Man, another Michaelides books bites the dust for me. The premise sounded so good, but I think it’s the style of writing that doesn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s me or the time I read it, but I thought being optimistic about the book being set in Greece would help. Nope, I was wrong.

The first half of the book is pretty snail paced, slowly introducing you to a bunch of characters who really dislike each other. Drama? Yes please. There were so many little twists that kept me intrigued especially when Michaelides began to peel back the layers of each person, but in doing so, the pacing was a rollercoaster.

Our MC, Elliott, isn’t a reliable guy. We learn so much from his POV, but then you see learn the scene from a holistic point of view, giving the readers a more accurate sequence of events. While I typically like this, it was a tad confusing.

Reading this book became a chore and I don’t like that in books.

If you give this a try, I’d love to know your thoughts. Big thank you to Celadon and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Content warnings: murder, gun violence, death, child abuse, infidelity, domestic abuse

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced audiobook copy of The Fury by Alex Michaelides in exchange of an honest review.

"With its captivating blend of suspense, Greek mythology, and nods to classic mysteries, 'The Fury' by Alex Michaelides takes readers on a thrilling journey. The atmospheric setting of Lana Farrar's Greek Island, Aura, provides the perfect backdrop for a story filled with secrets, obsession, and deceitfulness. The author masterfully weaves together a plot reminiscent of old school mystery novels, keeping readers guessing until the very end. The incorporation of Greek mythology adds a fascinating layer to the narrative. Fans of Michaelides' previous work, like 'The Silent Patient,' will appreciate the subtle connections. In 'The Fury,' the author delivers yet another page-turner that will leave readers captivated and craving more." Do not expect this book to be another Silent Patient kind of book but a new thriller with suspenseful twist.

The novel's allure, set on a Greek private island with a group of friends ensnared in a suspenseful plot, initially piqued my interest, evoking echoes of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." However, the narrative's writing style and the verbose narrator proved distracting. The interpersonal dynamics among the characters conveyed a tangible sense of discord, though establishing a genuine connection with any of them proved challenging.

The book's pacing exhibited inconsistencies, with a languid and repetitive introduction contrasting sharply with a convoluted and somewhat absurd conclusion. Despite my appreciation for "The Silent Patient," this particular work failed to resonate. While the intrigue surrounding the murders persisted, my overall investment in the characters left me with a sense of detachment upon completion.

I extend my gratitude to Celedon and Net Galley for providing the advance copy and giving me the opportunity to review The Fury.

The story takes place on a luxurious Greek island owned Lana Farrar, a reclusive former movie star. When she invites her friends for a weekend getaway, things take a dark turn when one of them is found murdered.

The story is narrated from the perspective of one of the guests, Elliot Chase, a friend of the enigmatic actress. Everyone on the island has their hidden agendas, and everyone is a suspect. Moreover, Elliot’s memories of the fateful night are biased and unreliable, adding suspense and making it challenging to know whom to trust.

Michaelides’s characters are both captivating and deeply flawed, and the tension between them, coupled with the isolated island, creates a claustrophobic atmosphere.

The story unfolds in a series of “acts,” mirroring the structure of a theatrical drama. This built anticipation and kept me guessing until the final curtain fell. The narrative shifts between the present investigation and glimpses into their past, revealing the intricate web of relationships that led to that night.

Although the pacing is a bit slow at times, the meticulous character development and intricate plot pay off in the final act. The story is full of red herrings and twists and turns; some were predictable, but others were genuinely surprising.

The Fury is a slow-burning thriller that keeps you questioning everything about the characters and their motives until the very end.

Thank you @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio @alex.michaelides and @netgalley for the gifted copies of The Fury. As a Playbill collector, I really loved the Playbill too!

Dear The Fury,
Locked room (or island in this case) murders, unreliable narrators, and dual time lines really pushed your whole story along. While I didn't relate, fall in love with, or really even like any of your characters, I could not stop listening to you. The whole idea of the story being about the "why done it" instead of the "who done it" was entertaining to say the least. For some reason, Alex Michaelides keeps writing such different and interesting stories that I can't help but pick up.

I loved this title. I think this is one book that needs to be listened to, rather than read. The narrator did a beautiful job telling "his" story and it was a delight. It was perfect for a rainy weekend and I can't wait to see what Michaelides comes up with next!

TW: Language, drinking, drug use, toxic parent relationships, violence, guns, animal death (not graphic), bullying, cheating, suicide (mention)]

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.We

found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
Release Date:
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Pages: 298
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Plot sounded interesting
2. Writing style is good
3. Like the format of the book

What I Didn't Like:
1. Some parts rambled a lot
2. Holes in plots

Overall Thoughts:
I found it interesting that almost every chapter seems to end with some kind of form of "She could kill him" or "He wanted to murder the bird". It's like a trick to guess who was the killer.

I am such a sucker for a story with an isolated location so I was eager to jump into this book. Previously I had not liked any of this authors other books.

We quickly learn that Elliott is not a dependable narrator as he'll back pedal to things that really happened and to things that didn't.

I found it peculiar how quick Lana was able to run to Kate and forgive her. They plot out the fake death of Elliot all the way dismissing how Jason so easily cheated on her. I understood why she would be upset because she read that Elliot wanted to kill Jason but it just felt weird.

I just didn't understand why they just didn't go to the island with him and just stop talking to him. Why do they have to take him to the island and go through with his plan and then kill "him" off? I feel like that part kind of made no sense like they made no effort to even cut him off first for him to even be like a psycho and stalk them. It was such an extreme reaction.

We do find out though that Elliot has killed Lana after they pretend to kill him. I just this ending was not good. It made little to no sense. Lana is so terrified of Elliot after reading that he wants to kill her husband that she invites him to this island where they pretend to kill him and then they think that he's not going to retaliate when she already thought he was dangerous. Why would they think that they're okay if this person already was planning on killing this person and they believed it?

I've read reviews where people said they feel like they didn't get to know Elliot and I think that's the point. No one really knew him. We went through a whole story and even he tells us that maybe the ending is a lie too. Elliot is a narcissistic and manipulative person. Reading through the book you start to think back on everything he's said. I started wondering if he even loved Lana or was he trying to get her to marry him for the money. Did she even really really have him in her will? So many questions. Was he going to kill Lana on the island and frame Jason and Kate for her murder?

Final Thoughts:
I am shocked that I enjoyed this book because like I said before I haven't liked the authors previous books, but this one was interesting.

I really enjoyed the way the story was told. I liked that the narrator, Elliot was telling us things forward and then would jump back to kind of remember that moment. I really thought that added an extra layer to the book.

I didn't really find the characters that irritating until we kind of got to the end. I didn't like the way they were trying to force him to commit death by suicide. It made me feel odd.

There were some parts that I felt made little to no sense in the story.

IG | Blog


Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ebook & Macmillan Audio for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not my favorite. I didnt love the narrator or the writing. It was so slow and i found myself getting lost and confused quite often. Im sure many people would enjoy it, its just not my cup of tea.

I strongly disliked the reader. I liked this authors first book very much but this one... Oh my. I wanted to tell the main character to stop talking. I feel like i wasted alot of time. With the same story repeated over and over and over again. ARG.. and it was not to my taste at all. It was my least favourate by this author.

I am sorry

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

THE FURY is a wonderful retelling of a murder plot with all the drama of Greek Tragedy. Michaelides continues to gift his readers complex and flawed characters as they navigate the murky waters of life, love, and death.

The author weaves together a tale of deception, lies, and obsession through the eyes of Elliot Chase, the author of this fictional account of a scheme fit for any stage. With every twist and turn, I could imagine Elliot sitting down and deciding how to present the events of the island on that weekend. There is an unreliable nature to him that adds to the intrigue. As a reader, I never quite knew if what he was saying would be true because duplicity seemed like second nature to him. But by the end, all things are revealed.

This book is such a juicy, bingeable read. It will pull you in from the opening chapter and have you furiously flipping through the pages to find out what is going to happen next. Michaelides delivers another wildly entertaining book.

Audiobook Note: Narrator Alex Jennings gave a perfectly theatrical performance for this book. The pace was spot on, and the flow was effortless. I loved the way he brought Elliot to life. Even when I wasn’t listening to the book and sat with the physical book, it was Jennings I would imagine Elliot sounding like in my head.

A movie star, a mysterious death, and the multiple suspects all trapped together on a Greek island? It sounds like the premise for a great book. Unfortunately, The Fury just wasn't for me. I enjoyed the audio narrator, but the story itself felt meandering and unnecessarily complicated. It seemed like the author was trying to introduce some magical realism at times, but that fell flat as well. The wind (the fury) wasn't really woven into the book enough for me for it to warrant the title.

I enjoy Alex Michaelides and I'll still pick up his books, but this wasn't my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "The Fury" by Alex Michaelides. This was my second read by this author. I devoured The Silent Patient but skipped The Maidens. This book was a good listen. I liked how the narrator talked directly to the reader and broke down the fourth wall. It kept me guessing as I wasn't sure I believed our narrator-a plus for a thriller. Unreliability is a great way to pull in the listener who is trying to figure things out for themselves as well. Curious how the written version is, but the narration made it easy to follow along.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an ARC of this book!

I really struggled through this book. I think it may have been a DNF if I didn't have the audiobook. Books in which none of the characters are likable are very difficult for me to get through because I don't feel invested in anyone.

The writing style was very meta and definitely not for me. The narrator is telling the story directly to the reader, explaining what is going on in the setting- much like a narrator of a play would. He both plays a character and also knows information that his "character" should not know which made his narration feel very far-fetched. I did not enjoy form of story telling. Maybe my main problem with this style was the narrator himself though? I found Elliot to be annoying, obtuse and aggravating. These feelings strengthened the deeper into the book I got.

With the twist- I was just felt so miffed that the characters were so dumb. Not to mention legit nuts. Some of these folks need to be but in the bin nuts.

All this being said, I did go into the book with large expectations over all the publicity this book had already gotten which probably (definitely) affected my view of the story.

I loved this book right up until the ending! The writing was so good and it was such a different book from anything I have read. I like to read books with a satisfying-good-prevails ending and this was not that. It was definitely twisty and strange in a great way! I love this author and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a little different to read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I ATE this book up. I enjoyed the Silent Patient and thought the Maidens was just okay. I really didn't know what to expect from this author's third book and omg this is my perfect book. The comparisons to Glass Onion are spot on in terms of vibes. This writing style is not going to be for everyone. I think readers can know within the first chapter or two whether the book will be for them. I LOVED it. I love writers, stories about writers, and books/stories that play with storytelling in a unique way. Not only was the writing and narrative structure fun, but the actual storyline had me totally hooked. I highly recommend this book (but also recommend that if you don't like it to start you won't start to like it.

The narrator gave me Hugh Grant vibes, which elevated the reading experience too. This was very fun to consume via audio.

First off, I just don't think Alex Michaelides is the author for me. I somewhat enjoyed The Silent Patient, absolutely did not like The Maidens, but this one really fell flat. The storyline itself was convoluted and extremely confusing, as well as frustrating once you get to certain conclusions in the chapters. I would not recommend listening to this one as an audiobook, as it was very hard to follow, and added to the confusion. I personally did not like any of the characters, and was so bored.

This was a fun twist for a mystery! Unique in the set up and an entirely different take on an unreliable narrator. I loved the one person narration for a whodunit! It was a nice change from a lot of the current Agatha Christie like plot.

I could really tell that the setting and characters were something Michaelides was passionate about. Each character came across so vivid.... I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Mystery and or thrillers don't necessarily need to catch me by surprise or have some outlandish twist or reveal in order for me to enjoy them... But I did feel like the ending of this book fell a little short for me, There were several twist but I just know Michaelides can do so much more with the psychological aspect, like we seen in The Silent Patient.

As always, I love the reference to his past characters in the end.. I look forward to his next one!

The narration for this audiobook made it even better than reading the physical copy! So many twists and turns, kept me guessing til the end and trying to solve the mystery as the book went on. Chef's kiss for a good thriller audiobook!

This book wasn't what I expected given how twisty The Silent Patient was! Loved the setting and the narrator did have a charming way of communicating with the reader, but didn't love.

I love that author went back to first personbwriting. Group of very interesting hollywood charcters, you lovevthem but you also judge them. One of them is killer but who yoi qill be suprised.