We are halfway there! Taking the fifth spot on our countdown is the dark academia mystery thriller The Maidens by Alex Michaelides.

What is it about? Therapist Mariana Andros is struggling. After losing her husband while on vacation in Greece, Mariana has attempted to bury her grief in her job. Surrounding herself with those struggling through life, Mariana consumes herself with work, believing it gives her a reason to get up everyday. Still, it can’t erase the hole in her heart. But Mariana’s grief is interrupted when she gets a frantic call from her niece, Zoe, at Oxford. Zoe’s closest friend has been murdered. With no other family near Zoe, Mariana rushes to her niece’s side and discovers that the murder victim was a member of a mysterious group of students called the Maidens, who study Greek under Edward Fosca. Though loved and adored by most, Mariana suspects Fosca is not as perfect as he is portrayed to be. Ignoring the advice of friends and fellow work professionals, Mariana decides to investigate Fosca and his Maidens in hopes of discovering the truth. But the truth is more of a Greek tragedy than a satisfying conclusion.

Why did I love it? Last year it was firmly established I am a dark academia girlie. A group of friends, studying the liberal arts, at an elite school or university and some sort of crime is committed? Sign me up. The Maidens continues the love for my genre while providing a twist by telling the story from the perspective of an adult not attending the university. This allows an extra layer of complexity to the story as the reader, along with Mariana, desperately tries to piece together the events that lead up to the murder of her niece’s best friend. But, since this is an Alex Michaelides book, that means we have an unreliable narrator. Can we believe everything she is saying, or is something more sinister afoot? If you are looking to continue your own journey with the dark academia genre and you haven’t had a chance to pick up The Maidens, don’t hesitate in the near year to pick this one up.

For my full review of The Maidens head over to https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2024/03/the-maidens-by-alex-michaelides/.