As a big fan of The Silent Patient I was really excited to dive into Alex's next book. The Maidens fell flat for me and I was worried this would do the same the farther I got through the story. For me this story did not live up to the hype and I was put off by the slow burn and unreliable narrator. It felt messier than this other reads and I struggled to keep to the end. I hope for a strong next book!

I was really let down by this book. I am glad I had an audio copy as well; I think this book is much easier to digest on audio. By the end, though, it feels like a big waste of time.



I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Fury is filled with suspense. I did not know how this story would unfold. Alex Michaelides has a unique writing style that I highly recommend.

An atmospheric novel set largely in Greece, the twists and turns will bring you along on a journey. Smart writing and good character development, but this book is not for those who dislike an unreliable narrator.

4.5 ⭐️’s
Michaelides has once again captured us and held us hostage until the very last word with his whydunit, The Fury. A story of love, friendship, forgiveness and betrayal, this book, written in Acts, has a narrator that might be unreliable and so many twists you aren’t sure what’s going to happen next and just exactly what to believe. Michaelides never ceases to entertain and to entertain big. Well done! Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

The Fury is a fast-paced mystery-thriller that takes place on an isolated island with a cast of characters whose relationships are fraught with tension. When one of the vacationers is murdered, those left alive begin to spiral as they try to uncover the identity of the killer. Our narrator promises an Agatha Christie-esque unraveling to the end of the story with a Glass Onion-like set-up. They say there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Overall, the pacing of this worked for me. It had short chapters and the conflict progresses pretty well. Flashbacks mostly enhanced the narrative, and this was a fun and quick weekend read.

What didn’t work for me: The choice of narrator. Elliot is an outsider, but he’s an outsider that has no interest in the other characters beyond his obsession with Lana, which is pure idealization. She’s like a celebrity crush, and he deludes himself into believing he knows her. So, Elliot’s narcissistic attitude really keeps all of the other characters at arms length from the reader. None of them are fleshed out or interesting, because they aren’t to Elliot. He’s also completely unreliable, which can be fun, but it held the conclusion back from being satisfying. It might have been nice to get even one chapter in another perspective to tie it all together.

There’s also not much of a mystery to be solved. No real clues or time for us to sit with the red herrings. I’ll give this credit for all coming together pretty neatly, but without a big mystery or any interesting characters, I couldn’t rate this much higher.

final rating: 4/5 🧿

thank you to netgalley and celadon books for this awesome arc!!

gather around, ladies and gentlemen, for i have a confession to make. a very small one—nothing too drastic:

this wasn’t as good as the silent patient.

now, now, settle down. i’m sure you’ve heard this already from the others who’ve read this before me. i know what you must be thinking—“but this is a completely different book!”—and yes, i wholeheartedly agree with you. but let me add a footnote:

this seemed like it was written by a completely different author.

there, i said it. the bare truth, laid out before you. i am not one to lie to appease you all. and before you get all defensive—different does not equal bad. it was just… a new scent. unusual, but not displeasing.

allow me to put it into perspective: the silent patient—an amazing book, might i add—could be compared to the smell of freshly baked cookies. simply divine. now, on the other hand, we have those same cookies—but left out cooling in the kitchen for a day. the scent still heavenly, but not the same.

and that, my dear readers, is the fury.

where it proves itself to be a worthy thriller, the uneven pacing and confusing perspectives turns its once fresh scent stale. i must admit, it took me quite some time to fully get into the nitty gritty of the plot, for the details bored me—but once i got up that slope, it was all smooth sailing from there. for the rest of the book, up until the very last section, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

that was, until the major spoiler for the silent patient.

i must say, i do appreciate the nod, i really do. but to those of you who haven’t read the silent patient yet, i suggest you do so before reading this. you’ll thank me later.

and with that, it’s time to depart into another storybook adventure. until next time :)

3.5 ⭐️ this was fun! Short chapters made this a really quick read. I never knew what to believe which was super entertaining. The way it was written was so interesting too. All around it was a good read but I’m still kind of confused 😂

The silent patient still takes the cake for me though!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book half as much as I expected to. Alex Michaelides has proven himself as an author able to captivate readers with his thrillers and mysteries, however, this one did not do it for me. The Fury did not begin with a good premise, but knowing the author I still wanted to give it a try. Sometimes a doubtful premise can be saved by great writing and development. The Fury did not do that. All the characters were uninteresting. It was one of those books where the author tries to add a plot twist, but fails to create enough plot to be twisted. The whole thing was completely uninteresting; and the narrative style was not the slightest bit captivating in my opinion. Still, it's a 3 star book because it was passable. I still hope the next one is better.

4 out of 5 stars. Very quick and suspenseful read. I enjoy how the author unravels his story. There is a lot of flashbacks but the way they are presented are not confusing and are masterful in helping the narrator get his agenda across. I have yet to be disappointed by this author.

I really enjoyed reading The Fury! I thought the writing was incredibly unique as the narrator was speaking directly to the reader. I loved that I could not trust the narrator, which amplified the suspense as I was reading the book. The twist was spectacular, and the ending was perfect. I thought about this one for days after finishing it!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed The Silent Patient and The Maidens and was really excited to receive The Fury! However, this book fell a bit short for me. I think the main reason was I did not like the narrator. I found the first half of the book hard to get through, but then it picked up. I did enjoy the cameos from characters in the other books and there is a huge spoiler in the epilogue for the Silent Patient.

I am still going to give this book 4 stars, although the first half did not captivate me the 2nd half did and there were still many twists I didn't see coming. I know many people would enjoy this style of writing as well, it was just not my favorite.

“The Fury” is a masterfully paced thriller that tells the story of a group of friends who travel to a private Greek island for Easter. The trip takes a dark turn when one of them is found murdered, and the rest are trapped on the island overnight. The novel is written from the perspective of Elliot Chase, a character who is not part of the group but is present on the island. The book is a love story at its heart, with a twist that will keep you guessing until the end.

The novel’s setting on a private Greek island adds to the book’s atmosphere and suspense. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is intricately woven with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. Michaelides’ writing style is sparse yet evocative, and he does an excellent job of building tension throughout the book.
Overall, “The Fury” is a must-read for fans of thrillers and suspense novels. You will be amazed by this cleverly written and captivating novel all the way to the very end.

Lana is a reclusive ex-movie star. However, every year she comes out of her shell and invites her closest friends to her wonderfully, idealic Greek Island. But this time, her friends find themselves trapped and the night ends in violence and death!

Well, this was one of my most anticipated books of 2024. I was just a bit disappointed. This story tended to drag in places. I kept reading because I know this author. I know the ending has some surprises coming. Sadly, this tale did not live up to my expectations. And to be honest, that is my fault. I know better!!!

I will say, parts of this book are brilliant. I especially found the narrator, Elliot Chase pretty creative. The way the author wove him into this novel and used him is pretty ingenious. And of course, the ending has quite a few twists and turns. It just took way too long to get there.

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And speaking of narrators…Alex Jennings does an outstanding job. I was a bit hesitant at first. But the further I went along in this novel the more I enjoyed him. He is so regal and his accent added so much!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Seven friends go on an island getaway and one ends up murdered…

Alex Michaelides is an auto buy author for me so I was super excited when I received an early copy of The Fury. I listened to the audiobook while I read my physical copy, and I honestly loved both formats! Michaelides writing is phenomenal, and I loved the omniscient narrator, Elliot Chase!

This book had me drawn in from the beginning with Elliot telling the story in the first person. It felt so intimate, like he was sitting next to me and telling me the story of what happened on that trip to Greece. This book was atmospheric and suspenseful. I loved how Michaelides wrote it as if it was a play with Acts instead of Parts and a cast full of unreliable and unlikeable characters.

Alex Jennings was the perfect choice to narrate this story. He embodied Elliot and really sucked me into this tale. I have heard some people struggled with the audiobook, but I absolutely adored it.

Michaelides had me guessing until the end, and it was great how just when you think you guessed it another big twist was thrown in. There is a little surprise at the very end for fans of his other books, but I won’t spoil anything! I highly recommend you read The Fury. The unique writing style and original concept really set it apart from other thrillers.

Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

The Fury started out strong but fell flat to me. I found it so boring.. kinda predictable.. I loved the Greek Mythology aspect of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.

Alex Michaelides is back! I thoroughly enjoyed The Silent Patient, was disappointed in The Maidens, and am so happy that The Fury was an exciting adventure. We are listening to Elliott Chase tell us his story of what happened on his friend Lana Farrar’s Greek island and the murder that occurred. Elliott talks to us as if we’re strangers sitting at a bar, listening to his woes. Elliott, Lana, their mutual friend Kate, Lana’s husband Jason, Lana’s son Leo, the housekeeper Agathi, and island keep Nikos, are all on the island one weekend to get away. However, as we listen to Elliott, we learn all of the different motives of everyone who agrees to this trip. Elliott is an unreliable narrator but our only hope of knowing the truth. With Lana and Kate being actresses and Elliott a writer, all of the stories are eccentric, obsessive, dramatic, over-the-top. Elliott even tells a portion of the mystery as if written by Agatha Christie. I thought I could easily guess the plot and ending, but I was proven wrong more than once. And in Alex Michaelides fashion, we get a small visit from characters in The Silent Patient and The Maidens.

Mix The Talented Mr. Ripley with a little Joe from You and sprinkle some Saltburn on top, and you have The Fury—a twisty and murderous story of elite obsession that left me feeling so satisfied.

The entire book is told from the POV of Elliot Chase, who is letting us know what REALLY happened one fateful weekend in Greece on ex-movie star Lana Farrar's Greek island.

Elliot, however, is incredibly unreliable and you can’t help but feel that something is just off about him. I loved not knowing where he was going to take the story next, though his frequent tangents did distract me from the murder mystery at times.

Another unique aspect I loved was the focus on theatrical analysis and plot development. My inner drama major was geeking out over all the references to staging a play!

I’ll admit, I went in expecting an average whodunit and was surprised by how deep this one dove into backstories. But I’m a reader who lives for details, so for me, this character-driven structure was a plus.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go bump The Silent Patient and The Maidens higher up on my TBR pile!

As authors, we like to experiment with voice and narrative. Enter Elliott Chase, someone in the know. He’s a bit post, like someone putting on airs. You know, that guy from college who’s famous for who he knows, or most importantly, for what he knows. Famous-adjacent. He knows that he has a hold on you, as he is one of the people who can uniquely tell the story. So he takes the liberty of telling his account in a meandering fashion. He has something to say, and he knows that you are spellbound until he reveals what you know. In my opinion, he also gives off the vibes of a terribly lonely person. This book isn’t as much about the mystery as it is about the journey. Some people may find this closed-roomed (secluded island) mystery predictable, as there are only so many suspects. But it’s the narrative that keeps you listening as a captive audience. 4.5 out of stars. My biggest gripe about this book is that it’s set on an atmospheric Greek island pummeled by the winds, and we get a scenic picture with a bullseye on it for a cover.

Winter has firmly taken hold of South Texas this week, with temperatures refusing to rise above freezing for the past two days and even a few snow flurries filling the air. During this wintry spell, I've sought refuge nestled by the fire, immersing myself in the sun-soaked Greek island setting of Alex Michaelides's latest thriller, The Fury. This eagerly anticipated novel, the third from the bestselling author of The Silent Patient, was graciously provided to me by Michaelides's publisher in both book and audiobook format, delivering an over-the-top page-turner that proved utterly irresistible.

Lana Farrar once had it all—she reigned as the "it girl" in Hollywood for several years, starring in numerous blockbusters and ascending to the heights of global fame. Now retired, she embraces a reclusive existence, content to lead a life away from the glaring limelight. Yearning to escape London's gloomy weather, Lana retreats to her private Greek island, Aura, for the Easter holiday. Joined by her husband Jason, teenage son Leo, actress friend Kate, and playwright companion Elliot, Lana anticipates days filled with sunshine, relaxation, and cherished moments with her closest friends and family. Little do they suspect that by the weekend's end, one of them will be dead.

"We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives."

Elliot, Lana's playwright friend, takes on the role of narrator, recounting the events leading up to and following the unexpected death. Was it the result of the island's infamous winds, known as the menos or "fury," or a deliberate act by one of the humans? As Elliot delves into the layers of this narrative, revealing more details about the island's reality, doubt creeps in regarding the reliability of our narrator's perspective. Is everything presented as it occurred, or does a more sinister truth lurk beneath the surface?

Delving deeper into The Fury would spoil the thrill of discovering its story firsthand. Alex Michaelides skillfully employs an unreliable narrator, reveling in weaving a narrative that continually twists into its final form. Echoing the structure of a classic Greek tragedy, the story unfolds in five distinct acts, with each new segment adding depth to the existing knowledge. It plays like a blend of "White Lotus" and a traditional locked-room mystery, resulting in a captivating thriller that enthralled me. Each character is propelled by individual selfish motivations, turning the discernment of their true intentions into an integral aspect of the story's intriguing enigma. While the plot may sometimes venture into the absurd, it is all part of the fun of this story. The Fury is a campy and melodramatic thriller that, while not reaching the heights of The Silent Patient, doesn't aim to replicate it. With the right expectations, it offers a delightful and engaging read.