Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author Ms Katie Lowe, for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The Furies" releasing October 8th 2019

4 stars

A strong female tour de force featuring four young "witches" and things that don't go bump in the night.

Teenage angst gets a new spin with this edge of your seat read.

There's an old private school with a dark, mysterious past;
teachers that are engaging and inspiring but might have hidden agendas.

Life is a struggle for young "Violet", her Mother has basically checked out of life. "Robin" is beautiful and talented but has a mean streak. "Alex" and "Grace" are a strong female couple with family issues of their own.

Bringing these four teenage girls together who are angry at life, school, ex's and parents... typical teenage issues, except, how they handle their problems is completely unorthodox, totally frightening, and nothing you could ever imagine.

What an intriguing book. The ending was amazing. I really loved this story. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery about witchcraft.

This is a WHIRLWIND of a novel. It reads somewhat young adultish, but not in a bad way. It definitely reminded me of the Craft, in the best way.

I had seen a lot of buzz about this book, so was excited when I was granted an ARC of it through NetGalley. Reading about it, it reminded me a bit of the movie "The Craft", from when I was younger. "The Furies" is the story of Violet, the new student at Elm Hollow, a school for girls famous for its history of its founder being accused of witchcraft during the 17th century witch trials, who received tuition to attend their as part of the settlement of the death of her father and sister in a car accident. After their death, Violet's mother is quite emotionally absent, leaving Violet in search of a connection to others. At Elm Hollow, Violet quickly meets the trio of Robin, Grace, and Alex, and is invited to join in the secret "study group" that they are in with one of their teachers, Annabelle. While the group is said to focus on the power and rage of women, through the ages, as told through ancient writings & mythology, the girls believe that what is being encourages are ancient rituals that have to do with magic, especially as a means of revenge against those that have wronged them, and women. What is meant to bring the girls together begins to tear the group apart, especially after the body of a former student, Emily (the fourth member of the group prior to Violet, and who Violet bears a striking resemblance to), is found buried within the tree that is at the center of the witch trial legends at the school. I loved the premise of the story, but at times, struggled to get through the writing style of the author, especially when she talked about the writings being studied within the study group. Overall, I didn't hate this book, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was not for me. A bit too formulaic and too much borrowing from other shows and books (The Craft, anyone?). Still not a bad read for everyone, just not my thing.

I received an e-ARC of The Furies from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the grand tradition of The Craft, The Furies is the tale of a group of outcast teenage girls who find themselves enthralled with the occult.

In 1998 a young woman is found dead, posed on a swing at her school; no cause of death can be determined, but someone knows the tale of what happened to her.

Violet, whose father and sister were killed in a serious car accident and whose mother has withdrawn from the world, is enrolled into Elm Hollow Academy. Elm Hollow is the site of a 17th century witch burning and the source of many surrounding legends. At Elm Hollow, Violet finds herself friends with Robin, Grace, and Alex and together they are pulled into a mysterious study group led by their art teacher Annabel. With Annabel's guidance, the girls are studying the history of the school, mythology and legend, and are entranced with the rumored history of the students who called down The Furies of Greek mythology to avenge the death of their teacher - the woman who was burned as a witch. The girls, enthralled with the legend, decide they may have some revenge to exact upon those who have wronged them as well.

3.5 stars for the intriguing premise and the creepy tone and tension building of The Furies. While I very much enjoyed the overall storyline, there were some points where I felt the plot meandered a bit. I recommend The Furies for fans of occult themed YA fiction.

The Furies is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

A great mystery surrounds an English girls’ school: one of a tightly knit group of four self-isolating girls has vanished. Into the school, fortuitously, comes a new girl, who makes her way into this clique of girls who study privately with the mysterious teacher, Annabel, high in a secret room in the bell tower.

Annabel teaches Aesthetics, a loose term including Classics in the classroom, with the overarching theme of the hidden power of women not only in classic literature and myth, but in modern times as well. She frequently invokes The Furies, and Robin, Alex, Grace, and Violet imagine that they possess their fierce powers. To her group of four select students, she continues this theme but tantalizes them with the power of mysterious spells.

Throughout this story, there are hints of spells gone wrong, spells aborted, and evil spells, and spirits invoked in the dark of night - with murder and scandal playing large roles as well. And, woven into the story artfully are the themes common to books featuring teenage girls: boys, tobacco, marijuana, hard drugs and liquor.

It’s actually quite challenging to describe this book except to say that it is magnificent. I found myself highlighting phrases of lyrical, descriptive, language. And, I found this book almost impossible to put down. Some suspension of disbelief and the willingness to tolerate cognitive dissonance (as in, did that really just happen!?) is required, but it is certainly worth the effort in order to enter this very unusual world.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I look forward to reading more by this gifted writer.

The first chapter was excellent and drew me in right away, but the novel was uneven overall. The intricate history of the school and the Greek mythology were excellent, but the girls felt familiar, like these characters were interchangeable with any number of female protagonists in any YA novel. I also found the supernatural elements far less interesting or original than the world the author created with the school. I would be very interested to read more from this author as her writing shows a lot of promise, but this book was nothing memorable.

A well crafted dark tale filled with strong female characters. This complex YA novel takes place at an elite girls boarding school and is driven by themes of female empowerment, toxic friendships and teen angst.

In the aftermath of a tragic car crash in which Violet's father and little sister die, Violet is left to fend for herself since her mother is overwhelmed with grief and depression. A financial windfall, aka settlement from the accident, allows Violet to finish school at the posh local "Academy," where she is befriended by wild child Robin and her circle. For the first time in her life, Violet feels she belongs and her attachment to Robin is intense. The girls' close ties and their involvement in a secret society taught by a revered art teacher which focuses on the divine and fearsome power of the feminine in mythology and classic literature tip the girls into exploring the occult to "handle" their enemies, with tragic results. For fans of Ruth Ware's The Lying Game and Tana French's The Secret Place.

Some other reviewers mentioned similarities to The Craft and The Secret History. What struck me was the use of the witch elm tree. Tana French’s most recent book is The Witch Elm. The use of this tree as a repository for a body was used very effectively in that book. Not so much here. The characters in this book are all very unlikable. I enjoy a dark story, but need to at least be rooting for someone in the story. Everything was spoken of as, not only dark, but dirty. I wanted to jump in and clean people and places. I would like to find something good to say about this book, but there is just not anything. Maybe this book is just not for me and others will be better judges of its merits. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an early copy.

2.5

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this arc, I highly appreciate it!

So this book was basically a mash up of The Craft and The Secret History. It starts off with a suspicious murder at an exclusive all girls boarding school. This would typically be right up my street as I love books set at boarding schools and I love mystery/thrillers but parts of this made me feel wholly uncomfortable, Robin was a toxic character and reminded me of some of the ‘friends’ I had in school. The bullying and the peer pressure hit a bit close to home and I found it really difficult to read.

There were a lot of aspects that I liked, I thought the writing was good and the story and overall plot was well thought out too. I didn’t see the ending coming either which was a bonus.

The Furies was honestly a mixed bag for me. I wanted to like it more than I did, but found aspects of it really cool and perfect for a high school girl to read. It had a very Sabrina vibe with a group of girls that formed some sort of alliance.
Violet is an outcast and starts at a new school. She is soon befriended by three other girls. Robin, Grace and Alex. They are not the "mean girls" but you get a taste of what high School girls are like. The competition, the names, the boys, the wanting to be older and hanging out with an older crowd. It's all there. And then we get the added element of a teacher welcoming them into a special after school group. Annabel teaches them about the history of the School and about the girls that previously attended. It's history and maybe just a story that's changed over time. Is it a history of witchcraft? Or is it just all a myth?
This was the part of the story I liked. The evil and the rage that surrounds the girls really was dark and intriguing. I just wish we got more of that and that it didn't seem so Sabrina like.
Not a bad book, but a still a book that had all the points there and that left some open interpretation for the readers. It totally came full circle and still left me feeling a little wanting.

2.5 stars... Why did this book feel like the movie The Craft to me? And Robin was like Nancy? But that was where the similarities ended. The book was written in prose like manner, which I did not care for, It was overly wordy and confusing, Violet was utterly stupid and needed help. And don't get me started with the end, Robin just overdoses on the swing and Violet has no recollection of what really happened? And then what Nicky owns up to, in the end, left me with a headache. None of these girls, Violet, Alex, Grace, nor Nicky deserve a happy ending. And what about Tom? he did what he did with no punishment. As the end of the book approach, it became a blathered mess. I liked the blurb of this book, but it failed to live up to its full potential. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Furies is a story revolving around the toxicity of female friendship, teenage angst, and revenge. It follows the story of a girl named Violet, who survived a car accident that killed her father and little sister. Violet attends an elite all girls’ school after being awarded the insurance money from the accident. Violet befriends 3 girls, whose former friend mysteriously disappeared months earlier.

This story is dark and full of the occult. The prose is saturated with metaphors and similes that some people might find to be too much. I personally love it when authors do that. The story is brutal, and doesn’t shy away from the gritty stuff like obsession, narcissism, and decay. There’s witchcraft and murder—two things I personally love reading about. This story is definitely worth checking out. It’s full of atmosphere and beautiful writing.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Always looking for books for my YA granddaughter who is an avid reader. This book was riveting! I could not put it down. Loved the character development and the overall creepiness of the novel!

I really wasn't a fan of this novel. I felt like it was another run of the mill YA female revenge story. I didn't connect to any of the characters, no matter how hard I tried. It was not an original idea, though it could have been executed as one. There was just not enough substance for me to write a longer review. Over all, I just didn't enjoy the novel and had to force myself to finish it.

I really wanted to like this book. The description sounded so good. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I really didn’t like any of the characters and was waiting to be grabbed by the story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

A semi-dark, thrilling trip into the consequences a group of young women must face when they decide they have the right to wreak havoc at their school and one of them dies. The genre is listed as YA but I found the writing and story engrossing enough to finish in one sitting. Katie Lowe gave us characters so real that I hope I never run into them. The story opens doors into group actions that we all hope never to run into. Take a chance...read this book...you won't be sorry.

This book immediately appealed to me because I’m drawn to anything relating to “real life” witchcraft. Meaning not wands and inherited magic, but the power hidden in our day to day world.
I Especially love the history and tales surrounding the Salome witch trials.
This book does have magical rites and you see girls attempting to perform ancient spells, but it more focuses on the untapped power of females.
A teacher, Annabelle, picks four students to study outside class hours with a focus on the suffering and trials of women. She is not actually teaching these girl spells, but their obsession with theology leads them to steal an old spell book and attempt to summon The Furies.

While demons and ghosts weren’t flying around the town, events did happen to make the girls feel like their power was the cause of it. But their decisions lead to some bad situations and the girls friendship and club crumble.
We leave with Violet, whose been the one telling this tale from the beginning, teaching at the same school and determined to pick her 4 student to reform this club and give some the power of the Furies.

I did enjoy this story and there were parts that kept me on the edge of my seat. But I was expecting g a little more from it. The relationships between the girls were so twisted and I thought more would be revealed about Annabelle. But overall a very fun fall read to curl up with at night. Fall is the perfect launch for this title.