Alex Michaelides third novel was unlike his previous two. The unreliable narration of the book took some getting used to but overall it was a good book that makes wanting to read. more novels by Alex! It definitely has a slow build up to the conclusion but there were lots of twists in this book that made me want to keep reading well past time to go to bed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review!

Michaelides’ third novel did not disappoint. I enjoyed the narration style, which was a casual conversation between two people at a bar. Yes, the constant dangling of some big twist around the corner gets a bit repetitive, but I found the end to be worth all the build-up.
True to form, Michaelides works quite a bit of psychology and Greek mythology into the novel.
As others have mentioned, there is a spoiler for The Silent Patient in the epilogue, so I’d definitely recommend reading that first.
A big thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

The silent patient was one of my favorite reads in 2022 so I was so excited I got to read this early. I was sucked into the story from page one and wasn’t let go till the end!

I loved the silent patient and the maidens, but this one wasn’t quite on the same level. I was intrigued while reading it but at the same time I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The narration was odd and not like anything I’ve read before. The narrator kept hinting at the story unfolding in a way you won’t believe, but once you were exposed to the twists and turns (and there were a lot of them), I didn’t really feel any shock value. It felt too far-fetched. While I didn’t particularly enjoy the turn of events, I did read through this one pretty quick and it kept me intrigued enough to keep going. I just felt it was lack luster. One thing contributing to my overall thoughts on this book is how it didn’t live up to the expectations after reading The Silent Patient. There is a spoiler about The Silent Patient in The Fury’s epilogue so I would highly suggest reading The Silent Patient first.

I have read some really positive reviews about this book. Like I mentioned, I did want to keep reading and it was a quick read. I would suggest going into this one without The Silent Patient on your mind at all. If you’re interested in checking this out, it was recently published and is available now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my positive review.

This was a hard one to review because it was so different from his other books and from other books in the genre. First off, this is a thriller in only that there is a psychological element to it - it is NOT a fast-paced heart-pounding read like that genre tends to be. The Fury had more of a Knives Out vibe with examining the same scenes from different perspectives, and it meanders through the plot with long-winded narration and exposition. It is not action-packed, and it is not fast-paced (I only read it in a day because I was on an airplane and traveling for work). I also think I could have appreciated this story more if I had more knowledge of classical theater, as there was a fair amount of references. I did love the island "locked-room" setting!

I really liked The Silent Patient so I was eager to read this new book by the author. It's totally different than Silent Patient, also good, but in a totally different way. Michaelides' writing kept me involved and interested. I liked the book, but not as much as I liked The Silent Patient. I respected the author's successful attempt to make this a different book - and I look forward to seeing what he does next!

This book is very Agatha Christie-like with intriguing (but not very likeable) characters and a locked room theme - those this 'room' is a desert island. There are plenty of twists and red herrings to keep the suspense up - - right to the final sentence.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, and Celadon Books for this ARC of The Fury in exchange for an honest review!!
Description:
The Fury follows a retired movie star; Lana Farrar as she spends Easter on her private Greek island. Lana's husband Jason, her son Leo, and her friends Kate and Elliot join her along with Nikos and Agathi.
One of them doesn't survive the trip. But who is it and who is the murder? Elliot, our unreliable narrator, and playwright will tell you all about it starting with Act 1.
Review:
I love Alex Michaelides' writing! The Fury was super unique in the way that it was written and told. I really enjoyed the unreliability and how the characters were written as well as how the book was broken down into Acts. Of course, anything I read by Alex has to be compared to The Silent Patient because it is one of my favorite books of ALL time!
The Fury took a little bit to capture my attention, but once it did, WOW! I couldn't put this book down! I had to figure out what happened. If comparing this to TSP (which isn't even fair), I would say that The Fury is a little slower and doesn't have that gut punch of a twist at the ending. BUT, this is a great thriller! And a wild ride that I really enjoyed! Highly recommend!

Loved this so much. Nothing can beat the twist of his first novel The Silent Patient which is one of my all time favorites. This one has many of the same clever traits - short chapters, unreliable narrator, shifting perspectives, twist and turns, shocks. Also the perfect setting for a modern Greek tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Fantastic book. 4.5 stars

Of course it was amazing - Alex Michaelides has not written a disappointing book yet! Loved this one as much as the previous books. I liked the narration from the point of view of Elliot telling his story and the setting of the private island in Greece is a character on its own.

A bit disappointed with this one, didn’t connect with or even like the characters. I thought the plot twists were decent, but the storyline itself is quite unbelievable. Not my favorite by this author, but still managed to enjoy it enough to finish it.

I was so excited to read this one - the cover, the author, the story. But unfortunately, it just fell flat. The pacing was SO SLOW and when you have a stack of other fantastic books waiting to be read, I just didn't have time for that. I also wasn't a fan of the narrative style, whispering asides to the reader throughout. This is definitely not "a masterfully paced thriller".

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Elliott will do whatever it takes to standby Lana‘s side in a time of uncertainty, betrayal, and lies. Even if that means someone has to die…

This book was EVERYTHING. I was a huge fan of The Silent Patient so I definitely had extremely high expectations going into this book and let me just say Alex did not disappoint. This book is based in Mykonos, Greece and tells a murder mystery/psychological thriller, through the point of view of THE WORLD’s BEST unreliable, narrator, Elliott. The whole time I felt like his ass was lying, and that he was a legit fraud, but at the same time, found myself loving him and supporting him as he tells the most upside down story.

In the end, I thought I had a right, but damn I was wrong. This book is super fast paced and kept me on my toes the entire time. I highly recommend it to anyone who has read The Silent Patient as it is in close comparison in terms point of view & just having absolutely no clue what is going to happen!!!!

A classic suspense story with an unreliable narrator, The Fury is a twisty-turns good time. I’ve seen others who have read the book express frustration at how long it takes for the plot to really get moving but that’s precisely what a narcissist does, isn’t it? They control the narrative and tell it exactly how (and when) they want you to perceive it. Keeping that in mind, the book’s ascension and pacing was quite deliberate
and done brilliantly. I’m also very fond of thrillers with short chapters that make them bona fide page turners. 3.5 stars.

THE FURY is the latest thriller by Alex Michaelides, who wrote two of my favorite thriller/mystery novels in recent memory. I was therefore thrilled to receive an ARC of the novel from NetGalley and Celadon Books in exchange for my honest review - a big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

THE FURY tells the story of a retired movie star and those in her inner circle - her son, her husband, her close friends, her staff - as they take a trip to her private Greek island over Easter weekend.

I really enjoyed this novel - another hit from Michaelides, although not quite as spectacular as his first two in my opinion. It was twisty and fast paced, with great characters and excellent writing. I didn't love the narrator, and found a few other characters a bit unbelievable, which kept this at 4/5 stars for me. But all in all, incredibly enjoyable and I'd highly recommend!

OK LISTEN. I would rate this 4.5 if I could. The characters, the narration, the plot: all great. the end lost me a little bit if i'm being honest....I was intrigued all of the way through, but it was sort of expected around 70% finished. I thoroughly enjoyed most* of this book!!!


*I say this only because one single character irritated me beyond words, and even though they were important to the story, I wish they weren't.

Sit down next to me on this bar stool and let me tell you about "The Fury," Alex Michaelides' twisted new mystery about the turmoil swirling around a famous actress and her inner circle. Order a drink -- you're going to need a stiff one.

From London to her private Greek island off Mykonos, you'll follow actress Lana Farrar, shockingly beautiful, who retired at the height of movie fame and still can't find the peace that eludes her. Your guide, and the first-person narrator of "The Fury," is one Elliot Chase, who early on invites us to take that seat at the bar and hear the tale of one fateful trip to the island dubbed Aura, for the Greek goddess of the morning breeze.

Warm breezes and peaceful days weren't to be. Something terrible happened there during a brutal windstorm -- winds that blow up so fiercely they are named "the fury" by islanders -- that changed everything for everyone.

Elliot will tell you all about it, eventually, and in his own way. I, however, cannot, because almost any who, what or why would spoil the delicious tension and give too much away.

Do be aware, though, that Elliot isn't really your cheerful chum; he's an unreliable narrator with a capital UN. ("I often apply theatrical structure to my own life," he hints. "You'd be surprised how often the same rules apply.")

With "The Fury," Michaelides returns to the part of the world where he was born and grew up. A native of Cyprus, with a Cypriot father and British mother, he studied at Cambridge and exploded onto best-seller lists with 2019's "The Silent Patient," based on his work as a psychotherapist. He followed it in 2021 with "The Maidens," another best seller, this one set among students at Cambridge.

In just his third novel, Michaelides, 47, hits a level surpassing that ofthe first two books. "The Fury" is both a psychological thriller and a fast-paced puzzler that puts us on edge and keeps us taking wrong turn after wrong turn. As Elliot himself blithely notes, it's a story "full of incident and adventure, with goodies and baddies, heroines and wicked witches." He fails to mention the monster.

Alex Michaelides
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 13
Where: Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road
How much: $35, includes a copy of "The Fury"
More info and tickets: eventbrite.com

DNF @ 19% - no rating

The writing style in this book is...a choice that's just not for me. None of the characters are particularly likable, and while I can feel the author trying to keep me interested, it's only half working. Because I don't like the writing, I am partially hate reading this book just to see what happens next. I feel like it should get points for that. The other issue I have is that there are too many characters, and they weren't introduced in a way to make them memorable enough so that I remember how they're all connected.

If you sample this book and enjoy the writing style, give this one a go. If I liked the writing, I think could get over my other issues.

I really enjoyed Michaelides' previous two books, but this one really lost me. I felt like the plot didn't make any sense, had glaring holes, and the characters felt stunted.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides takes you on a mind-bending journey between a group of friends in which only one thing is certain: there will be a murder.

From the get-go, our narrator seems to have a bit of arrogance about him, which only continues to grow as the story goes on. Later, we come to find that our narrator is unpredictable, unreliable, and slightly unhinged. This leaves you guessing what would happen the entire time. What was true, what was not. Who you should trust, and who would be the murderer.

While I enjoyed the suspense as the storyline cascaded, it did leave me waiting for a big a-ha. I didn't feel as though there was one dramatic reveal like with The Silent Patient or The Maidens, but a bunch of smaller moments. The way that the narrator was constructed made the ending a bit less shocking.

I did love how it was told as if the narrator was speaking to us as a friend, along with the back in forth of the time line to show before and after. What might have been really interesting was instead of having one narrator, each friend have their own section of the book told from their perspective.

Overall, I give this 3 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more of Alex's work.