Do you ever read a book and immediately think “what the heck did I just read!?” That’s how I feel about this one. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The end of each act left me with my mind blown. If you ever needed an example of an unreliable narrator, Elliot Chase is your man.

~ 3.75 ~
“𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴”. 𝘈𝘤𝘵 𝘐 , 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 1.

THE FURY by Alex Michaelides is a quirky and twisty “whydunnit”; a locked room mystery filled with references to Greek mythology and Agatha Christie.

ᴘʟᴏᴛ:
Seven people on a private island in Greece. One is dead and one is a murderer. The end… sort of.
What happened before they got there? What happened on the island?

ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ:
The entire story is narrated by Elliot. I found him charming in the beginning but he quickly became annoying because of his repetition. He is pretentious and self-dramatizing, but that’s all part of his charm until it isn’t (Act II). I did love the breaking of the fourth wall.

The ending comes fast and furious with twist upon twist and I loved every bit of it. Overall, it is a quick and easy read thanks to the simple writing and short chapters.

Conversely, there is plenty padding and unnecessary details like every step of making a martini and a lecture on the history and origins of some of the ingredients.

Recommend to a friend? Sure, I wouldn’t insist that you read it, but I wouldn’t say not to.

Happy Pub Day to The Fury! I absolutely LOVED The Silent Patient and was so excited to check this one out.

We join Lana Farrar, a former movie star, and her close family and friends on her private Greek island for a relaxing getaway. But relaxation is cut short when the group find themselves enveloped in betrayal, deception, and violence which comes to a head with someone being murdered.

If you love mysteries and quick, gripping reads then I definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Wow! This was by far my favorite of Alex michaelides book . So fast paced and twisty. I loved the subtle tie ins from his other novels. The story is surprising and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Well this was another delectable read by @alex.michaelides ! If you loved the silent patient, love unreliable narrators, thrillers, and murder mystery pick this up. Seven people are stranded on a Greek island and one of them is murdered. Whose dead 💀 and who did it? I love this writing style and all the twist and turns! Thank you @netgalley for the ARC. Happy Pub Day.

I liked the way this book was written. The way the narrator “talked” to the reader. A little slow. A little weird. I didn’t love the ending. Thought some parts were a bit confusing but I did like it and would recommend it.

This book was so odd. Nothing like The Silent Patient. You’d never guess it was the same author. You start out in first person from Elliot who then tells you the story in third person in for all the different characters. But he’s an unreliable story teller and you keep thinking you’re the end when you’re not. Lots of pretty writing but just strange overall. I didn’t guess the ending! So I’ll give it that. Haha. Wasn’t my favorite book but still kept my interest easily and super quick read.

Edit: I initially gave this a 3 star and was annoyed at the writing. BUT 30 minutes later I’m still annoying my husband about the ending and the secret in the epilogue and now I’m raving about it. Hahaha. So definitely worth the read.

Thank you netgalley for letting me have this arc. I think it’s unfair of me to hold prior books as standards but I was really hoping this would be as mind blowing as The Silent Patient. I didn’t love this one and actually just wanted it to be done. There was a lot of jumping around. The ending just had me googling if I understood it correctly. I was confused. I wish I was shocked and that there were all kinds of twists and it just fell flat for me.

Set on a Greek island known for its violent wind storms, this book blew into my life and blew my mind with its clever plot and misdirection. The narrator is Elliot Chase, a playwright with many secrets whose goal in the book is to reveal the secrets of the other characters, peeling back one layer at a time in each act of the book until ultimately all is revealed. Lane Farrar, a movie star and the central character in the novel, is a complex heroine who has a moving backstory which makes her likable and relatable. All of the visitors on the island are suspicious and possible suspects of the murder that occurs during the furious storm that overtakes them. Divided into acts, this novel at times reads like a play and I could picture the action in my mind because it was so well laid out and described so thoroughly. There were characters that I loved to hate, characters that I felt were misunderstood and characters that I would not want to meet anywhere, much less on a private island cut off from civilization by a roaring storm. The storm itself is personified and becomes an integral part of the story as well as the title. The author did a masterful job of creating the perfect setting for the murder and for me to get to know the characters. Each characters is multilayered and duplicitous, choosing to hide behind a facade of wealth and fame rather than face the realities of life. I was captivated by the story immediately and had difficulty putting it down at night. I so wanted to find out who was going to be killed and who would murder that person, especially since the author created characters that I felt I knew personally as he provided not only a physical description but also emotional and mental ones. The way the story was narrated baffled me at first, but as I got accustomed to it, I looked forward to my time with Elliot and his daily revelations, like showing a masterpiece hidden under an imposter’s artwork. This book is one to be savored, enjoyed and possibly read again and again as you search for the clues you missed the first time. I have read all of Alex Michaelides’ books and this is by far the one that I love the most for its brilliance and the revelations that are made within its pages.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book I from Caledon via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Alex Michaelides = the king of unreliable narrators.

Did I slowly come to hate the narrator the longer I read?… yes. Was this a fast-paced and twisty read?… YES.

I was so excited to get this ARC, big thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for giving me a jump start on it before the publish date.

I really had high hopes for this book. I read 7 chapters and was an hour into this book and it was just so boring, Not even all the characters had been introduced yet. Maybe I gave up too soon but I couldn’t bear another 5 hours of that. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday but most likely not. I definitely wouldn’t call it a thriller and I’m not a fan of the “whydoneits” to begin with.

The third time is a charm for Alex Michaelides. “The Fury” takes place on a private Greek island. Retired movie star Lana invites her friends to her house on the island, but there is murder afoot. Lana and her BFF Elliot i’ve hatched a plot to catch her husband in the act of cheating on her.

This book had more double crosses that I have ever read in a novel. Really fun and a very easy read. Definitely my favorite book by Alex Michaelides.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for an advanced copy of this book. I finished it on publication day!

Written like a traditional five act play, The Fury by Alex Michaelides, is a story of murder, retribution and misguided love.

🧿Though not his first novel, The Fury was the first book I've read by author, Alex Michaelides.
🧿I enjoyed the narrative style, written and told by the main character, Elliot. With very little dialogue between the characters, most of the storytelling was directed towards us as the reader.
🧿I love a well-crafted unreliable narrator- even an unlikeable one- but I found Elliot's character to be underdeveloped, infuriating, and at times, just plain annoying. Generally, I was disappointed with the evolution of all seven of the characters- most fell flat for me.
🧿With a storyline based in the theatre, I thought the structure of the story written like a traditional five-act play was smart,
🧿There were plenty of twists and turns along the way, however the final "plot twist" felt more like a "plot flop" to me.
🧿In Greek mythology, the Furies are the goddesses of revenge and vengeance, so a Greek island made for the perfect backdrop for murder and intrigue.
🧿Given the early hype, I had high expectations, however I found this book to be a super slow burn that just never gave me exactly what I was hoping for. Alex Michaelides is clearly a strong, smart writer and although I didn't ultimately enjoy The Fury, I'm looking forward to giving his other books a chance.
⭐⭐⭐/5

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Celadon Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Fury in return for my unbiased review.

This book wasn't my cup of tea. While the book's format was initially intriguing, it lost it's appeal as the story progressed. This was a slow burn with an unreliable narrator, and the plot and pace was erratic and challenging to connect with. Stories within stories created a complex narrative, with characters that failed to stand out. While the final chapters began to deliver some twists and surprises, it was too late in the book to gain intrigue, and the ending overall did not do it for me.

2.5 Stars
This was just an okay read. The author brings back characters from The Silent Patient and The Maidens (his other works) and I'm not sure I liked that he did that (especially since I didn't read The Silent Patient and was not expecting this to have any ties with that book). I wish I got so much more from this book than I did and I can't spoil anything because it's an ARC, but I definitely was left disappointed by the twists and reveals - I just feel like there was so much missing for me. I didn't care for any of these characters at all and I found the first half of this book was slow. I really hated the way this ended as well and overall, I'm underwhelmed by this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Y'all this one just wasn't for me. I went in blind and hopeful but it just wasn't it.
The format was different which at first I liked but that quickly fizzled out. Most definitely a super slow burn with an unreliable narrator. The plot and pace was all over the place. I just couldn't connect and wasn't really worried about what happened to the characters in the end.

There are many others who have enjoyed this one though so maybe go read some of their reviews or just jump on into it lol

Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon books, and MacMillan audio for the ARC and ALC and allowing me to read and give my honest review.

Would you even think twice about accepting an invitation for a getaway with friends on a private Greek island? NO! You wouldn’t, but hold on as Author Alex Michaelides takes us on an exhilarating ride of a getaway weekend filled with secrets, assumptions and ultimately murder. But, who did it?

Interestingly “The Fury” is told in first person narration, by Elliot Chase. Elliot has the honor of telling “his” story “his” way with psychological twists and navigating reality against fiction. I really enjoyed this!

A famous ex-movie star, Lana along with her husband, Jason, Kate, Agathi, Nikos and Elliot spend an extraordinary weekend together with twists and turns, deceit and drama. As events unfold, truths are revealed leaving you questioning the source and the viability of it.

Entertaining! A shave of Agatha Christie! Suspensful! Cat and Mouse! Brilliant!

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller.
I enjoyed it and thought it was well-written. Alex Michaelides has a beautiful mind!

Thank you @celadon books for the ARC and @netgalley for the eARC @alexmichaelides

📖 The Fury
🖊️ Alex Michaelides

⭐️⭐️⭐️


A thriller around the murder plot of an ex-movie star, narrated by one of her best friends who witnessed it all.

Unfortunately this one fell flat for me 👎🏼

I absolutely loved Michaelides first two books, and I had such high hopes for this one. The narrator, Elliot, just did not do it for me. It was confusing with some lines coming from his POV, then others from other characters, but still like he told it, even though he wasn’t there!? I just couldn’t get into it.

A murder takes place on an excluded island (like a few other books I’ve read lately), and that is revealed at the very beginning of the book, with the rest of the book taking us through different timelines and character introduction, and why they could have wanted the MC dead.

I wanted to love this one, but I just did not. Maybe it could be your thing!?

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides. This is a psychological thriller at its best! A group of seven people is marooned on a Greek island, and there is a murder. There are MANY twists and turns-so many that I had a hard time keeping up with everything. The unreliable narrator makes this even more confusing, which I think is the point. Glad I read it, but not a huge favorite of mine. #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

This was an unusual book. It sort of reads like a play and there is lots of talking directly to the reader which takes some getting used to. It feels like there are stories within stories and while it's a bit of a character study, some of the few characters felt superfluous.

Many of the chapters end on "cliffhangers" - i.e. "and that was the last time we see Lana alive" or "if only I had known then what I know now..." type lines - which I'm not a big fan of when done too often. It often didn't help with the pacing, which I found rather slow.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Much of the first 15-20% was spent telling me that this was going to be unlike anything I've ever read, the next 60% felt like something I've read 10,000 times, and then the last 20% was a fun whirlwind of twists and surprises that I enjoyed but ultimately didn't save it for me.

I listened to this novel on audio and I think that was a great choice. Because of the theater aspect and the second person narration, the audio worked spectacularly. I also really enjoyed the narrator -- Alex Jennings -- and thought he did a fabulous job.

Overall, this ended up being an enjoyable read, but not one that will stick with me or that I'll be likely to recommend to a wider audience.

Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copy.