Read the prologue of this and I promise, you will be SOLD!

Cleverly written and engaging from page one, the Fury is told through the lens of Elliot Chase as he recounts his most recent trip to his friend’s private Greek island for Easter….which ultimately ends with one of the guests being murder.

I love how the story was written as if the narrator was talking to the reader. This conversational style allowed for the author to continuously recap the situation, review the cast of characters and bluntly remark on the turn of events. The past and present events weaved together seamlessly and the story was tactfully divided into five “acts” with short chapters that made it easy to keep turning the pages. While there was a slow burn feel to the story, the end definitely left me surprised!

Read if you like:
-Unique suspense plots
-Whodunit/ whydunit character study
-Greek island setting
-Famous characters
-Short chapters
-Agatha Christie references
-Everyone in My Family Killed Someone

I am thankful to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides, but I could see the twist coming from a mile away and I wasn't very pleased with this one.

This story was a whirlwind but if you've ever read Alex Michaelides before, it's kind of his M.O. It's a story of love and murder and humiliation and trauma. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. And that's what makes it a good story in my opinion! I don't want to guess the ending in the beginning, I want the author to surprise me, fool me even. The narrator does a fabulous job of bringing Elliott to life.

Thank you Netgalley, Celadon and Alex Michaelides for the advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

Since I loved Alex’s last two books, I was so excited when I found this book in my mailbox! It definitely did not disappoint and is one of my favorite thrillers of the year. This story is unlike any other I’ve read; told by our narrator in a very conversational prose in five acts (since he is a playwright, of course), you really feel immersed into his world. It was super binge-able , and I never wanted to put it down! Definitely add this one to your 2024 TBR. A quick note on the audio: the narrator has the best voice omg 👌🏻

Read this if you like:
🧿 lifestyles of the rich and famous
🧿 unique storytelling
🧿 unreliable narrators
🧿 psychological thrillers
🧿 crazy twists

I think after reading The Fury, I have to admit that Alex Michaelides is just not the author for me. I've given him three shots and I'm always left with the same feeling. The book starts out well and the writing itself isn't bad. It's just that somewhere along the way he starts throwing in all sorts of crazy twists in an effort to make things unpredictable. The problem for me is that it takes the story away from reality and makes it really hard for me to take it seriously. Overall, this wasn't a horrible read, but it wasn't exactly a good one either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 I enjoy an isolated murder-mystery so I thought this one sounded fun. It follows an actress and a group of friends who go for a getaway on a remote island and someone in the group is murdered. I wanted to love it... but unfortunately this one just did not work for me. I never felt any suspense or sense of urgency at anything going on. A large portion of the book was devoted to the characters' backstory. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, however in this case after all the time on backstory I found I still just did not care at all about any of the characters or what would happen to them. The narration style may have contributed to my feeling disconnected from the characters.--We had an unreliable narrator (who liked to repeatedly remind us that he is an unreliable narrator). He was constantly breaking the fourth wall and going off on tangents and it seemed like hardly any of the story actually involved the murder on the island. I'm sorry to say I considered dnf-ing several times but didn't in hopes that it would pick up but unfortunately I just never really got into this one. However, we of course all get something different out of everything we read and what doesn't work for one person can be the very thing someone else loves. I have seen many reviewers absolutely loving this one so I'd say fans of the author's previous works may very well enjoy this one too. Enjoyed the audiobook narrator.

*cue the maniacal laughter*

This freaking book. I found it super interesting that it was told in almost second person, but also from our omniscient narrator Elliott. There's so much going on and Alex Michaelides does a great job of juggling it. Using the play acts as a structure was genius and fit so well with Elliott's character. This book twists and twists until it's all coiled up and then we just wait for the tension to boil over. I predicted some parts of it, but others were a complete surprise to me and I enjoyed it a lot. Plus the remote Greek island adds even more stress (and beauty) to the storyline. The ending felt so well-deserved, yet open-ended. I'm definitely back on the Alex Michaelides train.

*Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Celadon for the gifted copy*

When the unreliable narrator tells you he’s unreliable and then keeps telling you, you start to question what parts of his story are true. And perhaps that’s exactly what Alex Michaelides had in mind when he wrote this book.

I don’t know how any author could follow a debut like The Silent Patient; one of the twistiest psychological thrillers and one that sets a standard for the genre. Unfortunately, The Fury doesn’t quite deliver on it’s potential. There’s lots of promise in the plot: the murder of a famous actress on an isolated Greek island with a handful of suspects. Told in five acts, the pace of the beginning is not sustained throughout the book and the middle drags a bit. It picks up again in the last act and epilogue resulting in an overload of reveals and redirections.

What works in the book: the setting and the narration. Alex Jennings does a masterful job in telling this story which helped pull me along during the slower parts. Like Michaelides’s previous novels, I was questioning myself at the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Have you ever finished a book and just sat there not sure how you feel about it? That was me with this one. I honestly don’t know how to properly articulate my thoughts and feelings on this one. So, I’m just going to leave you with a random brain dump of notes I took while listening to the audiobook version.

- [ ] Barbara is the epitome of what I would consider an “Old Hag” especially the vocals that made he sounds like she smoked a pack a day for the last 30 years.
- [ ] In the beginning I originally thought of Elliot similar to the gay best friend. He ended up being a self loathing sleaze ball upset he didn’t get the pretty girl in the end. For how much he “loves her” he has his own agenda.
- [ ] The book has two major “themes” no that’s not the right term… two major…reoccurring points 🤷‍♀️… idk one being the aspect of it all being a Play and the other being “The Fury” or the wind. The whole thing is a play that’s not a play and a murder that’s not a murder? Confused yet?!
- [ ] The wind…this story definitely made my head spin like it was in a gayle.
- [ ] I will never trust an actor in real life because I would never be able to tell if they were acting or not. I would always question if they were playing a part. This type of thought might also be why I have a tattoo that says “Trust no one” 😂😳
- [ ] By the end of the book I really just wanted it to end. It felt like it kept dragging on and on and the author wasn’t sure how he really wanted to end it.
- [ ] My final thought was …SO WHO THE HELL ACTUALLY DIED?!

Much appreciation to @netgalley and @celadon books for the early access to this highly anticipated 2024 read!

#celandonbooks #netgalley #thefury #alexmichaelides #2024newreleases

DNF @ 14%. This might have been good if I had read it instead of trying the audiobook but I found it very hard to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books & MacMillan Audio for advance copies

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
•
This is my second by Michaelides and let me just say I am a very big fan. The Fury was such a refreshing and unique ode to Agatha Christie’s looked room mysteries. It is such an atmospheric and suspenseful read that you will read it in no time.
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Written as a story being told almost as if a screen play by the narrator, you get a nonlinear timeline in five acts where you learn about these very unlikeable characters, their secrets and all of their combined drama. It’s a slow burn for sure, but the short chapters makes The Fury a very quick and singable read. Also, I enjoyed all of the greek myths in this one.
•
There are a bunch of twists and turns in this one, just when you think you have a grasp on what is happening, boom, you’ll be knocked off your feet once again with another twist. and there are nods to Michaelides The Silent Patient (if you have not read it please skip the epilogue), and according to others nods to The Maidens too (I have not read that one yet).
•
I was able to read this and listen to The Fury which was a huge treat. The narration by Alex Jennings was superb. I absolutely loved everything about his telling of this story, he made it feel real. If you are an audiobook fan - be sure to check this one out.
•
The Fury comes out on 1/16 and you are definitely going to want to get this one!! Huge thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and Celadon Books for the ARC, eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The Fury has an unusual structure for the genre and will be best enjoyed by fans of slow burn and character-driven stories. The narrator says it’s more of a character study than a murder mystery and I agree with that - but it’s a gripping character study! Genre purists may not love this, but those who read across genres indiscriminately in search of a good story (cough, cough, *me*) will have a great time.

The Act IV twist was not at all what I expected! It really pulled the story together and made for such a satisfying finish.

Thanks, NetGalley and Celadon, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My mind is still reeling from the shocks and emotional impact of the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, I was fortunate to listen to the audiobook version of The Fury. The narration by Alex Jennings was superb. Elliot Chase, a character in the story, tells about events on an island. I have always disliked books where an intrusive narrator chooses to address the reader and audience, but this was a magnificent and riveting exception. His friendly manner made me feel I was being told events he had experienced. He wanted me to admire his storytelling skills, intelligence and creativity, and clever plotting and scheming. I listened entranced, until Elliot was revealed to be an unreliable narrator and liar. Everything was turned upside down and backwards during the many twists, turns, and shocks.

This is a dark love story and psychological mystery. It is set on a remote Greek island, Aura, buffeted by howling winds that isolate it when they occur. These fierce winds are called the Fury. The title also refers to "Hell has no fury like a woman scorned." The island is owned by the gorgeous Hollywood star Lana Farrar and was gifted to her by her late first husband.

Lana has invited a group of friends to her private island. Her son Leo, her second husband Jason, and friends Kate and Elliot are attending. Nikos, the caretaker, and Agathi, the housekeeper, were also present. They bring jealousy, obsessions, lies, resentment, and thoughts of vengeance. The tension erupts in chaos. Shots ring out, and a murder occurs. Who was killed and why? The solution lies with the characters, but is Elliot telling the truth about what has happened?

The skillfully structured storyline involves references to Greek mythology and reads like a Greek tragedy. Events surrounding the murder are described from different perspectives. In this multilayered plot, I was captivated by the skillfully structured storyline, pace, and believable dialogue. At the same time, the description of events kept changing and made my head whirl. The story eventually overturned my beliefs and expectations.

Recommended. The publication is set for January 16.

The Fury was a highly addictive and impossible to put down. This isn't necessarily a fast paced thriller but it's deep the narrators keeps things really interesting as he tells the story. I enjoyed the slower pacing because the book took time to focus on backgrounds for the characters. I really feel like I got to know them by the end. The plot was really interesting and thanks to Elliot being quite an unreliable narrator, it was easy to make incorrect assumptions about what was going to happen. I loved the final plot twist as well. If you haven't added this to your tbr yet I highly recommend it for thriller fans.
thank you to macmillan audio and netgalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I know I am in the minority here but I did not like this book. The first 75% is extremely slow. Then you have Elliot the narrator. He was boring, unreliable and uninteresting. You never get to know any of the characters and by the end I just didn't care.

Thank you to Celadon Books for a phsycial ARC and Netgalley for the ALC! This book comes out in January 2024.

This was an interesting book. I was quite intrigued by the way the story was told. The narrator (not the audio narrator, the book's lol) did get on my last nerve, but I cared enough to still go on with it. LOL There was tons of rich people problems, drama, backstabbing... my favorite things!

The audio - the audio narrator was very nice to listen to and I think his voice totally matched what I imagine the character would sound like.

It's difficult to review Alex Michaelides' The Fury without revealing spoilers, because the elements that didn't work for me are all things that would spoil key aspects of the book, but I will try my best.

What I enjoyed:
- I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. Alex Jennings was, in my opinion, the perfect voice for Elliot.
- I enjoyed the setting on the tiny Greek island.
- Even though the author was slow to build suspense, I did find myself getting more and more drawn in as the story progressed.

What didn't quite work for me:
- I would have loved a bit more character depth or something more that would have allowed me to empathize with any of the characters. But I suspect that, due to the nature of the plot, this was an intentional choice on the part of the author.
- One of my biggest mystery/thriller pet peeves is when an author throws twists at you for the sake of throwing twists at you. I actually really enjoyed the narrative structure, and I appreciated that we got to hear the story several different times with additional perspectives and details added each time. I even enjoyed the way the narrator evolved into a deeply unreliable narrator. I think had Michaelides removed a layer or two of "twists" then I may have enjoyed the book significantly more.

Overall, I enjoyed Michaelides writing, and I would happily read more of the author's work. (I feel like I'm one of the only people who hasn't read The Silent Patient.) The Fury just didn't quite land for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This was a fascinating thriller. It reads like a British classic ala Agatha Christie, but also a Greek tragedy. A murder occurs on a private island in Greece. Our narrator, Elliott, a playwright, weaves his tale like a a finally tuned theatre production. Lana, a gorgeous retired movie star, her husband, Jason, her son, her best friend and of course, Elliott our narrator, travel to Lana's private island over a long Easter weekend. They become trapped overnight and a murder occurs. Or does it? This may be a murder mystery but it's also a love story. Of sorts.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

WOW. This audio was a little hard to pay attention to, but the story itself was absolutely amazing! I finished it in a day because I couldn’t put it down!

I struggled with this one. Mostly because i didn’t care for the narrator. He was flat and i didn’t like his voice.

I think the book was a bit slow tho but didn’t eventually pick up and become more enjoyable. Very unique writing style