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I loved “The Silent Patient” and I found myself disappointed by “The Maidens” and all I can say after “The Fury” is thank you!

With the intelligent mix of Greek mythology and a psychological thriller, Alex Michaelides takes us to a Greek island where a murder takes place. In Agatha Christie fashion, all of the suspects are there trapped in this island. Told as a play in five acts we are taken through this murder as the story and backstories slowly evolve and lead us into a psychological twister à la “The Silent Patient.” All I can say is yes!

Themes: 🇬🇷🏛️🏝️☠️⚰️🎭

My thoughts: 🥸🤓🫡🤔🫢🫣😵‍💫👍🏻👍🏻

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The Fury : Alex Michaelides newest psychological thriller DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I would rate this book 4/4.5 stars out of 5. Th only reason in my opinion that this novel did not score perfect was due to the third act , however it made up for this with the INCREDIBLE ENDING!

Taking place in London and a teeeeny tiny greek island off the coast of Mikkanos seven friend embark on an unforgettable weekend ... but one of them is a murderer. Our dutiful narrator Elliot Chase invites you to sit down, have a drink and listen to this tragic story. He leads us through the highs and lows of not only his life but of his friends who are with him on the island, their character, their gimmicks and their plotting. Plotting abound nobody could out plot Elliot Chase, or could they?

Alex Michaelides does it again and I would HIGHLY recommend this next novel to your 2024 reading list <3
I would also like to thank NetGally and MacMillian Audio for allowing me this incredible ARC listen!

This was so well narrated by Alex Jennings, I didn't want it to end. Whatever I pictured Elliot Chase sounding like... Alex was it. He portrayed the unreliable narrator to perfection and I didn't want the story to end. The pacing at 1.25x was just right for me.

I listened to the audiobook and at first I loved the narrator but his dramatization got old quickly. It felt over the top and became hard to listen to. The storyline itself was very slow with small spurts of entertaining text until the last 23%. The last bit was exciting but overall it wasn’t worth it. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but this as not the book for me.

Loved the unreliable narrator and the guy that actually narrated this is was fantastic. The story telling was so clever and fast paced. It would head in one direction and then go a completely different way. It was like whiplash in the best sense of the word. It made this such a twisty story and I was kept guessing until the very end. Once the ending is revealed, you can’t help but feel chilled to the core. This was brilliantly executed and I’m looking forward to more by this author!

Thank you to Macmillan audio for an ALC. My thoughts are my own.

Let me tell you, this book is intense! The pacing is spot-on, with each chapter leaving me hungry for more. It's set on a private Greek island, which already sounds like the perfect backdrop for a thrilling story, right? Using alternating perspectives adds depth to the characters, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what would happen next. What I love the most is that the story goes beyond the surface-level thrills and delves into the complexities of love, obsession, and human nature. It's not just about the action but also about the psychological depth of the characters and the choices they make. The narration by Alex Jennings is nothing short of extraordinary. His nuanced performance brings each character to life with such depth and emotion that you'll forget you're merely listening. An easy five 🌟

I found this book to be slow-paced initially and the narrator a bit frustrating and hard to stay connected to. This is in contrast to the back third of the book, where there are so many twists and turns it is difficult to stay on top of them. Some of the characters are interesting, particularly Kate and Lana but the story would benefit from more consistent momentum.

A murder. 5 Acts. Whodunnit? Who's dead? And most importantly ... why?

A well-known ex-actress decides to go on a trip to a Greek island with her loved ones (he husband, her son, her actress best friend, her groundskeeper, her assistant, and her male best friend who is so obviously in love with her). While there, a murder occurs. Before we can find out the answers to who/when/why/etc. we must go back and understand the backstories of those involved. Each and every person on the trip has their fair share of secrets. Which of them will come to light and lead to a sad end for someone unsuspecting?

I LOVED The Silent Patient and The Maidens. The Fury, however, didn't encapsulate me like those other two did.
I was expecting bigger twists and turns, a big "WOW" moment, like in the other stories. This one felt a bit garbled and messy compared to his other stories. It didn't give me a satisfactory feeling either. I found this one to be okay. I think it's worth the read, but I won't be pushing it hard to anyone asking for recommendations.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I am so grateful to be given the chance to read and review these books ahead of their release!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced audio copy!

I started listening to this audio and the narrators voice was unbearable and I had to stop and finish the book with the physical copy.

This book was fine. It was a good read, but at times felt a little silly maybe? A little overdramatic? Or honestly it could be a total masterpiece, I'm not really sure.

The way the story was told was probably more the interesting part. We have an unreliable narrator speaking directly to the reader, which isn't done often so it just felt a little strange. This character then tells you that they haven't told you everything multiple times. Well yeah...that's usually what happens in these types of books so we don't really need you to tell us?

The timeline jumps all around from what is happening currently and then jumping back in time revealing all of the secrets which weren't really secrets they were just things that happened in the past.

None of the characters were very likable and I didn't find myself really caring about any of them. Except Leo the son...I wanted more from him.

I'm still not really sure where I land on this. I thought the way it was told was interesting but something about it was off. The ending felt forced and I really just shrugged my shoulders when it was done. I'm sure lots of people will love this and lots will hate it but overall if you are looking for a fast paced thriller...this isn't really it, but if you like the rest of his books, give this one a try...it will keep you guessing (or confused) that's for sure!

This was my first book by this author and definitely not the last! I really enjoyed this story and how it was woven together amidst mystery, drama, backstabbing, and obsession. It was such an immersive read!

THE FURY review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🧿I was soooooo excited when I saw that Alex Michaelides had a new book coming out! The Silent Patient is one of my all time favorite thrillers and I was excited to see if his new book would be a new favorite. While I enjoyed this one overall, it still didn’t top The Silent Patient.

🧿Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
A former movie star and her friends decide to take a spontaneous trip to her private Greek island for a relaxing getaway. When a storm blows in, the group hunker down for the night, realizing that the strong wind means they’d have no means to escape the island if they need help. When someone in the group is found dead, they all start to suspect one another. But who is actually committed the murder and who can be trusted?

🧿The plot synopsis sounds similar to a looooot of other thrillers; big group in a remote location, someone is killed, now try to figure out who the murderer is. However the writing style of this one was so unique and unlike Michaelides other two novels. The book is broken into different acts told by one of the characters in the book. I enjoyed the times that the narrator broke the fourth wall and talked directly to the reader.

🧿As with The Maidens, I felt like I would have enjoyed The Fury more if I was more familiar with Ancient Greek history. I still enjoyed this book but felt like I wasn’t getting as much out of it as I could. The ending really surprised me. I truly didn’t see anyyyyy of the twists coming. Also the cameo of one of the characters from his other novel?! 👀 Overall, I definitely enjoyed this one and would recommend it if you’re wanting a twisty, unpredictable thriller with a unique writing format. I honestly don’t know if any book will top The Silent Patient for me but I will definitely read whatever Michaelides releases next!

🧿Thanks to @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for my advanced e-book and audiobook copies of this one! THE FURY publishes tomorrow, January 16th!

Murder? Love story? All of the above! The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a whirlwind of a ride that will have you guessing literally through the last page. I'm a huge fan of the unreliable narrator and this is one of the best examples of the trope.

The novel is set on a private Greek Island owned by reclusive & world-famous actress Lana Farrar. Lana assembles her closest friends on the island to evade the gloomy London weather. The excursion takes a dark turn, culminating in a murder, with the narrator being one of the participants.

The twists were great, the ending was even better, and I was shocked with how everything played out.

Wow! This book is a fast moving thriller that takes place on an island in Greece. The story is narrated by Elliot Chase, who is an interesting character who has been able to socially climb with his ability to develop relationships with older wealthy women. Elliot has a relationship with a prominent women writer named Barbara when he meets the Oscar winning actress Lana Farrer. Elliot becomes fast friends with Lana, and then finds himself immersed in the lives of Lana’s best friend Kate, Lana’s husband Jason and Lionel who is Lana’s son.
At the beginning the reader is promised that someone will die. The novel goes through various scenarios of who done it with giving snippets or the background of all the characters involved. It kind of reminds me of the board game Clue. Here is the list of characters and why they have a motive for murder.
As a lover of thrillers, you will feel as though you know what is going to happen. The author leads you to believe that you know what will happen, and if you know what is going to happen you will not know how exactly it will happen. The reader will have to focus in on all the scenes, and figure out what is real or fake.
The theme of this book is “fury” which is an emotion that comes from vengeance and justice. I would say that “the fury” of this book comes from obsession and envy. Who’s fury will lead to murder?
I really did enjoy this novel, and I’m a fan of the author Alex Michaliedes storytelling.

Thank you Macmillian audio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to review the audio of this book. I enjoyed the narrator as well.

I received an arc of this audiobook, which was narrated by actor Alex Jennings (of The Crown and the Royal Shakespeare Company). His narration was amazing and he elevates this book to a much higher level. That being said, I did not enjoy this book as much as Michaelides prior work, The Silent Patient.

The Fury is a murder mystery set on a private Greek island owned by a former movie star, Lana. She and a few guests (her best male friend, her best female friend, and her teen son and husband) spend a holiday there, along with a maid and property caretaker. The story is told via first person narration by her best male friend, Elliot, who discloses early on that a murder occurs on the island. We soon learn, however, that Elliot is a very unreliable narrator, as he drops breadcrumbs about the killer along the way to the big reveal.

The novel is an homage to great writers of the past, including murder mystery writers such as Agatha Christie, and ancient Greek mythologists and playwrights, which I enjoyed. While the chapters are short, this is much more of a slow burn thriller in contrast to the typical rapidly-paced novels of the genre. Overall, this was still an entertaining read, but I suspect won't stick with me in the long run, and it didn't keep me up all night reading a la The Silent Patient.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio, and the author for this audiobook to review!

Michaelides is back on my favorite list with this novel. Going back to the universe of his first book, The Silent Patient.p, he has re-won by book heart, The style of writing for this one was just what I needed, the pacing and reflection. The shorter chapters really helped me keep turning pages. This also was one where I enjoyed the story not trying to figure out the killer, and even to the end was sitting on the edge of my chair. I sure hope he writes a book with more characters getting mental health care from this universe. Sign me up now. Thanks to NetGalley for this free ARC audiobook.

At first, I was unsure how I felt about this as it was so over the top. As many have said before, this was absolutely a thriller meets soap opera; typically, I am not a fan of an unbelievable thriller, but the deeper into the plot I delved, the more I appreciated the intricacy of the dance being done.

This book was SO DIFFERENT than I expected. On the surface, very little of this novel is reminiscent of Michaelides previous work but the root of it is undoubtedly the same; an expertly plotted, layered tale told by an incredibly unreliable narrator.

I don’t typically enjoy books that revolve around the theater or that center around an obviously unreliable narrator, but I loved this, which is just a testament to the author’s talent.

And the epilogue!! Honestly, I think that the final bit was what really sold me on this one.

I finished this book a week ago and have been sitting with my thoughts this whole time because I just wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
😬
Because I still can’t decide if it was a 3 star or a 4 star read for me, I’m splitting the difference and giving g it 3.5 stars.
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My chief complaint with this one is the unreliable narrator. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan in general, but especially not when the narrator keeps speaking directly to the reader with lines like “I left this out because I wanted to give you time to get to know me better, but now I will tell you what really happened…”
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Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but those little cheeky asides happened far too much in this book for my liking. If you dont mind being told one thing for several chapters only to be told “not really, but now I will tell you the truth” and then several chapters later be told “okay, that wasn’t the WHOLE truth, but this is…” then by all means, give this one a read. It’s written in five acts, like a play, and otherwise quite entertaining.
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A huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unlike any mystery youve read - pay attention and take note of the details and characters. The end comes at you with a FURY! - I couldnt really connect with any one character and it was slow at times but the overall scene and characters kept my intrigue satisfied enough to pursue the end.

3.5 rounded up. Elliot was my favorite part of this book. His narration of the story and his own backstory kept me invested in what was happening. He had me wanting answers and to know more from his perspective.

The audiobook version was fantastic. The actual narrator made me believe he was Elliot. He sold me.

The story itself was a bit predictable and I felt some parts were slow, but I would still recommend. It wasn’t my favorite Alex Michaelides book, but I enjoyed the experience.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC.

The Fury
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I enjoyed the book. It built the characters & you felt like you knew them. It had a twist & more twists. It was like reading a play in the making at times. It was very different than The Silent Patient.
I enjoyed the Agatha Christie kind of plot as he guides you along through twist & plots. The setting for the novel was pretty cool.
Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to enjoy this book.