The ending was great! The drama the secrets, this book had me intrigued from the beginning. Definitely a favorite

Alex Michaelides excels at spinning Greek history into each book. I love the eerie air of every novel. While not as good as Silent Patient, I liked it a lot more than The Maidens. I wish there was more character background showing the true nature of each character.there are some details but it was more “fade to black” than proven. Told in a narrative conversation style, it was hard to follow in parts. In all, it’s a solid 4 stars. More dramas than thriller.

The author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens is back with his newest mystery/thriller – The Fury! The Fury takes place on a private Greek island, where friends and lovers come to share a weekend getaway that ends, unfortunately for them, in murder. Unfortunately for the reader, this book misses the mark and fails to capture interest.

The first half of this book is boring. The narrator himself, Elliot Chase, starts off as quirky and likable, but soon becomes annoying and repetitive. It takes so long to set the scene and get all the characters to the island, and by that time the reader has grown uninterested in the slow-moving plot. The title of the book – The Fury – is explained in a clever way initially, but then the phrase “the fury” is so over-used throughout the novel that it loses its cleverness and shine.

The second half of the book somewhat redeems it. Where the first half was slow, the second half moves quickly and adds suspense that was previously missing. Parts of the ending are smart and witty, in Michaelides’ typical fashion that readers have grown to love.

If you’re looking to read a Michaelides book, I would recommend his other two over this one. I will still plan to read any future books by this author, but with somewhat lowered expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Fury is a suspenseful page-turner, one that will be difficult for readers to put down. The multiple twists were fantastic (my head was spinning) and the author’s writing was exceptional. I was entranced throughout this book and the ending did not disappoint!!

Alex Michaelides' third novel, “The Fury,” takes place on a private Greek Island. Elliot Chase, the narrator, invites the reader to “pull up a barstool, pour yourself a drunk, and settle in.” This is a story about murder, with a love story at the heart. Elliot promises “a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.”
Michaelides’ “The Silent Patient” was novel that was impossible to put down. His second novel was a decent thriller, but had a lackluster ending. I was thrilled to receive an ARC (my first ever from NetGalley) to read and review prior to commercial release.
Unlike his prior two novels, “The Fury” has a very “meta” style of writing, with Elliot breaking the fourth wall. Elliot constantly addresses the reader, eye-rolling or remarking about something within the scene. He acknowledges his own flaws as a narrator, and omits things and then returns to confess his lies by omission.
There are several instances throughout the novel where things are mentioned, such as Kate going into a room to snort some cocaine from a hidden box on a shelf, that Elliot would have no knowledge of. Scenes are described in detail when Elliot has no knowledge of them. Elliot is both a first-person narrator and an omniscient narrator. There is even the backstory chapter for Elliot in which he tells his past from a third-person narrative, yet in the middle of the story he interjects using “I” to explain some hindsight.
In order to create suspense in what appears to be a never-ending story, Elliot dangles the proverbial carrot for the reader. He mentions just enough and then stops the story to go back to disclose something that he promises is important, only to go forward in the story and stop again. This line of storytelling is intense but not in a suspenseful, hanging on the edge of ones’ seat manner, rather, in the sense of staring at the clock waiting for the storyteller to FINALLY get to the important part.
One of the plot twists towards the end before the grand finale was more farcical than jaw-dropping. I laughed instead of gasped. Any tension this story had was drained by Elliot’s constant reminder that he is an unreliable narrator and the slow pacing of the first two-thirds. I did enjoy the ending. I always like to see how Mariana (The Maidens) and Theo (The Silent Patient) end up sprinkled in his novels.
Questions I have that were not answered:
1. What is Elliot’s real name?

2. What were the papers Jason asks Lana to sign?


Thank you Net Galley and Mr. Michaelides for this ARC. I hope to read another one of your novels in the future!

Prior to reading this book, I had seen a fair share of average reviews, and a lot of them were comparing this book to The Silent Patient. Absolutely no judgment on that — I did the same thing without even having read it yet. It’s very easy to compare novels when they are written by the same author. While The Silent Patient will remain as my favorite novel by Michaelides’, I absolutely think that The Fury is worthy of five stars.

Enough comparison-talk, let’s dive into my actual review. There were a lot of things that I thought “worked” for this book:

🗣 The narrator’s voice: WOW… This is the first book that I’ve read in which the narrator speaks directly to the reader. It was one of my favorite aspects of this book. I feel like Elliot Chase and I go way back!
🕓 The timeline: This book was written in a linear timeline with occasional flashbacks. The flashbacks were not consistent, and instead of this being an inconvenience for me as the reader, I found that I really liked that. While inconsistent, the flashbacks occurred at times that made sense to the story.
🎭 The theatrical writing and references: I’ll let this one speak for itself. I’m not a theatre gal, but again, this just WORKED.
🔀 The mentions of potential alternate timelines: I love how Michaelides wrote about what would have happened if certain things had taken a different turn.
👨‍👦 The psychological talk of the younger-self: I really related to this and thought it tied right in to the story.
🥼 The quick appearance of Theo: Need I say more!?
☕️ The cozy mentions of tea: I should’ve expected that, seeing as though this book is written by a Londoner!
🦆 How Barbara called Elliot “duck”: I was really just looking for an excuse to post a picture of this adorable duck pouch.

Set at 320 pages, I found this book to be the perfect length, without feeling like it was going in circles. I fully recommend this book.

I couldn’t get into it…I tried reading a few chapters I just couldn’t. I will try again later because I did love silent patient like everyone else but ….this was just not it for me at the moment

Thanks to NetGalley and Caledon Books for this read. When the approval appeared in my email, I was in disbelief that I was approved. I had to stop myself from starting it right away as I was already reading an ARC. This book is quite different from his others as there is a narrator but it was well written like the others. The book was fast paced and so interesting to read. The chapters were short and just forced you to keep reading. This book is going to be what people are talking about for 2024 as the author writes good books.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Like thousands of other readers, I absolutely loved The Silent Patient and still consider it an all time favorite thriller. The Maidens ended up being just okay (but with a stunning cover), so I was excited to see how I would feel about this 3rd release.

Unfortunately, this ended up being a MAJOR flop for me. I liked the idea of the plot and enjoyed the fact that the chapters were super short…but outside of that, I just didn’t like it. Immediately from page 1, I found the narration style to be incredibly off putting. Like, I get that the narrator is supposed to be unreliable/unlikeable from the start, but the issues I had with it were specifically as to how it was written. The stylistic writing choice was just so cringey to me and ruined the mysterious vibe. I literally laughed at the quote - “I hope I won’t prove disappointing as a narrator.” Hate to break it to you buddy, but I found you super disappointing. Also, the alternating POVs felt so strange. It almost felt like the book itself was unedited and they never found a way to make the POVs cohesive. Especially considering the plot had some potential, I feel like there would have been a way to meld the different characters/POVs/narration in a way that actually made sense. I also felt like the reveals at the end were trying a little too hard to do something big and shocking. And I hate to say it, but the backlist cameos are also starting to feel a little heavy handed.

I’m not sure if I’ll ended up picking up any more Alex Michaelides books in the future. His other books likely have their own perfect audience, but it seems like nothing will ever live up to The Silent Patient for me.

Short synopsis: Elliot Chase recounts the story of a vacation on a Greek island, when someone winds up dead.

My thoughts: The story was told in a unique way, it was if Elliot was telling the story to a friend. Each of the characters were unique and unlikable in some way or another, definitely untrustworthy in nature!

This was such a slow burn for me. Id have liked it to flow a little quicker. But the narration was very well done.

Read if you love:
- Greek settings
- Slow burns
- Unique storytelling
- Past/present time frames

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

When I heard about this new mystery set on a remote, isolated, stormy Greek island with a cast of Hollywood darlings... I was immediately intrigued. Sign me up! Despite an overall concept I thought I would enjoy, this one didn't work for me.

Things I liked:
- The setting was great! Loved the vibes of the island and I wanted more about it.
- I love the "mysteriously retired actress" trope (?) used in books like this one. I always find them interesting.
- Short chapters that end on cliffhangers - this is the reason I was able to finish the book!

Things I disliked:
- I just could not stand the narrator. They were just insufferable to me! I think this is on purpose - they are meant to be facetious and unlikable... but it was just too much for me.
- There were so many times this narrator explained a whole situation and then "oh, well that actually didn't happen". I understand the unreliable narrator trope can be done well... but I am feeling pretty bored of it by now. Maybe I have just read too many thrillers.
- Although nonlinear timelines usually work well in mystery/thrillers, this one annoyed me. It felt like half of the book was the narrator going back and retelling a portion of the story because he had lied about it previously. Then he would say some quip about "well, this is how it actually went"...
- This is just a minor detail... at the beginning of each Act, the chapters restarted to 1. It really annoyed me. I know we are in a new act, but can we continue with the normal counting of chapters? Again, minor and unimportant, but bothersome to me.
- My biggest point - I already know I won't continue to think about this story. There are still questions after finishing the book, like in any unreliable narrator story, but with this book, I simply don't care that they aren't answered. I just wasn't connected enough to the characters to feel anything about understanding their story better.

Although I liked a few aspects of this book, it ended up not being for me. I think it would work better for people who are newer to thrillers and would enjoy trying an unreliable narrator for the first time.

This is my second Alex Michaelides book and he really is the master of the unreliable narrator. The Fury is filled with twists and turns that will keep you flipping through the pages, while also a deep character study of trauma. What a ride this was, set against a gorgeous beachy backdrop. The Fury was delicious and I furiously want to relive it all again.

Lana, an ex movie star, invited her friends to her island for a relaxing Easter…until a murder occurs.

Just when you think you have the twist figured out, you are wrong. There are so many twists! The story tends to flip between now and the past fairly often, so pay close attention.

Thank you to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨RATING: 4⭐️

✨REVIEW: Thank you @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the advanced eCopy of this one!! I danced left and right when the approval came through. I LOVED the Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and couldn’t wait to get my hands on another! I binged this one fast and when Book of the Month released it as an option, I knew I needed the physical copy on my shelf.
Elliot Chase is on a Greek Island with ex-star Lana. Shots are fired & a body lay by the ruin…. Whose body is it, who fired, and WHY is all to be slowly unraveled in this mystery thriller. The characters are all (mostly) developed deeply and leads to the plot being beautifully revealed. However, I found it hard to connect with Elliot from the beginning. He would often break the 4th wall and chat with the reader or give attitude which made it hard to like him. As for the ending, it wasn’t what I anticipated BUT it also wasn’t completely predictable which is a huge win. Overall, an enjoyable and quick read!

✨PROS: VERY short chapters, while Elliot narrates it, it does seem as though it has multiple POVs the way it is described

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Silent Patient, not sure why I’d think I would enjoy this one. I know many love Alex Michaelides, unfortunately his writing just isn’t for me! If you liked Silent Patient I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.

Alright. I loved The Silent Patient and liked The Maidens. So you can imagine how excited I was when I got approved for this ARC.

Unfortunately it was very disappointing. The author was trying too hard to play into the “big twist” by using an unreliable, and incredibly annoying, narrator. Anytime we got to know a little bit about the other characters the narrator would come in and ramble for pages on end. It really took me out of the events happening on the island.

While I was reading I kept waiting for something to happen. When nothing happened at about 200 pages, I was expecting to have my mind blown by the ending. Clearly that didn’t happen.

Some authors do the book universe thing well. And while I think it was well played in The Maidens and The Silent Patient, it felt like an afterthought in this book.

Thank you to Celadon and Netgalley for the e-copy of this book!

Such a unique and twisty read from Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens.

The Fury is full of twists and turns and just when you think you have an idea, your jaw is on the floor once again thanks in large part to the most unreliable and unstable narrator. It’s told from mainly two POVS and jumps back and forth in time- all while set on a private Greek island and London?! I’m sold!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Celadon books for the eARC.

I think Elliot would enjoy me starting my review with this quotation: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." Curtains.

Oh, I do love a good unreliable narrator, especially when that narrator comes right out at the beginning to say, “don’t trust me as all people are unreliable narrators of their own lives.” “Actually, do ttrust me.” “Okay, I wasn’t totally honest with you at this point, but I swear, I’m trying.” Elliot, you tease.

I like that Elliot was presented as a character and playwright, even though some of the literary heritage of this story relates more to novels. There are some Linnet, Death on the Nile parallels. Elliot mentions the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and quotes the Hemingway on the fallibility of storytellers - as stated, a consistent and recurring theme.

Also, anyone who has ever read a Michaelides book knows he is very connected to his Greek heritage and includes connections in his novels. For this one: the Greek Island, Agathi’s beliefs, Greek Street, London etc. Those additions felt standard for his writing. Here’s where I started speculating: the introduction of Jason as a character immediately had me questioning the name in relation to the story of Jason and Madea as his possible namesake. I won’t spoil for you; you can figure that one out on your own.

Overall, this is very much a whydunit over a whodunnit - a term I learned from this book. There were some parts of this narrative that were painful for me to read, especially as a mother. Apathy is cruelty, and cruelty can literally change a child’s brain chemistry.

I almost took a star away because of the actions of a particular character which felt especially out of left field, but I don’t want to mention them because it will definitely be a spoiler. However, I decided to leave it. If you have read it, and you want to know what I’m talking about, feel free to reach out. Otherwise, happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with this eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the eARC! And thank you to Alex Michaelides for the great book.

I would like to preface this review by saying that I have previously read his other novels, Silent Patient and the Maidens, in my opinion they should be read prior to this one. I feel that it necessarily would not be required but there are very slight references and the Epilogue has a spoiler for the Silent Patient.

As for the book itself, the way that this book is written is very unique and I do not recall a book that is written like it. I cannot think of a way to describe this book other than it starts midway through the storyline, then stops and goes back maybe a week prior to where it initially started then continues a little farther than where it had previously ended. Then this cycle repeats, each time you get more bits and pieces to the story. Then there are different unlabeled point of views. They are very sudden and inserted randomly but they provided information that is needed.

There are several twists and turns throughout this book and I do feel it is worth a read. I do feel it drug on a tad. But I believe that partially was due to the narrator's presence being such a vital part of the book as he is very biased, although he continues to try not to be. The narrator wants you to know what happened but he wants you to know how it happened, but he is constantly forgetting vital parts which is why he flips back to the start so he can tell you.

I don't think this is Michaelides best book as nothing will touch the Silent Patient in my opinion, but I absolutely ADORE the connections between the three. It makes me want to reread Silent Patient (followed by the Maidens).

I have read all of this authors other books and I found this one no less riveting. I always enjoy them and I always recommend them to everyone