The Fury is a mystery novel from the same author that gives us the bestsellers, The Silent Patient and The Maidens.
The Fury unfolds as a first-hand retelling of a story that already comes off as confusing and convoluted (thank you unreliable narrator 🥴). The narrator eludes to a story that holds a lot of drama and mystery, but is also full of plot twists at his own expense.

Taking place on a private Greek island, the book creates a very interesting setting for a murder mystery and we soon find out the culprit is only 1 of the 6 people who are trapped on the island. Private beaches, blue waters, friends who knew each other for years - what could possible go wrong?
We learn enough about each character, their secret motives, and what drives them all to madness - just mad enough to end someone’s life. 🔫

ok, i did enjoy the different narration style this book had. it was one of those books where you thought you knew what was going on, but then the next chapter completely changed everything. i unfortunately, don’t think this author’s writing style is for me, but you should definitely check it out if you’ve enjoyed previous books from this author. thank you to NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, for an ARC.
publication date: january 16th, 2024

My feelings about this book are wrapped up in one quote from within it and that is "you mustn't let the final act drag on forever - you'll lose your audience." That is exactly what happened to me, I got lost. I was feeling it in the beginning but then I started to feel a drag of sorts. I did like the style of storytelling and that each new act of the book felt like peeling back another layer. It was interesting, that was for sure. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a layered mystery with lots of drama. Just be ready for a slow burn.

A locked island murder mystery- and love story of sorts. It's clever in parts and regrettably predictable in others. How much you enjoy this might well depend on how you feel about Elliott, who is telling the tale. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Michaelides has been so original in the past that this, which is let's face it, pretty trope-y, was a bit of a disappointment. That said, it's a fast fun read.

I really enjoyed this one and flew right through it. It had a unique structure and I do love the way Michaelides work is influenced by Greek literature. It definitely kept me on my toes and I squealed at the reference to The Silent Patient at the end 👀! I alternated between the audiobook and physical book and preferred the physical book. The narrator was just ok for me but I think it’s just a personal preference since other reviews loved the narrator.

Thank you Celadon Books, NetGalley, and Alex Michaelides for the great honor of getting to read an advance copy of The Fury in exchange for an honest review. I have been a fan of Alex Michaelides’ books and this book did not disappoint me at all. Told from the viewpoint of Elliot, one of Lana Farrah’s friends, we are informed from the start that this is a love story but also a murder mystery. Even better though, it’s a murder mystery on an isolated island where there are only a finite number of people and so every one is looking guilty. Our storyteller is also not a very reliable source of information because he has secrets that make him far more dangerous than anyone realizes but is he dangerous enough to commit murder? Or is it the unfaithful husband and the cheating best friend plotting? You definitely want to read this fabulous mystery to find out all the secrets of The Fury. I cannot recommend it enough, it’s already surpassed my expectations.

The Fury is the kind of easy read that you can devour in a single sitting, but it's also so deliciously told that you'll want to savor it for far longer. Michaelides is a must-read for me, and while this is possibly his most simple story, it's also probably his most enjoyable. Where Silent Patient is oh-so-serious and The Maidens is oh-so-pretentious, The Fury is playful, like a cat toying with a mouse. It feels almost effortless, in the way that only great writers can make a work feel. That said, it is truly the writing itself that makes this book a worthwhile ride; the characters are decent, but not outstanding and the plot is middling. These sorts of closed room (or island, as that does seem to be a popular setting) whodunnits/whydunnits are notoriously difficult to inject much originality into, given the limited parameters and the plethora of books and movies in the genre-- therefore, it's really become more about how the story is told than what the story contains. And in this case, I very much enjoyed the telling.

A fast fun read. I love Michailides style. Elliot is not quite as clever as he thinks himself to be as he plots and twists this tale. Likeable characters play out this suspenseful story that you will not be able to keep up with.

If you’re looking for a fast read that’s a good story, read this book. The writing style was so good that it kept me turning page after page until it was done. This is a great book to cuddle up with and read in one sitting. The characters were interesting and the twists and turns kept me wanting to read more.

Overall, I would rate this book a 4 solely because it was fast-paced and kept me interested the whole way, but it didn’t give me the shock and awe factor that I’m usually used to with Alex Michaelides.

I’ll give this book 3.75 stars

“Human beings are complex creatures, with shades of light and dark operating in all of us”

HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for giving me the honour of reading this book! I’ve been wanting to read Alex Michaelides for a while now and the fact that my first one is The Fury? I’m so thankful.

“Our perception is clouded by the need to comply, justify, and forgive.”

Okay, so despite being thankful, I’ll admit I was hoping for more? It could be because of my wanting to read The Maidens and The Silent Patient. I don’t know, it left me wanting more from the book. Maybe I had my expectations up too high?

“The friends we make when young are rarely the kind of people we seek out later in life.”

I don’t feel satisfied in any way and I really did not like the… main character? narrator? Basically the story is told from Elliot’s point of view and I did not like him, I found him kinda annoying, and he gave me strong white knight vibes. Maybe we’re not supposed to like him? A morally grey character? I don’t know I just didn’t really like him.

“It’s like falling in love, isn’t it, when you make a new friend?”

I’ll give it to Alex Michaelides, the way the story was played out was pretty good. There were a few things I didn’t see coming, but it felt like some of it was a little predictable. I liked Lana, but this is told through Elliot’s eyes so obviously I’m not going to be seeing her flaws. It’s like Lana and Kate were opposites. I liked Kate as a character because she seemed pretty bad ass, though it may come off as annoying.

“Who I was simply wasn’t good enough. I had to become someone else.”

I’m still going to read Alex Michaelides’ work, just maybe The Silent Patient before The Maidens? I own The Maidens so I need to get my hands on a copy of The Silent Patient. I’m still intrigued by his writing so I’ll read some more. There were many quotes that stood out to me, and these are most of them.

This was very much a 2.5 for me. This story follows Elliott as he tells a story about what happens on his friend Lana’s island when close friends are invited over and the night ends in murder.
I found Elliott’s narration very cringy and hard to read most of the way through. I understand we weren’t meant to like him much but I couldn’t get past breaking the 4th wall.
The plot twists were also very back and forth and it wasn’t very tasteful imo. It’s like a list of types of plot twists all mingled into one story when a good shocking plot twist would’ve done the trick for a slower story like this one. Definitely may just not have been for me but I’m not sure I would recommend to others.

Sigh. It’s finally happened. Alex Michaelides has let me down.

It seems Michaelides is a rather divisive author, people seem to either really love his books or really hate them. I for one- have really loved them. And I tried very very hard to love The Fury as equally as I had his previous two novels, but alas. The main character of this book drove me absolutely bonkers. And honestly it was hard to find a character in the story who was likable. The plot was meh and kind of drawn out. But, even though Michaelides would likely hate hearing this- it was VERY Agatha Christie. Three stars from me this go round.

Search for the word, “clever,” and you’ll find intelligent, talented, bright and sharp-witted – all describing Alex Michaelides with his latest release: The Fury.

My eyes couldn’t move across the words fast enough to read what was going to happen next. The chapters are short and it makes you want to read just one more. This is not your ordinary murder mystery.

Elliot, is the narrator of the story. Lana whom he described as his soulmate, invites Elliot along with her friend, Kate, to a beautiful Greek island that she owns, thanks to her late wealthy husband. Jason, whom she is now married to, seems to have affections not only for his wife but also her best movie-star friend. Elliot is the in-between guy trying to manipulate their actions. Early on, readers are told that someone is going to die.

The beginning makes you prepare for an original adventure which spins your head around with some twists and turns. It’s easy to see the truth of how we try to control each part of our lives and then find out that sometimes it takes off in different, unexpected directions. The story is engaging, entertaining and I believe it’s his best book yet. It should get lots of people making it their book club pick.

My thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book with the release date of January 16, 2024.

Where to begin? The Fury was an intriguing, twisty read. The story is basically about love, the love one man , Elliott Chase, has for a woman, Lana Farrar. Unfortunately, the woman does not feel the same. I loved the way the story is written like a play, with five acts and is told by Elliott. Talk about an unreliable narrator! The story takes many twists and turns and eventually you learn a lot about Elliott, which is not his real name, along the way. All he has ever wanted is love but is has always eluded him. So he comes up with, what he thinks, is an ingenious plan to finally get what he wants. Of course the plan goes awry, and it drastically changes the course of everyone around him. I love the callbacks to characters from the authors previous books and the way , so far, all his books are within the same universe. I really can't wait for the next book from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC! Ouu, I enjoyed this one! This novel was a murder mystery plot told by an unreliable narrator. The story kept me guessing and flowed nicely.

This was sadly a DnF for me I couldn’t get into it and I really tried but the way the narrator described the story just wasn’t for me. As always thank you to Netgalley and publishers for letting me read this one early!

"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides offers a refreshing departure from the author's previous work, "The Silent Patient." While lacking the explosive twists of its predecessor, this novel unfolds at a deliberate pace. The initial slowness is mitigated by the strategic use of short chapters, enhancing the overall pacing. The unique approach to the thriller genre sets it apart, providing a captivating read that proved difficult to put down. The culmination in the ending delivers a satisfying conclusion, earning the novel a solid 4/5 stars.

My favorite Alex Michaelides book yet! The narrator was delightfully unreliable, a fact he readily admits to in the very beginning of the novel, which makes you wonder and question reality throughout the novel. The psychological analysis the narrator does of himself and other characters adds humanity and depth to the story, which as a psychologist I greatly appreciated. Overall, a great, interesting psychological thriller!

I don’t really know what to think. This book was all over the place with characters that were either boring, unlikeable, or just forgettable. There were so many opportunities to make this book great, but it unfortunately wasn’t.

Alex Michaelides has returned to his incredible narrative style in this wonderfully twisty take on the locked door mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator's perspective in this novel. Each character was by turns a great suspect and I couldn't wait to pick the book up each night to see what would happen next! This