This book is about a murder and it's sort of a who dunnit but sort of why did they do it. It's about a group of friends who go on a vacation and you learn more about them through flashbacks. The story takes you between past and present until everything starts to make sense.. Kind of.

It took me a long time to decide on a rating for this book. There were quotes I loved, some things I didn't enjoy, and an overall story that left me both wanting to keep reading and a bit confused.

This book starts off a bit slow. There's a narrator who talks to you as the reader, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. But it was hard for me to get into it at first. Half way through the book, things start to get more exciting. The end was a bit unbelievable to me and I had to reread the epilogue to understand what was going on. The murder mystery parts were the most engaging and exciting. I never really felt connected to any of the characters much, which made the ending fall a bit flat. All this to say I read this book fairly quickly, especially after I got half way through. It's an engaging story where you're never really quite sure what's happening or what's going to happen.

I think it would make a great book club book to discuss the different events and characters more in depth. I gave it a 3.5 but I would still say try it out! It may really surprise you!

It's no secret how much I loved The Silent Patient and The Maidens, so I JUMPED on an ARC of The Fury. Once again, Alex Michaelides absolutely hit it out of the park. His character development is truly second to none, and I love how all three of his books are uniquely woven together. When I say this book was un-put-down-able, I mean it. Keep them coming!!

I have read every book by Alex and have loved each one. This one was no different! It was a bit of a low start, but once it got going, I plowed through it. I did not see the twist coming at all! The ending was so fun and exciting!

2.5
This novel isn't poorly written but it has some weaknesses. I found the narrator unlikeable and unsympathetic. Not only that, but most of the characters in the novel are not deeply explained which makes it hard to care about any of them. The pacing of the action is also very slow. While the narration and writing is fine, I don't think the narrative style helps to move the story or make the material more interesting. Elliot's past is lightly explored and the reader can't understand or empathize with him. I kept wondering if there would be more to his identity as the "kid" but there is no big reveal or surprise. I found it a little boring, the opposite of a page turner and not what I had expected.

I have loved Alex Michaelide since his debut novel The Silent Patient. I wasn't so hot on his second novel but I would never give up on him so when I got the chance to ARC of The Fury I was so excited.
I find Alex has a brilliant mind. I love his writing style and the subjects of all this books. The Fury caught my attention right away, was easy to read and easy to follow. It has 2 time lines and kept me on the edge on my seat. Over all I think I'd give it a 3.5/5 stars

Absolutely perfect summer read - gossipy, light and fun, but with solid undercurrents of tension and the complexity of female friendships. Couldn't put it down, and have already recommended it several times.

The Fury is a thrill-a-minute mystery set on a small Greek island. Lana is a movie star who owns the island, and as the book begins, she invites two friends to join her husband, son, and housekeeper for a brief vacation.

The reader finds that the narrator is unreliable almost immediately, but it takes a while to figure out which character is the narrator. The setting is incredible; the plot not so much. None of the characters seem to be very appealing, but Michaelides writes so well that the pages keep turning as the tension increases.

A great vacation read.

This is the first of Alex Michaelides' books I've read, but it won't be the last. I found myself swept up in this psychological thriller that you first think is about the murder of Lana Farrar, an ex-movie star on the isolated Greek island where she owns a villa. Our narrator — her friend Elliot Chase — unravels the tale bit by bit, slowly giving the reader more information about him (and opening up questions about his trustworthiness) as the story unfolds. I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say I was swept away by this thriller as if the fierce winds of the islands were blowing in my own home.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fury felt like a fever dream; the story written as a diary and also with present day narration. This book feels different than the author’s other books but was still an interesting thriller.

Six people on a small Greek island for holiday and one ends up dead. With five suspects the narrator, Elliot, recounts the events leading up to the incident. Elliot’s occasional ramblings helped move the story along and the twists weren’t really twists. I wasn’t sure what the ending was going to be but it a clever way to end the book.

📝
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a free digital copy on exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 16 JANUARY 2024.

I gave this one a lot more time and effort than it deserved but ultimately DNFed it about 170 pages in.

The premise was intriguing: a murder mystery with a wealthy, reclusive movie stars and her cadre of self-serving "friends"? Fans of Agatha Christie, Glass Onion, and murder mysteries rejoice!

However, the narrator (himself one of the island visitors when the murder takes place) keeps dangling the promise of the really exciting stuff just around the corner—for at least 170 pages. It's infuriating. He constantly alludes to the drama of the murder and the mystery swirling around it, then goes on a multi-chapter digression or finds some other way to derail the story. I'm all for a reliable narrator, or an unconventional style, or a twist on a familiar genre, but this was just poorly executed. Don't waste your time.

Some choice lines that lent to my frustration:
• "This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At heart, it's a love story, isn't it? The saddest kind of love story—about the end of love; the death of love. So I guess I was right the first time."
• "Before I tell you about the murder, I have a question for you. Which comes first—character or fate?"
• "Before I can go any further, before I can reveal who committed the murder—and, more importantly, why—I have a confession of my own to make."
• "There was no boat; no intruder. No one else was on this island. No one, but the six of us. [New chapter begins] Perhaps this is a good place to pause—and take stock, before we proceed."
• "Finally, he deduces that, to everyone's immense surprise, the murderer is . . . Well—that's as far as I can go, for the moment."

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this, since I did actually enjoy this author's other two books, but this really didn't work for me. I was interested in the plot... an actress invites her friends to a "haunted" island and someone ends up murdered, but I really did not like the way it was written. Sometimes I do enjoy the "hello, I'm your narrator and I know everything that happens in this book but I'm going to tell you details along the way" but I don't think this author was the right person to write this particular story for me. I did not enjoy the narrator's voice and none of the characters really stood out to me as anyone. The thing I liked the most was the setting, but I do wish that this "haunted Greek island" was actually haunted or had some sort of supernatural thing about it that made it such a dangerous place to be. This book was less than 300 pages and only 7 hours on audio but it felt like I had sat down to read a 1000 page high fantasy novel with how slowly I moved through it. Normally something like this would only take me a few hours but this book took me DAYS to finish. My favorite thing about this novel was the multiple ties to acting. There was an abandoned ancient theater on this island, which was super super cool, the actress that planned this whole trip, and the fact that the book itself was written in acts like a play. I'm not sure if I'll ever give this author another chance after this unless he writes something that the general public is RAVING over

I have really enjoyed Alex Michaelides previous two books, he has a way of sinking you in the books to see what is going to happen, but this one I’m afraid to say was a slow burn, while I definitely think it paid off in the end it, the way the events played out it was slow and it took me a while to read. That why I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 but I would recommend giving this a read.

Lana Farrar no longer stars in movies, yet she remains a steadfast member of the rich and famous. Recognized everywhere she goes, she finds great joy in escaping to her Greek island with family and friends. A place to rest and recharge, fewer people clamoring for pictures or autographs.

Elliot Chase has had a troubled life. Desperate for love, attention, and acceptance, he finds himself just as infatuated with Lana as everyone else. As such, he is delighted to be included among those close enough to be invited to accompany her to the island.

However, when lies, jealousy, and secrets lead a fun getaway down the path to murder, we see that no one on the island is exactly who they seem.

The Fury is a fun murder mystery. While I personally found all the characters to have a significant ick factor (except Lana’s son - I liked him), that actually kinda added to the fun. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I found this book a bit difficult to enjoy. I love a good murder mystery thriller, but at times this seemed like it was satire. I couldn't tell if the author was genuinely trying to write a murder mystery or poking fun at one. I do find the narrator very unlikeable, but I think that was the point. It has some twist and turns and was difficult to follow as the narrator seems to be struggling to decide where to take us. I made it through it without much trouble, but I am aware some people will find this off putting.

I think my overall rating is not necessarily because I love the book, but because it did get such a strong reaction from me. It left a mark and although I believe it was mostly anger I felt in the end it was still a strong emotional response. Will I be reading this again? No. Am I glad I read it? Yes. I feel like this will either be really highly enjoyed by some and hated by others. I personally think I will love to hate this book, but I don't think I will forget it soon either.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

A twisty, slow burn thriller set on a Greek island. I was entertained throughout. Quick read. The timeline is almost on a repeating cycle where you discover different pieces as the plot evolves.

Not my favorite Michaelides but definitely worth a read.

Note: While not directly related to The Silent Patient or The Maidens, there were ties. One in particular is actually a massive spoiler for The Silent Patient. So if you intend to read both...make sure to read TSP first!!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS!!! I don’t know about you guys but I have been *impatiently* waiting for an Alex Michaelides thriller! From the first page, you won’t want to put this book down.

“This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart is a love story, isn’t it?”

What?! I couldn’t wait to dig in once I read that.

Michaelides is known for writing unconventional thrillers. His books are like nothing you’ve ever read. THE FURY was no different.

This was VERY character and plot driven so there was a bit to keep up with but the story was SO good. It takes place on a Greek island where one of seven friends stranded on a Greek island is murdered. This book unfolds in a five acts like a Greek tragedy while sprinkling in some huge twists throughout the story.

As a narrator you have Elliot Chase and you have no idea if they’re telling the truth. You have to read to find out!

Well done. Mr. Michaelides has done it again, provided a twisty suspense novel. I found The Fury to resemble an Agatha Christie novel. I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an eARC of The Fury in exchange for my honest review!

The Fury may be no The Silent Patient, but it remains a compelling and darkly atmospheric thriller that keeps me onboard the Alex Michaelides train. Now, there are some points where the plot wanders a little too much for my liking, where it dips a bit too deeply into meta territory as the narrator lays out the rules of storytelling and comes across as pretentious. But I still enjoy how slow-burn and moody this becomes as the pieces of the mystery gradually fit together and build up to a third act that pulls us through some good old twists and turns (there's one that does feel over-the-top, but, eh, I'm all right with that). I do want to warn you, though, that the very ending spoils The Silent Patient, so I'd strongly recommend reading The Silent Patient if you haven't yet. That's definitely one thriller you want to dive into without knowing what unfolds.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Fury 3.50 out of 5 stars, which I'll round down to 3 stars on Goodreads. This is my second-favorite Michaelides read so far—between The Silent Patient at #1 and The Maidens at #3. I'll continue to be keen for more of his writing.

I love the unique angles that Michaelides takes with his work. This one was a departure from his normal books, written in first person with an unreliable narrator. While I enjoyed the first person perspective, some of the exposition in this novel dragged on. Knowing that the narrator was meant to be unlikable, I still was looking for some area of redemption for him. While the characters were all pretty insufferable, the plot was interesting and there were plenty of twists that kept my attention.

We're getting there Michaelides. I keep waiting for another Silent Patient level novel from him...fingers crossed for the next one.

I couldn't stand the ending of The Maidens. I literally threw the book. Thankfully the ending of this one was much better. I saw some of it coming, but not all. I enjoyed the storytelling of this novel, but it did drag at times and I would feel myself becoming less invested. Thankfully I stuck with it because the last 50 or so pages were really good...but you are probably going to need to push through to get there if you are an action packed lover. You also need to be able to enjoy a book that doesn't have any likeable characters.

Overall, I give it four stars and recommend picking it up if you enjoyed his other books.