Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

234 reviews

passionatereader78's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Grief

fmqs96's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

EDIT!!!! spoilers!!!!

The more I sit with this story, the less I like it. I may have been to abrupt with writing the review, but I guess that’s part of the charm: you are so caught up with the twist that it is all you can think about. And while I do stand by it: the plot twist is incredible, there is one thing that keeps growing my dissatisfaction.

It is pretty clear from a little bit before the middle of the book that Zoe has something to do with the crimes. And that is not a problem. Having Sebastian as the voice behind the letters is not a problem. What keeps getting to me is how much of a loss opportunity it is to not mirror Sebastian and Professor Fosca in a deeper level. While it is displayed and recognized, the abuse and manipulation that both men inflict on the young women of their lives is despicable, and yet, we don’t see the truth depth of it.

Thus, the ending feels rushed and incomplete. I keep thinking about  The Maidens and the more I do, the less I like it. It is not a bad book  per se. The story is intriguing and the idea behind it is pretty engaging, but when you stop to breathe and ignore the emotions that come with the twist, you realize that the story is not nearly as well developed as it could have been.

Maybe he will hit the nail again with The Fury.

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After reading The Silent Patient, I felt like Alex Michaelides could not replicate the same sense of dread and nervousness as his debut novel. I was (thankfully) wrong.

The constant state of urgency Mariana finds herself in, entices the reader to feel desperate, confused, and on high alert. The most compelling aspect of Michaelides' narration style is the similarities in speech for characters depending on context; it is perfect for keeping the reader uncertain of each character's true intentions. Furthermore, it is the perfect tool to manipulate the audience.

After The Silent Patient,  I began The Maidens ready to notice every detail, to not allow myself to be fooled again by his carefully threaded narrative, alas, in my endless desperation to not miss anything, I looked too closely. Thus, I could have never predicted the last chapter from Part 5 or the entirety of Part 6.  While the plot twist is satisfying, believable, and shocking, the true star of the show is the lingering sense of discomfort that is perpetuated from the first page.

While I do believe that some plot point were not entirely needed, or perhaps just not well closed at the end, the narrative is solid and engaging. Michaelides' writing is definitely to my taste and I cannot wait to read his newest release, The Fury, and see how he manages to surprise me this time around. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Self harm, Incest, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

thepurplepixel's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

1.5

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrators. The concept was interesting. The climax and resolution largely ruined the book for me, as it was so farfetched as to be laughable. There were also many side characters whose storylines were not wrapped up. I was left with a lot of questions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Mental illness, Death, Grief, Violence, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Cursing

allidone's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

I’m not entirely sure how, but I guessed the whole thing at one point, as kind of a “wouldn’t that be a wild twist”? I knew who the killer was from the 60% mark, but the rest of it? Wild.

I’m not sure if I liked it? If it was good? Right now I’m at a 4 but that might change.

As a therapist, it’s wild that she didn’t see any of what was going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Mental illness, Grief, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Stalking, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Infertility

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Honestly, I wished I typed this review out as soon as I finished this book. Four days have passed and I honestly don't remember much about it. I remember the plot and everything just fine, what I'm trying to say is that this book is very forgettable. I was really excited after reading "The Silent Patient" two years ago (around this time, funny enough) and learning that this book is centered around greek mythology (which I love). I was initially pumped and sadly underwhelmed when I finished. The best way I could describe this book is just lacking. It lacked a lot. It lacked in the plot. It lacked in intricately incorporating the Greek mythology into the story. It lacked when it came to the side characters. It lacked with the plot twists

I knew it was Zoe, but there was a lot of unnecessary misdirection with the twist that had me questioning if I was right. Also, the subtle incest twist was so unnecessary. Felt cheap.

. I just felt like things weren't as intricately woven out as he was making it seem like they were. I found certain side characters to be extremely redundant. The society plot device, underutilized. And the plot twist to be incredibly lubricious and disappointing. Not gonna lie, a little part of me wanted to dnf this book, but I trudged along because it was short, and weirdly enough I thoroughly enjoyed his writing. It is very flowery (I think "purple prose" is what it's called) which I wasn't expecting when going into a thriller. I really enjoyed his writing here, however, due to the things I listed above as well as the fact that his storytelling (he's what I call a "slow burn" thriller author; meaning he relays his stories like a mystery with a big twist at the end rather than presenting various mini-plot twists throughout the story which is my preferred method of thriller storytelling) isn't my favorite way that I'd like to consume thrillers. It just didn't make for the most enjoyable reading experience. I don't think this is the worst thing ever by any means. I just think it was mid, mediocre. Nothing crazy. (something cool though was how this book was lowkey a prequel to "The Silent Patient"; we got to see Theo which was really cool)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Incest, and Infidelity

hazybee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Reads like you are watching a movie. You can picture every scene and character perfectly. My only complaint is that there are so many random side characters that only appear for a scene or two and it’s hard to remember all their names for when they get brought back up again later 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Self harm

lisasaurusreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Murder and Violence

cinderpot's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Amazing book! Amazing twist!!! I read the silent patient about a year ago and really like it. This book follows a similar premise and over all ties in greatly. Some professional decisions from the main character is questionable… but what can you get with a fiction.

The added cameo from Theo was my favourite

Will be ready his next book with anticipation!!!! JUSTICE FOR FRED!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Violence, and Stalking

dblue236's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

Trigger warnings: Violence, gore, brief mention of an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a minor. 

This book vaguely ties in with this author's The Silent Patient, but you do not have to have read that book in order to follow this one, or vice versa. It amounts to a brief mention of a couple of characters who are included in the other book that doesn't relate to the story, and both books can be read as standalones. Having said that, I definitely felt The Silent Patient was the stronger of the two. This one certainly wasn't anything like BAD, but the pace was so painfully slow I struggled to follow the plot for about the first half of the book. It did finally pick up toward the end and it turned out to be well worth sticking it out, but of the three books I've read by this author so far, this was definitely my least favorite. It's still worth reading, but maybe don't make it the starting point by which you judge the author's work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Pedophilia

annies0627's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship