By: MVS Book Club
For our March meeting, the MVS Upper School Book Club dove into The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. This dark academic thriller introduced us to Mariana Andros, a group therapist whose trip to her alma mater in Cambridge took a chilling turn when her niece’s roommate was found dead. The prime suspect? Edward Fosca, the charismatic professor of Greek tragedy and leader of an elite secret society for female students known as The Maidens. Mariana becomes obsessed with proving Fosca’s guilt despite his airtight alibi, discovering the sinister underbelly of the university she once treasured. The Maidens kept us hooked with its gothic atmosphere, twisty plot, and nods to classical tragedy.
That said, despite not wanting to put the book down, club members still had a few gripes with the story. The sheer number of potential suspects to keep track of made the mystery feel overwhelming at times, and although we love a good twist ending, this one felt a bit too sudden, almost as if it was designed just to throw readers off. In addition, while there were references to classical tragedy and Greek Mythology, we expected those themes to play a bigger role in the plot. Instead, their limited presence left some readers disappointed, wishing for deeper ties to the fascinating myths hinted at throughout. Taken together, these issues made it seem as though Michaelides crafted a brilliant setup but didn’t fully follow through on the story’s larger potential.
Rating: 🐏🐏🐏 2.75 / 5
Recommendation: For people interested in thrillers and mysteries that keep you guessing
