I had really high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me. It felt more like a YA book and the witchcraft themes just didn't work for me. I found that I did not care what happened to any of the characters, they were all pretty awful.

This book definitely has its audience but I am not it.

Violet, Robin, Grace, and Alex are a group of teens at a private school. They are a group of school legacy and misfits that get invited to private instruction by a long time teacher for witchcraft and the history of the school. I found Violet to be a total wimp that needed a backbone and learn how not to be bullied and taken advantage of. Robin is a bully and emotionally troubled.. While Grace and Alex seem to go along with the program with an occasional good idea or bad idea. This book may appeal more to the young adult crowd. I do love a good witchy book, murder mystery, and even YA books but this one just did not come together for me as really strong in any of these genre.

I would like to thank #NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for an honest review.

So engrossing I read it in one sitting. Readers saying this was too out of touch or toxic obviously have never been around or known a girl in a sorority. It completely had that kind of hazin/pledging atmosphere with mean girls vibes. The spooky atmosphere jumped off the page and it all comes together to keep readers transfixed until the very end.

The story opens with the image of a dead student and then goes on to revolve around Violet, a teenager who, seeking a new start after the death of her father and sister, attends Elm Hollow Academy. The school is the site of 17th century witch trials and given the grounds’ history, there is still a good deal of magic and ritual being performed here. It is also a somewhat elite school and Violet joins 3 other young women for a “special study group”. As the story evolves, these four “friends” are involved in magic, murder, and sociopathic friendship. The story becomes darker the more you read right up to the climax at the end. It is always interesting to read something out of my comfort zone and I feel that this book was fairly well written, but it was a struggle for me to get into and really like. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was so long and drawn out. I kept checking my Kindle for how much longer I had to go. That's never a good sign. But I feel obligated to finish a book to review for NetGalley.

This book has strong vibes of the Pretty Little Liars show where things are dragged along very slowly to stretch a plot along a season of episodes. And like Pretty Little Liars about half way along, I just stopped caring about what happened to who and why.

I like that the book is told from Violet's older point of view as she recounts what happened at Elm Hollow. It's apparent that the time at this private school forms the basis for the academic type position that Violet has now in the present.

I don't like any of the characters. In the beginning, I found them very cartoony and cliche. We've met all these girls before. The bright, lower/middle class, outsider to be the one who the action revolves around. The mean queen bee and her rich, bland minions to bolster her up her influence.
The private school setting with the teachers and their special after hour projects with the warning to not tell anyone about these meetings.

In the end, I found them all to be pretty gruesome and bordering on psychotic.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

The Furies is Katie Lowe’s debut novel and it’s centered around four girls living in a small town where a strange thing has happened: a girl has been found dead on Elm Hollow Academy’s grounds. Immediately after the prologue we’re introduced to Violet, a new girl who joins Elm Hollow where she meets three other girls who invite her to become part of their group. Robin, Grace and Alex are a very intriguing bunch of girls who Violet finds interesting. As she joins the Academy she becomes enrolled into Art class which is led by Annabel. (As far as I remember) Violet likes drawing things and unrelated to this she gets invited to Annabel’s secret classes on ancient rites and rituals. There she finds the same three girls in her group and learns many things about the dead girl (how she looks like her and how she was Robin’s best friend). The girls begin practicing witchcraft and soon everything they knew changes.

The synopsis other than the cover made me very intrigued because it reminded me of The Craft which is a fantastic movie revolving around four witches and the dark side of magic. Before reading this book I’ve come upon mixed reviews but I did my best to read it with fresh eyes. I really liked the beginning of the book where the reader got introduced to the Academy and the girls. I liked the writing in the book because it gave life to the book. The characters weren’t what I was expecting them to be and at some points in the book I found them to be annoying. I would also mention that judging by the synopsis I was expecting a lot more from the book but it didn’t fully live up to my expectations because I was craving something more – more action, more story, just more. I feel like the synopsis made me expect more from the book in a way and it sadly didn’t fully live up to it. I have to mention that the issue of rape is something I didn’t expect being mentioned in the book and that is great but I wish it was better executed that the character’s psyche was better explored and that the character dealt with it in a better way. In the end, yes, I did find certain things that bothered me but I wouldn’t scare people away from reading The Furies because it was such an interesting read and while reading I found myself reading on and on because I wanted to know more.

A mystery set in an academy on the site of the witch trials filled with stories of mythology. What's not to love. Witchcraft, murder and teenage angst make for unreliable narrators who don't trust anyone let alone themselves. What is the truth here. As the reader you are left to draw your own conclusions.

It definitely felt like I was reading a book based on the movie “The Craft” and I am not mad about it. It seemed simpler in ways and more complex in ways. I could see this having additional books follow to follow other characters. Overall, I did really enjoy it and would be a great witchy/Halloween book

Grab this if you are looking for something a bit dark and haunting, something that is intriguing and draws you in, something edgy and well-written. This is a book that brings in the mythological Furies and dark magic. This is a book that features a girl’s school, and the alternating thrill and uncertainty of teenage friendships.

This book unfolds a bit like a hazy dream, always intriguing, sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, with thrills and chills and mystery. This is a tale of misguided teenagers and female empowerment and revenge gone horribly awry. This is a book that has stayed with me.

Thank you to the publisher for an Earc of The Furies by Katie Lowe! I really enjoyed this book from the start. It was mysterious and dark most of the time. Also, you had the feeling something supernatural was lurking around the corner. I love books that do that! It reminded me of a well blended version of The Secret History with a The Craft twist, and a touch of Mean Girls (lol).

Overall, I enjoyed it, it delivered what I wanted from it, but the entire time I felt like it’s been done before. Entertaining read just not my favorite.

"Sex, love, revenge, and death." This really summarizes the book in a nutshell. After Violet loses her father and sister in a car accident, her mother is lost in the past and can barely function. So when Violet is accepted to an all-girls boarding school and is taken in by Robin, Grace, and Alex, she is thrilled to be a part of something as she bonds with these friends. Annabel, the art teacher invites her to be part of an elite group that examines the school's dark history which includes a combination of witchcraft, myth, dark spells, and stories where the ancient Furies are summoned to exact revenge on those that have wronged someone. The girls are spellbound by this as there is a missing girl and rumors surround her disappearance. Lowe weaves a dark and twisty tale of murder, angst, and deception that is reminiscent of Carol Goodman's novels combining myth and reality. It compelled me from the beginning to the end!

During the 90's a young girl is found dead on her boarding school's property - Elm Hollow Academy. The author takes us back to the events leading up to the discovery of this young girl. Elm Hollow Academy has a connection to 17th century witch trials; a professor, Annabel, takes four students under her wing to study this history. The girls begin to believe that the magic is real. We follow Violet, who is new to the school, and becomes a part of Annabel's classes. She is sucked into the mystery of the magic and the events leading up to this young girl's death.
The mystery of this novel is interesting and intriguing. There is a lot of in-depth discussion about Greek history and what the students are studying which took me out of the mystery a bit. The writing is well done.

This was a very interesting and mind grabbing story. I couldn’t put it down.

Imagine going to an all girls academy with a history of witchcraft. Sounds like fun until strange things start happening.

You will feel as if you are one of the students as you travel along with Violet and Robin through their school year.

While I liked the premise, having recently read two other fairly amazing boarding school/young adult/young women finding their power books recently, The Furies simply didn't hold my attention like the other two did. I also couldn't find much to like about the protagonist (or the other characters). It was DNF around 20% for me. Based on this novel, I'm not sure I would pick up another book by this author. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read a copy.

Although it reminded me of movies and other books it was a good enough story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if not for the comparison fact. Someone who hasn’t seen the movie or read the books I’m thinking if will definitely enjoy it more.

Thank you SO much to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

The Furies by Katie Lowe is an atmospheric read set in a small coastal town at the end of the line. All the lines. Literally. It seems like a very depressed area that has a history of witch hunts and unexplained deaths/murders. At the heart is a school for girls, where Violet is a new student and she ends up falling in with an odd group of girls that are part of a secret society. The past is mixed with the present as Violet recalls the events of her first year at the school

So the good first: I really did enjoy Lowe's writing style. Violet had a detached voice that kind of mirrored the..... ....hell, I'll say it, she's a bit of a sociopath. The whole book had a creepy, depressed, airy tone that her voice did a good job imparting.

The other voice that we hear a lot of is the secret society/art teacher, Annabel. She gives us some interesting discourse on the history of the town and school, as well as a critical view of some mythological and literary classics through a feminist lens. The only parts that really lost me were these discourses - yes it is cool to have mini lessons on Chaucer, Dante's Inferno, and others, but it was a bit of a sidetrack. And extensive. Very occasionally it was hard in other places to understand what was happening, but the storyline would pick back up quickly enough.

The girls might have good reason to but they took women's empowerment over men to a scary level, including attempting to summon the mythical furies as had their group's predecessors in earlier years. Violet was an at risk teen to start but she seemed way too eager to start smoking, drinking, doing drugs, losing weight, just to fit into this group. None of them were healthy.

Otherwise I really loved how the witchcraft history and mythology all tied together in the book. I don't think anyone could have possibly seen that end coming. I would definitely recommend the book if atmospheric, spellcrafty, spooky and slightly psychopathic reads are up your alley!

***link to blog is also listed in the links but here it is again, went live 9/10
https://onenursereader.wixsite.com/onereadingnurse-1/post/the-furies-by-katie-lowe

Before I jump into the review I’d like to thank NetGalley and St Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this title
Prior to its publication. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to do so.

Let’s start with the positives. The cover and the synopsis of this book really drew me in. 1990s boarding school with a secret society. Possible ties with witch craft. Sign me up!

What I expected- Nostalgia and something similar but not the same as the movie The Craft. Loved that movie and the characters in it. I expected strong friendships between the girls shrouded in a mystery of what happened to the previous fourth member. We eventually find out at the end what happened to this other girl and I have to say I was surprised.

What I got- Let me preface this with the fact that what I’m about to say is in no disrespect to the author. This book was just not for me. The way that Katie Lowe described the small town made me depressed. I understand that it was to create an atmosphere but it just made me feel weird. I don’t know how else to describe it.
The friendships in this book were toxic. I enjoy a mean girl from time to time but the ringleader of the group Robin was out and out cruel. At no point in the book did I ever change my opinion of her. I didn’t like her attitude, her foul mouth or the way she treated the people around her. I also feel that the author spent so much time and effort on making Robin a stand out character that the other girls fell to the wayside. Everyone else seemed interchangeable. It’s like I felt this strong dislike for Robin and a complete disconnection from the other girls.
I almost DNFd this book a few times but I pushed through telling myself to just keep reading and it will get better. It did not.

I have a number of bookish friends that are looking forward to this book and I will not discourage them from picking this up. Everyone had different tastes and different reading experiences. However, I will not go out of my way to recommend it to anyone else.

I praise the author, Katie Lowe, for a read that picked up quickly. There were quite a lot of twists and surprises that kept me entertained.

A good read.

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a good read.

I had so much trouble with this book. The premise sounded amazing but once I started reading I had a ton of trouble following it, and honestly it just wasn’t doing it for me.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. The premise sounded very interesting but once I got into the book I struggled. I’m sure it is a great book but it was not in my area of interest.