this book had that special ability to not quite be what i expected. and every time i thought i knew where it was going, ms lowe surprised me

it had me completely riveted. the writing is ethereal and atmospheric and i can not what to see what see comes up with next.

Thank you to Netgalley.com for the ARC.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found the beginning very interesting but as it progressed, I had difficulty finding it believable.
The stories is about a girl who is sent to a new private school. She has lost her father and sister in a car accident and her mother is severely depressed. She falls in with a group of girls and a teacher who are not what they seem. Lots of bad things and death follow them.
I just couldn't comprehend how all these things too place without remorse and without any one finding out.
The book was well written...there was a lot of interesting philosophical theories interspersed but overall I just couldn't connect with this book as much as I wanted too.

**2.5-stars rounded up**
A girl found dead on the grounds of a prestigious, all-girls private school. So, the mystery begins.
As a reader, you do not know the identity of the girl. Fun, right? Then begins out protagonist, Violet, telling of her days at the school and the events leading up to the mysterious death.
There was so much about this book that should have worked for me. It was described as being set at a private school in a sleepy, coastal town. YES! Give me that.
I love that type of atmosphere and literally seek it out in books. I live on an island out in the middle of the ocean for goodness sake! My life is a sleepy, coastal town. I never really felt that sense of place though while reading this. The atmosphere just wasn't there for me. It could have been anywhere.
Violet, the new girl at the school, is odd and unsure and desperate to fit in. When Robin befriends her, she is smitten right away. Robin seems dangerous and way more mature than Violet. Two other girls, Alex and Grace, ultimately make up their group of four. This set-up was very reminiscent of The Craft which also should have worked for me as that is one of my favorite movies, EVER.
Again, it just fell flat for me. The relationships were never intriguing or captivating enough. I didn't believe it. The girls are in sort of a secret group that is headed up by one of their teachers. She teaches them about the classics and the history of the school itself, which was once the setting for witch trials and executions.
Okay, great. That all sounds interesting as well but the school stuff was just so boring to me. Perhaps if I was a bigger fan of the classics in question, of myths and legends, such as 'the furies' I would have been more into that aspect. Sadly, I am just not so fear it went heinously over my head.
Then the girls beginning dabbling in occult practices trying to harness magic for themselves. As expected they push it way too far with dire consequences. This was the one aspect of the book that kept me reading but even this, used in their eyes for revenge, I ended up feeling lost amidst all the details.
I'm not sure if it was the format that put me off or the fact that the writing, although using intelligent topics, words, structure, etc., it just felt so technical. It lacked heart. I am not sure if I am expressing this correctly or not, I just felt the entire story lacked emotion. I never, ever connected with it.
I know a lot of people are going to enjoy this as all the basic elements are in place for a solid story. Just personally, it wasn't for me.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with an opportunity to read and review this book. I know this is a debut for this author and I would be interested in reading whatever she releases next.

This book took me a crazy long time to get through. Not because it's particularly long, but because it was much easier to put down than to pick back up. The Furies is like Mean Girls gone dark, really dark. The problem is that none of the characters is likable enough to for me to care much about how their story plays out. There is mention of witchcraft and dabbling in the occult, but whether magic plays a part is ambiguous at best. The premise of a group of friends at an elite school has been done repeatedly, and I realize it's not an easy task to make it fresh and new. In fact, I don't really need for it to be fresh and new. I just need it to be interesting. This one had promise but was disappointing in the end. That said, I think this book does have a market, but I most likely was the wrong person for this story.

A new girl at school is taken in by three other girls, all 'outcasts' and they dabble in magic. Basically.....The Craft for a new generation. Robin is Nancy, Violet is Sarah, Alex and Grace are Bonnie and Rochelle. Several reviews mention The Secret History but no, this was The Craft. I mean, there was an entire 'ritual' by the seaside, with the Furies replacing Manon in this story.

This is about angry teenage girls and revenge, and frankly that's a timeless tale. Every generation needs a Nancy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Review#63 THE FURIES by Katie Lowe and reviewing for Netgalley.
Be careful who you make friends with! A really good storyline, though somewhat confusing at times. I found myself having to go back and reread certain parts as the authors thoughts seemed somewhat scattered at times. 🌟🌟🌟Three stars.

A haunting page-turner you won't put down. This debut is amazing and for all YA lovers, you will love this book.

First off thank you NetGalley and Katie Lowe for the chance to read this book! Second, OMGEEZE this book was so good, it pulled me in from the start. It was like Pretty Little Liars meets The Craft! Which are two of my favorites anyways so this book was great. I loved the characters, all of them, I had lingering doubts about Nicky, but in the end, it made a little more sense. I love how in the end it was full circle. This is one of my favorites reads so far. I can not wait to read more from this author!

This was another book I have been picking up and putting down for the past week. I finally finished it today, and it was just OK. The story was slow moving and on the wordy side, and none of the characters were at all likable. So ya, I really have little to say about it other than that...

I genuinely thought I would love this book when I first started it. The premise sounded simply amazing: witchcraft, murder, and teenage hijinks. But what I found was a book that wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. Is it an angsty teen drama, creepy witchcraft story, murder mystery? What it really is is a story about peer pressure and misbehaving teenagers.

Set in a seaside town in the UK in the late 90s, The Furies follows present-day Violet, looking back on her teenage years. Following a tragic car accident that kills her father and sister, Violet gets a scholarship to a prestigious private school, Elm Hollow. There she attracts the attention of Robin, Grace, and Alex and their eccentric teacher Annabel. Before long she finds herself invited to join their coveted study group. There they dive into the school's grim history, most notably the 17th-century witch trials. The girls become fascinated with the notion of witchcraft and decide to try it for themselves. As their actions become darker and things begin to escalate, Violet must decide who to trust and how far she’s willing to go to protect her friends and herself.

I wanted so badly to like this book, but I struggled to get through it and found it rather pretentious when it tries to market itself as scandalous and witchy. It features some intriguing anecdotes about the history of witchcraft and the Greek inspirations were interesting, but the way they were littered in felt contrived and unimportant.

I struggled to get through the story, believing that the amount of setup might pay off in the end. While the ending surprised me, the execution of it was poor and the shock value wasn’t there. Overall this was not an enjoyable book for me.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for the spooky season. However, I struggle to tolerate characters who continuously stay in toxic relationships. I personally find it hard to believe/ connect with. The MC is so desperate for approval she puts up with her “friends” cruel behavior.

While I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, I did enjoy the plot.

This is a perfect read for fans of The Coven!

Sadly, not the right book for me. A really great concept that wasn't well executed and moved a little too slowly for my taste. But I did like the topic and I'm a sucker for a boarding school story. It's a shame it didn't live up to the hype, but it may have been over hyped in all honesty. Still a fun read for October!

I didn’t know what to expect going into “ The Furies” by but I was super excited, nonetheless. The synopsis pulled me in right away. First, the good. What I liked about this book is that it kept me intrigued the entire time I was reading it. There was no lull or boredom so to speak. I loved the setting. It had the perfect mix of witchiness and storyline. If there was one thing that I would say was “bad” or not likeable, I would have to say, the characters. They fell a little flat in comparison to the setting, atmosphere and theme of this book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will read more from the author in the future. There are some triggers so definitely be mindful of that going into this book.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

* I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

One of the necessities in a horror novel or thriller is creating a character for whom the audience feels empathy or, at the very least, sympathy. If the reader doesn’t care about your character, then what happens to them is of very little consequence. The horror novel becomes the equivalent of a teen slasher movie with the intent to frighten not enlighten.

Several times throughout my reading of The Furies by Katie Lowe, I considered quitting mainly because the main characters, Alex, Grace, Robin, and even the narrator, Violet, are mean girl sociopaths. They take actions without caring. I won’t say caring about the consequences, but about anything at all. They take lives without exuding emotion. This desensitized approach made me feel as if the author were simply throwing horror scenes at me. I kept wondering, so what’s this all supposed to be about? What is the author trying to prove? That in the age of #metoo, it’s okay to let women take revenge on men, especially revenge that ends in murder? That if a man says something slimy, he deserves the same end as someone who does something horrible? And, at what point does vigilantism become okay? If we call forth ancient furies to do our bidding does that makes it fine?

Probably it would have helped to have the backstory of Alex, Grace, and Robin, to perhaps have formed a sympathetic basis for them. For the most part, Alex and Grace, are of little consequence, their characters melding together. Even though we know Violet’s backstory, that her father and little sister died in a car accident that she was also in, the author never successfully makes us care about Violet. While reactions and neediness may result from feeling so alone, they don’t allow us to feel a bond to her.

Each of these characters needed depth in order to make this a really good novel.

Lowe demonstrated her scholarly chops as she detailed classical stories to show gender hierarchy throughout history. While some were interesting, the Medusa paintings, for instance, most could have been paraphrased to make her point.

Which leads me to question why Anabelle had these four girls under her tutelage, feeding them stories about the oppression of women, teaching them about the Furies, if her intention was only to provide knowledge and not action. This is one plot hole; there are others.

With all of this and the fact that I really didn’t appreciate this novel, why didn’t I stop reading when I came across a despised animal sacrifice? The writing was good and a part of me kept hoping for “feeling.” I read so many novels, but so few of them are well written. This was one.

So, who would I recommend this one for? Extreme feminists who believe the end justifies the means; readers who enjoy reading very dark novels. If you’re looking for a “witchy” novel, pass this one by regardless of what the blurb says. Girls do three spells with varying results. I would not encourage you to read The Furies if you are appalled by animal sacrifice and animal cruelty; there are two incidents within. Violence is desensitized. While the genre is considered to be YA, I would recommend only for older readers on the YA spectrum.

I’m waffling between 2½ or 3 as a rating. Does good, intriguing writing justify a higher rating? I’m leaning that way.

Violet starts attending an elite girls' school after a personal tragedy and finds herself drawn to one of the other girls. She joins their group and they start dabbling in witchcraft and spells, though it's never quite clear if this is real or not. Ultimately, this is a book about the power of female friendships in the teenager years and how impactful those relationships can be. This book goes to a very dark place but in a way that works within the narrative. I really enjoyed the read and didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more from Katie Lowe. Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The prologue begins with an extremely creepy first-person narrative of a teacher recalling the murder of a 16-year-old girl at Elm Hollow Academy. The girl is found dressed and posed upright swinging on a swing. The image was so utterly disturbing, I was immediately intrigued. The recollection of the murder is told with so little remorse that the teller of the story seems to be borderline psychotic.
The story then begins with Violet, a smart 16-year-old girl who survived a fatal car crash. With the money from the accident, Violet is sent to Elm Hollow Academy, an all-girl private school. She is eager to fit in an make friends. She is quickly brought into an exclusive group of three girls and their teacher art teacher Annabell who meet in secret for extra credit.
The book is told in four parts and is well-written; however, there were parts of the story that lost me. I never got a real sense of Violet's personality. Her behavior is incongruous with her intelligence- even taking into account her desire for friendship. The characters seemed to bleed into each other and seemed like characatures of what teenagers should be like. While I usually love a YA with secrets and magic, love and death, mystery and revenge, I found myself skimming parts that seemed superfluous to the plot.
The beginning of the book was so great that the rest of the book was a bit of a letdown.

Katie Lowe's writing is beautiful and this story keeps you engaged. Violet suffers a major tragedy and ends up at an all girl's private school. She hopes to make a new start and ends up becoming part of a special group obsessed with the occult. Comprised of Violet and three other girls this reminded me of the movie The Craft. If you are into YA teen angst and stories of witch craft this is a book you should check out!

Review: 4.5 Stars

The Furies was one of my most anticipated releases of the second half of the year. I had a review copy of this book for about six months before I finally got to read it and it has been calling to me from my shelf the entire time. After having been disappointed by several of my most anticipated releases recently I was pretty nervous starting this one, but it wound up being absolutely incredible. The Furies is a dark and eerie read that is a perfect choice for the month of October.

Since this book was compared to The Craft I had expected Violet to join a coven of witches who did dark spells, while this was similar I don’t know if I would call the girls witches. They studied demonology and things like that and did try out some rituals, but I wouldn’t say the main focus of this book is purely witchcraft. This is a very dark book, with themes of desperation, a lot of drug use and murder. The Furies is a cross between a thriller and a paranormal read that felt entirely real.

The characters are what truly brought this book to life. When Violet started at the local private school she was so desperate to have friends that she would do anything to not only have them, but to keep and to fit in with them. She became obsessed with her new friends Robin, Alex and Grace. Robin was my favorite character, probably because she was so flawed and morally grey. All of these characters just felt so real and so relatable regardless of the situations that they were in.

I really loved the writing. While the pacing is slower than I typically like I found that I didn’t mind because I didn’t want the story to end. It was character driven rather than plot driven and the characters were so strong that I wish that I could have kept reading about them. My only issue is that there were certain moments in the book, including the climax, that I felt like should have packed more of an emotional punch. While I do understand the author’s choice in having Violet be detached from these events because it made her character feel a little more unhinged, as a reader I felt like it lessened the impact of these huge moments.

I still can’t stop thinking about this book. The Furies really made an impact on me and I think a large part of that is because the characters felt so real, but I also think it’s because parts of this book were so dark and chilling. This was the perfect read to start off the spooky season and I can’t wait for others to read and experience this book as well.

I hate to write negative reviews because I can’t only imagine how much time, Heart and effort goes into writing a novel. However, with that being said, this book just wasn’t for me. I had trouble following some of the descriptions and I also never really connected with the characters in a level that made me actually care about them. It has received many good reviews-just wasn’t for me.

This book! Darkly suspenseful and taut prose. Ah! I enjoyed every word.

Wish I could read this one again.

It has all the things I look for in a book - drugs, murder, and mayhem. Even better, this one has magic!

Clearly I am not the only one who thought of the 1996 movie The Craft. I loved that movie and I watch it every time it airs.

If you enjoyed The Craft, you will undoubtedly enjoy The Furies.