This was my least favorite of Alex Michaelides' books to date. I LOVED The Silent Patient and ripped through The Maidens in a day and was so happy to get my hands on this book early, but it just did not resonate with me. I felt like the narration style (and narrator) were all over the place and incredibly unlikeable - I honestly did not click with a single character in the book and found it so slow at times, and the big "reveal(s)" at the end just really weren't doing it for me. I think the concept itself was really cool and I actually enjoyed the setup, but the book overall just didn't do it for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited when @celadonbooks sent me the ARC of Alex Michaelides' THE FURY!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I went into this story blind, which was a bit hard to do as I have been seeing people share about this book for months! I am glad I skipped any synopsis, and I don't want to say much about it here for those who are like me and just want to know the final thoughts.

I did end up listening with the physical copy close by. I absolutely love the narration by Alex Jennings. He has a perfect voice for Elliot. I thought he intoned all the attitude with insecurity that this story needed. It was also fantastic to have the physical book to make sure I was understanding the jumping time frames which did give me pause a time or two.

I enjoyed the way this story was written. It absolutely felt like I was having a drink in a pub and hearing it told. It felt very real in that sense of being less linear, and yet building to the crescendo of that final fury. I also felt like it lent a less dark tone, even though it had sinister characters and murder.

◇SPOILER ALERT◇(possibly-don't read if you want to be more surprised)

What I really loved is how the insight into deep childhood trauma made me feel almost sympathetic. I felt very much at the end of this like I do when watch or read Phantom of the Opera, which is an all-time favorite. (I tried to stay a bit vague for you who can't help but peek!)

Thank you so much to @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for sending me all the options! Be ready for this to publish January 16th. It will be one to chat about for sure!

I really enjoyed The Silent Patient and I was SO excited to get an arc copy of The Fury! I thought the narration of the story was creative and the story will filled with a cast of interesting interesting characters. Although I found the main plot twist to be underwhelming and predictable, I would definitely reccomend to others!

This novel was suspenseful with several twists. Just when you think you had it figured it out, everything changes. This is my second book read by Alex Michaelides and it was his best one yet in my opinion. I loved the little nod to The Silent Patient in the epilogue. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for letting me read an ARC.

The Fury isn’t my least favorite Michaelides but I should definitely stop trying to chase the high that The Silent Patient brought. This story was pretty straight forward for one trying to pass itself off as twisty and unpredictable. It was hard to care about or invest in any of these characters, as they all rang pretty flat. By the last few chapters it felt like Michaelides was pulling any and everything out of his bag of tricks to shock us but it came across as rushed and lazy.

ARC Review

About the book:
A group of movie stars take a vacation to a private Greek island that ends in a murder

My Thoughts:
Wow! This was the most clever and unique book I have ever read. The unreliable narrator kept me entertained and questioning everything throughout the book. The short chapters are packed with twists and turns and ends in revenge. This was such a fun thriller and even had a little Easter egg from the authors previous books, The Silent Patient!

Highly recommend especially if you love famous movie star vibes, private islands, and cat-and-mouse twisty thrillers!

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon for allowing me to read an early copy of this fantastic murder mystery!

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.

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!

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. ♥️
*

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.