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.

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!

The way this book began was all feet in and lets get the story going until move from one character and down a rabbit hole of the why's of the relationships of Lona, who everyone loves. This twist of tales is being told by our narrator, Elliot, who wants you to know every detail of their friendships even though it is in his viewpoint. You are able to visualize each character through the eyes of Elliot.

As with Alex Michaelides books you read and get lots of background information and think where you are heading down until the end of the book and you go well dang I didn't see that coming and man was I glad that I didn't see that coming this is so much better. You think this person is dead, no, then you think another one is dead, no and then you think a third is killed and yes in fact death did happen.

You think you are sitting at a bar hearing Elliot's tale is being shared when in fact you are in the lock up for the clinically insane. Nod to Silent Patient - love this Easter Egg so much!! Theo is in the same facility. We also learn that this is not the first murder that Elliot has been involved with and how simply deceitful he is with stealing Barbara's papers and turning it into his own work and realizing he is the vulture trying to con others and have no consequences for the awful behavior.

I like how we were given in the end the truth even if it is somewhat a skewed version from Elliot.

Thank you to NetGalley @MacMillianAudio for the ARC!! I look forward to sharing this book with others. I highly recommend it!! Keep Reading and find your next adventure through the black and whites. Momstr

This was a great murder mystery book with lots of twists and turns until the very end. I felt like the narrator, Elliott was talking to me as he told this crazy tale. I had a few concerns about the story that was never fully explained which was why I only gave it three stars. I wanted more back story about Jason and Kate’s love affair. I also couldn’t figure out what Lana saw in Elliott even after Barbara told her about how evil he was. But overall, I was fully into the story. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

3.5 stars.
This twisty (and often twisted) book will have you guessing until the end! Loved the narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Alex Michaelides said he had great fun writing The Fury and it comes through. It was a book that left me smiling frequently.
There are seven people on Lana’s island. At the end of the stay, only six are alive. It was quite the sensational story. Now, Elliot Chase, playwright, promises to tell what really happened.
As seems to be the current trend, the story is told from the viewpoint of a narrator who speaks directly to the reader. Every now and then, I would question how Elliot could possibly know something. But don’t worry, all will be revealed. In fact, I had to hand it to Michaelides. Every time I felt a part was extraneous it came back to have an import on the ending.
The story is a bit like peeling an onion, with layer after layer removed to take us to the core. There are five “acts”, in the style of a Greek tragedy, with each giving additional information of previous scenes. No one is likable, everyone is hiding secrets. Elliot is the typical unreliable narrator, but he is entertaining. He’s at turns catty, pathetic and untrustworthy. In fact, the book is great intelligent entertainment. If you think you’ve figured it out, trust me, you haven’t. I fell for that myself, convinced I knew how it was going to play out. I was three or four twists off.
The narrator, Alex Jennings, did a great job with Elliot although some of his other voices were so similar that I would struggle as to who was supposedly speaking.
My thanks to Celadon Books for a paper ARC and Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of the audiobook.

3.5 stars 🌟
The entire time I was reading this book (audiobook), I was trying to decide how I felt about it. I enjoyed the author's first two books, although they were a bit overrated. I appreciate intelligent mysteries/thrillers, and I think Alex Michaelides really tries to elevate common tropes with smart literary devices and knowledge of the classics. The protagonists are always confidently well-educated and classy. It comes off as a bit pretentious at times, though. (Giving "I'm not like other books!!") As soon as I pressed play, I heard the very proper articulations of a Shakespearean narrator and thought, of course it has to be fancy! But luckily the rest of the read didn't come off as proper pretentious.

The plot was interesting... I was very drawn into the premise of fancy, old Hollywood-style actors getting tangled in a murder mystery on an island. The promise of the murder not being like other murders was very prominent throughout! I wanted to enjoy the anticipation but found it was dangled for way too long. Something shocking will happen, just you wait! Over and over again until the shocks were finally revealed. I think the twists were well-crafted, but also not as impactful as I'd hoped. I kept thinking... is this the shock we were promised? Nope, apparently not. THIS part is the shock because he was just joking about the other one. The flow was off because the long anticipation and quickfire of twists just didn't quite balance out. There were no clues to return back to, only omitted information that was suddenly revealed afterward as an explanation. Perhaps there wasn't enough investment into the buildup as the momentum wasn't quite there leading up to the ending.

I will say I did enjoy the story overall as it truly held my attention. Some plot devices I could have done without (like back-tracking)... but I appreciated this story much more than I expected. There were some neat ties between his previous books. Although not likely a favourite of mine, I think others will enjoy this one. It's worth the read.