Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the copy of this book!

I loved The Silent Patient and The Maidens, and am always in for a unique POV in a thriller set on a Greek Island. However, this one was a let down for me. I was extremely bored. The narration by Alex Jennings was good, though!

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨

This book felt both parts fresh and classic.

Michaelides excels at the psychological, with The Fury, he presents us with a locked room style mystery, but the set up is a picturesque Greek island, and everyone is a suspect, or so Elliot, our narrator and guest, has us believe. Told in five parts, each detailing the before, during and after of our murder, each part with alternatives and nuanced observations, each part a bit more revelatory than the last.

Doesn’t that just sound juicy? This story has plot but it also has mood, the set up is almost as delicious as the unravelling, the island itself with all its history and lore becomes almost a character amongst the players. Elliot is an unreliable narrator of sorts, telling the story in almost a choose your own adventure style, when you think he has finally let you in on it all he pulls out the rug and you are on your back, head spinning. It sounds a bit dizzy but the smooth and calculated prose adds to the allure of this style of storytelling.

Michaelides has the knack for getting into his readers psyche, toying ever so artfully at our emotional strings, by making everyone guilty in their own way, we are left thirsty to know whodunnit, and that feeling of wanting anwsers so badly is just as good as getting them.

Thank you celadon and Macmillan audio for the advanced readers copy as well as an advanced audio, the narrator on this one is a 10/10 and I absolutely recommend a hybrid read for this one out January 15, 2024.

The narrator of The Fury is Elliot Chase, and he's going to tell us a story. It's a story about murder -- or maybe it's a love story? Well, he'll let you decide. He'll just give you the facts, as he sees them, about a murder on a secluded Greek island owned by a former movie star, who happens to be his best friend. It's a locked-room Agatha Christie-style mystery, told in five acts.

The Fury is an ambitious undertaking, both in its structure and execution, as Michaelides balances a murder mystery, complex relationship dynamics, the intricacies of mental health, a nonlinear timeline, and an unreliable meta-narrator in the plot. Michaelides is so good at writing about psychological issues, at conveying how those issues can manifest in the behaviors of his characters.

But unfortunately, I found these characters to be bland, uninteresting, and one-dimensional. I didn't feel connected to or care about any of them, probably because we only see them through Elliot's eyes, and he only really lets us know them in relation to him. And yes, I can see how in a way that is kind of a genius move on Michaelides' part and may have been exactly his intention -- but it made for a dry, humorless reading experience. Also, for a book set on and named for an island with gale-force winds, The Fury lacks a strong sense of place. I would have hoped the wind itself would become a character or at least factor in the plot, but it really doesn't.

As for the twists...I found them to be slightly ludicrous, yet fitting in the context of who the characters are, so I can't really fault them too much. The slow pacing and lack of atmosphere and characterization aren't quite as easy to forgive.

After a debut like The Silent Patient, anything and everything else Michaelides writes is inevitably going to be compared to that. That's not really fair to him, but it just is what it is. I have to wonder if that's why he set his two subsequent novels in the same universe (major spoiler for TSP in the epilogue of this book, by the way).

It's clear that Michaelides still has interesting stories to tell, and The Fury is undeniably compelling and unique, even with its flaws. And it's much better than The Maidens, so there's that. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early listening opportunity.

Alex Michaelides took the psychological thriller world by storm a few years ago, publishing "The Silent Patient." It was hard to avoid seeing his book, and, being a psychological thriller aficionado, I had to read it. I loved it. Later, I enjoyed his next book, "The Maidens." Again, a college setting is one of my favorite novel backgrounds.

"The Fury" is a psychological thriller told from the perspective of a main character, Elliot Chase. At first, he reminded me of Truman Capote and his outsider position in the high society circle. Elliot is a successful playwright, close friend, and companion of a beautiful Hollywood actress, Lana. Lana has left the glamour of the silver screen but now has everything one can dream of - a devoted husband, a long-time female friend, and Elliot, who will do everything for her. She even owns a slice of paradise - a private Greek island where she invites friends.

However, as it often happens, there are troubles in paradise. Not all guests are who they seem to be, and Lana has hidden motives. Similarly, Elliot is not just a friendly observer who, as a writer, may want to gather material for his next play. Things develop as in a Greek tragedy, with modern twists. With Elliot's words, the author brings the famous Greek philosopher Heraclitus's words to life: Character is destiny. Eventually, the murder has to happen.

The audiobook I listened to was read by an excellent British actor, Alex Jennings, who brought Elliot Chase to life. It was like sitting in an armchair and listening to an exciting stranger tell his story. Eventually, his story becomes less cozy and more alarming – but fascinating to the point that I felt sad when it ended. Hopefully, Alex Michaelides has already started working on his next book.

HUH?

I don’t know what it it but I feel like I might not be smart enough to understand what happened here! And that’s def a me problem 🤷🏻‍♀️

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book but I don’t think I really knew what was going on. Which in part was due to the writing style. I was gagged at the first “twist” when he’s like that’s a good story but it’s not what happened. It got me. But after the second and third time, I was like okay come on tell me the truth! I think this type of story telling will work for some but I think could be frustrating to some readers. For me, it left me a little confused. Bc at the end I was like what even really happened?! I still don’t know lolol

But what I do know is I liked being tricked but I don’t understand the ending. I also liked the incorporation of the wind and the “fury” that was mentioned a lot. It really tied the title with the story. I also enjoyed seeing Marianna from the maidens popping up every now and then! I remember Alex michaelides doing this with that book as well which is so fun for someone who’s read those books!

Overall, I enjoyed my time and will continue to pick up this author!

I loved Elliot as the narrator and his view of this story. He is talking right to the reader and I found it such a fun way to tell a story! Lana is Elliots friend and the owner of the island where friends go to spend Labor Day. It's a locked room mystery on a beautiful Greek Island. I liked the rich people problems, the unknowns and I quickly devoured this book! I love this author and while this book is so different from others, its fantastic!

I mostly enjoyed reading The Fury. I certainly liked it more than Alex Michaelides last book. I guess I really just didn’t need a book where the book that I’m reading is the book the character is writing? I was interested though and wanted to know what happened in the end.

My main complaint was that I did not enjoy the narrator at all. It felt like someone matter of factly reading the book to me, not a voice actor embodying the character. A little extra something in the performance could have drastically changed my experience with the book. Would definitely suggest print for this book.

A famous actress invites her friends to her private Greek island, someone winds up dead, but the nature of how it all happened is far more complex than meets the eye. Told by a super tongue in cheek, unlikable narrator, this story unfolds again and again, constantly keeping you guessing what’s true and who you can trust. Great example of why sometimes nothing beats a fun, extremely bingeable thriller.

I greatly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Alex Jennings, the narrator, was outstanding and the perfect choice to be the voice of our main character, Elliot. Very engaging, easy to understand and follow, and captured the essence of the story and characters.

The book is constructed in a theatrical manner and divided into ‘acts.’ This was especially fitting with the movie star protagonist, Lana, and the isolated Greek island setting that helps this modern greek tragedy. This was a very slow burn mystery thriller that was high on the secrets but low on the thrills. Go into this expecting more of a character study than a typical thriller. I enjoyed how everything unfolded with the timely reveals and the last 100 or so pages was especially fun.

The Fury very much reminded me of If We Were Villains, sans dark academia, due to the nature of the writing and inner dialogue of Elliot. Very fun read! It’s a shame this comes out in January because it’s the perfect beach read. Highly recommend if you enjoy theatrical characters, slow burn mysteries, and beachy settings.

Thank you to Celadon Books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I jumped at the chance to read the newest Alex Michaelides as I have really enjoyed his other works. The Fury did not disappoint in being a roller coaster of a ride! This is the story of a movie star at the top of her game who walks away from Hollywood and moves to London. She gets married and settles into a non-celebrity life with her friends and small family. We are instantly told that while they are on vacation on a Greek Island, there will be a murder and one of the few friends and family on the private island will be the murderer. Just like his other books, The Fury does not follow a linear timeline and you will be revealed small but important details during various reveals in the book. This is a slow burn thriller so if you are looking for something to be a non-stop ride, keep this one on your TBR for a bit. The build up in this text is worth it and the twists at the end were impossible for me to see coming. Once you think you have it figured out, you will find out, all is not as it seems. This was a very enjoyable read and will keep Alex Michaelides on my "authors I automatically read" lists and I will grab whatever he puts out in the future! As far as the audio version, my only wish was there wasn't a long pause between chapters. It was painfully long towards the middle of the text and you could cut out minutes by just shortening the pauses.

I enjoyed this as an Audio version. There unreliable narrator was brilliant and I liked that it was written so that the narrator “broke the fourth wall” and spoke directly to the audience. Almost as if you sat down to hear a story.

This book was written in a very unique format, with the narrator being a thespian and the book is written in Acts, like a true Greek Tragedy. The story takes place on a Greek Island and turns out to be its own Greek Tragedy.

I will say I was a bit confused as the story twisted and turned. It was kind of hard to keep up with what was the actual story and what was the unreliable narrators version of events. The narrator, Elliott, recounts his own version of events but then also acts as an omniscient presence that was able to recount events that he wasn’t actually present for, so it didn’t really work. This was the major flaw in the writing.

None of the characters had very redeeming characteristics and because of the slow pacing of the first half of the book, I wasn’t really invested in who died or who did it by the end.

I got an advanced copy of the audiobook. I loved this book. A former actress takes her family and friends on a getaway to a Greek island and then a murder happens. There's one plot twist I definitely didn't see coming. There was one point where I was convinced I knew what was going to happen but I was so wrong. When I tell you the ending had me floored...wow. The last line of the book right before the epilogue had my jaw on the floor. I highly recommend this audiobook!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copies of The Fury!

Wow! The Fury was such a captivating whodunnit thriller! Reading and listening to this book literally felt like talking to an old friend. The format of the Fury was so unique and engaging and I just LOVED it! I could not put this one down because I just wanted answers and couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. I found this book to be perfectly paced and so well done!

One thing I loved about this book was the easter eggs that were included from the authors other books. This book is 100% a standalone, but it was fun to see the easter eggs included!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐲
🌀Set On a Greek Island
🌀Psychological Thriller
🌀Twists & Turns
🌀Short Chapters
🌀Murder Mystery
🌀Fast Paced
🌀Unreliable Narrator

I alternated between the audiobook and the physical book and felt as though the narrator, Alex Jennings, was absolutely perfect for this role. I found that he brought the story to life and found him to be perfect for the voice of Elliott. I highly recommend either format of this book!

Posted on Goodreads on December 27, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Mini Review - December 27, 2023 http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- January 16, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 16, 2024
**-will post on designated date

3 stars
Well that was a lot to unpack... I can tell there was a LOT of thought that went into writing this book as it was incredibly complex and multifaceted. My biggest complaint is that because of its complexity, I found it hard to follow. I constantly didn't know if whatever was happening was real, if that person was truly dead or alive, or if we had gone back/forward in time. I think there was a great premise here & I think it had the potential to be a great story, but I found it too jumbled/difficult to keep up with. I felt like I needed to make notes in order to remember everything & pleasure reading shouldn't be like that. Even with thrillers, I prefer them to be easy to follow & not need to concentrate super hard in order to understand what is happening. With this book, I had to constantly remind myself what had just happened & I found the reading/comprehension of it to be stressful. I also wanted to DNF up until about 30% in, so it was very much a slow burn for me. Loved the Easter eggs from Michaelides' other books, that was fun!
Overall, a story with potential, but quite confusing with so much going on!!
*Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to give this book a read ahead of its January publication*

I received a complimentary copy of THE FURY by Alex Michaelides from Celadon Books. I also received an audiobook copy from Macmillan Audio!

THE FURY tells a story of love and murder. The narrator Elliot tells the story to the audience, speaking in a bit of a blend of first and second person. He admits he’s not entirely reliable and there are things he doesn’t want to tell the reader since he’s one of the actors in the play he is about to unfold.

Lana is an ex-movie star with a private Greek Island. She invites a group of her closest friends to the island. This is a regular occurance, but this time things are a bit different and the group is cut off by the weather and someone winds up dead. Elliot tells the tale, going back and forth in time to delve into each character’s motives and backstories, until the final culmination leaving someone dead.

Second person narratives aren’t always my favorite style, so I was a bit wary going into this book. I do find that audiobooks help quite a bit with this and the conversational narrative Elliot provides translated very well to the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic as well!

The overall pacing of this book is on the slow side. Elliot gives a lot of clues as to what is coming, taunting the reader into continuing the tale and I definitely wanted to keep reading for answers. You do, however, need to go into this one expecting a slow burn. The twists in the story were well laid out to keep me engaged. I did predict a few of them, but the author managed to surprise me a couple times as well.

I had a good time with this book and it was an easy one to binge read in a day.

I liked The Silent Patient and The Maidens was just ok for me, but -WOW- The Fury is EXCELLENT! A true pace-turner with a Sherlock Holmes/Agatha Christie feel. I loved the isolated island vibes and the playwright aspect that gives this a whole other mixed-media angle. I was both irritated by and invested in these selfish rich people and, though I don’t know that this is really a who-dun-it cause it all felt a little obvious, I was still completely hooked. Definitely a successful third book from Michaelides.

Sadly this highly anticipated book was not a winner for me. I really struggled to follow everything that was going on and lost interest about halfway through. The storyline felt repetitive, with a bunch of "just kidding!" tropes every several chapters. I'm still not totally sure I understand what ended up actually happening. Mediocre ending to 2023's year of books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback of this title.

Lana is an ex-movie star and notoriously famous. Every year she invites her closest friends to her private Greek island. But one year was not quite like the rest… there’s been a murder.

Alex Michaelides is back with another hit! This story is set up beautifully and the pacing is just right. Our narrator (unreliable?), lays it all out for us as we sit back and watch it masterfully unfold before our eyes. The Fury is immersive and gets your imagination juices flowing, while keeping you reading/listening, unable to stop. I was fortune to receive this book as an ALC and an ARC, and I hybrid read/listened, my favorite way to experience a book. I found both versions to be equally addictive and immersive. The audiobook narrator, Alex Jennings was phenomenal, keeping me attentive and invested. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more books read by this narrator. The Fury was delightful and I 100% plan on getting myself a finished copy.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for my advanced copies and the chance to review it honestly.

Happy reading!

Thank you so much !

I absolutely FLEW through this one! I did half on audio and half on the print copy and could not stop reading! The chapters are so short and bingeable!

I loved the writing style as it kept me on my toes the whole time!

I didn't see the ending coming a mile away and the more I think through the LAYERS AND LAYERS of the plot and twists, the more clever it becomes!

The audiobook's narration was also so well done and Alex Jennings was the perfect choice and exactly how Elliot Chase (the main character) would have sounded in my head.

I've read all three of Michaelides' thrillers now and this one is my favorite of the three! I just can't get over how clever it was!

This will be available for purchase on January 16th!

4.5 rounded up!

This was a fun audiobook that was easy to listen to.

The (unreliable) narrator, Elliot Chase…tells the story like you’re just sitting around casually chatting it up with someone.

He gives clues about who dies and who committed the murder throughout the book but you can’t really count on anything he says.

All of the characters were pretty awful, but I found myself intrigued by Elliot as the narrator. So I didn’t dislike him as much as the others.

It’s hard to rate this book because although the writing flowed well, the twists just kept coming and I was a bit over it towards the end but I also didn’t want to stop reading it. I just felt like it took forever to get from point A to point B. Definitely more of a slow burn until closer to the end.

I’m curious to see what others say about this one.