Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

دوشیزگان by Alex Michaelides

59 reviews

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book kept me interested the whole time! I felt like I was constantly guessing who was the killer in the end and I like that I couldn't predict the ending. I was completely caught off guard by the motive at the end of the book, not necessarily the actual identity of the murderer. I wish that the other male characters of the book were fleshed out a little bit more. For instance, Fred had very strange behavior and I still don't know if he's just in love or a love-bomber. Also it seemed to me like it was never confirmed who in fact was stalking Mariana, because I'm still not sure if it was Henry or Fred lol. 

I wish that Sebastian's thought process was narrated from his POV more of why he chose Mariana. Maybe that's a good opening for a prequel or novella for this book.

This was my first time reading a book from this author, and I'll definitely want to read more from him!

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dark mysterious 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 Maidens by Alex Michaelides tells the story of Mariana Andros, who is returning to Cambridge University, where she met her late husband Sebastian, following the murder of a young woman, who was best friends with her niece Zoe. 

Tara was part of The Maidens, a society of ladies who congregate around the American professor Edward Fosca, who delivers engaging lectures on Greek tragedy. As other women who are part of the society are murdered in horrific attacks, does this lead back to a single man committing these acts? 

The twist at the end was as shocking as all of the many red herrings that could have led the story to a very different conclusion! Although an engrossing read, it was just not my "cup of tea". 

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton library and listened to it on cloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 13, an academic thriller, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024. 

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I had trouble getting into this book initially, but I found myself entranced by the parallels of Greek tragedies to the characters. I do believe the heavy mythological themes and references tended to overshadow the plot at times and make it more difficult to follow, but they also served their purpose in making the book a reflection of life, death, and tragedy. I found it interesting how every character’s past could be interconnected to their present and the role they played. There was definitely an emphasis on the concept of how hurt people will hurt people, and that ultimately, nobody’s story is without its shades of grey.

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I guessed the ending pretty early on. Also, the resolution to the story was a bit lacking and didn’t really tell you what the characters came away with and ended at a weird moment that would have been interesting to see.

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Honestly… bleh. I listened to the audiobook, which was great, but the book itself was truly awful. Between the cringy lead character, the way every single man was obsessed with her and wanted to sleep with her, the casual assault, and the absurd twist that basically devalued the whole story, I am surprised I didn’t just stop. 

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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

I really enjoyed Alex Michaelides' first book The Silent Patient, and while this book was... interesting I just didn't resonate with it. Big cast of characters all with troubles that felt unnecessary to act as a bunch of red herrings, all for a strange plot twist to just slap you in the face quickly and unequivocally right at the end. 

I honestly disliked our leading lady and couldn't quite suspend my disbelief enough about how much she got away with in terms of her "investigation". Also very bothered by how every man in this book lacks even the most basic of boundaries 

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