This was a book that I read on a whim. It was recommended to me and I said, why not? That is to say, I read this with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It was such a quick read. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. In fact, I read it in two days, the pages just flew. It wasn't suspenseful, but it does a really good job of throwing you off until the climax, which I never saw coming.
The Maidens is about murders in a Cambridge University. When Mariana Andros' niece calls her up telling her about her university's murder, Mariana goes to help her niece grieve. She convinces herself that the person behind the murders is Greek tragedy professor, despite that fact that he has an alibi. Marian becomes obsessed with trying to prove it's him, even as it threatens her credibility.
Our main character was Mariana Andros. She's a group therapist who lost her husband a little over a year ago. We learn really early on that she so grew up in a Greek island and has her share of issues. I neither liked nor disliked her. I found her very persistent and caring. You could see this in the way she tried to protect her niece.
I really liked the parallels between Mariana's background and the connection to The Maidens as well as the Greek and Roman references/ mythology. I thought it was a nice touch. I liked how everything going on was related through Greek parallels.
Listen, there's a lot that I can't say without giving away spoilers. I never saw the ending coming. It threw me off and I really liked that. There were a few cliches, things that typically books about psychological suspense have, but I didn't really mind them. We also get very few hints that practically throws us off because the climax? I had to go back and find little inconsistencies because I was surprised.
Overall, The Maidens was a very quick read. Like I said, once I started, I didn't put it down until I was finished. I liked the atmosphere and the Greek elements sprinkled throughout the story, weaving between all the characters. I did think that not everything was wrapped up in the end and I feel as if that was done on purpose, but I still would have liked more of a resolution. I still had thoughts and questions that left me wondering about how certain things happened, but I think everything ended in a good enough place.
The Maidens is about murders in a Cambridge University. When Mariana Andros' niece calls her up telling her about her university's murder, Mariana goes to help her niece grieve. She convinces herself that the person behind the murders is Greek tragedy professor, despite that fact that he has an alibi. Marian becomes obsessed with trying to prove it's him, even as it threatens her credibility.
Our main character was Mariana Andros. She's a group therapist who lost her husband a little over a year ago. We learn really early on that she so grew up in a Greek island and has her share of issues. I neither liked nor disliked her. I found her very persistent and caring. You could see this in the way she tried to protect her niece.
I really liked the parallels between Mariana's background and the connection to The Maidens as well as the Greek and Roman references/ mythology. I thought it was a nice touch. I liked how everything going on was related through Greek parallels.
Listen, there's a lot that I can't say without giving away spoilers. I never saw the ending coming. It threw me off and I really liked that. There were a few cliches, things that typically books about psychological suspense have, but I didn't really mind them. We also get very few hints that practically throws us off because the climax? I had to go back and find little inconsistencies because I was surprised.
Overall, The Maidens was a very quick read. Like I said, once I started, I didn't put it down until I was finished. I liked the atmosphere and the Greek elements sprinkled throughout the story, weaving between all the characters. I did think that not everything was wrapped up in the end and I feel as if that was done on purpose, but I still would have liked more of a resolution. I still had thoughts and questions that left me wondering about how certain things happened, but I think everything ended in a good enough place.