Bookseller Reviews
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A worthy successor to The Silent Patient!
When Mariana’s niece calls her from Cambridge to say that she thinks her friend has been murdered, she returns to the cloisters of her old college, navigat... READ MORE
Dark Academia set in Cambridge
If you want a Dark Academia sort of read, then look no further!
When I read Silent Patient last year, I didn’t think anything would live up to that rol... READ MORE
It stays with you.
I really enjoyed this plot and the writing, along with the characters. The writer has real depth and talent, so I can highly recommend this. This book stay... READ MORE
Jealousy. Lies. Obsession. Murder.
This was an intriguing read from the get go.
We see how a group therapy is handled and get a bit of back history on Mariana, a bit, but not all is reveale... READ MORE
Could not put this down
It’s not Great Literature with a grand G...but it is gripping and I like the link with Greek mythology and the Cambridge setting with its weird rituals. I ... READ MORE
Such an intriguing and creepy atmospheric read!
Thank you to W&N for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Also, happy book birthday/release day to this one!
Wow, this one was... READ MORE
Unexpectedly brilliant!
I thought I had it figured out! I was so sure! I was so wrong. I was not prepared for the deviously clever ending. I am so impressed and have gone back to ... READ MORE
Gripping and gothic but the ending left me wanting more
Alex Michaelides writing always grips me but when it comes to the ending I'm always left a bit underwhelmed. I don't know if its because I've read a lot of... READ MORE
Silent Patient was great, this was better!
I love a good psychological thriller, this did not disappoint. I had read reviews and thought the Greek references would put me off but they were a vital p... READ MORE
A nail-biting experience from start to finish!
I absolutely devoured this book and what a successor to The Silent Patient!
The writing transports you to the eerie Cambridge streets and university ca... READ MORE
Synopsis
Waterstones Thriller of the Month for June 2022
From the author of the global #1 bestselling debut The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding literary thriller which weaves together Greek mythology, psychology, and murder...
St Christopher's College, Cambridge, is a closed world to most.
For Mariana Andros - a group therapist struggling through her private grief - it's where she met her late husband. For her niece, Zoe, it's the tragic scene of her best friend's murder.
As memory and mystery entangle Mariana, she finds a society full of secrets, which has been shocked to its core by the murder of one of its own.
Because behind its idyllic beauty is a web of jealousy and rage which emanates from an exclusive set of students known only as The Maidens. A group under the sinister influence of the enigmatic professor Edward Fosca.
A man who seems to know more than anyone about the murders - and the victims. And the man who will become the prime suspect in Mariana's investigation - an obsession which will unravel everything...
The Maidens is a story of love, and of grief - of what makes us who we are, and what makes us kill.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
- ISBN: 9781409181682
- Number of pages: 368
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 26 mm
- Weight: 260g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allGripping
The author’s debut novel, The Silent Patient, was one of my favourite in 2019 and I was really excited when his new book was announced and I couldn’t wait ... READ MORE
Poor
I don't often write reviews, but this was poor. I haven't read this chap's other books, so it may be a one off but:
Plot holes+++.
Genuinely no way of ev... READ MORE
Disappointing........
I was looking forward to reading this, but maybe I have just read too many thrillers and crime fiction, but I guessed early on who the killer was.
I rushed... READ MORE
Mesmerizing read
The Maidens from the cover to the first page to the very last had my full attention and I could not put the book down.
I followed the clues carefully, cha... READ MORE
Disappointing only compared to The Silent Patient
After devouring The Silent Patient, I was very excited for Alex Michaelides' next offering. But unfortunately it left me disappointed. Where The Silent Pat... READ MORE
Eloquent, labyrinthine psychological thriller.
'The Maidens' is the newest release from Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of the debut sensation 'The Silent Patient.' A psychological thriller housed ... READ MORE
Over-hyped, boring and poorly written
I truly don’t know how I persevered and finished this one.
It has to be my dullest read of 2022, and I cannot fathom how it got so many rave reviews.
T... READ MORE
Badly written and no character development
Please don’t waste your money if you’re looking for a well written ‘dark academia’ style novel. Read If We Were Villains instead.
Quickest read yet !
Throughly enjoyed the twists within the story ! However felt the ending was rushed and the beginning was dragged ! Good read and would recommend! Was defia... READ MORE
A five star second book
I highly recommend the maidens because you get a well crafted book that just makes you feel you can't put it down because it far too good.
I say t... READ MORE
A bit of a disappointment for me.
Having read the silent patient I was thrilled Alex was doing another psychological thriller. While the silent patient was a roller coaster ride this was mo... READ MORE
Good plot; bad execution
Author clearly wrote with passion and incredible ideas, but the script was full of repetitiveness [eg constant illustration of character outfits that serve... READ MORE
page turning
The twist at the end was unexpected, once started reading this book I could not put it down
University crimes
Mariana is a therapist and has her own troubled anguished past. When her niece urgently contacts regarding the murder of a Cambridge student, Mariana is pu... READ MORE
Enjoyable
Aside from having a female protagonist who does things that no sensible woman would ever do (such as go for dinner with a man she believes to be a killer w... READ MORE
Brilliant
My first read of spring, took 3 days to read, excellently written, totally didn’t see the ending coming. Loved the nod to his first novel towards the end. ... READ MORE
Verified Purchase
The Maidens
I really loved The Silent Patient when I read it a while ago. So much so that I was itching to get my hands on this book. Eager and a little wary as I worr... READ MORE
I really wanted to like this, BUT
This book is packed full of interesting ideas, plot twists and sense of place (it brought Cambridge student days right back to me). BUT I don’t think the ... READ MORE
The Maidens - not very enthralling
I expeced a deeply mystical story and was terribly dsappointed throughout.
It revolves around a college professor and his pupils and a girls who cannot ... READ MORE
That are tainted by vanity
In a marathon of study and exams, in a sprint of learning and writing assignments, the author presents us a world of immense interest and potential mysteri... READ MORE
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