The Maidens: A Novel | 
#20in4Readathon @Andrew65
My goal was to catch up on BOTMs by reading a few from the last 8 months…Breathless, The Lies I Tell, and The Maidens were all solid 5 ⭐️ thrillers; and Tweak was a compelling NF. I hope to read 1 more book tomorrow.
pickIt was very good !! I was trying to predict the end but got caught off guard haha....we also see an appearance of Theo from the silent patient
pickI knew Michaelides could pull off a mean plot twist. But dang. I have never been so pleasantly surprised by a book. 100/10
pickThis book had a rather slow build to a quick and shocking end, but I enjoyed the story and the whole time I thought I was hoping to be able to figure out the ending, but I was completely caught off guard lol. Overall it was an exciting read! 8/10
pickA pick, but a low one... I did not really care for Mariana and the way she inserted herself into the investigation seemed a little far fetched. I cared enough to keep going until the end though.
Starting some seeds for my garden while listening to this audiobook. I'm a little on the fence about the book, but I do want to know who the killer is so I'll keep going. #audiogardening
pickI rather liked this book. I have disagreements with some of the author‘s choices, but overall he wrote well enough that I finished this in less than a week, a brisk pace for this slow reader.
This also makes my second consecutive month to complete my #BookSpin choice! Yay!! @TheAromaofBooks
pickI found this to be a fast and entertaining read. I can see why some readers have been critical, but I was mostly looking for something immersive and this sucked me in. I was shocked by the twist though it maybe wrapped up a little abruptly. Interesting Easter eggs for previous readers of this author!
Thanks @BennettBookworm 💗
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.
I‘m looking forward to the tagged book coming off my TBR list. I enjoyed The Silent Patient, but I‘ve heard from others who did who were disappointed with The Maidens. Whatever my ultimate opinion it will be accomplished. Thanks, as always, to @TheAromaofBooks for hosting the #Bookspin challenge!
so-soGood story built too slowly to make the twist hit as hard as it should. That being said, still a good story.
pickGreat suspense story set in the halls of academia. If you liked The Echo Wife, you'll like this one.
so-soAudiobook I‘ve settled on a solid “meh” for this one. The story was interesting but the characters weren‘t nearly as well rounded or engaging as The Silent Patient. It was hard to believe it would be so easy to insinuate oneself into a murder investigation the way Mariana did. Was planning to give this 3💀but the “reveal” caught me off guard and made for a good ending. So while not quite 4💀, I will give it 3 💀and a mandible.
While there were some odd, not really believable plot lines, I still enjoyed this thriller.
#Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
pickNot as good as The Silent Patient but still a great story. I didn‘t expect the ending and loved the Easter eggs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kiddos gave me their cooties and I can‘t think straight, but this read is hitting the spot
so-so⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This was my Feb 🎧 📖. I wanted to love this 📖; it has a dark academia aesthetic, focuses on Greek mythology, and includes a secret society. My main gripe is that there are too many loose ends for my preference. I was left with more questions than answers, which is not where I want to be after reading a thriller. I found myself saying, “wait…what…but how does that make sense” more often than I prefer. Full review linked in comments.
Ugh. I‘ve another cold and it‘s knocked me down. However, this guy, Fred, knows when I am not feeling well, so he is keeping me company as I call an early end to the workday, rest, and finished the tagged 🎧 📖. Dogs are such great companions.
panIt was a good premise and very fast paced, but… ugh. The characters are poorly developed. Interactions between characters were *really* odd and not terribly believable. Dialogue… is just awful. And there‘s SO MUCH crammed in book (none well developed), as if to throw as much as possible at the reader to make it harder to figure out what might be a clue, a red herring, or a random subplot.
This was one of my most anticipated 2021 reads but I haven‘t picked it up yet since I saw a lot of people being disappointed with it, including some of my favorite booktubers. I‘m so curious though about what‘s so bad about it, and I‘m actually hoping I would like it as much as I liked the author‘s previous book, despite the lukewarm/bad reviews I‘ve read.
Good morning and happy #WondrousWednesday all!
1. The tagged. I was just thinking I stacked a LOT of books this week... 🤦🏻♀️
2. No I haven't. I don't even know if I read one published in 2021 last year.
3. Currently reading Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. In French because I really want to do more of that this year.
Thanks for the tag @eggs! I hope you have a lovely day!
pick5⭐ Another great book by a great author. I loved each and every second of this book and would highly recommend it. The plot twist was incredible!😂
We are having a rare warm winter day (low 40s) here in WIsconsin so Fred and I enjoyed a nice long walk with an 🎧 book. Someone also decided he needed to roll around in the melting snow & break in his new bow tie. 🤦♀️
Boop the snoot. ❤️ Snuggling w/my reading buddy, Fred, while we listen to February‘s 🎧 📖 pick. Happy Sunday!
Same book... different covers 😫
The original one is a work of art 😫😭
pickReally enjoyed this one! The story moved along at a good pace and kept my interest. As with The Silent Patient, this one had a crazy twist that I didn‘t see coming! I think Michaelides is gonna be an auto-buy author for me!
#bookspinbingo - this is my #doublespin for this month!
#booked2022 - murder mystery
pickI enjoyed this book! Fast moving and a twist at the end which I think may be this author‘s signature. It was easy, entertaining, and quick.
pickNot what I was expecting from Michaelides but a good one to pick up if you like a strong sense of place, an unreliable narrator and an author injecting everything he knows into the story (yeah, we get it - you know stuff)
pickGood for a second book, although Michaelides‘ debut, The Silent Patient, still takes the cake. As in his first book, this book has such an unpredictable twist, I‘m still thinking about it. The writing is poetic and contemplative in the beginning, however as the story continues, the focus clearly becomes on the plot, and the writing takes a back seat.
so-soCouldn't sleep so I just wrapped up The Maidens on audio book. This is my first thriller/mystery audio book and I caught myself talking to the recording as if I were watching a scary movie like "no girl dont go into that room" ?
Thank you, @Yuki_Onna , for the books and the sweets 😊📕. I‘m looking forward to reading another #darkacademia book.
#LittleChristmasSwap
The Last Six Books I Read (rated)
Two old books from my to-be-read list (TBR), two from my Litsy Markup Postal Book Club (#LMPBC) and two Advance Reading Copy (ARC).
#BooklyApp #Bookstagram
pickWow. First experience with this author and I will read his stories again. Unpredictable, this book has a classic English feel; brooding, dark, literary. Stick with it until the end, some things--that may feel tedious-- just aren't as they seem and bring this book full circle.
#LMPBC Round 12 - #GroupC
@pageturner1 @DarcysMom
@suvata has mailed a book to @Kappadeemom
Awesome book. I loved it. 5-stars
pick184 of 2021. Book 3 of #DashingDecember . Cambridge has a killer murdering coeds A therapist who has come to visit her niece as the murders start, becomes determined to figure out who the culprit is. How does the mysterious group the maidens and their charismatic professor fit in to events? The plot wasn‘t as seamless as it could have been, but I still enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Pages read: 1127
#readathon
so-soMy 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
pickOkay, 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
so-soMeh. 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.
pickI 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!
panTM 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?!
so-soRead in one sitting. I love a good murder mystery but the end was so disappointing.
