The book didn't make me love it, but it is still an okay read this year. I guess the pacing contributes to me not liking the novel. I also didn't like how it was very confusing to read, not knowing if it was told from the past or if it is in the present. A date written on each transition would be helpful for me. I also hate Violet for all of her decisions, despite telling me that she is supposed to be smart.

I had such high hopes for the Furies. Seriously this book had so many key terms that appealed to me.

– magic

– the occult

– witches

But, the whole thing just really fell flat for me. Violet, the main character, seemed to lack any real drive or characterization. She just kinda went with the flow and did anything to fit in to this new school. Including participating in murder??? Like hello?

Let me back up a bit. I am not here to bash this book, and clearly I did enjoy it a bit if I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.

I just feel that Katie Lowe could have done more with the story.

I wanted more magic. The synopsis talks about these girl harnessing this dangerous black magic but like….nothing really becomes of it? The deaths that we witness are not magically induced for the most part. They are “accidental” and just straight up murder.

If Katie comes out with a sequel, I will definitely read it in hopes that it expands upon some of my questions that the Furies left me with.

I need to know Annabel’s connection to everything, I definitely do not think that she is innocent in all of this.

I need to know more about the founder of the Academy and why that one teacher (I seriously forget his name already) was spending so much time researching the history of the school. There is no way that is just a coincidence.

I also just need to know more about Alex, Grace, and Robin. Seeing them through Violet’s eyes alone wasn’t enough.

I was left unsatisfied and needing more explanation for EVERYTHING.

This book was an automatic approval for work (I work at a bookstore). It did not mesh with my reading tastes, and I had a difficult time getting into it. I found the characters difficult to relate to, and quite frankly they were a little annoying. I’m so sorry to the author, I think Kanye maybe someone else may be better suited to enjoying this book than myself!

I enjoyed the slow burn of this book.

The writing is strong and intelligent and the mystery persists until the end, with many twists and turns along the way.

This is not a page turner, but I consider that to be strength, not a weakness. Violet is a not a protagonist to be inspired by, but rather one to empathize with and perhaps be cautioned by.

The setting felt almost gothic, which I found to be a great backdrop for such an unsettling story.

I’d recommend this book to the audience for whom it is intended—young adults, though some of us approaching middle age folk may enjoy it, too.

I received a ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is a really unique and interesting story, but perhaps too subtle to be considered horror. The HYPE surrounding this book, hailing it as scary and creepy, swayed my opinion and left me disappointed. The ending lived up to my expectations, but all the other parts leading up to it were more focused on the topic of teenage angst and unhealthy friendships.

'The Furies' begins with a young woman found dead, dressed all in white and posed on a swing. There are plenty of rumors, but only one person who actually knows what happened.

Flashback to Violet, who tells the story of her first days at Elm Hollow Academy, an exclusive girls school. Violet is bright but awkward, and is coming from some horrific events in her recent past. Add to that a strained relationship with her mother and a bleak seaside hometown, and she is desperately trying to find herself and a way to fit in. She finds friendship with the odd and alluring Robin and her small group of friends. What unfolds is an ever-escalating exploration into teenage obsession, anger, the occult, rituals, and magic.

There is excellent writing here, and the story moves along at a good pace to keep the reader turning the pages. While I had a hard time relating to the characters, that is probably just because I am no longer a teenager and am not really the target audience for this book.

If you're a fan of The Craft, this book is for you! It's a thriller but with elements of magic and the occult. The main characters are encouraged to become like the Furies themselves, and take vengeance on the men who have wronged them. But it is left for the reader to decide whether the girls achieve this through witchcraft or through murder.

I ended up not finishing this one. Felt too cheesy and young. I had high hopes but in the end it fell flat.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞
{review copy courtesy of @stmartinspress via @netgalley}

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 ... YA thriller or witchy fans

In 1998, a sixteen-year-old girl is found dead. Whispers and rumors swirl, with no answers. But there are a few who know what happened; there is one girl who will never forget.

1997, Violet is the new girl at Elm Hollow Academy, an all-girl’s boarding school on the outskirts of a sleepy coastal town. A little awkward and desperate to fit in, she joins a study group lead by the mysterious art teacher, Annabel. The group learns about history, including the schools founding around in the occult. The girls are drawn to the possibilities of these rituals and harnessing magic. Their actions get darker and spiral out of control making Violet wonder - how far will they go to protect one another…or to destroy one another?

⭑⭑✯⭒⭒
The synopsis had everything I love.
But unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel any suspense, I was quite bored but kept going; as a new development occurred I hoped for change of pace.
I had issues with the main character too- things just didn’t match up- her thoughts and actions. The mystery was easy to figure out too.
I desperately wanted to love this, but it just fell short for me.

The entire story is filled with unlikable characters that as a reader you don't really give a damn about or anything that they are doing. The girls form a group where they use an old spell book to cast curses upon anyone who has wronged them. Unfortunately it was boring.

The book description on this one really sounded good and I was really excited to read this one. Sadly I just couldn’t get into this story. I made it halfway through and called it quits. I couldn’t keep interested in the story and found it lacking. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

What masterful writing from a debut author!
This is what I was looking for all season long - I know it is trite, but I love to read gothic, horror and weirdly disturbing novels during Autumn.
The Furies has well developed, believable characters and the reader can see out of the corner of their eye, faintly hear and actually smell the evil in the the background throughout the book.
Sad and very disturbing in parts, this story reminds me of the Secret History, by Donna Tartt, one of my favorite authors, but I kind of liked this one more. The girls in the advanced class seemed to have more personal reasons for doing what they did than the students in A Secret History.
Other, more seasoned authors should take note how Katie Lowe deftly handles plot twist and turns in this narrative, without it becoming formulmatic.
I will read anything Katie Lowe writes from now on!

I keep getting disappointed in books that are marketed as The Craft, when there's very little witchcraft to be had. This was more like The Secret History, only it wasn't as interesting. It was just a bunch of drama and not that all interesting and the writing style was a little boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!!
I was so excited to read this book but unfortunately it fell short. I had trouble understanding what was happening at the beginning and then the rest of the book was okay but not enough for me to be completely absorbed by it. It reminded me a bit too much of The Craft.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Furies
By: Katie Lowe

*REVIEW*🌟🌟.5
The Furies was not what I expected. I lacked connection with the characters. Violet was new to school, but she just seemed really stupid and easily led. These girls followed Robin, like she was a god or something, and I despise characters who act this way. This was the reason for the disconnect. I would also like to know where the adults were in this story? My suspension of disbelief only goes so far until I call it ridiculous. The story was well written but did not interest me enough to care what happened. Overall, I am not the right audience for this book. I think older ya readers would like it much better than I did.

I loved this book, the magical witchy aspect, combined with the angst of boarding school girls and a murder all added up to a page turning ride. I have already recommended this book to others. A perfect weekend read.

Violet, a teenage girl with a tragic past, is a new student at Elm Hollow Academy. She has no close friends until her art teacher, Annabel offers her to chance to join a special small study group. There she befriends Robin, Alex, and Grace, and grows almost obsessively close with Robin, whose former best friend disappeared the year before.

But as Violet learns more about the school's past, and the past of her new friends, she finds herself drawn into the world of The Furies, full of revenge, ancient spells, and deadly consequences.

The book opens with a bang, the reader already being told that one of the teenage characters dies, having been found on a swing in a white dress with no indication of what (or who) killed her. We have no idea which character it is, or what happened, but we are immediately thrust into the story with Violet, our narrator. This builds up so much suspense and makes you have to keep turning pages.

I just wanted to shake all the characters, especially Violet, and tell them just to stop doing what they're doing. I also didn't really like any of the characters, which seemed like the point, but I tend to struggle with books like that.

The very last few pages also just didn't work for me. That last-minute plot development didn't really seem to fit with what came before.

I liked this book, but didn't love it like I was hoping I would. It's a creepy, eerie, suspenseful read, but it can get confusing, and the characters are so hard to like.

When Violet starts attending Elm Hollow Academy, she is ready to leave her past behind. No one knows about her dead sister and father or her barely-present mother. She can start fresh. She is nervous about making friends, but is quickly made a part of a small clique of girls. Soon, Violet finds out that the girls had a friend who died the year prior - and Violet looks just like her. Unfortunately, that won’t be the only death that Elm Hollow experiences…and Violet is right in the middle…

I wanted to like this book more than I did. In other reviews, I saw comparisons to A Secret History, which is one of my favorite reads, and while I see the similarities, I just wasn’t feeling it. I found myself getting frustrated with Violet throughout the novel, as she allows herself to fall so deeply under Robin’s spell…causing her to make so many bad decisions.

Every time I thought I had it figured out there was a new twist! Dense but enjoyable. I read the last half in one sitting to find out what happened.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 3.5 stars. The book started off a little slow for me, but it did pick up pace. I found the descent into madness fascinating, all for a young girl coming of age and wanting desperately to fit in. I felt bad for Viv, but thought the ending was well done.