3.75 Stars

I liked it but the pace of the story moves way to slow. There were many times the story could have moved forward quicker to keep me invested. The author chose to S T R E T C H this out.

I will read #2 eventually, but I hope things move a lot faster.

I need a lot more action and connection than what I got here. But! The story is well written, other than the pace and lack of actual action.

100% a Cult story.
Not much of a romance. The mc's needed to connect more and faster than what they did. ( )

Celia Aaron specializes in writing stories that take place in the South, particularly Alabama. I think that puts a pretty unique flavor on her books. To me, they are like Flannery O'Connor meets dark romance meets thriller meets suspense. It's a really interesting mix, and one that I will stand in line to read each and every time. Along with all of that, Celia writes mindfucks really well. I mean, really well. And in the Maiden, we get to see that.

In The Maiden, we get to see a really interesting look at religion and cults and beliefs, and how all of that can get mixed up together. We get to see how things can look perfect on the outside and yet be rotted on the inside. It's a view I really enjoyed reading.

Delilah has joined Heavenly Ministries so that she can become a Cloister Maiden. They are one of the holy virgins that the Prophet has picked to be choice among women. She's supposed to be there for a year, and then move on. The problem is that Delilah knows better. She's there for one reason and one reason only. She's there to find out what happened to her sister Georgia, and she knows that this "church" has something to do with it. What she doesn't know is what happens in the Cloister and to the Maidens.

Adam is the older son of the Prophet. His father used to just be the pastor of a local Baptist church until he decided that God talked to him and he created Heavenly Ministries. Now, it's a huge church with its own compound and police force and a reach all through the South. Adam doesn't believe in his father's teachings, but he does what his father says. That includes being a Protector to a Maiden and training her in all the things that she will need to know to be in perfect obedience to the Prophet and any future husband. Adam knows exactly what will happen to the Maidens in the Cloister because this isn't his first rodeo. He's had several other Maidens. But when he sees Delilah, he knows that there is something about her, something different from all the other Maidens, even if she seems to buy into everything his father says. That's why he trades his brother so that he can be her Protector.

This book will set off every trigger you may have and some that you might not have even imagined. But, if you can get through all those triggers, what you are going to read is a book that is incredibly layered and nuanced. There are plots and plans and machinations. Every time I thought I could figure out what was going to happen, Celia Aaron took it a completely different direction and sent me spinning around. I would get my balance, try to figure it out again, and she would pull the rug out from under me. I was perfectly happy with that. I stayed up way too late reading this and read until I was cross-eyed because I couldn't put the book down because I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

I can't wait until the next book comes out. I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to wait, but I guess I'll try. ( )

5 and then some Stars
Also, I apologize in advance for this review being as long as a book.

Oh my lanta, Celia Aaron, I thought I loved The Acquisition series (and Lucius is still my number one man), but The Cloister series is my new FAVE. Okay, yes, I've only read The Maiden so far, but it has already made my thoughts on this series firm. Things I love: Cults, hot yet bad heroes, brave heroines, secrets, and books that verge on being almost too dark for the general public. The Maiden? Checks all those boxes off and then some. It's a perfect combination of the horrifying stories we've heard about real life cults mixed in with the right amount of fiction to make it an enjoyable read. It's a twisted story, filled with things that might horrify you, but the ending of just book one alone promises that revenge and redemption is still to come. These girls, the maidens, won't be going down without a fight, and some of the twisted followers of the Prophet may not be as firm in their faith as they let on.

"Just another lamb to the slaughter"

It's pretty impossible for me to write this review without stopping every second to just say, OH MY GAH I LOVED IT. I'll try to edit those out... I've needed a good dark book, particularly a series, and there is no better person suited for the job than Celia Aaron. The Maiden, told from the alternating perspectives of Maiden Delilah and the Prophet's son Adam, is part terrifying brainwashing of innocent women and part taboo romance with a healthy helping of smut. My obsession with cults started when I was young, so I can absolutely say much of this book has probably happened to blind followers in real life. Celia focuses in on the power that comes with being the leader, the power and harm that comes from being related to The Prophet, and the lack of power that comes with being a naive follower seeking the path of the chosen One. The path they'd been lied to about. There's a mystery to it, something we aren't yet privy to knowing the full details of, but our glimpses into the the maiden's daily lives gives us enough information to let us know things just aren't right around here.

"Square jaw, sharp nose, full lips, dark hair, and those unreadable eyes-he is handsome. I assume Satan is, too."

Though Delilah is as innocent and ethereal looking as they come, she's hardened, brave, and smart. Her desire to become a maiden is different than the others and her attitude is something that draws Adam to her. Adam is the hot and sadistic son of the Prophet, he does the number crunching and though he does his father's bidding, he too carries the weight of knowing what life was before The Prophet outgrew his humble beginnings. He's disenchanted by the drugs, the lies, the bevy of women available to sample from, and something in Delilah brings him back to life. Their role as Protector and Maiden is threatened by the romance the sparks between them. I'm sorry, I tried to hold off as long as I could, but its just so good. I LOVED THESE TWO. Loved. I want to be Delilah, well not for this cult, but so I can get my hands on Adam. They are both incredibly complex characters and much of their past and secrets have yet to be revealed. Their draw to one another is immediate, though for different reasons, and as they come to know one another in an odd sort of way we get to see a glimpse at how these two could possibly be the beginning of the end for The Cloister. There are also some really strong secondary characters in this book, beyond The Prophet himself, there are other maidens, Adam's brother Noah, and several others that carry just enough weight in the book to let us know that there is more to them than first meets the eye.

"Once I do, I'll never let you go."

The Maiden is a well-developed, detailed, and incredibly intriguing dark read that gives readers just the right amount of story to draw them in to this new series. Cults have drawn in outsiders and followers alike with their secrets, the general public fascinated by what lies behind the walls and how one person becomes so powerful in the eyes of their faithful servants. Celia Aaron takes that fascination and gives us the truth, that the walls hold secrets, deadly lies, and breed fear in those that question anything. She also gives us a heroine, and maybe even a hero, that we can root for and fall for. Revealing that the bad and the dark can be turned to light, though I'm not sure how that's possible with this one just yet. For me, The Maiden is a hit and one I highly recommend to all the lovers of the dark, dirty, and taboo.

ARC provided, but I also will be purchasing a paperback. ( )

4.7 stars

This book went beyond my wildest dreams. It was like a book version of The Handmaids Tale. It is seriously screwed up and dark and twisty. Setting it current with the #metoo movement made it hit even closer to home.

I'm still trying to figure out where this goes next. I want answers to the mystery surrounding Adam and finding the answers that Delilah seeks. This ends on a serious cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the nex when ASAP. ( )

Sweet baby Jesus in a hand basket. Such a great dark read, and I do mean dark. The author dares to take you where no many can take you, and she makes you like it. This story is such a page turner, I couldn't put it down. A well executed story told in dual POV. This has seriously dark themes, and if that isn't your thing, back away. Dark is where it's at, and I cannot wait to read the others in this series. ( )