Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

76 reviews

bek_parsons's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.0

If you’re into mythology, the references throughout this might give you a kick. I finished it in a day - less because it was unputdownable but more because I wanted to be finished with it quickly. The dark academia vibes were there, but I was left wanting more. Daddy issues are hard to sustain for 335 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

ellejaereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

iamaemmafan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

sammyshellstorm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

vivmorris's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

aargot1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol

junkyard's review against another edition

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? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

courtsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Alcohol

joramous's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

e_flah's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

Wow, The Maidens made me very mad. The book starts off strong with a delightfully intriguing prologue and then everything seemed to go downhill from there. The two things that bugged me the most about The Maidens was the characterization of the female characters and the utter lack of tension.

Let's start with the characters. Mariana was such a flat, boring character that hearing the story narrated through her perspective was downright painful at times. What little character development we were given was often through telling rather than showing. If this had been done through the guise of an unreliable narrator, it could have added an interesting dimension to the story but instead it just made Mariana seem even more like a plot device than an actual character. To top it all off, her motivation for pursuing the mystery made little sense. 

The other female characters in The Maidens, of which there are many, also received minimal characterization. What little the reader is given often relies heavily on stereotypes, such as the self-absorbed heiress. I expected to get to know the students that make up the Maidens within the story yet we barely learn the names of all of them. The rich, complex characterization is saved for the few male characters in the story, which infuriated me. 

The other truly baffling thing about The Maidens was its utter lack of tension. This story is billed as a thriller and yet I felt absolutely no desire to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. It felt like there were no real stakes in The Maidens. The murders felt like they were happening completely outside of the plot. Mariana's "crime solving" efforts focused largely on her obsession with Edward Fosca. The short chapters seemed to speed up the book but masked a plot that lacked a strong driving force. 

As both a thriller and a dark academia book, this was a huge disappointment. I honestly don't have anything good to say about The Maidens. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

death of a pet (on-page), drowning, negative stereotypes of people with mental illness