Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: January 16, 2024

Rating: N/A

I had seen this book floating around on my IG and I really enjoyed The Silent Patient. I did choose to skip The Maidens due to all the different mixed reviews so I figured I would give this one a shot. Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 7%.

I could not get into this type of writing style. The "narrator" of the play write revolving around the murder was so irritating. They used so many fluffed up words when I want to get to the point. The book tries to hard to fit into this lyrical writing piece but is advertised as a murder/thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC of The Fury! A solid 3.5 from me. This was reminiscent of The Silent Patient, which I loved, but ultimately felt a bit more contrived to me. The beginning was a bit slow, but I had fun once the first “Act” was established

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is an absolute thrill ride. From the publisher’s description, you know you will be reading about a retired movie star and her friends on a remote Greek island. There will be a murder and violent weather. What a recipe to keep the reader racing through the chapters.

Characters are not who they seem to be, and most are very unlikeable. But that doesn’t matter because the plot has twist after twist, and it is great fun to just follow along at their interaction.

The narrator is a playwright and the book is structured as a play with 5 acts. Each act has an epigraph that foreshadows or emphasizes the twisty turns the act takes. My favorite is the Hemingway quote at the beginning of Act 111. “It is not unnatural that the best writers are liars. A major part of their trade is to lie or invent and they will lie when they are drunk, or to themselves, or to strangers.”

Alex Michaelides is certainly a master of psychological suspense.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Celadonbooks for letting me read this ebook in advance in exchange for my honest review.

Another Alex Michaelides books where I do not expect or see the twist coming!

I loved the unique style of writing. Half of the book is written as a play and based on the characters doing exactly as the playwrite wants. However, it didnt turn out the way they imagined. The traditional mystery/thriller style was fantastic.

The only thing this book that didnt make it a five star was the added "what if" side plots and stories, while at the same time having almost no background for Jason or Barabra West. The other characters had an in depth story lines, plots and motives.

Overall a great book, would recommend to people who enjoy a slower mystery/thriller..

Thank you to Netgallery for giving me an early arc copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides. This book will officially be published on January sixteenth in 2024.

The fury was one of my most anticipated releases of next year ! Elliot is a excellent narrator, the way he shows and talks about the characters are interesting, the way he tries to get into their heads and predict how they’d react and interact in different settings/situations from a writers standpoint was fascinating.

I feel that Alex Michaelides writing compared to when he wrote Silent Patient shows he has made an improvement, I loved Silent Patient that ending was a surprise however I wasn’t particularly fond of any of the characters aside from Alicia, when we were learning more about the characters from Silent Patient it felt a bit tedious and slow. The characters were written out well, they were flawed just like our characters from The Fury but I couldn’t find myself caring about any of them particularly.

The Fury however I felt hooked from the beginning, the characters here have a bit more dept to them. I liked all of characters from this book, Lana’s character is beautifully written, she has to be my favorite out of all them. The story does have a slow build up until anything major happens but I didn’t mind it since I found the characters to be rather likable.

The ending, while surprising was just a bit disappointing to me, I wasn’t satisfied with it with how it played out at all, I was hoping for it to go one way but it went in a completely different direction then what I was hoping for.

Okay…so like I don’t know how I feel about The Fury??? Was the ending absolutely bonkers? Yes. Was I bored to tears in the middle? Yes. Did I hate it? No? I

have never read such a slow paced thriller, though. I wasnt as hooked as I wanted to be and I feel like it kind of hindered my enjoyment of the book because by the time we got to all the twists I was kind of checked out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very original and unlike any book I've previously read. Elliot Chase is our narrator and tells the story of a murder that takes place on a private Greek Island owned by the famous movie star, Lana Farrar. Only those invited are present on the island. Through the narrator, we find out the truth to what really happened.
The Fury is a perfectly paced thriller with an ending I didn't see coming. A very enjoyable read that I would highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for review!
I have to give this book 3.5 stars.
I have read other Alex Michaelides books, and unfortunately this one didn't live up to those other two.
The twists and turns felt more like driving down a winding road instead of reading a gripping book, but it wasn't all bad.

This book was a very easy read, I finished it in one solid day, and I did find myself wanting to keep picking it up. I felt like for the most part, we did get to know the characters and their relationships with each other, which helped navigate the plot. I was never able to guess what was coming next, which I also do see as a pro.

What I found hard to manage was the split timelines. While done in a creative way that I haven't seen before, I felt jerked around. Like one thing was established, and then we back tracked and changed the entire thing. This may be an interesting layout for some, but it wasn't exactly my desired pacing.

The characters were all flat in my opinion, it felt like we only ever learned 1 thing about each of them and that was their entire personality. I know this comes from our unreliable narrator, but he was also just more intrusive to the story than progressing it, I believe. It wasn't even that I didn't enjoy his character, his narration felt clunky to me and I never ever believed a word he said, and not exactly in a fun way.

One thing that really shined in this book was the theming. Everything was tied back to acting/plays. Which, based on our story teller, I felt made a lot of sense. He fixates on things clearly, so the fact that he related everything (and I mean everything) back to theater was very on brand and did keep the story all tied together.

While I believe this book was a good read, I enjoyed some of Alex Michaelides other works just a little better. This one felt very different, but still enjoyable as an overall read.

Two of the ingredients that you loved in The Maidens are carried over to The Fury; Greek mythology and enclosed location. Of course, with all Michaelides’ books, readers will see the influence of Agatha Christie. The author’s childhood on Cyprus and his love of Greek mythology has given him a treasure trove from which to draw upon as a writer. Readers continue to appreciate these stories because of their timeless portrayal of heartbreak, loss, love and passion.

Lana Farrar, a reclusive former movie star, always surrounds herself with her closest theatre friends at Easter. This year is no different. Invitations are sent out to six friends to join her on Aura, her private Greek island off the coast of Mykonos to celebrate. Within 48 hours, one of them is murdered.

I appreciated all the ingredients for a great mystery:
✔️a retired celebrity
✔️a private and isolated island/locked room mystery
✔️the fury - an unrelenting wind/atmospheric
✔️a murder
✔️frenemies with ulterior motives
✔️everyone acts - nobody reveals their true character
✔️unreliable narrator

This has a very interesting format; (1) it’s presented as a Greek tragedy and done in five acts and (2) Elliot Chase, the playwright, injects himself into the story as an unreliable narrator. It’s by far, the best part of the book ahead of the rapid gunfire twists at the end.

Elliot has found a way to deal with his grief - tell his story. I initially enjoyed this format as it felt like he was sitting talking to me. However, when he had to keep reminding himself to keep to the story, it got slightly annoying. Another drawback of this format is that it’s his perspective, and this makes it unreliable at times. That being said, I did appreciate his method of presenting foreshadowing and it certainly kept me focussed and engaged.

The cast of characters is an eclectic mashup of unlikeble people; an ex-movie star, an embittered almost-made-it star, an unreliable narrator, an untrustworthy husband, a maid, a teenage son, a property manager and a restaurant owner/’handler’. Don’t underestimate the fury; it’s a character, too, and carries the plot.

Written with style and theatrical verve, centered around the concept of fate, and showcasing the theme of nothing is as it seems to be, this thoroughly unique novel is heavy on the style and light on the characterization and plot.

Michaelides continues to stretch his talents and I think this one deserves your focussed attention and time…perhaps even a second read-through.

Avail yourself of trigger warnings prior to reading.
I was gifted this copy by Celadon Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

(Read in tandem with the Audiobook)
Review: 4 Stars
Alex Michaelides is one of my all time favorite writers, intertwining Greek Tragedy with modern thriller. "The Fury" was another great example of Michaelides' talent, and ability to turn what you expect to happen on it's head. The Narrator of this novel, Elliot, is one of the more interesting characters I have read in awhile. I don't want to give anything away through my description, but his character development was quite exciting. I loved this books focus on acting and drama, a bit of a turn away from Michaelides' past focus on mental health, although that is an additional aspect in this novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I cannot wait for another opportunity to read his work.

to preface, i want to say this is the first book i’ve read by alex michaelides so i went into it with no expectations about the writing style other than the rave reviews i heard about the silent patient.

i found this book incredibly slow up to about 75%. the narrator, elliot, is so deluded and narcissistic from the beginning that it is obvious you cannot trust a word he says. i enjoy books with unreliable narrators, but i usually prefer for the unreliability to be less obvious.

the story is told intentionally in a disjointed manner, hopping from one event to another to fill in gaps left before. this makes the story feel like its not progressing at times. none of the characters are likable enough to want to go back and learn more about them.

overall, i gave it 3 stars, rounding up from 2.5. i enjoyed the book enough to pick it up and continue even when it was slow, and the short chapters made it feel like i was progressing even if the story felt like it wasn't. it may just be that thriller is not my preferred genre, but i expect more suspense from thriller, more drama that leaves me unable to put the book down. this book is too meta, constantly reminding the reader that they’re reading, and i felt that it took away from the actual experience.

I have been waiting with baited breath to read this book. The Maidens was the first book I read of this author and quickly read the Silent Patient soon after. The Fury is quite a bit different, I'd say this was a perfectly scripted thriller with all the twists you'd expect from this author. The only thing that I didn't quite enjoy was the back and forth of Elliot narrating the story from his point of view and then it quickly turned to just plain story mode.
It was a bit distracting.

The ending though, was a bit shockingly different.

You won't be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for letting me have an advance copy of The Fury, to say I didn't squeal with excitement is understatement. #TheFury @caladonbooks

Well I didn't see that coming...
The first half of the book is slow. I realize the author was developing the characters and the scene, but it got long. I liked that it starts with the character telling a story, this was a different pov then I am used to. There are a lot of characters more than what I prefer. I kept waiting for the story to pick up and something big to happen. I was a little disappointed because I absolutely flew through the Silent patient, and I found myself struggling to get through the book. However, the second half of the book I did fly through. I thought I was so clever when I figured out a twist before it happened, but I was wrong which I love.

I'm currently at 14% in this book and I'm seriously frustrated with all the bouncing back and forth between the story and the main character narrating the story. It's really distracting. Especially when Elliott is supposed to be narrating the story (as he said in the beginning) yet introduces characters, situations and conversations when he simply wasn't present in their lives.

I'm such a fan of this author and was excited to read this book, constantly checking Netgalley to see if I was approved to read the ARC because The Maidens and the Silent Patient were one of the best books I've read in 2023.

This book does have some unexpected twists. Elliott is an interesting character. The storyline did leave me a bit perplexed.

This is Alex Michaelides third book and it's a complex murder mystery full of twists and turns. A retired Hollywood starlet hosts a getaway on a remote Greek island with a hidden agenda, what could go wrong? I really liked this one. I liked Silent Patient, despite the ending, and I didn't like 'The Maidens' too much, but the authors' writing style and plot development skills are top notch here. There are multiple timelines, and a somewhat unreliable narrator, which makes for a clever retelling of what actually happened to the 6 characters invited to Arora, the windy Greek island off the coast of Mykonos in the Aegean sea.
The title comes from the winds that buffer and beat the island, stealing all sound in their wake. "The wind was fierce that night, the night of the murder. It was ferocious, furious, crashing through trees, tearing along pathways, snatching all other sound and racing off with it."
The book is narrated by Elliot Chase, who was one of the guests on the island and witnessed what happened. How much of a role he plays in the events that occur, you'll soon find out as you delve into his telling of what happened. He goes back and forth with the timelines, revealing his relationships with each character, and his love for Lana, the reclusive movie star. Everything Elliot does is for Lana, and soon backfires with disastrous consequences. Elliot is a successful playwright, with a troubled childhood. This book is written like a play within a real life story, a Greek tragedy in 5 acts. As he explains multiple outcomes, it's confusing at times what really has happened, until he tells the real truth. The twists and turns are shocking and come right at key points in the storyline where you don't expect them. Once you think the culprit is exposed, another twist is around the corner.
Everyone is an unlikeable suspect, except Lana, the starlet, and perhaps her son Leo. If you want a unique compulsively readable thriller, this is for you!

Alex Michaelides delivers another great story with The Fury but barely missed being near perfect like The Silent Patient. From the Greek island setting to the narration to the characters, Michaelides crafts a fascinating and nail biting thriller that is a must read!!

The Fury still has me reeling and thinking about the ending. It is a mix of a mystery and Greek tragedy. I also felt like the narrator in this book was very similar to Joe in the You book and series. I enjoyed this book and the twist. I think this book will resonate with You fans and fans of whodunit books. Thank you to Alex Michaelides and Celadon books for allowing me to read this ARC.

Elliot Chase is a successful playwright: he takes his life experiences and makes it into art. So, when he witnesses a murder, what better way to cope than to make a play leading up to this pièce-de-résistance?

Told in five acts, THE FURY unravels what happens when celebrities behave badly. Unputdownable, mysterious, and fast-paced, this might be Alex Michaelides' best work yet. That being said, there are some things to know before I would encourage you to pick up this book.

The Fury is written as if the narrator has sat the reader down in a bar and is regaling you with a story over some drinks. Thus, Elliot's story does not unravel seamlessly but rather as if someone is telling you a story and they have to keep reminding themselves to stay on track.

Although entertaining and to the likes of something I've never seen before, this method of exposition/storytelling was a double-edged sword. While I can appreciate this bold choice of writing style and even acknowledge that it accomplishes what it seeks to do, there were times when --had I actually been sitting down with Elliot-- I would have rushed along his story or threatened to leave if he didn't get back on track.

In other words: the story dragged at times.

Act I was by far my least favorite and the most bogged down in introducing the reader to its set of characters. The plot truly starts to pick up by ACT III, but then I felt lost in the weeds by Act IV. Mind you, however, that I read this book in one sitting. So even though Act I was "meh", it nevertheless kept me hooked enough to refuse to put the book down.

The only other issue I had with Elliot's narration is how, when the twist is finally revealed, parts of his story collapses in on itself and onto the plotholes it was sitting on top of. Once again, had this story been told to me over drinks, this is when I would have stopped Elliot and been like, "but you said 'x, y, z' earlier, and this entirely contradicts what you're saying now. Plus, how would you feasibly know this?"

Even though you know Elliot is an unreliable narrator within pages of Act I, you have to keep in mind that this "play" is entirely limited to his perspective and what he sees/thinks happens. So, to put simply, as strong and unpredictable as the ending is (and even despite Elliot's story-telling), it doesn't make sense.

Keeping in mind all that I just told you, you've probably figured out that this is a play cast with entirely unlikeable players.

There are four major characters to know, but a bunch of side characters that can get confusing to keep track of, only because they're there for the clear purpose of adding mystery to the plot.

Because I wish I had known before starting the book, of the four main characters, there are:
⋆｡°✩ Lana: a famous, retired actress, whom everyone appears to be in love with.
⋆｡°✩ Kate: a less-famous theater-star, who might be bitter about having lived in Lana's shadow for the past 10 years.
⋆｡°✩ Jason, Lana's second husband, who has a bit of a temper and perhaps too-eager eyes for Kate.
⋆｡°✩ Elliot, who is the friend to all, standing by watching (and transcribing) as this all happens.

Then, the side characters are:
⋆｡°✩ Nikos: the reclusive groundskeeper of the island, who might just be in love with Lana.
⋆｡°✩ Agathi: Lana's housemaid/chef/confidante, who refuses to leave her side.
⋆｡°✩ Bibos(?): a Greek man who helps usher the celebrities to and from the island.
⋆｡°✩ Leo: Lana's 17-year-old kid.

With these characters, Elliot repeatedly tells you the first lesson to know when writing a play, which is that characters are "plot" and are supposed to have motivation (or something along those lines). However, it alarmed me how little characterization/motivation was given to the characters, despite this "rule" being repeated over and over again. Something, of course, I found somewhat frustrating as the novel went on.

That all being said, I still truly enjoyed this novel and I extend my deepest thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would encourage the average reader to pick this up, particularly one looking to get out of a reading slump or for someone who is a fan of If We Were Villains.

In Alex Michaelides's book, The Fury, the narrator's sketchy vibes make you second-guess what's real. It doesn't quite match The Silent Patient- not even close in the skilled writing. The plot's alright—murder on a Greek island, suspects in the mix. This book could have been so much more. None of the characters are likeable. Starts strong, but the middle drags. This book feels amateurish compared to the "Silent Patient".

I loved The Silent Patient so I couldn't wait to read The Fury. While the plot was interesting (I love a secluded setting slow burn with an unreliable narrator) and the characters were engaging (cunning, naïve, mercenary), the pacing and writing style felt odd to me and kept me from fully enjoying the book. The back and forth timelines and way key details were given to the reader were confusing and at times clunky.

Despite not being my favorite of his novels, I did find The Fury IS to a fast paced, engaging thriller that kept me reading to the end.