I want to start off by saying that I loved the Silent Patient - it was definitely a five-star read, The Maidens was a four-star read, and I was hoping The Fury was going to be a five-star read as well. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. I love the fact that the chapters were short. I did not need to be told by Elliot that he was going to be an Unreliable Narrator because it was obvious from the start that that's what he was, and the beginning of the book really seemed to move slowly. This really surprised me as it's not what I come to expect from this author. I will say that the last third of the book moved a lot quicker and for those of you that have not read The Silent Patient, you may want to hold off on reading this book because there are major plot hints in this book with respect to that book. I did enjoy that it took place in Greece, again no surprise as the author is part Cypriot. All in all an enjoyable read and I do recommend it.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
The Silent Patient was one of the books that originally ignited my love for thrillers, so when I saw Alex Michaelides had written another, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
The story is written in a personal prose, as if a friend was chatting with you over a beer. It made the book easy to read with a distinct narrative voice. More importantly, the framing of the story through this characters point of view is is clearly biased with his own opinions, and perceptions. He also is very aware of this, often breaking the fourth-wall to acknowledge his own deficits as a narrator. I liked this aspect, and liked getting to know the characters through his eyes, and see the story as his perspective unravels.

However, and sadly, the story itself was just okay. The pacing was a little all over the place, with a meandering beginning, and chaotically actionable end. I didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t live up to my hopes.
I’d still recommend it for a fast paced mystery.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Fury releases January 16, 2024

This was a book I should have dnf’d.
I hated the writing style and the way this story was presented. The narrator repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader in such a slimy way and their voice comes across as so pretentious; insinuating that Agatha Christie novels are so formulaic that what will be told in the next couple hundred pages can’t possibly be a whodunnit, but rather <u>a whydunnit character study.</u>

The narrator strives to be impartial, yet is an active participant in the events, and also speaks as if they know all, which is literally impossible.

Before the murder mystery even begins, it’s stated:
<i>“Nonetheless, I’ll do my best not to hijack the narrative too often. Even so, I hope you’ll indulge me the odd digression, here and there. And before you accuse me of telling my story in a labyrinthine manner, let me remind you this is a true story—and in real life, that’s how we communicate, isn’t it? We’re all over the place: we jump back and forth in time; slow down and expand on some moments; fast-forward through others; editing as we go, minimizing flaws and maximizing assets. We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives.
“I stress all this so that, if at any point during this narrative I mislead you, you will understand that it is by accident, not design—because I am clumsily skewing the events too much from my own point of view. An occupational hazard, perhaps, when one narrates a story in which one happens to play a minor role.”</I>

This just indicates to me that the structural prose and plot going forward will be a disjointed mess, and I’m ‘not allowed’ to negatively fault it because it was purposely done and stated beforehand… hmm nope. To me that just screams lazy writing and it’s giving “I don’t want to fix it so here’s a half-baked explanation from the character.”

Read if you like friend groups that involve marital cheating :)

This was incredible!!!! I ate this up like my favorite dinner, and loved every second of it. Alex Michaelides did it again!

Tight, economical pacing and witty banter propelled me to read it in basically 2 sittings, which makes it so hard to give "just" a four.

But I felt a lack of insight on WHY these wildly successful people tolerated THSI particular sycophant (the MC) that made the story feel a bit hollow. Oh yes, he tells us its because of their insecurity but he's not particularly charming, so absent more information on why THIS guy is chosen to bolster their ego, it rings a bit hollow.

I am fully aware that could have been an artistic choice given the MC may be projecting his own flat emotionality onto the other characters. He's barely human, so he'd not recognize humanity in others. There's evidence of this with his black /white /zero sum thinking.

It's very provocative and well worth the read, though! I love a book that makes me think about it after the fact. It's at the very least worth trying the sample!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was excited for this book because I loved a previous book by this author, The Silent Patient! I really like how this author includes Greek mythology and stories in his novels.

I mainly did audio with this one. While I didn't particularly like the narrator, I liked that narration really fit the storyline, which is essentially a story being told to the reader and I would recommend this route.

Overall, this is a slow read. I found my attention waning at moments and the format lent itself to a lot of telling rather than showing. The descriptions were basic and mostly lacked sensory details, which made for a somewhat flat read, but I did like the mystery element. Also, I love the cover!

I woke up to an email saying I got this as an ARC and then immeidately devoured this book in one sitting. Let me just say this is one of three of my most anticipated reads of 2024 so it really was an early Christmas gift to me!

Okay, one more thing, The Silent Patient (his debut novel and probably the one people are most familiar with) is a 5 star read and got me back into reading. For that reason, any of his other work is hard to give a fair rating to as I am always comparing it to the debut. This goes for other thrillers as well.

If I hadn't read The Silent Patient, this would probably be a 4.5 star read for me as there were a lot of twists and turns. None of the characters were particularly likeable. They all seemed like they had their own hidden agendas and I genuinely would not want to be friends with a single one of them. However, having read the Silent Patient, I am giving it a solid 3.5-4 stars. I think we saw a little bit of some of the tropes we got in his debut (can't say what it was without spoiling either book).

The pacing here was a bit off as the murder didn't happen until almost 100 pages in and we were getting present and past points of view, though the chapters weren't labeled as such. That said, it wasn't at all confusing and easy to follow.

One thing, if you're going to plot a murder, maybe don't write it down?? Just a thought?? Or maybe if you do, burn it immediately?? Idk that seemed like too easy...

I do think this is an excellent thriller and this author clearly has talent. I won't lie, I was hoping to see some connection to The Silent Patient as we did with his second book, the Maiden.

Overall, I would rank this author's work as such:
The Silent Patient - 5 Stars
The Maiden - 4 stars
The Fury 3.5-4 stars

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Celadon Books for this advanced copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides to be published January 16, 2024.

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends – Kate and Elliot, along with her husband, Jason, and her cook, Agathi, to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island left to her by her first husband, Otto. The caretaker, Nikos, is already there.
It's not an ordinary vacation this year – with many twists and turns, and someone ends up murdered. Either an intruder did it or one of her invited friends.
I had read Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient so I was looking forward to reading this one.
The story is told by Elliot with the murder being the first section and the backstory after that in several parts bringing out each character, how they met, etc.
I will say I was surprised by the ending – since many of the players in the story are actors things aren’t always as they seem. The Fury kept my attention until the end – I loved it!

The Fury is a significant step up from Michaelides' second novel, but fails to reach the heights of his debut. While there were some incredible twists in the final third of the novel, the first two thirds are some of the slowest I have read in a thriller. This novel requires patience from the reader, but I would say that it ultimately does pay off.

I still don't know how i feel about this one. Moments I really liked it. Moments I was so frustrated with it. I did like how it was narrated. I loveddd the short chapters. It's a slowwww burn which I don't really enjoy. The twist was dumb to me.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have no words!!!!!! Holy fucking shit balls, dude!!! If this doesn’t win thriller of the year in 2024, I will truly be shocked. The writing and narration were incredible. There were so many twists and turns; every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was completely bamboozled. All of the characters had something to hide, which made it truly difficult for this reader to form hypotheses as to the central murder of the story. I could tell this must have been an extremely challenging book to write. Endless applause for Alex Michaelides! WOW.

Bonus: I haven’t read The Maidens yet, but there was a Silent Patient nugget at the end! 🥚 How fun for Michaelides’s avid readers.

I was so excited to be able to read Alex's newest novel as his previous 2 books both were incredible. Sadly, I was dissapointed in how scattered the plot was in this one and now little I cared about the characters.

This book was.. holy wow. I had no idea about the twists and turns that this book was going to take. I found the narration to be super satisfying actually, as I love unreliable narrators and this was a great example of that. I loved that the storyline was pretty simple but the author made it seem complex. I thought that the setting was perfect for the stage that needed to be set and I was on the edge of my seat til the last page.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for my gifted ARC! 💕 This was the happiest book mail yesterday of one of my most anticipated 2024 reads. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

No one can write a psychological thriller quite like Alex Michaelides. I’ve loved ALL his books, and this was no exception! The short chapters had me speeding through to find out what was going on. It was twist after twist and story within a story. Unreliable narrator, secluded island, dark secrets…all my favorite things in a thriller! So, so good!!!! Run, don’t walk to grab this when it comes out in January!!!

"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides takes readers on a thrilling journey through the intricacies of love, revenge, and murder, all set against the backdrop of a luxurious private Greek island. As Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star, hosts an Easter gathering, secrets unravel, old friendships reveal hidden resentments, and the night ends in violence and death. The narrative, recounted by the enigmatic Elliot Chase, provides a unique perspective on a story that is part murder mystery, part psychological exploration.

If you didn't like "The Silent Patient" take my review with a grain of salt. Personal preferences undoubtedly play a significant role in one's reception of a novel, especially for those who may have had differing opinions on Michaelides' earlier creation.

I harbor a particular fondness for an unreliable narrator, and Elliot Chase's narrative style enhances the story's enigmatic atmosphere beautifully. The uncertainty surrounding truth and deception becomes a compelling force, elevating the overall suspense and engagement.

While I grapple with some reservations about the ending, perceiving it as slightly cliché and easy, my enthusiasm for the novel remains unwavering. This nuance in my review allows potential readers to consider their own preferences against my experience, and I encourage them to approach the book with an open mind.

Despite my minor reservations about the ending, I wholeheartedly recognize the book's strengths in skillfully blending murder mystery and psychological exploration. The compelling characters, evocative setting, and the ingenious use of an unreliable narrator contribute significantly to the novel's charm. For readers seeking a thrilling, expertly crafted narrative with psychological depth, "The Fury" promises an engaging and suspenseful reading experience.

A huge thank you to this author who helped make my flight much more bearable! I love this author's writing and the characters he creates. Loved the connection to The Silent Patient at the end. This is a must read author for me. Huge thanks also to Celadon Books and to NetGalley.
5 stars highly recommended.

White Lotus-style locked room (locked island?) whodunnit- an evil rich murder mystery with Mr. Michaelides’ signature weirdness. I devoured this book in one rainy night- five twisted stars.

The Fury
by Alex Michaelides

Publication Date 16 Jan 2024 by Celadon Books

I squealed a tiny bit when I got an ARC for this and boy, did I fly through this book!

“This is a tale of murder.
Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?”

That line from the blurb really got me, I loved it. I’m a sucker for both, what’s better than a combination of both? Isn’t “love” one of the most common reasons for murder? So yes, call me curious, that line had me, hook, line and sinker. I love how the blurb tries to mess with the reader. So let’s see, Elliot Chase, what story of murder, friendship and love you want to tell us…. But set in the world of the rich and famous actors, on a Greek island….? Yes, yes, yes….

I haven’t read the “Silent Patient” yet, so I had no expectations what to expect from this author other than I heard all the best things.

So, this book gave me a reclusive setting with a small group of friends and of course the unthinkable (or not…) happened…murder.

“Hell also hath no “fury”, like a woman scorned”, that was the first thing that came ti my mind from the title. It’s true in a way. I also liked the tidbits about the winds called “to menos”. There were so many little details that were totally fascinating.

I was not fully convinced by our narrator, or rather slightly irritated? It was not that they were unlikable, but a bit to o mysterious and teasing. Giving me a lot of information but not the one I want or need. Or maybe it was rather the pacing, slow at first and then it hits hours in the face. All.that.information. But I assume this was all on purpose because after all, Elliot is a writer.

So brace yourself for a suspenseful story set in an atmospheric environment. I will definitely bump of “The Silent Patient” up on my TBR list because this man can write and capture you, that’s for sure. I liked this a lot more than I initially thought I would.

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for my gifted copy of this “The Fury”, I was under no obligation to review, all opinions are my own.

Narrated solely by Elliot Chase, a would be writer and friend of the famous actress, Lana Farrar, this thriller is utterly surprising and riveting. Elliot fancies Lana and he believes she’s in love with him too. So when he discovers that Lana’s husband is having an affair with her best friend, he decides this is his chance to destroy her husband and weasel his way into her affections.

When Lana invites everyone to her private Greek island, it’s Elliot’s chance to wreak havoc and end up being the hero in Lana’s eyes. Unfortunately, things never go smoothly in his world and the reader gets a look at all the craziness that transpires.

Clearly, Alex Michaelides is superb at his craft. I have never been disappointed in anything he has written. The Fury is brilliant, it is addictive and it is worth every moment of your time. Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books for this 4-star book.

This was a fascinating thriller. It reads like a British classic ala Agatha Christie, but also a Greek tragedy. A murder occurs on a private island in Greece. Our narrator, Elliott, a playwright, weaves his tale like a a finally tuned theatre production. Lana, a gorgeous retired movie star, her husband, Jason, her son, her best friend and of course, Elliott our narrator, travel to Lana's private island over a long Easter weekend. They become trapped overnight and a murder occurs. Or does it? This may be a murder mystery but it's also a love story. Of sorts.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this e-arc.*