Thank you netgalley and McMillan audio for the opportunity to listen to the book.
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I feel like I fell victim to the hype of this book. I literally didn’t enjoy any part of this book. The characters were unlikable (and not in a good way), the plot was slow and confusing, and I didn’t like how the story was told by the main character.
This was a big miss for me.

Wow wow wow. Saltburn girlies, rise up! I listened to this in one day because I found it so fun. I don’t read a lot of mystery books like this, so maybe my opinion is skewed, but I loved the cheekiness of the unreliable narrator. I was entertained with each layer of the story revealed. And the narrator for the audiobook was great.

All in all, a fun murder mystery with some dark reflections on the human psyche.

I was interested to read this book as I enjoyed The Silent Patient very much.
The Fury is presented as a Greek Tragedy in five acts ripe with allusions to the classics. The beauty of this idea may have been more fully realized if written faithfully as a drama, and I found myself wishing it had been. In this novel, we have Elliot Chase, our incredibly unreliable first person narrator with moments of direct, one-sided conversation with readers, as he tells a story of murder and love. I badly wanted to love this book. I have tickets to see the author promoting The Fury on tour in a few weeks, and I am still very much looking forward to the event. The premise of this novel was so promising. As I read, however, I found the structure, as well as the narrator's unreliability, to be increasingly problematic. Early and often, Chase acknowledges his own faults as narrator, a self-awareness that should make him charming, even forgiveable, but as he questions a reader's opinion of him, I found myself coming to a less favorable judgment. I lost trust in his ability to tell the story accurately from nearly the moment he began, vehemently protesting he would do his very best to tell the story as it happened, but not living up to his own promises. It made it difficult to understand what story was being told. My favorite part was the ending. Though there is a reference to a character in a previous novel, the connection would not be clear without prior knowledge of that book, and I found it to be a satisfying conclusion to the twisted currents within the novel.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator for this novel, Alex Jennings, is an exceptionally skilled voice actor. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to his narration.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy to review.

A secret island, different people and a murder mystery that keeps you wondering until the end. I loved the way this author made every character come off the page. Until the very end I want sure exactly who was murdered and why. This author can spin a tale like no other. I loved it.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted audiobook.

The Fury is a story filled with glamour and intrigue within an amazing setting. This audiobook elevates the pages with a narrator who sounds exactly as if they are the main character.

Very well done!

“Character is fate”
I was thrilled to get this copy after devouring The Silent Patient in the past. The narrator is smooth, creepy, frustrating and unreliable. It was like a British Knives Out. It was hard to see where this was going or try to predict who dun it. When the plot twist happened I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed and the end was pure chaos. I didn’t really care for any of the characters no matter what their backstory. They all come across as very dry and self centered. I’m so conflicted between 5 stars for the writing and 4 stars for the story. 4.5 perhaps

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC Audiobook in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion!

I got early access to The Fury through NetGalley! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024! I’ve been a big fan of Michaelides's previous work The Maidens and The Silent Patient, so I was excited to get into his next novel! The Fury is narrated by Elliot, a friend of ex-movie star Lana Farrar. Every year Lana invites her friends to spend Easter on her private Greek Island. Elliot describes the events on the island and years before that cause jealousy, hatred, and love affairs to take place between the friends and lead up to a murder. Like most of Alex Michaelides's work the story has intricately woven past and present together. One big change in the style of writing is that the narrator is talking at you as the reader a lot more. At one point telling you to get a drink and get comfortable, and admitting that he will deceive you as he describes the events leading up to the murder. In moderation, I’m okay with this, but I think it was a little overdone here. I was pretty easily able to guess the ending, but I still found the book entertaining. In previous works by Michaelides, there have been Greek Dramas intricately woven in. That was still present here but was scaled back a lot, and instead, we got more of the philosophy of dramas, which fit Elliot’s character as a writer, but I missed the strong parallels we got in The Silent Patient and The Maidens. I still recommend The Fury for fans of Alex Michaelides, but The Silent Patient and The Maidens are definitely better representations of his incredible skill as an author.

***Spoilers below***
The thing that really got me was the double fake out death. I'm willing to let it slide once, but twice as a reader is very frustrating, especially when the narrator goes on for a while about how the story was about his own death only to reveal he didn't actually die.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Fury 🧿

ARC review - Publication date: January 16, 2024

🌬️

“This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?”

Cozy up to the bar, and allow yourself to be immersed into this tragedy, as told by a true dramatist. I feel like he’s an old friend, for better or worse.

So, allow me to introduce you to our narrator, Elliot Chase.

Now to the sordid tale. This drama centers around Elliot’s friend, and goddess-like movie star, Lana Farrar. Or does it?

Seven people joined together on an idyllic private Greek island. Betrayals. Secrets. Revenge. Violence. One howling, ferocious, whipping wind, solidly worthy of its own position as a character. Murder.

This was a masterclass in unreliable narration. It’s a character study, a Shakespearean tragedy, and a disorienting mystery.

This book truly has no comparison.

I found myself captivated and gripped by this thriller. Each time I was led down a particular path through the sordid tale, I was led astray, left only to have the rug ripped out from under me again and again.

I listened to the audio book and I was laughing out-loud, cursing the narrator and crying out in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but did anyway. The narrator had an uncanny ability to suck me in, just for me to be betrayed again. You don’t know who to trust and cannot even trust your own mind.

This is unlike any thriller you have experienced before. Pull up a barstool, trust me, you’re going to need a drink.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for the opportunity to listen to a complimentary copy audiobook version of this book in return for review, based upon my honest opinion.

I loved the Silent Patient, and I really had high hopes for this book. By the time this book ended, I realized I had lost a lot of hours I would never get back and I didn’t care who got killed. I seriously hoped it could be all of them. It was a slow moving story, with an unreliable narrator, a bunch of dislikeable people, and it seemed really long. Unfortunately this was not the book for me.

📚Book Review 📖

Alex Michaelides, author of The Maidens and The Silent Patient, is famous for his unreliable narrators and plots that make you think. Well friends, he did it again for me in his newest, The Fury.

Main character, Elliot, tells the events of what happened on his island getaway even though some events were not what they seemed. The plot in this was so twisty. I thought I had the plot twist guessed and then bam my mind got blown and Alex mic dropped. This, to me, was more of a drama than a thriller, but still twisty none the less.

Elliot was a fantastic narrator choice. He was witty, funny, and opinionated, which I loved. He did a lot of telling instead of showing. I understand the stylistic choice behind this but kind of annoying at times. Also loved the comparison to the Silent Patient. If you read that book, then you will be able to tell.

Lana was a great complex character to get into as well. She really tied the theme of the book so well. I felt emotionally for her. Also the choice of title was a smart and a nod to Elliot himself.

Thank you for the early read and friends, pick this one up. You won't be disappointed! Now on to the Maidens!

Writing multiple POVs, or at least perceptions thereof, but still all told through a single POV voice and personality is some damn masterful writing. Confused? It makes sense once you start reading.

Still, it’s not my favorite of A.M.’s books, great once you reach the end, but the journey was occasionally rocky. It’s still addictive, you want to see all the back and forth, revisiting moments from different angles, and how various complexities of thought and plotting are doled out to the reader. But it’s definitely a slower thriller and playing along with and in this particular narcissist’s head could be slightly trying.

What remains strong is A.M.’s particular brand of psychological groundwork. The murder and mystery are always secondary to the character studies. It’s a Greek drama from beginning to end, full of moody atmospheres, but mostly moody people. You’re hard pressed to find anyone to like but you still want to see their stories play out, for better or worse.

And of course there are little “Easter eggs” to be found for The Maidens and The Silent Patient, mostly at the end. They don’t impact the story at all but fans will get a little thrill.

Also, I listened to the audiobook. It was a great way to read this thriller, loved the narrator, he really captured the nuances and tone of Elliot, in that you really didn’t notice it all, just the embodiment of the character. 👏🏼

Loved the narrator for this book and the way the story was told. This book is very character driven and not a lot of plot. I was hoping for more of a thriller vibe and wanted more. This was my first book by this author so maybe this is his typical style. If you love character development with a little mystery thrown in then definitely check this one out. Definitely a recommend the audiobook.

From the author of the best-selling The Silent Patient, comes another twisty-turvy ride! The Fury is a mix between a murder-mystery and a tangled love story. Just when you think everything is all wrapped up nicely, then the author shakes it up again! This was a fun book that held my interest. Thank you to Alex Mcihaelides, MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

A good bounce back after I felt a little let down from The Maidens. The best thing about this book is the strength of the voice of the narrator. Michaelides writing a male voice to dictate the flow of the story is probably more aligned with his strengths, and this novel was much more unputdownable than The Maidens. Very much looking forward to more compelling cinematic thrillers from this author!

This just didn't do it for me. I can deal with a certain amount of suspension of disbelief in a mystery, but at a certain point, it's just too much.
Review copy provided by publisher.

This is my second Michaelides book (I read The Silent Patient a few years ago). I found this writing to be more complex and sophisticated than I anticipated. However, I was not compelled by the context of the story. Writing about rich and famous characters feels lazy, as anything is possible (such as a murder mystery on a remote Greek island). In my opinion, it's akin to using magic. That aside, the mystery was told fairly well, and the audiobook's narrator was solid.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This review is sadly going to pain me. I was SO excited to get an early copy of The Fury. The Silent Patient, also by Michaelides, was the book that hooked me back into reading years ago. I hate to say this, but this book was such a disappointment. When I got to the end, I wanted to say, "That was it?" I could have sworn the book needed to keep going for at least 30 more pages. The entire pacing at the beginning of the book was slow and then the end was rushed.

I think the writing style was perfect for an audiobook, but would have been weird to strictly read. In the audiobook, it felt like a podcast where the narrator was just talking to you. I did enjoy that aspect.

In the end, I would have a hard time recommending this book to readers, but would encourage them to read The Silent Patient instead. Which, there was a major spoiler in the epilogue that was not forewarned. Do not read The Fury if you haven't read The Silent Patient.

I really loved The Silent Patient and didn’t really like the follow up book The Maidens, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this third book by Alex Michaelides. The writing style was different and I will say that none of the three books have a similar voice or style. I listened to the audiobook of this one and I really liked the narrator, I thought he did a good job bringing a bizarre narrator/story to life. The narrator to this story is Elliott Chase who fancies himself a writer even if he hasn’t had much success. The narrator really brought him to life and I could totally picture him. That being said Elliott Chase wasn’t a very likable person and he told the story in bits and spurts going back in time to tell a part of it again. It was an interesting style to tell the story of a murder, and it did keep me guessing. I did like the tie ins that make it clear this book is connected to the two prior books (if you haven’t read those, don’t read the epilogue, you won’t miss much and it gives a bit of a spoiler for The Silent Patient). Elliott starts the story off with promising the reader he will tell a tale of a retired movie star, her friends trapped on an island and a murder, and he promises it will be a murder like none you’ve ever heard before. Overall this book wasn’t bad, I thought it took a little long to get to the story and was repetitive at times, but the last act was pretty interesting and tied things together well. Overall I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up because I did enjoy the ending.

“Now, I know only this for sure--the first half of life is pure selfishness; the second half, all grief.”

This book reminded me a lot of The Great Gatsby….written by one of the characters from a biased perspective and someone who finds themselves in a rich and fabulous group but clearly doesn’t belong. It was a bit slow and while the narrator provided a lot of personality, the ending was just OK for me.

I was engrossed from start to end. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns as well as the unique style this book had. Very fun read!