Just okay. To be honest, I’ve really had my fill of the “angry female” narrative. No real reason to read this, but no real reason not to, either.

Violet's world has been turned upside down. Her father and younger sister were killed in a car accident; Violet was the only survivor. Her mother is broken, a shell of the woman she once was, and Violet may as well be alone in their house. An insurance settlement provides the funds to enroll Violet in Elm Hollow Academy, a private all- girl's school, with a rather dark past.
While this seems to provide Violet the opportunity to move beyond her family tragedy and start over, mentally, she is ill-prepared to make new friends and fit in with her peers. When her art teacher, Annabel, invites her to join a special advanced class, she becomes entangled in the lives of Robin, Grace, and Alex, fellow students with problems of their own. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and witchcraft factor heavily into Violet's “ fresh start” and soon she is barely keeping up with her classes, though her confusion and pain barely register at home. Things get dark, awfully fast, and the choices these girls make will have repercussions that last a lifetime.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to emerge from their teenage years fully intact without having been bullied, or being an outcast, or depressed, or just different, I truly envy you. 15 was an awful age for me, and though I didn't make the types of bad decisions that Voilet made, I made my fair share of turning right when I should have gone left, and made some questionable choices when choosing friends. I could relate to Violet's loneliness and neediness, but it is hard to say much more about where this story goes without entering spoiler territory. It was an engaging tale and even though my teenage years were not quite so tragic and fraught with despair, I could very much relate to these girls and hoped that they could emerge unscathed.
This is Katie Lowe's debut novel and one that I won't soon forget.
I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

It was a good book. You need to loose yourself in a book like this. Definitely one to add to your must read list. Nice flow and cadence to the story.

***THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR PROVIDING ME WITH A FREE ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

This book is not going to be for every reader. It's dark and rage-y and full of terrible decisions and awful people. I LOVED IT! 4.5 STARS

After suffering a family tragedy, Violet sets off for private school, part broken and wholly alone. She falls in with Robin and her troubled friends, who study the history of occult and fierce females under the watchful eye of their feminist professor, Annabel.

The characters in this book drive the story with daggers in hand and a gleam in their eye. I adored the absolute devastation Violet wreaks, both on herself and with/through her friends. It reminded me of the Vegas period in The Goldfinch, but with more murder and angst and female empowerment.

The plot winds through the characters and braids motivations with terrible teen decision making skills. Furies are summoned, dispatched, awakened. And as the girls become not unlike the furies themselves, the murders pick up and the blood seeps.

Tension yanks you through this story while dangling the elusive carrot from chapter one: WHO IS THE DEAD GIRL? As the story picks up, Lowe expertly adds layers of suspense as she pummels toward the end, with extra murder and death and vile acts of vengeance.

I wanted to freezer this book several times because Violet is not likable. She's not. She is a wonderful character with deep motivations and teenage feelings abut she isn't likeable. IF YOU MUST HAVE A LIKEABLE MC, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU.

Other reasons this book may not be for you: Triggers. Which ones, you ask? ALL OF THEM. THIS BOOK HAS ALL THE TRIGGERS. BLOOD, SEXUAL ASSUALT, DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE, OCCULT, MURDER, AND DEAD KIDS.


Solid 4.5 stars from me!

"The Furies" is a creepy, strange, good book. The main character and narrator, Violet, having survived unscathed the car crash that killed her father and younger sister, is given the opportunity, via the settlement from the company whose work vehicle killed her father and sister, to attend the private girl's school on the edge of town, Elm Hollow Academy. Elm Hollow's founder, Margaret Boucher, was killed because she was suspected of being a witch; which was not entirely inaccurate, as she was well-versed in the occult and ancient rituals and had tried to carry out some of the rituals.. However, before her death she had founded Elm Hollow, a school for girls, where she taught the girls the classics. The night before her death, she invited four of her students to a special dinner, during which she summoned the Furies to empower these girls to protect the school and exact revenge on the wicked. Watching Margaret burned at the stake, the four girls vowed to avenge the evils of men. These four girls/women would carry on her legacy, with one woman choosing a new group of four girls to mentor, with that practice continuing to the present. Violet does not know all of this when she begins attending Elm Hollow. However, soon after her arrival, she falls in with the "weird" girls, led by Robin. Violet bears a striking resemblance to Emily Frost, Robin's best friend, who had mysteriously disappeared the year before. Violet soon finds herself part of the "four" along with Robin, Alex and Grace, receiving special lessons in female empowerment and the power of revenge from one of the teachers, Annabel.

The four girls are all "broken." Grace is in the worst physical situation, as her father physically abuses her. She is the smartest of the four girls, but also the quietest, being emotionally beaten down by the years of physical abuse and the stress of hiding the abuse from others. However, she has an inner strength that she can summon forth when necessary. Alex is the most financially well-off, with a wealthy mother. However, her mother is often traveling, leaving Alex to fend for herself. Her mother's benign neglect has left Alex adrift, making her grasp even harder to her role as protector of Grace (who is also her girlfriend). Robin is the most damaged of them all, losing herself in drugs, alcohol, bad relationship choices, and bad decisions, made worse by the disappearance of her best friend. She is the one who most strongly identifies with the idea of practicing witchcraft and exacting revenge. Violet gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Robin, seeking a sense of belonging after the tragedy she endured, and finds herself falling into all the bad habits that Robin epitomizes. The adult version of Violet is recounting the events during her time at Elm Hollow. As the story progresses, the reader cannot help but wonder how the adult version of Violet came to be considering her actions as a teenager.

What makes this book somewhat strange and interesting is that as much as you learn about the girls, they still feel somewhat distant and mysterious; even at the end, you never really feel like you know them. The author keeps the reader guessing about the true nature of some of the characters and about who was really behind some of the evil acts that take place, with a rather surprising twist at the end that reframes some of the acts of revenge.

I received a copy of the e-book via Netgalley.

Such a dark book but its entertaining. There is def a cult/supernatural thriller vibe to it. It's a fast read and works.

A little bit of Mean Girls, a little bit of Secret Circle, this book opens with a mysterious death of a high school girl, then continues by going back to the time the narrator, Violet, started at the private girls' school where the death (murder?) took place.

There's a secret students' group led by a favorite teacher, a principal who's maybe a little too caring and cozy with students, a mysteriously missing group member, witchcraft, and spells. There are a few times when I thought I knew where it was going and I was dead wrong, which is something I like in a book.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Furies from the first chapter has you questioning every single character. The story starts with 16 years old violet. Who is retelling the murder in the town? Who I felt bad for and hated at the same time. I felt she was made to seem like this fragile girl who has survived a traumatic experience and couldn’t or wouldn’t live for herself. But she had choices and she never said no even though the choices didn’t feel right to her. She wanted to be part of something since there wasn’t any connection with her mother who was deep in a depression. I hated Violets characters at times when situations got out of hand. She didn’t say anything but suffered in silence which I think is a very important point that she makes in the story. No one should do anything to you without your consent and you should never stay quiet. That part of the story had me feeling very upset. Also, an awareness that abused of any kind should not be brushed off because is extremely dangerous.

One of the things that kept me reading was the witchcraft part. It’s fascinating for the history of it. It made the story that more interesting. It made the story darker and the four girls but it left you with a shocking revelation that I didn’t expect! I had to read the pages over just to make sure I read it right the first time. The ending is very interesting. I gave it four stars because it had a hold on me from page one, and it did not disappoint me at all.

I stepped a bit out of my reading comfort zone for this one and even though this wasn't a complete winner for me, I am glad I read it. Initially I had been concerned how much witchcraft was going to play in the story as that's not something I'm typically all that interested in. However, there really was a lot going on in the story besides that so I do believe this book has the potential to appeal to a wide variety of readers.

So the book starts off with the narrator talking about how years ago a 16 year old girl was found dead on school property. Super mysterious as to what exactly happened. We are then taken back in time to when Violet, the narrator, was growing up and had just recently lost both her father and sister due to a car accident. She has just enrolled as a new student at Hollow Academy, a private girl's school, where she can hopefully have a fresh start. The school has the unfortunate history of being the site for witch trials during the 17th century. Violet is a bit of an outsider for a variety of reasons but she is invited to join a private study group. And that's all your getting out of me as I think it's best to go in to this one without a lot of prior info.

One of the strengths of the novel was there were quite a few things I didn't see coming and to me it was a good feeling not ever knowing just exactly what the author had in store. I think that also contributed to the whole creepy vibe of the story.

This book has been compared to the movie, The Craft, and I definitely do not think that is a bad or off the wall comparison. However, I just don't think the group of four girls in this book had the same spark, charisma, or whatever you want to call it as the characters in the movie. Alex and Grace in particular just blended in together as I didn't find either one to be all that memorable. I also can't help but feel like there was almost too much that was added to the story in terms of different topics and themes the author wanted to explore and as a result it felt messy at times.

I might not have been in love with the execution, but I have no regrets about reading this one and I do appreciate the effort to bring something different to the genre.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found this tried to be too clever. What I mean by that is that the premise was interesting but it got off track a lot ... there were interesting characters but they almost seemed an afterthought to some tragedy building. Thanks for your consideration

I received a free e-copy of The Furies by Katie Lowe from NetGalley for my honest review.

Violet, her Dad and sister are in a car crash that only she survives. Violet enrolls in Elm Hollow Academy, which is a private girls school in the town where she lives. She quickly realized that Elm Hollow has a horrible history of 17th century witch trials. She gets involved with a group of girls that introduce her to drugs and alcohol. Violet is excited to have this group of friends because she didn't have any in her previous school.

Things start changing when she is invited to be a part of a study group by an art teacher named Annabel. The girls become interested in witchcraft and after a ritual they perform, they are convinced they have summoned The Furies. The furies are part Greek mythology. They were the female underworld deities of vengeance. As Violet gets more involved with the girls, suddenly a missing teenage girl turns up dead. Are these girls responsible? Does she really know who her friends are?

I struggled getting into this book. It felt a bit cheesy and YA to me.

"There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls" is a theme / trope that I have not read about in a good while, but this book exemplifies it: intoxicating (pun fully intended; drugs and drinking are a common component) yet horrifying. While I'm not condemning this book in particular since it's beautifully written — with vivid descriptions of place and mood — it does worry me that this is what we as a society tend to romanticize, and the ending does nothing to assuage that concern.

The beginning and ending are engaging and memorable, a can't-look-away kind of deal. However, I became almost disinterested at parts in the middle — there's still plenty of plot and emotional hooks, but for some reason I just couldn't get invested.

Since the narrative centers on relationships (between girls and their friends, frenemies, romantic partners, parents, teachers, society), we get a lot of exploration in this field. The vast majority of the dynamics portrayed are alarmingly unhealthy; they're also nuanced and totally believable.

“It was that soft, still hour unique to autumn evenings, when the ember smell of bonfires mixes with the salty breath of the sea, and the leaves stop falling for a moment, as though afraid.”
This book was really incredible. Less witch, more tragic, grungy coming-of-age but still excellent. Violet, with her depressed, alcoholic mother, was a susceptible mess, clinging to any form of attention and love she could find. Robin was the deviant savior she needed. I guess I should say Violet got in with the wrong crowd, but also the right crowd, in the end.
“There are ghosts everywhere, in the town, little end of the earth I can never leave.”
Filled with tons of beautiful, vivid descriptions, I’d highly recommend this book to anyone interested in witchcraft, boarding schools, teen drama, mystery and murder.

While I'm not the target audience having left my teen years behind me a long time ago, I was still interested in the premise of this book. Sadly, it didn't live up to its promise to be a compelling story.

It is short but felt long as large passages tried to seem deep but never quite made a strong impact. Again, were I 15 these might have landed better.

Too many pivotal events happened off-page and it just wasn't compelling enough. I really had to force myself to finish.

I have seen this compares to Girls on Fire which I also didn't like so perhaps there's something in that.

Thanks to #netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an unbiased review. This book will definitely find its following, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
I think people who like Pretty Little Liars type books might like this one, but it wasn’t for me. I did not like the style as it was too flowery and stiff, and I didn’t like a single character in here and could’ve cared less what happened to them. They’re mean and catty and insecure and don’t make you feel bad. There’s violence and nastiness between girls who are supposed to be friends.
Be wary of a lot of foul language and violence and sexual situations, drug and alcohol use, and no morals whatsoever!

I really enjoyed this book, perfect for those who read fictional books. This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

The Furies is a very well written and eventful story (there are a number of deaths, some of them fairly blood-soaked) but for some reason I struggled to really engage with it. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood. Violet, even while recounting some very painful and intense experiences, felt strangely detached, and by extension so did I. By the end, I was trying to get my head around everything that had happened and why - I’m still not sure I fully understood it all. And I’m still not sure how a girl manages to die while seated on a swing and not immediately fall off.

I think a lot of people will love this book and I did enjoy reading it, but somehow it never quite pulled me in to the extent I hoped it would. That said, the author does a good job of depicting the febrile, dangerous world of these teenage girls and the character of Robin, in particular, is very well done.

I just could not get into this book. I tried. Then I tried again. It wasn't the writing or the writer, but I just didn't want to delve into death, boarding schools, or teen drama this summer. My bad. The family relationships were interesting, I've taught teens and Adolescent Literature at the college level, and I can picture exactly the readers who would love this book that deals with witchcraft/mythology/family drama, readers who will relate to the lousy friendships, the mistakes that are made, the longings they both crave. Just wasn't the novel for me.

I was so excited to read The Furies! So many great creepy moments within the book that had me hoping for an amazing crescendo.

But...every time the story would get a little scary, the author would put the characters back to doing mundane daily things. As if the event that just occurred didn't really happen.

So for me, the story never built. Important events were pushed to the side and rarely picked back up.

It was a great concept and I had high hopes but for me, it missed the mark.


Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

You'll need a bit of patience to get through The Furies by Katie Lowe but once the book heats up, you will keep reading so you can find out what happens to Violet and her new friends. This book was at times interesting and suspenseful, and at other times I was waiting for something interesting to happen. The beginning dragged for me. I put it back several times but came back to it. The premise of the story sounds good. In the beginning of this story, we meet young Violet. She is starting at a new private school after taking a year off to home school herself after the death of her father and sister. The set up of the classes and electives that the students are allowed to choose from are really cool.

Violet begins a friendship with Robin, the charismatic leader of a group of girls who just don't seem like everyone else at the school. She starts to fit in with her new friends and soon, their teacher Annabelle leads them in a private study session. Witchcraft? Studying? Mean Girls gone bad? Perhaps a combination of all three, but it leads to horrific poor choices and tragedy.

Overall, a decent book, just slow and characters that I had a hard time relating to. I do appreciate Katie Lowe, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy and review the book. As always, my opinions are my own.