Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

257 reviews

niceonehros's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The ending felt rushed and a bit more contrived than I would like. Still a compelling read, but as plot twists go, this one didn't blow my mind.
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sarawoltz1's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

if you’re going to have the Big Reveal revolve around pedophilia and grooming, you simply have to address those themes through the whole book AND have more then two pages wrapping it up. ALSO every single character in this sucked balls and i don’t think that’s purposeful
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beans_and_books0509's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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erikajosephison's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Overall I enjoyed the Maidens, but not quite as much as the Silent Patient or the Fury. While I enjoyed the twist/ending more than that of the Fury, the pace and the tone of the first 3/4 of the book were slower and more frustrating, making me like the book overall less. My main issue was that a primary enjoyment of the other two novels was the unreliable narrator. This was one of the best parts of the author's writing, and without the constant mistrust of the truth of the story being told, it did fall flat/boring in some places.

The twist was actually surprising (in part, part I was able to see coming) and didn't feel out of nowhere or forced  which I always appreciate in thrillers.


Mariana's dedication/absolute conviction to Fosca being the guilty party was actually quite frustrating to read - while in the end it did come around that this was a flaw in her character (her unwavering belief in the first thing Zoe said), it was still kind of exhausting to read. 
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annieree's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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reader00's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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anewton's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

An intriguing thriller with a surprising, shocking ending. Quite a few plot holes but an easy read. 
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lexm's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

I’m not normally one to write many reviews, but I’m having Feelings about this book. 

I wanted to like it so badly. The mythology elements sounded interesting and I love a murder mystery. But this book was filled with deeply unlikable characters, frustrating plot holes, and a twist ending that feels like it was added for shock value without considering how it would tie in with the rest of the book. There was also no time to sit in the chaos and aftermath of the ending, it was too abrupt. The epilogue didn’t even make it feel like we got a proper resolution. 

I also wasn’t crazy about the writing style
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msepulv2's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I started reading this book because I loved the Silent Patient also by Alex Michaelides. I didn’t find this book to be engaging as the Silent Patient but it is interesting how he weaves in stories and characters from Greek mythology into this murder mystery. Overall, it was a good read but I did find the ending to be lacking and generally not how I was hoping the book to end. 

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clarklyn's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Anytime a book surprises me and makes me gasp out loud is an instant win for me. However, so frustrated by the ending 😭 hoping there is another book to follow. 
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