2.5 stars rounded up!

I always enjoyed Michaelides story telling. The writing style is always incredibly mesmerizing to me and I find myself absolutely devouring the novel in a matter of hours.

However, this book just kinda fell flat for me? I felt like it was everything you expected while simultaneously being nothing like you expected. Then you’re sitting at the end of the book, scratching your head and wondering what you even read. When I finished this book, the only word I could think of was… huh?

My biggest gripe with this one was… I hated every single character but Elliot was the worst.

Even though this book wasn’t necessarily for me, I can see how many have and will enjoy this one.

Huge thank you Macmillan Audio,, and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of The Fury in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Celadon, Alex Michaelides and NetGalley for providing me with the UDG/ARC as well as the audio recording of The Fury. I also need to say thanks to my son's travel hockey tournament as I was able to enjoy both the audio while driving to the rinks as well as down time spent actually reading. I was a little apprehensive going into this one because I did see some early reviews which were a mixed bag. Some complaining of the pacing of story, the narration of Elliott who always promised a surprise plot twist or noting what details we, the reader, should be paying attention to. He goes from narrator to a "friend" meandering through the story getting lost in thought and going off on a tangent which just seemed to fit the twisting turns the story takes. I have to say I actually enjoyed that. I usually don't like a dual time line but the way this story flip flops between the past and present, giving you a small tidbit of the past luring you in knowing that something good was going to happen felt just right to me. I enjoyed the pacing and how each chapter seemed to reveal a little more of the truth as it went along. The style of the story had a very Agatha Christie feel, which I am a total fan of.

The audio narration was easy to follow along with. I mostly had it on 1.5X speed. His voice was very clear and concise and worked great with the characters. The problem with audio books is that sometimes the reader can actually make or break the book - I enjoyed listening just as much as I did while personally reading the story. I would give the narrator 5 stars for his story telling.

THE FURY - ALEX MICHAELIDES
4⭐

PLOT
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex movie star who each year invites her closet friends to a private Greek island to spend Easter weekend but then one of them is found murdered.
This is a tale of murder with a love story at its heart

MY THOUGHTS -
This book should be read or listened for it's narration. The narrator Elliots view point completely changed a simple story all thanks to masterful writing by the author.
There are a lot of story repetition with a basic plot but still I enjoyed the story overall nothing compared to The Silent Patient but still a fats quick read which will keep you guessing.
The narrator was fantastic and i especially enjoyed the audiobook.

3.5

A reclusive former film star and her friends go to a private Greek island for a break from the weather in England. Someone ends up dead. Already sounding like an Agatha Christie Mystery?

I flew through this audiobook, which was well-narrated, and highly recommend the audio.

The Narrator is Elliot Chase and a very good friend of Lana Farrar, the actress. The group of friends and their stories are slowly revealed but the POV's will change and so will the reader's minds as you try to figure out who to believe. As the tensions build between the "friends" so does the storm swirling around them all.

It kept me guessing as things were changing like the fury of the wind!

My thanks to Net Galley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

2.5 stars rounding up to 3 stars on goodreads.

I think I am in an audiobook slump. Or this book was just not for me. I have heard amazing things about this book by the hype but sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. I was not invested in the story and didn’t find that the reveals were all that surprising.

While I didn’t overly enjoy the audiobook, the narrator did a good job, I just wish there was more excitement to the story line.

****Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides. The setup of this book might sound like a classic locked room mystery, but the reader is told from the beginning not to expect the usual Agatha Christie-type formula. This was true. It went in a unique direction and I found myself delighted and surprised several times. My only wish is that it was better paced. There were long stretches where nothing much happened.

What a fun thriller! If you love: an unreliable narrator, an island murder, The Glass Onion, or Knives Out, then you'll like this one!
Former Hollywood star, Lana Farrar, invites her friends and family to spend Easter weekend on her private Greek island. However, one of them will not leave the island alive. The story is told by one of Lana's closest friends, Elliot. He really is trying to be a reliable narrator but can't help embellishing the truth. You won't know what to believe! The middle dragged a little for me, but the ending had so many twists and turns!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my review.

Unique murder mystery involving rich friends isolated on an island during a storm; great build-up although I did find some parts too slow; uniquely structured like a five-act play; told in a storytelling manner, with fourth wall breaks, which made for an engaging listen however it did feel a little monotonous after awhile; unlikeable
characters; never knew who to trust; tons of twists

Definitely recommend the audiobook version for this novel!

Special thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Fury was definitely an addictive ride. It was hard to put down as you just want to know the outcome and the ultimate twist. Although it was truly a slow burn thriller and I found it hard to fully be into it.

It was definitely not a linear type of read, it circles back and forth a lot. I felt some confusion regarding that. Also, I got confused a lot with each chapter, I felt like I didn't know who was speaking, and when.

With all the dragging of the story and saying we need to know this and that, it kind of left me unsatisfied. It was still enjoyable but I had truly high expectations due to The Silent Patient which was entirely a different type of thriller. The twists weren't as shocking as I was expecting.

I think people who love a good slow burn thriller will definitely enjoy this one. Please beware the epilogue contains a MAJOR spoiler for The Silent Patient, if you haven't read it you might want to skip the epilogue.

✨️Thank you to @celadon, @netgalley & @macmillanaudio for my free ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get into this one. Initially I found the narrator very easy to listen to and enjoyed being spoken to directly; a real "let me tell you a story" but the story itself didn't intrigue or interest me. As I got to know the characters a little I didn't like any of them and decided to quit, Sorry! I really liked the Silent Patient and the Maidens and am disappointed this didn't do it for me.

I have such mixed feelings towards this book. I was intrigued by the premise of the Greek private island setting and the murder mystery that unveils there. There are very strong Agatha Christie vibes from the plot. I was definitely not a fan of the narrator Elliot, something about him just puts you off right from the beginning and I found it hard to connect to him or not get irritated. Other characters are alright but nobody left a mark to be honest.
The ending more or less makes up for whatever slow repetitiveness you experience in the beginning.
It is a wild last few chapters with twists and turns, which you also kind of see through but still enjoy more than the beginning of the book.
I feel I just didn't feel invested enough in any of the characters to really enjoy this tale.

My rating is 3 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and comments.

I truly enjoyed the narrator and his telling of the story. It definitely kept me on my toes with the spins and twists! I’m always chasing the next silent patient, and though this one isn’t as good as a silent patient, it’s still an excellent novel in and of itself!

The mark of a great psychological thriller for me is that after I have gotten to the end on the edge of my seat I immediately want to turn to page one and read it all over again to see what I missed and how much of it was there in front of me all along. One of the reasons I love thrillers is that they provide two very different experiences, the first read (which can never be repeated once you know all the things) and the later reads where you search out all the bread crumbs. Sadly, I have not read many thrillers lately because few have provided me this desire to go back to the beginning in a very long time. The Fury does this in spades!

I am also a self identified nerd, and the best thrillers for me are the ones that work with the craft of narrative to tell their story; unreliable narrators, out of order story telling, assumptions we are led to fill in without realizing it. etc. Michaelides uses all of this and more masterfully.

This is not a thriller for those who want a fast moving frantic plot driven story. This narrator is very meta (self aware). He knows he is telling a story to an audience and the meta narration figures intimately within the plot. In the beginning I actually thought this may be overdone for my taste, but by the end I believe the author walks that fine line well. So- if you like stories that blur the line between fiction and reality, if you like meta narration, and slow walk to an amazing end, you will like this book! Go in as blind as you can otherwise. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I listened to this book on audio which is my preferred way to read thrillers! I get so much more out the experience. Alex Jennings is so good at voicing this narrator! I loved how he captured so much of the nuances that allowed me to hate this character but also stay interested in what he had to say. It was like a one man theatrical live performance. I highly recommend getting the audio for this one- as character driven and slow build as the story is it will certainly enhance your experience with the story.

Thanks to MacMillian audio and Netgalley for allowing access to an ALC of The Fury in exchange for an honest review!

This was such an interesting read! It reminded me a lot of the Glass Onion movie. Unreliable narrator where the veil between the narrator and the audience is lifted. I was intrigued and constantly attentive of the storyline and where it was going.

The Fury is the newest book from Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient. Like others in the series, this title is a thriller, this time in the vein of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with our cast of characters traveling to a remote island for a vacation that ends in murder.

I have read both previous publications by this author and felt mildly uncomfortable with the representation of women in his previous works. This one continues the trend of sad, damaged women who need tortured, misunderstood men to run along and save them.

This book was paced very oddly. 50% of the way into the book still felt like the exposition while the ending felt rushed and confused. There is a lot of play with the reliability of the narrator, which I liked, but the multiple branching "gotcha"s became hard to keep track of after a point.

The characters, like in other books in this extended universe, were completely lacking in defining traits - except, maybe, "bitchy". Even Lana, the center of our narrator's world, seems shallow and vapid. The narrator, Elliot, was easily the most developed character and I actually did rather like him - as much as you can like him, that is. I enjoyed his tone and the repeated breaking of the fourth wall, pulling the reader in like a friend peeking backstage at a play. It makes you feel like you are a part of the story, and potentially in as much danger as the characters you meet on the island.

One thing I kept asking myself was, "Why is this book set in Greece?" The fact that the island and "help" are Greek is mentioned several times, but does not really factor into the story. The island could have been off the cost of Thailand, or Spain, and it wouldn't have made an ounce of different. Storms happen all over the world. If I book is going to lean that hard into a specific setting, it would be kind of nice if the culture played in a little more.

In general, I was not a fan of this book and will likely not be reading future publications from this author. I do hope those of you that are fans do find enjoyment in this title.

When I pick up (or pop in my earbuds for) an Alex Michaelides book, I know I'm going to be completely and totally entertained, and The Fury is no exception. Who is Elliot Chase, and what are his motivations? Is he essentially good, or is he pure evil? As the story unfolds, it's not entirely clear, but, in the words of Agatha Christie, and as quoted in The Fury, "Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend." The lines between enemies and friends, love and hate are blurred in this book, none of the characters are entirely likable, and i loved every minute of it. Narrated by Alex Jennings, the audio version is stellar!

Our narrator, Elliott Chase is a bit unreliable it seems. He's telling us this story, bit by bit - but what of it is true?

I was gifted an eARC, ALC and physical copy and I flew through this one, using all three at some point. I did love the narrator in the audio. It felt like you are being told a story by an old pal you haven't seen in a long time.

There was an interesting cast of characters - ex-movie star, Lana Farrar, and her husband Jason, her son Leo, her friends, Kate and Elliott (our not so trusty narrator), and two employees, Nikos and Agathi. They will all be spending some time at Easter on Lana's private island. Someone will wind up dead. But is it who you thought it would be?

This one is a large part mystery, part tragic love story, and totally captivating.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Celadon Books for my various ARC versions in exchange for my honest review.

Just didn’t work for me. The book was too long and meandering to the point of exhaustion. I was left disappointed in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced audio book. All opinions are my own.

Thx to NetGalley for this arc. Landed on 4 stars but it might have been high 3s. The story certainly had twists and turns and was quite meta. At the end it was starting to be confusing whose version of the plan we were getting. You see the same “scene” from multiple viewpoints, not only characters but with new information through which to process it. I use the word scene as at many points there’s a bit of a midsummer nights dream play within a play element happening. I was not wildly attached to any characters but I believe that was intentional. It makes all narration and information circumspect. I would recommend to my reading friends.

In The Fury, Michaelides skillfully delves into the psychological realm, crafting a locked-room mystery set against the backdrop of a captivating Greek island. With everyone portrayed as a potential suspect, narrator Elliot keeps us guessing through five intricately detailed parts of each character, with each offering alternative perspectives and nuanced observations. The plot intertwines seamlessly with the island's rich history, almost as if turning it into a character of its own. Elliot, our unreliable guide through this maze, adopts a narration style that almost includes the reader in the a conversation rather than a narration. I caught myself answering back several times which was a lovely humorous surprise. With all of the twists and the charming narration this is a definite recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook ARC