The Fury is the latest book from the author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens. I didn’t read The Silent Patient, which is a favorite among thriller readers, but I did read The Maidens and found it to be an engaging mystery, so I was excited to read an advance digital copy.

The synopsis was intriguing, and as I read the opening chapters, I thought I would really enjoy the book: movie stars! the London theatre scene! a Greek island and a brewing storm! However, it all fell a bit short for me.

Neither the narrator nor the other characters were likable or well-developed, and I wasn’t invested in the mystery of who died and who the murderer was as a result. It felt like the narrator was just explaining what happened, revealing the plot points like spaces on a board game until we learn Miss Scarlett did it in the ballroom with a candlestick.

This is a fast-paced mystery with short chapters, and if you’re a fan of Michaelides’ other books and enjoy whodunits, you might like this book more than I did. The Fury will be available January 16. Thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the ARC.

i wanted to love this more than i actually did. overall it was very fast paced with short chapters that ended on cliffhangers, making you curious to know more.

i didn’t love the narrator, the tone just wasn’t my style. i was also confused a good chunk of this book because there were so many characters thrown at you at once, and explained and developed as you go; overall, i still didn’t feel like we really got to know any of the characters though.

overall, it was one of the most unique books i’ve read, and would recommend if you like bingeable thrillers!

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I have to say, this book was a bit of a let down when held to the other works by Michaelides.
In terms of general theme, this book stayed true to the psychological and mythological themes Michaelides is known for, but the plot was not as dynamic as I was expecting.
My biggest gripes were a repetitive narrator and inconsistent pacing as the book progressed. I would say the first 60% of the book is character exposition, and it made it hard to sink my teeth into.
That being said, the end of the book did scratch the psychological-thriller-itch, and was entertaining all the same!
As with each of his books, Michaelides includes an easter egg from within his universe. I actually like this element, but only as someone who has read his books in publishing order!

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

So begins The Fury by Alex Michaelides, a dramatic, unpredictable, soap opera of a thriller set in Greece.

Lana Farrar, a reclusive and retired movie star, has invited her closest friends to her private Greek island where, amidst personal drama, a murder takes place. Told from the point of view of her friend Elliot, we begin to unwrap the layers of truth about what happened, all the while wondering who exactly it is that we can trust to tell this tale.

Having read The Silent Patient from this author, I appreciate his penchant for the melodramatic and it is used to great effect here. Where The Silent Patient felt more grounded, The Fury feels a bit more superficial but it works here due to the superficial nature of the characters and their relationships.

This one really brought the drama, which the author embraced fully throughout. I said soap opera in my description because everything feels heightened, from the weather, to the emotions, to the senses and experiences, to what’s at stake. That drama hooks you as a reader, even if the characters aren’t exactly likable. Let’s just say you won’t exactly find yourself rooting for the main characters but you’ll be enthralled.

Just like many thrillers, we can get an unreliable narrator. In the case of Elliot, he is honest about it from the beginning which added an interesting level of uncertainty throughout the book. As he says “I’ve told you nothing but the truth. Just not all of it.”

Thank you to author Alex Michaelides, and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This murder mystery was Greek tragedy meets Knives Out. For fans of The Silent Patient, this is a slower build but I believe the storytelling is just as captivating.

This is my favorite book by this author yet. Pub date: January 16th!

The Fury
Alex Michaelides
Pub: Celadon Books
Format: E-ARC from Net Galley
Pub date: January 16, 2024

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Michaelides for the e-ARC!

When I first heard about The Fury, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I was absolutely obsessed with both The Silent Patient and The Maidens, so I knew I would love this book as well! We once again have an unreliable narrator (which I live for) and we are left in the dark almost until the end. I had so many different theories running around in my head, but I can promise you that I wasn’t nearly as close as I had hoped. Our narrator, Elliot Chase, takes us to the beautiful island of Aura along with Lana, a beautiful former actress; her devoted son and careless husband; an actress struggling in her career; a Greek woman who has become Lana’s cook and confidant; and Nikos, the isolated caretaker of the island who avoids human contact. This motley crew is on the island for a day when someone is murdered, and the question is who did it and why?
With many twists throughout the book, as well as characters that you love to hate, this novel kept me coming back for more. It was a bit slow at first, but once we began to get into the meat of the characters and their possible motives for the murder, I couldn’t stay away. What I really enjoy about Michaelides’ books is that I know I have to take everything that I am reading with a grain of salt. He is really the master of unreliable narrators, especially ones who do a damn good job of convincing you, or at least redirecting suspicion. Everyone on the island has a motive, and apparently motives that more than they were privy of. The Fury is a fun and modern take on the classic who-dun-it. There were many aspects that felt similar to Christie’s books, and really required you to remember everything we have learned about each character. I can't help but draw the parallel with “Hedda Gabler'' which, I think, was brilliantly added in the middle of the book. Everything that was brought up about a character needs to be logged away, because it is likely to be a vital piece of information at the end, a nice metaphorical “secrets are weapons”.
I will always be an advocate for Michaelides’ books (he is definitely an auto-buy for me), especially because I love the way he subtly connects all of his books together. You absolutely do not need to read the books in a certain order, but each one gives a nod to the one published before it, which is so fun. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie and psychological thrillers, you definitely need to pick up this book once it publishes, you will not be disappointed!

Michaelides is the master of the unreliable narrator. While I didn’t trust the narrator one bit, I liked the format of the book told through one characters’ lens and with cheeky commentary to the audience. Like peeling the layers of an onion, the plot of this story gets more complicated and intricate as more details are revealed. Every time you think you’ve figured it out, something else is revealed to make you question everything. While slow in some parts, this book is an intriguing glimpse into the raw, messy side of humanity and the underlying need in all of us to be loved. Bonus: I enjoyed the scattered easter eggs from Michaelides’ first two books.

Thank you Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

The first 40% of this book was slow and I had trouble continuing to pick it up because nothing was happening, but I ended up liking it.

I really loved the writing style, and how the narrator jumped back and forth in time. Overall, enjoyed this book, just not enough to give it 5 stars

I liked the unique narration style utilized in The Fury and felt like the book flew by with the short chapters. While there were a lot of twists and turns, I also felt like there was a bit of anticipation fatigue as the narrator kept reminding us that big things were coming in every chapter. The ending is also a bit chaotic and requires you to suspend a bit of disbelief - but overall this is a fast paced and enjoyable thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC copy of this book.

I am honestly not 100% sure how I feel about this book. The way it was written, the doubling back, the ending… were definitely all choices, but it kept me reading and wanting to find out what happened. I also loved the setting! I think I’ll need to read spoilers for the book when it actually comes out to fully grasp.

I had a hard time getting through this. It was super long winded and I just wasn’t jiving with the writing style.

Wow! This book was so fun! I felt like I pulled up to a bar to listen to the narrator tell me a story of love, a beautiful island and murder. The writing style of this book was probably my favourite thing about it.
Alex Michaelides always has many woah wait what? moments and this book was not short of them. There was a few times I was stopped in my tracks because of the twist that happened.

Alex Michaelides is an auto read author 100%

I have to be honest, this book was not for me. I think I’ve come to learn that I actually don’t really enjoy when the fourth wall is broken, and I found the main character to be insufferable. After being a huge fan of The Silent Patient and then not really loving The Maidens, this also didn’t work for me.

This is like a Greek Agatha Christie retelling and even though it had some perks (like the ending and epilogue was actually shocking and brought everything together), the content itself wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy every chapter alluding to someone being sketchy or that something bad is going to happen soon. If it happens a few times, great, but it was all over the place.

This also absolutely spoils The Silent Patient for people, which I really don’t think is a good move seeing as that’s this author’s best work so far…

I just couldn’t vibe with the narration or the writing style. Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan audio, and Celadon for the advanced copies!

This is the third book by Alex Michaelides. I thoroughly enjoyed The Silent Patient and The Maidens, so I had high hopes for this story too.

It started very slow. I was a little intrigued by the mystery narrator, but his identity is revealed early on. The narrator is highly unreliable…constantly going off on tangents and revising the stories he shares. He uses a lot of foreshadowing, making promises that the reader will not believe what happens in the end.

The story did pick up, and I was intrigued to see if there would be a twist I didn’t see coming, but I found the plot to be fairly predictable. I didn’t feel a strong connection with the characters or really care much about what happened. In all, I just think this was a run-of-the-mill thriller, nothing special. I was mildly entertained, especially at the end, but found myself rushing through just to be done with it. If you haven’t read any of Michaelides’ work, I would skip this one and go with either of his other two.

First I want to say, definitely read The Silent Patient before reading this novel! Second, I wish I liked this book more. I did not feel connected to the characters, and wish I could have trusted the narrator more. Overall it was an okay book, but I prefer his other novels.

I tend to not enjoy the mystery thriller genre, but I read The Silent Patient and The Maidens and enjoyed both, so I wanted to give this a go. The premise sounded interesting, but ultimately this reading experience was far too slow building for me.

I would also like to mention this book has major spoilers for The Silent Patient, so read that one first!

A big reason I don't enjoy most mystery thrillers is that I find the characters are not well developed. I unfortunately found that to be the case here. I found them also quite unlikeable and therefore hard to care about.

3 stars

I was excited to read the latest by Alex Michaelides as I enjoyed his previous book, The Silent Patient. I thought that the structure of the novel was creative dividing it into five acts as in a play. I did not like or trust the narrator at all throughout reading the book, which made it less twisty/surprising than I was expecting. The device of breaking the fourth wall got a little tiresome as well. Overall, it was a fine read.

I’ll admit, I was kinda disappointed at first that this story line felt like a storyline I’ve heard a million times. Rich friends go on vacation together to an island, one of them ends up murdered, a whodunnit sort of book. I don’t know if my disappointment set my mood for the rest of the book but ugh, meh.
I wasn’t a fan of the writing style of this. I did not like how the narrator spoke to the reader (I’m not really sure why I didn’t like, it felt kinda cheesy). Were there twists? Yes. Was it a shocking twist? Super! However, I was so over the book already, I couldn’t appreciate it. Sooooo overall this book just did not do it for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Our unreliable narrator, Elliot, weaves a story about a mysterious murder involving his equally unreliable actor friends. At times confusing, I also felt urged to keep reading to see who was murdered, and why, on the private Greek island vacation. Told like a play in five acts, this story left me trying to figure out what exactly was going on, and who was telling the truth. Overall, it was a quick read that I enjoyed, but it was not as enjoyable as the author’s previous thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Digital Copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides in return for an honest review.

The Fury is a 5 act Greek Tragedy and lord it’s tragic I stuck it out to the end! This book felt equivalent to a slow death! I didn’t care for the plot and the book itself was insufferably slow personally if I had picked this book up on my own and it was not an ARC I would have DNFd as I was bored to death. I didn’t feel “thrilled” at any point during this book.

I will not be recommending this read unfortunately.