Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - The Maidens

“There was a word for this moment in Greek tragedy: anagnorisis—recognition—the moment the hero finally sees the truth and understands his fate—and how it’s always been there, the whole time, in front of him.”

I didn’t have very many expectations going into this. I was expecting a murder mystery psychological thriller with a little bit of Greek tragedy sprinkled in and while I did get that, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I was confused for a majority of this book and not in the “you’re supposed to be confused” murder mystery kind of way. There were way too many red herrings for my taste. It felt like every part in this book introduced a new character I was supposed to be suspicious of. Every time I turned a page some guy was hitting on Mariana, saying something weird or acting suspiciously when the culprit ended up being someone who was barely in the story. I guess that’s due to the point of view of the book and getting into the main character’s perspective. We were tricked the same way she was, but this book left me wondering what the point of so many characters and so many “coincidences” was. What was the point of Henry besides a few jump scares here and there? Also, why does Mariana walk alone at night so much? There were so many things she did that made alarm bells go off in my head. Genuinely was the point of Fred? I was convinced he was the person who wrote the letter. I was even convinced he was somehow Sebastian reincarnated or Sebastian from an alternate universe because of how many connections there were between the two of them. Maybe it’s supposed to be symbolic? Maybe Mariana’s idea of who Sebastian was is meant to be paralleled with Fred and that’s how she’s supposed to move on? The plot twist was good, definitely didn’t see that coming. Almost to the point where it was kind of ridiculous and only used for shock value. Edward sure did a good job of acting guilty of a murder he didn’t commit. I thought there was no way he wasn’t involved in it. I did enjoy Mariana’s background as a therapist and how her perspective played into each of her interactions with other people. Overall, I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery, but there were just too many parts of the puzzle that didn’t even belong in the box.

Favorite Quotes:
“We are born being watched—our parents’ expressions, what we see reflected in the mirror of their eyes, determines how we see ourselves.”

“…a kind of miracle would occur within this circle—the birth of a separate entity: a group spirit, a group mind; a ‘big mind,’ it was often called, more than the sun of its parts…”

“‘It was written’ is the Greek expression. Meaning, quite simply, from that moment on, their destinies were sealed.”

“In many ways, Mariana’s and Sebastian’s lives began when they found each other—in that instant they first saw each other by the river.”

“‘It doesn’t take much to save a childhood.’”

“The liminal is between two worlds—on the very edge of what it means to be human—where everything is stripped away from you; where you transcend this life, and experience something beyond it. And when the tragedies are working, they give us a glimpse of what that feels like.”

“‘If you’re not aware of the transcendent, if you’re not awake to the glorious mystery of life and death that you’re lucky enough to be part of—if that doesn’t fill you with joy and strike you with awe… you might as well not be alive. That’s the message of tragedies. Participate in the wonder.’”

“‘I’m not a damsel in distress, a… maiden waiting to be rescued.’”

Content Warnings

edensbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

Content Warnings

ameliacollins's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

Content Warnings

alomie's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

I really enjoyed this whodunnit. I did not see the ending coming and it kept things interesting.
Some of the "origin stories" were a bit harrowing, and it's not easy going in that respect, however, as we are trying to understand the motives of a serial killer it makes sense contextually. These messed up childhoods absolutely might create a serial killer.
Kept me guessing right to the end and was actually quite gripping.
Found this to be a slow start but really picked up in the third act and personally I could have done with a bit more pace, potentially this is an audio-book issue rather than a book issue. I liked it overall but I don't think I would go back to it.

Content Warnings

madroche's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

2.0

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krdavis02's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

_bookishbrina's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

book genre: murder, mystery, greek mythology
pace: fast
overall rating: 3.5/5
storyline: ★★★✩✩
characters: ★★★✩✩
character development: ★★✩✩✩
writing: ★★✩✩✩
diversity: ★✩✩✩✩
attention to detail: ★★★★✩
ending: ★★✩✩✩ (a bit rushed)
originality: ★★★✩✩
is there smut? no, however, there is mention of sex but no description.

Will I be reading the next book? Unsure. After two books from this author, the first being the silent patient, I am becoming acutely aware of how he enjoys putting his female characters in positions where they think they become paranoid - when they are, in fact, not. It's like every man (literally more than one male character per book harasses the main women) becomes a threat to his female characters. It's not only annoying, but it should not be used as entertainment. I thought it created great context in the silent patient, and felt that it was totally unnecessary in the maidens. To me, it did not add to the general ambiance or lifted the storyline. As a woman, please stop.

However, I did enjoy the story. The plot was a bit more predictable, albeit not completely. Loved the little wink at the silent patient by meeting Theo.

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