440 Alex Michaelides https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1526317750p2/17621440.jpg] had focused more on Edward Fosca too coz he seemed like an interesting character.6) I wasn't too satisfied by the ending.7) too many unwanted characters.I listened to a dark academia playlist while reading this and the experience was surreal!!This is one book I will be rereading in the future!

And Michaelides does it again! I read his debut novel, The Silent Patient at the beginning of this year and it blew me completely away, especially the big reveal at the end. The Maidens I ,of course, had to pick up as soon as it came in the mail because I was so excited and had preordered it months ago. Although it didn't blow me away as much as The Silent Patient did, I really loved the majority of it and it was a very thrilling ride with impeccable pacing and a very beautiful atmosphere which comes across unforgettably in the writing style. I definitely will be recommending this book and Michaelides is definitely an auto buy author for me, without any hint of hesitation.

To begin with, The Maidens is following a group therapist, Mariana, who is dealing with the loss of her beloved husband, as she is brought into the world of Cambridge University by her niece Zoe, who's best friend and roommate has been brutally murdered. Determined to get to the bottom of who the killer is, she suspects strongly it is the charismatic Greek Tragedy professor who is kind of like a celebrity on campus and she sets out to prove this. The plot was great and I have no complaints at all, especially because the pacing of this novel was impeccable and I loved all the twists and turns coming every which way. This is the first novel in a while, where I literally trusted NO ONE and was suspicious of everyone! It was definitely a roller coast of emotions and it didn't let up until the very last page. The only thing I didn't really like was the big reveal at the end and the ending itself felt a little rushed and I wish there was more of it but besides that this book was perfection.

Secondly, the characterization in this novel was amazing. I was a psych major in college so all the psychological stuff was mind-blowing to me and I especially loved the main character, Mariana, because she was so flawed and yet so intricate and good at the core. I have come to the conclusion that I actually prefer a reliable narrator as opposed to an unreliable one but I can definitely enjoy both as long as they are done well. I loved seeing into her psyche and also getting a look into the killer's psyche, in the form of journal entries. We really got to dive deep into the characters and I got a really good sense of why they are the way that they are and a complete backstory, which I absolutely love in thrillers.

Finally, the writing style is probably my favorite thing about Michaelides' books. It is so simple and to the point and yet everything is phrased so beautifully and the atmosphere comes across without lengthy paragraphs and run-on sentences. A lot of times I find the atmosphere setup to be tedious but in this instance I enjoyed every second of it, being able to be immersed fully in this beautiful setting and all its surroundings. What a breath of fresh air!

In conclusion, this was another home run for Michaelides, even though it's not as good as The Silent Patient in my opinion. If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced and engrossing thriller, this is definitely for you and you should pick it up! It was also a relatively quick read and an easy book to get through, which is exactly what I needed at this time.

Interesting plot, writing style let it down. Kind of choppy, same basic sentence structures repeatedly and elements of the story felt really heavy handed. Still an enjoyable experience but hasn't made me sure if I want to read the authors other book.