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My first Michaelides book. Had high expectations because of the rave reviews his debut has gotten. Unfortunately, this book didn‘t work for me. Plot and characters were a little flat and ending unbelievable. Full review here: https://bit.ly/3daIBAE

Okay, what was that??

There's no doubt that Alex Michaelides' writing is my cup of tea, never mind the overuse of metaphors at the beginning of the book. I also enjoy mystery/thriller books because I'm not one who can usually guess the culprit or the twist. I am still reeling from the end of this book. 😵

Although not as strong as his debut novel, The Maidens is still worth picking up, for the writing, for the references to The Silent Patient

#96
This book was a miss for me. I didn't like it as well as THE SILENT PATIENT.

Meh. There are some wonderful things about this read - an atmospheric, moody setting; a solid protagonist; it‘s obviously well researched. But the overarching plot I found slightly tedious.

I enjoyed this thriller, while some of it was a bit predictable, I loved how Greek Mythology was so central to the plot. There also several red herrings that has me following the bread crumbs down the wrong trail. This a solid 4 ⭐ book for me! I love thrillers and this was no exception!

TM was nowhere near as good as The Silent Patient, and in fact, seemed to turn into a shameless plug for that book (Theo and Anna sighting!), rather than try to deliver a satisfying and unpredictable ending. Anyone who understands the formula of a thriller can see the twist from a mile away. And HOW can the main character, a therapist, conclude she is a qualified detective who can name suspects and gain access to active crime scenes?!

https://travelswithboooks.wordpress.com/2021/11/03/the-maidens-by-alex-michaelid...

Read in one sitting. I love a good murder mystery but the end was so disappointing.

Nope. I made it through, but the muscles in my eyes hurt from all the eye rolling.
The "twist" at the end was ridiculous, the "red herring" was so blatant it was annoying. What is this protagonist doing? Why are the police letting her, I prefer none cop investigations but everything about the moves she makes are silly. I have no clue what the point of Fred and his psychic powers was doing in this book.
I have a lot of thoughts & they R all bad.

This book was good, not great, not okay, just right in the middle. I liked how fast paced it was, also I liked that when you were given a clue, in the next chapter the mc was already looking into the clue. It kept it going. I thought 1 half of the who done it, was fairly obvious. The other half I didn't see coming. But there are still passages from the book that I don't know who wrote it, that bugs me. Not as good as silent patient, 3.5/5

“After all, everyone‘s entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I‘m not. I‘m the villain.”

This was a quick, classic detective novel. I wasn‘t loving the writing style at first and I normally like slower paced setting heavy stories but for a quick engaging story I recommend it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Next book #15

I finished this book out of pure stubbornness. I didn‘t care about any of the characters, the mystery was all over the place the the big reveal was lame.

Even though this book isn‘t my preferred genre, I was really excited to read it. The reasons it didn‘t work for me were
1) the MC was supposed to be super smart and perceptive and instead felt really not smart at all, constantly putting herself in danger with suspected murderers, and
2) the resolution was WAY too rushed in my opinion.
I‘m curious what other people will make of it! @LiteraryinLawrence

Oh yes, I loved this story. I had no idea who was the culprit and was quite shocked when I found out! I like the Greek mythology stories, the setting in Cambridge too. Lots of twists and turns, tense and gripping. I also liked his first novel too.

I may be in the minority for liking this one, but I don‘t mind! Another murder mystery from Michaelides, this one involving murders of “maidens” - girls who are in cult-like Greek tragedy class. While I admit that the “big reveal” didn‘t make the most sense, I‘m not annoyed with all the red herrings or the ending. It‘s a mystery, and I‘d rather be surprised at the end than predict everything. I also enjoyed the classics element to the story.

I am currently reading the tagged book and very much enjoying it. I will start Once Upon a Broken Heart as well today. I am really looking forward to this one as I loved her Caraval series.

I saw dark academia and Greek mythology and grabbed this right up. It‘s quite good. I felt some parts were unnecessary and the ending a bit rushed but was satisfied.

I‘d like to give it a So- So plus” or “Pick Minus”.
I was intrigued to find out who the murdered was but felt like the author manipulated us with red herrings (multiple people with evil parents). Actually I‘m not even sure now who certain accounts were written by, so that‘s kind of unsatisfying. Curious was others think. Please comment. Basic story of women being murdered at an elite college. Main character is a therapist.

Making progress this month on reading my #shelfsubscriptions #BOTM backlist. (Still reading 56 Days, love it so far)

#30

This wasn't great. I struggled to get through this one. It took me three days with the audiobook which is rare. I'd say a 2.5 ⭐

#BookSpinBingo

The Maidens is an incredible, suspenseful page-turner that is sure to keep you guessing. The inclusion of the killer‘s voice throughout added a nice layer to the mystery surrounding the murders and the short chapters created some undeniable suspense; I simply devoured The Maidens, finding it hard to put down. The ending was rather unexpected in my opinion. The little connection to Michaelides previous novel was a brilliant little Easter egg.

The story is okay & there is a moderate level of intrigue, but everything felt like it just scratched the surface. Mariana was an annoying protagonist. She didn't make great decisions & she certainly didn't act appropriately. Most of the characters were unbelievable caricatures. Nearly everyone came off creepy or as a potential bad guy. It was just over done. Not a complete waste of time, but not the gripping thriller I was looking for.

Wow!! Did not see that coming. 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

The Silent Patient was so good that I had really high hopes for this one and it disappointed. It was a lot slower than I was expecting & I was not a fan of the big reveal. I felt it was melodramatic and over the top. Going for shock value instead of something more realistic. I did enjoy the connections to The Silent Patient. I didn‘t really enjoy all the Greek tragedy stuff. I‘d be a little more hesitant to pick up his next book.

Starting a new book while Lane and my brother have a Mario Cart play date 🤣

My #SeptemberTBR is almost down to one tier! I have no hope in finishing my #14books14weeks2021 books by the weekend but at least my library books feel under control?

Love to read a campus novel in September. Here‘s the ones I own. What to choose…

#FallTreasures #SchoolDays

Okay, this was definitely better than The Silent Patient, in my opinion! 4/5 stars, since it was still a little lower paced than I would‘ve liked. Will definitely be recommending though!

I think instead of reading the two other specific books I had on my bonus goals for the #20in4 readathon, I think I‘m just going to mood read from here on out. Undoubtedly audiobooks, as I will be continuing on with my nail orders and chores tomorrow.

Every chapter finished with a sentence that would then repeat itself next chapter. I found it aggravating, possibly because they are shorter chapters. It's a very straightforward way of writing and it reminded me of YA mystery writing. If you are like me and have a hard time digesting that style. You won't be able to read this. Plot-wise, it could have been more mythologies related since it's a selling point. Lackluster reveal and ending.

I've heard people talk about Alex Michaelides for ages now. As someone that devours any good thriller, I had to try him out, and sadly I was terribly disappointed.
My biggest problem with this book was the disconnect I had with the writing. Every chapter finished with a sentence that would then repeat itself next chapter. I found it aggravating, possibly because they are shorter chapters. (1)

Lots of red herrings here. It kept me guessing. I liked it, except for the fact that I really didn‘t like the main character, and it‘s hard for me to root for a main character I don‘t care for.

I‘m really hoping this book rocks my world. I‘m needing one of those books right now!

🎧 this book might be a victim of its place in this week‘s reading order. After the last 2 not-completely-satisfying books I needed a great book, nope.

At the end of chapter 8 there is a call-back to The Silent Patient. I liked that book more.

It‘s worth reading. The 1st 1/2 of the book is slow, a bit boring, predictable, too much preamble. The meat of the story took too long to be revealed & I didn‘t like the MC.

It was a good mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another bummer. I think the author was just trying to get in on the mythology phase that seems to be happening now. It didn't work. It just made an awkward book even worse. Mariana goes to her old college because her niece's friend was murdered. Then she decides that she is going to solve it. The killer made absolutely no sense.

4 💫💫💫💫 This was a slow mystery to me not a thriller. But, overall easy to read just predictable. I like The Silent Patient much better.

Eh, it was ok. Have definitely read better murder thrillers. Unfortunately a twist that I did partly see coming from near the beginning even though the book does do a good job of trying to throw you off the scent in many different directions. Unfortunately wrapped up in a very quick and flimsy way.

I was impressed. So many twists! I LOVED that this book had ties to his first book The Silent Patient. Brought so much more perspective to both of them having read both.

Loved it. Being a literature student I had a whole canvas with rich colours flowing all over it. Greek mythology and poetry being emphasised through philosophical lens. Read moy thoughts about the book at www.wordsbehindtheink.wordpress.com

The further I read, the more indulged I get.
#alexmichaelides #themaidens #college #death #loss #murder #reading #book #bookworm

Finished The Maidens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ starting ▶️We are all the same in the Dark❗️

Greek tragedy & short chapters make it a quick page turn but there are a lot of plot holes here…not to mention unresolved gaslighting & everyone seems to want to kiss the main character without her consent. Like…maybe this author doesn‘t know how to write women characters? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I thought The Silent Patient was a little more complex but this was more fun to read. I will say, read Patient first. 💐

Glad I brought this along as my beach read! Hoping it‘s as thrilling as The Silent Patient was.

Little audio-crocheting on this Tuesday afternoon 😊 rainbow baby blanket for my friend‘s upcoming babe 💕

Wow. Just started this book not long ago and I‘m flying through it! Even at work. So far I am LOVING it! Pretty much my cup of tea since it‘s Murder and mental illness. A.M has yet to disappoint me 🥰

Ugh, this is another book that I really wanted to love more than I did 😩. I‘ve read the mixed reviews of this book and I get it now! Not a bad story, definitely different with a pretty good twist at the end (although not THAT big of a shocker), but I just couldn‘t make myself care about the characters or the situation. Just 🤷🏼‍♀️. 🌟🌟🌟