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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not sure if this book is actually good or not but I really enjoyed it because it felt like an ITV crime drama!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The Maidens was my first Alex Michaelides novel and I just finished in less than a week. I was not prepared for the twist at the end.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The thought in my mind when I finished this book was “I’m so upset by this book”. The ending of this book completely ruined it for me. What do you mean the killer is her niece who was having an affair with her (now dead) husband??? The big reveal completely caught me off guard, not because I was cleverly distracted by red herrings or misdirections, but because there was nothing earlier in the book that set up the reveal at all.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!
You’re telling me that Marianna, a professional psychotherapist, did not pick up on ANY suspicious behaviour from her husband nor her niece? The two of them were apparently in a sexual relationship since her niece was 15 yrs old. Not only does that make Marianna a terrible guardian, but also a questionable therapist. It is impossible for Sebastian and Zoe to completely hid their relationship and feeling towards each other from Marianna. She is trained to pick up on subtle emotions, and she was clearly very attuned to her husband, as she constantly thought about him after his death, and literally said things like “my life didn’t start until I met Sebastian”. Sebastian’s behaviours must have changed throughout their decade long marriage if he fell out of love with Marianna enough to want to KILL her for her money and run off with Zoe. They say that narcissists and sociopaths are good at hiding their true emotions and putting on a mask for others, but there’s no way Seb could have done that for years on end with someone he spends almost everyday with, and who happens to be a psychotherapist.
If we suspend our disbelief and go along with the idea that Seb and Zoe were able to completely hid their feelings from Marianna, why on gods green earth would you not hint at it throughout the book? Seb was only ever portrayed as this amazing, loving husband who dead a tragic death. No mention AT ALL of any negative or suspicious actions. I get that love can blind you, but for the reader’s sake, at least give us an impression that something might be off about him. Same thing with Zoe. Yes, we learn that she struggled with depression after her parents death, but got better eventually. Maybe mention that she’s never had a boyfriend, and Marianna’s always wondered, and so when it’s revealed that she was in love with Sebastian, we can go “ohhh so that’s why!” Some sort of a clue would have at least made the ending feel a little more plausible.
Every other character in this book was a red herring and a red herring only. What did Henry have to do with the murders? Absolutely nothing, but I bet for a split second you thought it might have been him eh? And Fred, oh boy did I want to like Fred as a character but I just couldn’t because he was so obsessive and creepy towards Marianna. All the men in this book seemed attracted to Marianna as soon as they see her, for no reason at all. But Fred was especially bad because he couldn’t take no for an answer (even getting angry at her near the end for not returning his feelings even though Marianna made it extremely clear from the very start. Again, this was done to cast suspicion on Fred). If a man asks you to marry him after knowing you for two days, RUN. We were also ment to think that Fred might be the killer by bashing us over the head with how he has these stupid ‘premonitions’ and then including that word in the killer’s letter near the end. Similarly, Henry said the word ‘sacrifice’, which also appeared in the killer’s POV letter. Another loose end regarding Fred that was never tied up was that the second time they met, he mentioned how he knows that Marianna is Zoe’s aunt, despite Marianna never telling him that. When she confronts him with that, he brushes it off quickly. I thought that was a hint that he knew Zoe before, but it never amounted to anything.
This book should have been called “Daddy issues and Greek tragedies” . Every single character has daddy issues, which made everyone fit the bill of the killer.
Ok, I’ve ragged on this book enough. There were some positives! I listened to the audiobook and it was masterfully done! Louise Brealy did an amazing job narrating and doing the voices for different characters (although her American accent can use a bit of work lol). I think her performance really elevated this book for me, and I was quite engaged through it, and it completely hooked me towards the end. I’m also glad that this book gave me such a strong emotional reaction. I would rather that and hate this book, then finishing it and going ‘meh that was ok I guess”, and then forgetting it the next day. This book got me interested in reading again, and I think I’ll try this author’s other work, the Silent Parient. Overall, an enjoyable listening experience.
Until the very end. I remember thinking 3/4 of the way through “oh no it’s gonna be Fred who’s the killer, isn’t it? Aw that would be sad, but I can totally see it coming. There’s no way it can be Sebastian, but still maybe Fosca or Maurice…” and then just sitting there open mouthed for the entirety of the reveal going “no way, this is a fake story right? Zoe’s just trying to get under her skin, RIGHT???” I was so upset because I thought Marianna and Sebastian’s relationship sounded so beautiful and romantic, and being happy for Marianna for having experienced that, only to have it ripped away from her like that. I would have at least understood and respected the ending if it was set up properly…
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!
You’re telling me that Marianna, a professional psychotherapist, did not pick up on ANY suspicious behaviour from her husband nor her niece? The two of them were apparently in a sexual relationship since her niece was 15 yrs old. Not only does that make Marianna a terrible guardian, but also a questionable therapist. It is impossible for Sebastian and Zoe to completely hid their relationship and feeling towards each other from Marianna. She is trained to pick up on subtle emotions, and she was clearly very attuned to her husband, as she constantly thought about him after his death, and literally said things like “my life didn’t start until I met Sebastian”. Sebastian’s behaviours must have changed throughout their decade long marriage if he fell out of love with Marianna enough to want to KILL her for her money and run off with Zoe. They say that narcissists and sociopaths are good at hiding their true emotions and putting on a mask for others, but there’s no way Seb could have done that for years on end with someone he spends almost everyday with, and who happens to be a psychotherapist.
If we suspend our disbelief and go along with the idea that Seb and Zoe were able to completely hid their feelings from Marianna, why on gods green earth would you not hint at it throughout the book? Seb was only ever portrayed as this amazing, loving husband who dead a tragic death. No mention AT ALL of any negative or suspicious actions. I get that love can blind you, but for the reader’s sake, at least give us an impression that something might be off about him. Same thing with Zoe. Yes, we learn that she struggled with depression after her parents death, but got better eventually. Maybe mention that she’s never had a boyfriend, and Marianna’s always wondered, and so when it’s revealed that she was in love with Sebastian, we can go “ohhh so that’s why!” Some sort of a clue would have at least made the ending feel a little more plausible.
Every other character in this book was a red herring and a red herring only. What did Henry have to do with the murders? Absolutely nothing, but I bet for a split second you thought it might have been him eh? And Fred, oh boy did I want to like Fred as a character but I just couldn’t because he was so obsessive and creepy towards Marianna. All the men in this book seemed attracted to Marianna as soon as they see her, for no reason at all. But Fred was especially bad because he couldn’t take no for an answer (even getting angry at her near the end for not returning his feelings even though Marianna made it extremely clear from the very start. Again, this was done to cast suspicion on Fred). If a man asks you to marry him after knowing you for two days, RUN. We were also ment to think that Fred might be the killer by bashing us over the head with how he has these stupid ‘premonitions’ and then including that word in the killer’s letter near the end. Similarly, Henry said the word ‘sacrifice’, which also appeared in the killer’s POV letter. Another loose end regarding Fred that was never tied up was that the second time they met, he mentioned how he knows that Marianna is Zoe’s aunt, despite Marianna never telling him that. When she confronts him with that, he brushes it off quickly. I thought that was a hint that he knew Zoe before, but it never amounted to anything.
This book should have been called “Daddy issues and Greek tragedies” . Every single character has daddy issues, which made everyone fit the bill of the killer.
Ok, I’ve ragged on this book enough. There were some positives! I listened to the audiobook and it was masterfully done! Louise Brealy did an amazing job narrating and doing the voices for different characters (although her American accent can use a bit of work lol). I think her performance really elevated this book for me, and I was quite engaged through it, and it completely hooked me towards the end. I’m also glad that this book gave me such a strong emotional reaction. I would rather that and hate this book, then finishing it and going ‘meh that was ok I guess”, and then forgetting it the next day. This book got me interested in reading again, and I think I’ll try this author’s other work, the Silent Parient. Overall, an enjoyable listening experience.
Until the very end. I remember thinking 3/4 of the way through “oh no it’s gonna be Fred who’s the killer, isn’t it? Aw that would be sad, but I can totally see it coming. There’s no way it can be Sebastian, but still maybe Fosca or Maurice…” and then just sitting there open mouthed for the entirety of the reveal going “no way, this is a fake story right? Zoe’s just trying to get under her skin, RIGHT???” I was so upset because I thought Marianna and Sebastian’s relationship sounded so beautiful and romantic, and being happy for Marianna for having experienced that, only to have it ripped away from her like that. I would have at least understood and respected the ending if it was set up properly…
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good so it kept me interested. It was okay right up to the ending, which was terrible! Also, as many others have said in their reviews -- the author was much too sympathetic to male killer/groomer.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced