Firstly, I want to thank NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides for providing me with a digital ARC for my honest review <3

I read Alex Michaelides' Debut, The Silent Patient, back when it was released. And to say I loved it would be an understatement. I devoured the story and his writing style and the book's twist still pop into my mind from time to time. It is genuinely one of the greatest thriller books of all time in my opinion. I like everyone else who is a fan of Alex read his second novel The Maidens when it was released. I found the storytelling and characters incredibly engaging but ultimately really didn't like the twist or the ending. Going from The Silent Patient, where the twist is never seen coming and you are left haunted by its conclusion, to The Maidens, where the ending is predictable and rushed, I was disappointed.

When I got approved for The Fury, I was both incredibly excited and anxious. I knew I adored the author's style of writing, but I just was hoping I liked the overall story and plot more this time around. Sadly, I group The Fury with The Maidens more than I do with The Silent Patient.

I want to make clear that what I didn't enjoy about the book was just that it felt very rushed to tie up all the loose ends, even leaving more than I would have liked open. I sped through this book and enjoyed very much the atmosphere and the pace, as well as the characters and their personalities. Every time I've read an Alex Michaelides novel I find myself imagining it as a movie or TV show because his writing is so detailed without it becoming too dense and long. He writes his protagonists well and his use of dialogue always feels so cinematic. I thoroughly enjoy his writing and something I LOVE is how he connects his books with just a small detail that only readers that have read all his work will catch. I was hoping this book had an easter egg somewhere hidden and it did! But The Fury just wasn't my favorite. I'm sad because I really really wanted to like it more but the ending just felt so flat and two-dimensional. But rest assured if any of Alex's books get adaptations, I'll be ready! And although his last couple of releases haven't quite lived up to his debut, I look forward to reading more of his work :)

Thanks again to NetGalley, Celadon, and the author for the ARC!

Elliott, a somewhat humble, self-proclaimed unreliable narrator tells this closed-circle mystery in a disorienting mix of first-person and omniscient third person perspectives. He talks directly to the reader in a rambling, ingratiating way that, for me, brought to mind the famous Monty Python shout "Get on with it!"

The Fury takes places on a private island, owned by Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie start. She invites her two best friends, Elliot and Kate, to spend Easter on the island, along with her husband, her teenage son, her housekeeper/assistant, and the property manager who lives on the island. As is the case in all murder mysteries, one of them ends up dead. The title is a reference to the winds around the island that the locals call "The Fury."

This has the potential to be an exciting mystery with plenty of twists, but the way the story is written, with Elliot's mixed perspectives and the tedious number of cliff hangers, the story just feels long and boring. By the time you finally get to the action, you're just exhausted from the number of false starts and attempts at dramatic pauses. So much time was spent on the narrator's coyness that there wasn't time left to develop deep characters or detailed settings. The island winds were mentioned, but never felt by the reader; and the characters were surface level, despite Elliott talking about his deep connections with them.

I was excited to read this book and thrilled to get the ARC when I did, but then was confused by the book. I had read so many good reviews, but I cannot write one of my own. Some people seem to really like the narrative style and pacing, but I found it tedious, distracting, and just plain annoying. It all feels like opportunity lost for a very cool murder mystery.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the egalley copy of The Fury. All opinions are my own.

Alex Michaelides is a master at writing the unreliable narrator, and as someone who loved his previous two novels, this is his best one yet. I truly did not know which way this plot was going to go, and it surprised me at every turn. Extremely addictive and a very quick read as a result.

This book was really engaging and keep me constantly reading. When I wasn't reading, I wanted to be reading it. Although, I didn't feel completely satisfied by the ending.

I really like how Michaelides weaves his stories to come full circle. I've been a fan since THE SILENT PATIENT and always love his little Easter eggs in his novels.

I guess I didn't really have a character to root for, which isn't necessarily a need. But I felt really annoyed during the last "act" of the book and it made me frustrated. It could've been on purpose, but I didn't like that feeling while reading.

Despite that, I still would recommend this to others. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Alex Michaelides loves a good twist in his books and The Fury is no different in its first-person narrative of a murder that occurs during a former movie star and her friends' weekend at her private Greek Island. This is an incredibly quick read, it moves fast and is endlessly interesting. However, in his commitment to serving up shocks and twists I think ultimately they don't all end up working and towards the end the story lost me a little bit. But still, it was a fun and wild ride.

A fun read! A little difficult to follow all the character and motivations and jumping from different times. Very Interesting perspective being written from first person. Again with Michaelides, lots of nods to Greek mythos, and this one included a lot of Agatha Christie nods as well. I think if you don't expect another Silent Patient, you will enjoy yourself.

Full disclosure: I have not read The Silent Patient (it's been on my TBR for ages), but I've long been intrigued by it, so when I saw The Fury on Netgalley, I was like, let's do this! And I'm glad I did - it was a fun read. It's definitely in the vein of Evil Under the Sun or Glass Onion in that there's a murder on an island vacation and a generally quirky feel to the proceedings due to the unreliable nature of our narrator. That said, I figured out who the culprit was pretty much immediately and felt like the "twists" were telegraphed a bit too much. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining read, and I would generally recommend to fans of psychological thrillers. 3 stars - I liked it!

Thank you to Net Galley and Celadon Books for providing an early copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Author Alex Michaelides has created a mystery featuring playwright Elliot Chase who will narrate a twisting and turning tale that will have readers driven to complete the novel in one sitting,

From the first chapter, Chase lays the groundwork for entering the action. Is he as reliable as he claims? As the story of his obsession with a famous actress unfolds, readers begin to wonder if there is more to this than Elliot is sharing. With six people on a remote island in Greece and one of them a body found on a brutally windy night. it will become evident that Elliot is not who he appears to be.

Misplaced passion, greed and deceit are rampant and nothing is as it seems until the explosive conclusion .

The author has included a reference to a character in his previous novel, igniting the awareness that something sinister is occurring.

The Fury is anything but a standard murder mystery, and readers will devour text likely in one sitting--it's that good!

A twisty well plotted storyline with some unforgettable characters.w
Set on a private island a group of old friends come together but someone has murder on their mind.
But who and why?
A page burner of a book that is as addictive as it is unputadownable.
Alex Michaelides has done it yet again!

4.5 stars

HOLY HECK! Alex Michaelides is kind of a master at what he does. I loved this book. That being said, I know a lot of people will not live the way it is written, but if they can get past that, the story is freekin phenomenal. I am going to say zero about the plot, just buckle up and enjoy.

As always, this book was super clever! I love that all of Micheadeles’ books are all interconnected without being too much. I hated the main character, but that was definitely on purpose. I'll admit, this book was definitely more predictable as compared to his other books, and was similar to SP, but this could be because I read silentpatient as a first mystery and I’ve read hundreds since.

The Fury, by Alex Michaelides, is the third psychological thriller I have read by this author. It is the story of seven family and friends who are spendng the Easter weekend on a private Greek island and one of them doesn’t make it out alive.

Movie star Lana Farrer invites two of her best friends, Kate and Elliot, to spend the Easter weekend on her private island , Aura, with her and her husband Jason and son Leo. Also on the island is Nikos, the caretaker, and Agathi, her personal assistant. As the winds pick up so does the tension and drama on the small island until one of them is murdered.

I had a little trouble getting into at first. There were so many twists and turns and the story doubled back on itself so often, I found myself a little confused at times. I liked the way the story was told, with Elliot as our narrator, even if it was all over the place.

Full of damaged characters, lies, secrets, and backstabbing, it was hard to like any of the characters. The story does pick up towards the last third of the book and I found it getting harder and harder to put down. Definitely worth the read.

THE FURY was an interesting take on the classic murder mystery. When a rich former actress invites her best friends for a weekend on her private island, the relaxing get together takes a turn when she is ruthlessly murdered. Told by a self-conscious and unreliable narrator, the nights' events are peeled back in layers.
THE FURY was a quick and engaging read.

Wowzer! This one knocked my socks off. Michaelides writes a very different novel from his usual fare. This is a thriller set on a Greek Island. There is a death; we know this right away. We have a narrator who will tell us all about it. The construct of this novel is playful, and I could not have loved it more. The whole story has a very "old school" feel to it. Are you ready to be swept away? Well, step right up, my friend--- Elliot Chase will give us all the dish!

Slow, convoluted, boring. Characters are not like able and they seem to expose all their flaws to readers without context. I couldn’t get into this. A bit too self indulgent and whiny. White people problems for sure 😬

Another top notch story from Michaelides - this one possibly his best. A group of friends with so much history, so many secrets….and it’s all led to this! An absolute powerhouse of a novel that reads so quickly that I literally found myself sad that it was over.

I know this will be popular like his last two books. Like the last two, I did not enjoy it. I really have to stop reading them, but they are advertised everywhere. Quite simplistic and didn't care for characters. I'm sure people will enjoy the twists. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

4.5
This narrator is so slimy you can almost smell him, yet, somehow he uses his inherent grease production to slide right into your thoughts, making this very nearly impossible to put down.

If you've read any other books by Alex Michaelides, you must know that he is the king of misdirection. His character Elliot Chase, in The Fury, is the most unreliable narrator that I've encountered. He swears that his story is true but it weaves back and forth like a Pulp Fiction mashup and the reader is left with severe whiplash.
This what we know. Film star extraordinaire Lana Farar has invited a group of friends to her private island near Mykonos Greece for the weekend. The guests include the debonaire playwright, Elliot Chase, Lana's philandering husband Jason, and stage actress Kate, Lana's competitor in acting and in love. Rounding out the cast of characters is Leo, her teenage son from her first marriage, the trusty housekeeper, and the caretaker of the island.
While all are aware that the wind furiously kicks up the sea at that time of year, making travel on or off the island impossible, they are all excited to have a relaxing and luxurious mini-vacation. Then there is a murder, and mayhem ensues.
With all of the twists and turns in this novel, I found myself going back to what I had already read several times after more information was revealed. Michaelides had me guessing (wrongly) until the last page!

There were certainly aspects of this book that I enjoyed. It has a certain cinematic feel to it that made it interesting and captivated my attention. Ultimately, however, I found that I had to ask myself to suspend disbelief too often while reading it to give this book a higher rating. That being said I’m sure it won’t have difficulty finding it’s correct audience