Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC

I really couldn’t put this one down. The way the plot unfolded was unlike anything I’ve read in awhile. The problem for me is that some of it was too far fetched. How did our narrator know things he said he knew if he wasn’t present? Idk.

This one is filled with chaotic relationships- messy messy relationships. Mostly all unlikeable characters. Murder. Unreliability. Unrequited love. Betrayal. Yet somehow is a slow build.

3 stars for me.

I’ll admit that I was not a fan of The Silent Patient (don’t attack me 😅) and I was prepared to DNF when I started reading the first chapter.

I wasn’t a fan of how it was written by an omniscient third and it kind of annoyed me so I put it down. I had the audiobook though and I had a reading goal to meet so I gave it another chance.

I AM SO GLAD I DID!

With the way the story was written, the audiobook was key. It allowed me to really get immersed in the story and it was a good one!

Part 1, backstory. Part two things get good. Then part 3, 4, 5, AND THAT EPILOGUE?! Whew. The twists were twisting.

My advice is to definitely read this but listen to the audiobook if you can!

This is an honest review in exchange for an advanced reader copy.

I was excited to read the third book by Alex Michaelides. Called The fury, which the narrator Elliott explains is a specific wind storm that occurs on the Greek Island that this story takes place on.

Elliott is a complex character that warns us that this is not going to be a regular book about a murder. The story has many themes running through it and often became confusing and the storyline became blurry. I started out loving the style of the writing but found myself lost in detail that was confusing. The story had potential but I felt too much was going on at once.

I am glad I was given the opportunity to read this book and to write a review. As a thriller it gets 4 stars but loses one because of the unnecessary complexity of the plot.

As a fan of “The Maidens, I was excited to read Alex Michaelides’ new novel “The Fury.” He sets the reader up through structuring the plot like a Greek tragedy as well as an Agatha Christie novel. The plot twists certainly are unexpected, but there were almost too many of them to be as impactful as a thriller like “The Maidens,” I found myself confused at a few points. The setup of a group of rich friends with secrets on an isolated Greek island is fun to read, and definitely reminiscent of Christie and other locked room mysteries. It took longer for me to become invested than I had hoped, but once I was almost halfway through it became hard to put down! The ending surprised me, especially that there was a random spoiler/callback to “the Silent Patient” in the epilogue. I recommend giving this a shot if you enjoy thrillers!

The Fury opens with the narrator telling us this isn’t your usual whodonit. Not an Agatha Christie like story that will follow a formula.

It was very easy to fall into. I read this over winter break and was annoyed everytime I was pulled away.

The small isolated Greek island made for an incredibly atmospheric location and the use of a wind storm nicknamed ‘The Fury’ only helped to elevate the tension.

One of my favourite things about this book was the different way the narrator told the story. There were a lot of twists and turns, that made me appreciate the unique way this tale was constructed and presented. I loved how hard it was to predict.

Elliot our narrator is a complex character and elicited a lot of negative feelings from me. He isn’t a likeable character, but that does not take away from the tale he shares. If anything it enhances it.

*Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.*

I started out loving this book and the further I got in the less I liked it. It felt like I was going in circles, each chapter repeating the same information like the one before.
I really loved his first book and skipped the second. Maybe my expectations were too high going in. I was just okay.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3⭐️

Alex Michaelides has done it again with The Fury! This slow burn pulls you into the life of the elite. The lifestyles of the rich and the famous can bring so many amazing opportunities. But when you're that famous it seems like everyone wants something from you. It muddies the waters. Do we really know the people closest to us? Alex weaves the tale so effortlessly that you are pulled in immediately and can't stop reading. 5 huge stars for this one!

Thank you Alex Michaelides, MacMillan, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like an unreliable narrator story, you’ll like this one. Unfortunately he was unreliable AND super unlikeable. All the characters were insufferable. I wasn’t a fan of the “breaking of the fourth wall” elements of the story. I give it 3 stars since it did keep my attention and the story had a lot of twists and turns.

This book starts off with a bang, but the pacing slows down quite a bit after that. It’s a long, slow reveal of details over the course of the book, but once you hit the first plot twist, it’s one twist after another! We love an unreliable narrator (he’s truly the most unreliable of narrators), and there was a quote I loved about how we’re all the unreliable narrators of our own story. I liked the perspective the book was written in, with the narrator thinking he knew everything that was happening, but being unaware of certain twists (trying to be vague to avoid spoilers lol). I also liked the little references to The Silent Patient and The Maidens! In all, this is probably my least favorite of Alex Michaelides’ books, but I still enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley.com, Alex Michealides and Celadon Books for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts stated are my own and were not compensated for in any manner.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a twisty turny locked room mystery akin to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None that takes a few U-turns and loop-de-loops before dropping you off at the heart-pounding ending; all that to say, it's one hell of a ride!

It takes place on a retired starlet's private Greek island, Aura (it's supposedly haunted) where 7 people are staying for the Easter holiday, and are trapped there with no one being able to get to them due to the violent winds often found in the region, called The Fury.. The seven people being the retired starlet, Lana, her husband Jason, their teenage son, Leo, her playwright best friend Elliot, her actress friend Kate, her nanny/housekeeper Agathi and the groundskeeper who takes care of the island, Nicoli. You learn more about these characters and their secrets and motivations, which are just as a juicy as a soap opera.

With the unique second person narrative, the narrator is talking to you, the reader, as if they are telling you a story. This includes backtracking and fast forwarding and breaking the 4th wall, the likes of which reminded me of the children's movie "The Emperor's New Groove". I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling it, and it's honestly better if you go in knowing as little as possible. Just know there were many times where my mind was blown and I audibly gasped. I started this book and literally could not put it down until I knew how it ended! It's that good! Also I found the little nods to Michaelides's other works, The Maiden and The Silent Patient to be fun little easter eggs.

If you like a plot-upon plot locked door mystery, with intriguing characters and twists and turns for days, then you will love Alex Michaelides's latest book, The Fury!

This book pleasantly surprised me! I was not very intrigued by the synopsis but because Michaelides is such a popular author I thought I'd try it anyway. The plot/details were super unique and not something I'd read before! Some of it became slightly convoluted to me and a bit too theatrical for my taste, but it was definitely a good mystery throughout! If I didn't have real life responsibilities to contend with I definitely could have finished this in one sitting so if you're looking for something to really get wrapped up in - this book is definitely for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this novel. The Fury takes the reader to such a vibrant yet morose island where you aren't sure if you trust anyone. I really enjoyed the narrator. I don't typically enjoy when the 4th wall is broken but I thought it added such a unique spin on what could be a cookie cutter type experience. However, this was a wild ride that was anything but cookie cutter. The last twist at the end had me spinning and it made me really question how much I liked characters I thought I had grown to love. My only wish is to have had an epilogue that gave me a glimpse into the backlash of that last chapter. I am dying to know how the others on the island responded. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this and will continue to be excited about this author's future works.

“If I wrote my story down, it might set me free.”

Where to begin? If you asked me 1/2 way through the book I would say “oh this is maybe a 3 star book, it’s good, but not great.” …. And then, in true Michaelides form, the twist…. And twist…. And twist.

This entire book was so incredibly unpredictable - all the way to the epilogue.

The narrator, Elliot, was very complex and intriguing. Michaelides flipped seamlessly between Elliot as the narrator and another character taking over.

I loved the set of the book. I will say, there were so side stories that were a tad long winded and I could do without but I understand why they were included for the purpose of moving the plot and character development.

I’ve read Michaelides two other books and this one is by far my favorite.

Alex Michaelides consistently presents the reader with a certain type of narrator and non-linear plot line. And why wouldn't he when it works so well? He's an author I do not recommend reading more than every couple of years or he'll start to seem too formulaic. Fortunately, he's still early in his writing career and if you consume his books as they are released, you're in for a bit of fun. The Fury is a nice mash-up of Christie's famous island whodunit and Highsmith's most beloved sociopath. If it didn't quite keep me guessing until the very end, it took me close enough to anticipate the conclusion.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A group goes to an exclusive island by invitation of an affluent actress. The story jumps around to show you the perspectives of most people in this story and how we get to present day. Found it so interesting the main narrator we don’t even discover until almost halfway through the book however this book literally has so many twists and turns I was left shook. Did not see the end coming. Had parallels to the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo if you are a fan. Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

For fans of The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides is back with a riveting story about love, lust, betrayal and the theatre. This intricate psychological thriller takes you down a very twisty road that will leave you shocked and in the dark until the end.

The story was a slow burn in the beginning but paid off in the end. The way the story tied together was a perfect blend of suspense and mystery. I also love the title and how the author wrote the story around it. Clever! A solid 4 stars, well written with plenty of suspense!

“That’s the tricky thing about honesty. It cuts both ways, that sword; which is why I am so wary of wielding it.”

“That’s where all creativity is born, I believe—in the desire to escape.”

3.5 stars! I enjoyed this one but I read every one of his books searching for the brilliance that was The Silent Patient and this one didn’t have that. The pacing was very slow to start and then switched to so fast paced it gave me whiplash.

The characters are, for the most part, unlikable and I never felt like I really got to know any of them therefor I was unable to really like or care for them. I didn’t even get a full sense of the beauty that I am certain this private Greek island has.

I did enjoy Elliot’s narration, though. It was quite a nice change to be read a story, in a sense, as apposed to watching it unfold. He keeps you guessing on his reliability throughout.

The narrator did a great job with the audio of his one, keeping the suspense up and the emotions high!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this novel, as I loved The Silent Patient by this author, but unfortunately, I was disappointed by this book. This plot was very basic and boring, the author tried to dress it up by setting up the plot in a unique way, but when the final twists are revealed, it’s something we’ve seen before. I felt that this book was a lot of telling and not showing. Pages and pages were devoted to the narrator rambling on about the past, rather than keeping us in the action of the present. I understand we needed the context of the past to understand what was happening, but this was excessive. Unfortunately, this one was not a hit for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very hard book to rate and describe without giving too much away. I think I liked this book, but I’m not totally sure. I think this is a great book for a book club or to discuss with others as I’m sure there will be some strong opinions as people will like or hate the structure and narrator.

The book starts with, “This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At it’s heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it.” So that basically tells you what or what not to expect quite like this book told in five Acts. It is really a character study. As mentioned in the book, Heracleitus said, “Character is fate. And if Heracleitus is right, then the tragedy that awaited us in a few hours was a direct consequence of our characters . . . .” Therefore, what is truth and what is an illusion.
I do recommend this book, especially if you like unreliable narratives.

I really enjoyed ‘The Maidens’ and ‘The Silent Patient’. Sadly, I felt let down by ‘The
Fury’. Writing wasn’t as good and the constant twists just felt kind of ridiculous—not surprising and thrilling. The characters also felt one dimensional and I wasn’t much invested in the outcome.

Sadly, a disappointment for me.