Equal parts exhilarating and frustrating
As someone who was eagerly anticipating Alex Michaelides' latest work, I found The Maidens equal parts exhilarating and frustrating. The author's writing style and the short, digestible chapters make for easy reading, and there are a couple of good twists/red herrings. However, much of the suspense and plot elements are predicated upon characters not behaving like normal, rational people--especially in the beginning, I caught myself rolling my eyes more than once at the "horror movie logic" and lack of professionalism displayed by the protagonist and her peers. Though, as I continued reading, I found it easier to suspend my disbelief at the more fantastical elements in service of the story. Overall, I found the novel to be a decent thriller but somewhat of a disappointment compared to the author's previous work. Fans of The Silent Patient will be delighted to hear that there are direct references to the characters and events of the novel in The Maidens.