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A review by swordy
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.25
HUGE SPOILERS THATS LITERALLY ALL IM TALKING ABOUT
Why was the killer not Fred?? Sebastian being the killer (Zoe by proxy) makes zero sense. Just throwing their relationship seemingly out of no where in the last 15 pages is bs.
SERIOUSLY THIS WHOLE THING IS SPOILERS
I would’ve been fully on board with Fred being the killer. That night he was late to meet Mariana at the bar, he said he ran into a lamp post. But that was also the night a maiden was killed. Tracks so far as the killer. And then Mariana goes to his apartment and sees he’s working on a manuscript about his mother who he had a difficult relationship with, just like the writer of the letters (which is supposed to be Sebastian, which makes zero sense. Why would I want the killer to be someone who is already dead??). And when he walks Mariana out of his apartment, he walks in the other direction, saying he needs air. And then another maiden dies!! Not to mention all his talk about “premonitions” and then that exact word is used in the letter found in Zoe’s room.
Why is a man we’ve never met the killer. Like, you give us no context of this man and then only show us glimpses of him through posthumous letters. The idea he was with Mariana only to get to Zoe is so out of left field how are we even still playing the same game. I’m seriously confused.
I didn’t really buy the prof being the killer—too obvious. But having Fred be the killer would have been much more clever than some dead guy we’ve never even met. Feels like an unfair mystery because no one could’ve ever solved it. We were never given any hints! (I could probably reread it and look back at all the hints we were maybe given, but I won’t be doing that).
Dumb dumb dumb
Why was the killer not Fred?? Sebastian being the killer (Zoe by proxy) makes zero sense. Just throwing their relationship seemingly out of no where in the last 15 pages is bs.
SERIOUSLY THIS WHOLE THING IS SPOILERS
I would’ve been fully on board with Fred being the killer. That night he was late to meet Mariana at the bar, he said he ran into a lamp post. But that was also the night a maiden was killed. Tracks so far as the killer. And then Mariana goes to his apartment and sees he’s working on a manuscript about his mother who he had a difficult relationship with, just like the writer of the letters (which is supposed to be Sebastian, which makes zero sense. Why would I want the killer to be someone who is already dead??). And when he walks Mariana out of his apartment, he walks in the other direction, saying he needs air. And then another maiden dies!! Not to mention all his talk about “premonitions” and then that exact word is used in the letter found in Zoe’s room.
Why is a man we’ve never met the killer. Like, you give us no context of this man and then only show us glimpses of him through posthumous letters. The idea he was with Mariana only to get to Zoe is so out of left field how are we even still playing the same game. I’m seriously confused.
I didn’t really buy the prof being the killer—too obvious. But having Fred be the killer would have been much more clever than some dead guy we’ve never even met. Feels like an unfair mystery because no one could’ve ever solved it. We were never given any hints! (I could probably reread it and look back at all the hints we were maybe given, but I won’t be doing that).
Dumb dumb dumb