Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

26 reviews

allisonwonderlandreads's review

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

4.0

Sometimes I just need a psychological thriller with an atmosphere that is tense and anticipatory with a side of dark academia. Aka this exact book. A serial killer with a fondness for Ancient Greek plays and a cult of personality surrounding a literature professor set the stage for the story.

Mariana is our protagonist, a group therapist that I found to be unreliable but empathetic as narrator, a winning combination in the genre. I personally appreciated her healthy dose of suspicion and was intrigued by the way she interacted with others through a therapist's lens, interpreting behaviors and motivations. Did I doubt every person she interacted with, including her? YES of course I did. So naturally, I was partially correct at the end while also being wildly not correct, which I enjoyed immensely. I appreciate the author for his sleight of hand and the way he manages what I notice as a reader to lead me astray.

The last 10% of the book was a wild ride. At first, I was irritated at where I thought the big reveal was headed and started to adjust my expectations for the finale and the book as a whole (thrillers more than any other genre hinge on the ending for me in terms of how I feel towards it). Luckily, I was being tricked ~again~ and a quick shift left me surprised and much more satisfied.

I was impressed by the range of the audiobook narrator with sinister interludes from the serial killer's perspective from a different voice actor. I liked the way this obscured his identity by separating the main performance from the way his writings were read, i.e. I wasn't able to match voices to guess who he is.

Finally, I loved the unexpected The Silent Patient tie-in, a brief easter egg that was clever and enjoyable while remaining subtle enough to not detract from the reading experience if you aren't familiar with the author's other book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Infertility, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

anisyrah's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Death, Stalking, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I found this book difficult to put down, even though it is outside of my typical genre. Well-written, with loads of twists and turns, my brain kept flipping back and forth on who I thought the killer was. While I did think the person who was the killer could’ve been a suspect, the reason they ended up being a killer was shocking. This book is a quick read, with short chapters, and a great twist! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

kazik's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Stalking, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual content

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

sarenac's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Stalking

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia