I would like to start of by saying this was one of my most anticipated books of 2024… I was really looking forward to this one. However, I really didn’t love it and struggled through it.

I’m personally not a fan of the narrated memoir type of writing and had I known that this is what this was gonna be I probably wouldn’t have requested it. The writing style was very similar to that of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I also struggled to enjoy.

There were also times I was listening to this book and it seemed like I blanked out a bunch of information so I’d rewind it and then realize that nope it’s just written a bit wonky. I had to actually make a note in my notes app that highlighted characters, plot points, and possible foreshadowing. Which really kind of took away from the relaxing enjoyment of reading for me.

Disappointed that this book fell short for me.

Ugh I thought this book was such a letdown! The Silent Patient was amazing so I was expecting great things from this book, but I think that was part of the problem. The book also weirdly kept saying over and over what an incredible story you were about to hear. Then no incredible or twisty story ever came.
It started out as a murder mystery, there were lots of characters to keep track of and it was hard to get invested in any of them. Some people seemed interesting but then we moved onto the next and didn't delve too deeply into any of their stories.
The book picks up a little in the middle and then the first twist is that the story isn't what it seems. Suddenly we find out some more information that wasn't disclosed and suddenly it's a different story. It wasn't that big of a revelation or twist. The final section of the book did pickup speed and became a bit more interesting but by that point I just didn't really care too much. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and didnt know whose side I was supposed to be on. It was hard to get a read on who was good, who was bad, who was tricking whom.
As others have said there was also a huge spoiler for The Silent Patient in the Epilogue so this book is not advisable to read unless you have already read that one. Though, if you have read The Silent Patient I think The Fury will be a bit of a letdown.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon books for an advanced copy of this novel to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC and Celadon for the physical ARC! This was incredibly interesting and the narrator made it especially engaging even with all of the asides in the story. What I liked about this was the tone and style of the story being told, the narrator and the fourth wall breaks. However, I think this fell short near the end and I found myself disappointed in the last 20% of the novel. I’m not sure what exactly I wanted from the story, but this didn’t feel resolved or satisfying.

Really enjoyed this, especially on audio! The narrator really added to the drama and emotion of the story. It was definitely more of a slow burn where the twists came more at the end, but they for sure were twisty! Especially as we come to realize the narrator is completely unreliable and slightly unhinged. Definitely worth the read!

Let me start by saying that i was really excited for this release….SO EXCITED!!! But now I’m super sad to say this but this book and possibly this author is just not for me. I unlike the majority of readers really didn’t love The Silent Patient by this author but really loved the dark academia feel of The Maidens so this was kind of the decider to see if I would continue reading this author and unfortunately I think this is the end of the road (sorry for the dramatics)!

While reading the ARC book on my kindle this book definitely had me confused the entire time. I felt like I was missing huge chunks of information or that I had zoned out while reading a section, but once I was approved for the audio I realized that that was just the writing style.

I think the vibe was a thriller version of The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the memoir type retelling of a characters life…but it really lost the plot for me in the end.

Other than all those grievances, I really enjoyed the playfulness of the narrator he really kept me entertained even when I was pretty over this book and the only reason I didn’t DNF

2.0⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise and the storyline of this book is good. I honestly don’t know if it’s the British narration, or the back-and-forth of the writing.

But in the end, this book just wasn’t for me. I love a good mystery. And I love me some murder. But, I felt like it was easy to know what was coming next. And I wasn’t surprised!

And usually I’m pretty easily surprised lol

I will be posting my review on my Instagram and will edit with the link after posting.

Thank you so much for this, I am very thankful to receive it even if it wasn’t my favorite. I know that a lot of other people absolutely love this book.

Thank you @celdaonbooks @macmillan.audio for a copy of this book. This story I told by Elliot Chase, who is. A friend of Lana, a former Hollywood star. There's 7 people on remote island in Greece and the book starts with knowing there's a murder and one of them is the murderer. Elliot is a great narrator and the book is told like a play. Everyone on the island is an unreliable character and I love how the story unfolded.

3.5⭐️

This was a very different writing style than his previous two books and i really struggled with it and the storyline. I actually got to 30% while reading my physical copy and then was stuck, just not caring to find out more, for over a week. Thankfully my audio approval came in and that was a much better route for me.

What I did find to be solid, when they finally happened, were the twists. Michaelides has a knack for turning the story around on itself to keep the reader guessing. I also loved the Greek Isle setting but the characters all fell a little flat so it wasn’t the hit I’d been anticipating.

From what I’m seeing of friends reviews this looks like it’ll be one you either love or hate. Enjoy the ride!

Thank you Celadon for the arc and Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A twist on the whodunit genre, The Fury is written as a memoir/confessional by Elliot Chase, a semi-accomplished playwright and hanger-on who ensconced himself into home of a wealthy, older woman novelist and, from that position, wrangled himself into the world of Lana Farrar - a world famous ex-movie star.

Set primarily on a private Greek Island owned by Lana's late husband, Chase's story unfolds slowly and out of chronological order. This device allows for lots of plot turns. We know at the outset that there's been a murder. But, as with the typical whodonit potboiler, we neither know the who or the why. There are plenty of suspicious characters -- Lana, the semi-recluse, her financially-challenged husband, her friend and fellow actress - who was Lana's former girlfriend. And Elliot himself. If only we knew who'd be killed.

The narrator was wonderful and added to the overall intensity of the plot. I'm confident that the book will hold your interest. It, certainly, held mine.

The Fury is a slow and twisted thriller by the narrator, Elliot Chase. Throughout the book, Elliot tries to connect with the reader. Instead, he created more chaos with this bizarre story. It was messy and disorganized. I kept listening because I wanted to know how it resolved everything. I had a tough time connecting or caring about Elliot. I know others loved this book. I don't understand the hype. I loved The Silent Patient so much that this book and The Maidens disappointed me. If you want to read The Silent Patient, please do not read this book first. It will alter your experience with that book since it gives away a crucial piece of that story.

I wanted to love this so much more than I did.

The setting was lovely, the narrator was EXCELLENT, but everything felt a little forced- like I could see the author’s hand in the plot a little too much (which I know acted a little as a plot device, but I’ve seen it done better).

The twists were classic mystery, but they were either too bold or too little.

So all in all- this book was fine. Silent Patient is a favorite for me, so I expected a lot here and it was a bit lackluster .

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is another great novel of suspense, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. While nothing he's written sense has yet topped The Silent Patient, I really did enjoy the premise of this one. Our narrator is obviously unreliable, and that's part of what makes the story so compelling. He admits he's skewing the story, letting his biases influence how he tells us about the people and what happens on the island--and as readers, we have to pick at the threads, to see which ones will pull the lies loose.

The narrator, Alex Jennings, delivers a fantastic performance. His casual, conversational tone draws the listener in, disarming us from the very beginning. We're just chatting. Like old friends. I knew his voice was familiar, and when I looked him up after the fact, I figured out that I knew his voice from The Chronicles of Narnia, and also some of the classics I've listened to--like The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Nicholas Nickleby.

Would I recommend The Fury? Of course. If you're a fan of his previous books, I'm sure The Fury will be another hit. Thank you to MacMillan audiobooks for my advance listening copy, and Celadon for my print ARC.

This book at first took a bit for me to get into and once I was invested it took me for a ride. All the twists and turns on who was murdered and who was the murderer had me on the edge of my seat. It had an unreliable narrator that broke the wall and addressed the audience as he told you what happened and you are left with not knowing what you should believe.

The structure of “The Fury” sets it apart from other thrillers and it was what I really loved about this audiobook. The story—which focuses on a murder that takes place on a private Greek island—is told multiple times. After the first, rather straightforward telling, the perspective shifts and it is retold with new information added. Each time that we hear about the night of the murder—and all of the events that led up to it—we learn more about the characters and their interactions. I found these characters to be generally unlikeable but quite fascinating. This is not a typical mystery (at one point the narrator even ventures to explain why) and this was one of its most engaging aspects. While I didn’t love all of the things that happened near the end of the book, the twists were fantastic. The narration is good, although I didn’t always like the way that the narrator voiced some of the female characters. Overall, this is a quick and exciting story which will grip many readers. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Great character development and connection Greek literature with modern, mysterious twists.

A thoroughly unlikeable narrator, intentionally so, makes this something of a hate read. I felt compelled to read through to see how deep the delusions could go.

Was hoping to get more atmospheric Greek island setting but the plot and its turns carried the book instead.

Felt like being lied to and pulling teeth to get the truth, which was frustrating at times, but also a nice device for underlying the untrustworthiness and messiness of each of the narrator/characters

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

'My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard".

Three-time Olivier Award winner and audiobook narrator Alex Jennings was the voice of Elliot Chase, the book's "in your face" and perplexing protagonist.

Elliot Chase recants the story of a murder that occurs when a reclusive ex-movie star invites her famous friends to a private Greek island.

Although I found the author's "unreliable narrator" portrayals intriguing, I had issues with the book's pacing.

The last portion of the book was much stronger than the book's beginning.

Narrator Alex Jenning gave a 10-star performance and it was this superb performance that made it difficult to remove my headphones.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit to liking the first third of the book the best and that it kind of went a bit downhill for me later on. I liked the narrator and think it's a good audio book. I think readers of Michaelides will be satisfied as it is a clever mystery and overall satisfactory.

This was a solid story; a murder mystery as well as a character study. I was really annoyed by the narrator in the print version; this was actually mitigated by switching to the audio version - I LOVED the audiobook narrator. He was perfect for Elliot's character and pleasant to listen to.

✨ Review ✨ The Fury by Alex Michaelides; Narrated by Alex Jennings

This is the first book I've read by Alex Michaelides and so I went in with high expectations. I found it a fast and engaging read but I didn't love it either. The story's a "whydonit" murder mystery and it's written in layers of first person narrative where the main character (Elliot) walks you through the murder story in an effort to explain why the murder happened (more than solving who did the murder).

The story is set on a Greek Island where famous movie star Lana and her second husband and son, and her friends and two employees come together for Easter Break. The cast of characters was a little hard to tangle with at first but I eventually settled in. In the end, I'm not sure I found any of the characters particularly relatable or enjoyable, and I think that dimmed my experience a bit.

I did listen to about 1/4 of this on audio and found it engaging. I think I would have had a harder time settling into the cast of characters if I started with the audio.

The book is very attuned to cluing in the reader in on the narrative structure (e.g. me paraphrasing here but the narrator regularly makes notes like "I have digressed for too long" or "I wanted to give more context before I told you more about me"), which both added to the story and felt a little tedious after a while. *shrug*

Ultimately, I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. I imagine readers will fall all across the spectrum on this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: mystery/thriller
Setting: Greece / London
Pub Date: 16 Jan 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ stories of the lives of the rich and famous
⭕️ windy Greek private islands
⭕️ first-person narration, talking directly to the reader
⭕️ whydonit style mysteries

Thanks to Celadon, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Alex Michaelides latest thriller, The Fury, falls solidly between his outstanding debut and an extremely mediocre sophomore novel. The Fury is a tale of murder, or perhaps a love story, you'll have to read to find out. Told in five parts a la a Greek tragedy, Elliot Chase serves as narrator to tell us what happens over the course of Easter weekend on a beautiful Greek isle. Seven people arrive, but will they all make it out alive? It's best to go in knowing as little else as possible, but prepared for a lot of twist and turns, especially as the story wraps up. A solid thriller to start out 2024!