I had very high hopes for this book, however it fell a little flat.
It’s a decent enough read about toxic friendships and the drama that comes with it, however it just seemed to fall a little short.

The Furies was a fun and twisty YA boarding school tale! Full of teens, secrets, and horrifying revelations, this book kept me turning pages and cemented our decision to keep our children in public school.

This a debut novel that just fell sort of flat for me. I feel like it's a story I've read before. It still was incredibly engaging and I read it in on sitting. I had to know what was going on . So for that, it was a success. But just something was off so I can't give it a perfect score.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't what I was expecting. This was more of a character study of Robin and Violet and less of a fast paced thriller that I was expecting. Regardless the characters were very well written and interesting, I just wish it was more plot driven than character driven.

This book was just an ok book for me. I didn't particularly care for Violet's character when she seems to be smart, yet doesn't do smart things at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. After Violet loses her father and little sister in a tragic accident, her mother uses part of the settlement money to send Violet to an elite private school. There, she quickly makes friends with Robin, Alex, and Grace, who prove to be catty, backstabbing, and perhaps a little dangerous. Bad things keep happening, but who is to blame? I found this story really intriguing. The characters are definitely not likable, but that only adds to the story. Part thriller, part paranormal, this book is highly entertaining. I finished it in one sitting!

The Furies was an interesting read. I thought it was quite well written about toxic friendships.
I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Clever and edgy, a well-written and engaging story about toxic friends that I would never want to have but certainly love to read about.

This book was not for me but I still read it to completion. I liked the murder mystery part but the super natural aspects just aren't what I go for. This was well written and I do think people would find this enjoyable if they like myths and supernatural topics.

I didn't feel the sense of atmosphere/setting that I was hoping to. Everything at the school was so boring where it should have been fascinating and exciting. The characters didn't feel connected to the storyline and neither did I.

This was... not for me. I ended up DNFing and wasn't really into it. I got big The Craft vibes but just didn't enjoy the journey. It wasn't poorly written or anything It just ended up not being what I was hoping for.

Sadly, this was not a book I enjoyed. It's definitely a matter of personal preference, especially as I've seen many reviews from people who loved the story. I simply don't think YA thriller fiction is for me anymore. Right from the start, I said that the writing style and concept reminded me a lot of Donna Tartt's A Secret History so, if you love that book, I highly recommend this for you. I did love that book when I read it back in 2017 but I attempted to re-read it this year and could not get through it, which perhaps tells you why I didn't enjoy The Furies.

Simply put, I don't enjoy the 'teen who's experienced trauma is sent to boarding school due to parents suffering from PTSD and becomes friends with the weird kids who somehow are always part of a weird murder cult' narrative. If that's your thing... you'll love this book. It wasn't, however, for me. I didn't like the characters and I didn't like the plot which ultimately means this wasn't a book that suited my preferences!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is quite the pickle to me.

It has all the fixings to get me intrigued and interested. We have a murder mystery to begin, a tragic past for our main character, and a school with a dark history.

Honestly, I went in with high hopes and it started a bit rocky. We get introduced to the characters and our main squeeze, Violet, who seems to be disconnected but you understand given her recent family tragedy. Except as the reader, Violet is disconnected not just from her life but also from the reader for relatability.

When reading this book I kept trying to find what missed for me.
The writing is fantastic in a technical sense. It's well written and the engaging.

However, I was unable to engage with any of the characters. At points I felt sorry or angry 'at' them but never 'with' them. It was a very different experience than I was expecting.

The premise and plot is fantastic though and the history behind the school and the stories are fun to read. I did want to know the end and the ending was excellent!

I will be interested to see what Katie Lowe writes next. :)

Overall Summary:

Overall Rating: 3 stars
Plot: 3.5 Stars
Character Development: 2.5 Stars
Dialogue: 3 Stars
Writing: 3 Stars

HAPPY READING~~
Ash ❤️

~I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.~

A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.A great read. I loved the story.

Rating: 3.5/5 Penguins

Quick Reasons: poetic, lyrical prose; characters that felt a bit "doll-like" or indecisive, flighty, wishy-washy; I feel like certain motivations were lacking, or totally unclear; WHY?!

The prose in this book is absolutely BREATHTAKING. Poetic, lyrical, atmospheric. Oftentimes, just reading through the pages, I found myself in awe of Katie Lowe's knack for taking a simple sentence and making it into something stunning. The author weaved this from the finest silks of words, each row effortless and without tangles. Her characters, on the other hand, felt little more than shells of people. I say this because I felt like they were lacking in motivation. A lot of this story felt as if it was being written "on the fly" ; I didn't feel as if there were a point, a destination, toward which we were following these girls, but instead some nameless place unknown. Violet, especially, seemed more confused than anything. The few small moments where she followed her own mind or found her own voice, she followed up by being dragged along like a puppet behind the others. If the others weren't around to lead her, she flailed, and did things that were reckless and not what I would have anticipated. She seemed to flounder, a LOT--and that left me confused and unsure exactly who we were following, or how to feel about it. This, coupled with a feeling that these characters and their story needed a little more fleshing out, a little more skin and bones, made it very difficult for me to form any sort of connection.

As much as I enjoyed the journey merely because of the prose and how beautiful the sentences are, I left feeling vaguely disappointed, with no clear or discernible reasons as to why. On top of being unable to form a connection, I felt as if some of the circumstances that arose in these pages, had no real purpose even being there--as if, after writing the novel out, the author felt it lacked drama, and went back and added certain things in. Violet, especially, was as confusing a character as she was confused throughout her tale, thinking one thing and then turning around and doing the complete opposite. Still, Penguins.... The Furies is a read that will enrapture you, if you remember to bring a little magic to your mind while reading.

While this is undoubtedly well written, the pacing is glacial and the motivations of the main characters are inexplicable. i really wanted to like this as i think the concept of female rage as metaphor has potential but, instead, i found myself slogging through this as if it were an assignment.

A girl is found dead in a swing in 1998 at her boarding school, and no-one knows what happened, besides the ones who aren't talking. Rumors spread surrounding her mysterious death.

Violet knows what happened and is distraught about it, but will not talk.
The story takes us back to when Violet first arrived at the boarding school needing a fresh start.
When Violet is invited to a study group, they begin to study the dark history of their schools founder. It turns out he was interested in the occult (okay cool, completely into this).
but when a former member of the group disappears and her friends start to delve more and more into darkness, she's not sure what to do or who to turn to.
This story is very suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also theres a ton of withcraft, which is a very interesting part since it goes into the history, secret societies, and ritual performing. You almost feel as if you are there witnessing all of this with your own eyes.
Violet could be a tad annoying at times, but it's just her needing to be accepted which all of us have been guilty of before. Its a dark book about girls who have been wronged but decide to hit back in a vicious way.
I really enjoyed how the ending was left open ended, the author wants the reader to draw their own conclusion about whether the magic was real or was it actual murder?

I simply do not like “mean” girls and this book was a perfect example of them. So that made it difficult to get involved in the story and actually care about the characters. This is really a YA novel and so not my preferred type of book. Lots of toxic relationships and revenge. A very dark read and not appealing to me at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was an interesting story of new girl Violet pulled into a mystical world at a boarding school.

Being a fan of myths, this book sucked me right in as the murder mystery took off, but I found some of the characters a little flat.

Overall a good read of those who love myths, mysteries, and young adult contemporary fiction.