Member Reviews

I was blown away by the originality and creativity of this novel! I was a little bit skeptical before starting this book, because I adored this author's debut novel, The Silent Patient, which is probably one of my top five favorite thrillers. However, I was not impressed by his next novel, The Maidens, and thought it was just ok.

In The Fury, the unreliable narrator, the cynical playwright Elliot, tells the story of his friends Lana and Kate, and his trip with them to Lana's private Greek Island, along with Lana's second husband, Jason, her 17-year-old son, Leo, and two of her devoted employees. As if he is reading from one of his own screenplays, Elliot tells the reader what he wants you to know about the past, the present, and....the murder. Creatively crafted, we learn of the lives of these characters, their hopes and dreams, their lies and deceits, their guilt and their innocence, as well as their motives and opportunity for murder.

Other than a slow beginning and mostly unlikable characters, The Fury is a first rate, twisty suspenseful thriller.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Fury!
4⭐️

What a bunch of unlikable characters! Truly, I don’t think there is one character in this bunch that I rooted for throughout the course of this story, except maybe Lana at the very end. This story follows Lana, and ex-movie star, and her group of friends/family who make a small getaway to her private Greek island for a break. No one truly likes each other, everyone has a reason to kill someone, and by the end of the trip, someone ends up dead. But who and how. The narrator is completely unreliable, so it’s a mystery until the very end.

This is my new favorite of Alex Michaelides books. The Maidens was blah, and I’m in the minority of those who didn’t care for the ending of The Silent Patient. This one is solid though, and I’d recommend it, especially if you enjoyed Michaelides’ other books!

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Mini Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- This was my second to last book of 2023 and what a way to end the year! I immediately revised my list to put this in my top 10. This has everything I love in a good thriller: sassy unreliable narrator who breaks the 4th wall, beautiful destination, and an awful group of characters who want someone from everyone. Overall This was an addicting read I flew through it in 24 hours, when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about it. ♥️
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First, I would like to say thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and Alex Michaelides for the ARC of The Fury! I was floored when I got approved for this, as his other 2 books are some of my favorite thrillers. Now, for the review. *I will keep plot spoilers out until after its published*

Elliot has a story he wants you to hear, and quite a story it is. It involves a Greek Island on Easter, murder, and at the heart of his story, love...or what he thinks is his version of love. Elliots cast of characters in his story involves Lana, Leo, Jason, and Kate. Nothing is what it seems in his story, either. I absolutely loved it. It has twist after twist, right until the very end. It was very fast paced (for me, personally). I loved the isolated cut off from everyone else and there's probably a crazed killer trope, it's one of my favorite sub-genres. There are time skips in this. There is also an unreliable narrator which usually doesn't work for me, but I just wanted to hear more and more about Elliots messy life. I also loved the tie-ins to his two other previous books, I was eagerly waiting for it! If you haven't read his other books first you should probably start with The Silent Patient, then, The Maidens, and finally this one. Again, thank you for this ARC!

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I had such high hopes for this book. It started out promising: Greece, remote island, a murder. However, I never got sucked in like I hoped. Were there twists and turns like I envisioned? Yes, although completely different than anything I expected. Was I captivated? No, unfortunately this was not the page turned I had hoped for.
Overall was my least favorite book by this author.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

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I’ve never DNF a book before but I think it’s time

I was super disappointed by this one, I devoured “The Silent Patient” and was expecting something that would blow me away like TSP but this did not.

I only read up to 23% and I was simply bored! The pacing was too slow, the characters were super unlikeable and just dull.

Elliot gave me Nick Carraway vibes from “The Great Gatsby” but even his narration still could not keep me entertained and wanting to read more.

Maybe I’ll eventually come back to it in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

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This is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. The never ending plot twists were incredible and the (mostly) single person narrative felt like it was from multiple perspectives and timelines because of all the twists and turns and unknowingness of the narrator. Can’t wait for the next one

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Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC! I am a fan of this author, love his writing style and am happy this one stayed true to his style. I liked the concept and story a lot- a murder mystery told by a very interesting narrator. The different acts and twists kept me guessing until the very end! It also reads super quickly and I really like that in a thriller. A great next novel for Michaelides!

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I was excited to hear that this author was coming out with another book. I really enjoyed Silent patient for its twists and turns and character development throughout the story. I enjoyed this newest one for it kept me interested, kept me guessing what was in store for me as I continued to read. Yet another blockbuster that I highly recommend.

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I really enjoyed this perfectly paced thriller! Not quite as much as The Silent Patient , but more than The Maidens. Funnily enough I had just finished reading Agatha Christie's "And then there were none" immediately before picking up The Fury. The Fury felt a bit like Christie's book but the characters were more developed and the mystery was less compelling. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

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The Fury is a psychological mystery/thriller set in Greece, where you don’t know who was killed or who did it. Michaelides has such a magical way of writing that’s lyrical but also adds to the suspense of the novel. I loved the setting of this book (an island in Greece) and how there was somewhat of an alternating timeline. The unreliable narrator also adds another element of suspense to the mystery. It was a bit slow at the beginning and at some points throughout the book, which is why I didn’t give it 5 stars, but overall it was a very good read and I’d recommend to everyone who’s a fan of thrillers and Michaelides. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

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My, oh my! He has done it again. This one definitely kept me guessing! I thought I knew exactly how it was going to end but NOPE! Very well written, loved every minute of it.

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Michaelides never disappoints and The Fury is no exception. Read this one if you’re into short chapters, good character building, an interesting twist, and an unreliable narrator. What a delicious treat this was.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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Unfortunately, this took a really long time to pick up. The last half was really good though. I love an unreliable narrator and Michaelides did it well. It was such a slow thriller though, and that really took away from the book as a whole.

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Guys this book was such a fun read! I love a good thriller/murder mystery and this definitely was a great one to start the year off with. I really enjoyed the style of writing and how the narrator was aware of the reader the whole time. The novel is written almost as a play starting with Act I, it's told from multiple POVs, and has an unreliable narrator.

it's set on a isolated Greek Island with these old ruins and multiple houses. It's not super suspenseful, but it has plenty of twists to keep you reading. There are 7 characters that have messy, complicated relationships. It starts of slow, but once it gets moving it really takes off.

Read if you love character driven novels, a fun murder mystery, and unreliable characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the e-ARC! Out January 16th!

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A solid 3.5/5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for The Fury by Alex Michaelides in return for a free review.

I was so shocked and excited when I got the chance to read Michaelides' The Fury. I hate to compare the thrill of this book to The Silent Patient but you just can't help it. I'm not exactly sure of my feelings about this book because I liked it and also didn't like it. The narrator is the one telling you this story and I think that's the reason why I'm feeling unsure about this book is because I'm not sure if I like or don't like the style - haha, if that makes sense?

The beginning was hard to get into and it dragged a little bit but it DID pick up! The writing style is quite different than The Silent Patient and The Maiden but I can see now the slow build-up for the twisted plot to unravel. Elliot is a playwriter and is in love with his famous actress friend, Lana. They and a group of friends are in Greece on Lana's private island and a murder happens, it's a whodunnit thriller with an unexpected ending. It's a very unique writing style of Alex Michaelides that I can't decide if I like or not, but overall I still enjoyed it.

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Rated 3.5 ⭐️

Seven people are on a private island in Greece. 1 person is murdered, but who did it and who died?

It took me a bit to get used to the way this book was written. It's a narrator telling you a story. Not sure I'm a fan of this style of writing. The story is very slow. At about 73% in a twist happens which, left my mouth open.
My favorite part of the book was where they talk about comparing everyone to a Wizard of Oz Character. I think I'm the Scarecrow.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex Michaelides, and the publisher for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest review.

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Elliott is one of Lana’s best friends. He really takes pride in their friendship as he is just a plain ol’ playwright and she is a famous actress. Elliott narrates this book…telling us the ins and outs of their weekend trip to Lana’s private island. He tells us right up front that there is a murder on the island. The questions we now have…who died and who did it?

If you are waiting for a Silent Patient twist in this book then you should stop. There is a twist but it fell kind of flat for me. The whole storyline felt very familiar to me…like I have read it many times before, but still waiting for something new. Elliott narrating provided some differences, but not enough to make this one to remember for me.

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wow! this format was so unique, i loved the style and the omniscient narration. there were so many twists that kept me guessing until the end. i loved so many elements- the retired movie star, the setting.

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3.5 Stars, rounded up.

With a twisting, changing plot that doubles back on itself so many times you might get whiplash, this book has all the makings of a very fun whodunnit. And to a point, it is. However my issue lies in the exposition which was overdone, wordy and went off on far too many tangents. I have found that this holds true for Michaelides novels in general - a good plot that gets dragged along by excessive background. The setting was lovely, the characters interesting and the concept enjoyable. Unfortunately, this writing style just does not seem to do it for me.

There were also quite a few edits to be made prior to publishing, notable errors listed below:

"I'm not where sure I am" -loc 266
"bad hair, big nose, and no jaw." -loc 291
"Tt was Agathi" -loc 2436
"100 hundred percent" -loc 2554
"Mariana--I smiled--"I am a professional writer..." -loc3 072

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