A review by emilyinherhead
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

1.5

Eh. This had a promising setup and was marketed as dark academia in the vein of The Secret History, but wow, it fell short for me. The beginning drew me in, but I started rolling my eyes shortly after—at the super cliché and overdone cliffhanger-type chapter endings, at the portrayal of women characters, at some glaringly obvious details that were not at all surprising when they were revealed, etc. It did provide for a lively book club discussion in which we all rehashed the things we didn’t love about it, but besides that I’d honestly rather have not read it.