The Maidens by Alex Michaelides @CeladonBooks @MacmillanUSA #mystery #suspense #bookblogger #bookcommunity

Susanne’s Review:

Dark Academia at its Best or its Worst?

Mariana is a Group Therapist, who is desperately trying to help others while dealing with her depression over the loss of her husband. Upon receiving a frantic phone call from her niece Zoe, who is at Cambridge, that a friend and classmate of hers has been murdered, Mariana goes to help.  

Upon Mariana’s arrival at Uni, it is immediately apparent that something sinister is going on, and Mariana plans to figure out what it is. Edward Fosca is a Professor, whom Zoe believes murdered her best friend. He has a presence that draws others to him, including that of “The Maidens” a group of extremely popular female students.  While he appears guilty, he has an alibi for Tara’s murder.  He was with the Maidens, of course.

When another murder occurs, tensions run high. 

Clues are left behind. Somehow, only Mariana discovers them.  

Soon, it’s not just the students that are running scared.  

A somewhat compelling psychological suspense that gripped me until I got closer to the end when the storyline became somewhat far-fetched. Having guessed the culprit immediately, I hung in there, wondering why none of the characters in the novel caught on! 

A tie in to “The Silent Patient” occurs which I would have found intriguing had the timelines matched, however “The Silent Patient” and that entire storyline occurred before this book, not after.  What I appreciated about “The Maidens” however was the ominous feeling I got while reading it, part of which stemmed from the idea of a secret society, the atmosphere (I adore the setting of Cambridge), and everything that surrounded the character of Mariana – including her past and present and her work as a therapist.

While I preferred this author’s prior book “The Silent Patient” – I enjoyed “The Maidens” and will be on the lookout for Alex Michaelides’ next book.

This was another buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to Macmillan / Celadon Books and NetGalley for the arc by Alex Michaelides in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kaceey’s Review:

Campus life can be…. Well deadly💁🏻‍♀️

Mariana is trying to come out of the depths of her grief after losing her husband. When her niece calls from University to say her friend has disappeared and everyone fears the worst, Mariana packs her bag to come and help.

Quickly Mariana is pulled into the investigation and her focus is on one of the male professors and his female groupies known as The Maidens.

I had read the previous book by Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient and loved it. This one just didn’t hold up in comparison. 

The book reads very quickly but sadly I guessed the ending very early on. Leaving me with no surprises .🙁

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Arc to read and review.