Would recommend for fans of…
🌀 Greek mythology
🌀 Unreliable narrators
🌀 Hollywood stars

Alex Michaelides’ books are always…interesting.

He knows how to plot a story that has perfectly placed twists and reveals that will have you finishing his book in one sitting. That doesn’t change in The Fury. It’s a tense story and right from the beginning you can tell something off. Elliot is a strange (albeit annoying) narrator that has you questioning what is fact and what is fiction. In short, it’s captivating.

But, although it was entertaining, there were a few things that didn’t work. First, I needed more depth. Michaelides tossed in all of these little details that upped the sinister feel of the novel but then did nothing with them. There were so many opportunities to build out the characters and their relationships but the whole thing felt very surface level. Second, while pacing is usually one of Michaelides’ strengths things felt off in this one. The ending was sooo rushed which made some of the twists and reveals feel unearned. And why did this book have to take place on an island?? The setting added nothing to the story and I think it would have been stronger if it had taken place in London.

In short, if you’re a hardcore Michaelides fan you’ll eat this up, but more casual fans might want to skip. And even though this wasn’t my favorite, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Thanks to Celadon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not a huge fan of this one.. I felt confused most of the time of what was true and what was not true. I didn’t enjoy reading something several times for the story to backtrack and it was kind of stressful for me. I really liked The Silent Patient, so I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy this one near as much.

I deeply disliked this book. I’m actually blown away by how much I disliked it when it is being lauded as one of the best books of 2024. I feel like I read something else entirely! I’m also disappointing because I read the Silent Patient and thought it was extremely clever and entertaining. I skipped this author’s second book because of the mixed reviews, but the Fury had such glowing reviews I figured he has returned to form, and the premise of this book sounded great! Beautiful remote Greek island, celebrity, locked room murder mystery. The makings of something great in the hands of a skilled author. Unfortunately the book fell so completely flat for me that I actually felt angry when I finished it. The Fury is aptly named in that my frustration and great distaste for the book culminated in my own fury at its ending. It was contrived, overly twisty, though itself much too cute with its incredibly unlikable narrator’s breaking the fourth wall throughout, and it kept announcing a big twist to the point that when a twist finally came I was in no way surprised by it, and then like 6 additional twists were introduced and I ultimately just gave up caring what actually happened and just wanted it to be over. I hate to complain about the generous advanced copy I received, but this book was NOT my cup of tea and I’m genuinely shocked that it is being reviewed so highly. Like confused, frustrated and cross over it lol.

Thank you to Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for a review!

This is a locked door mystery set on a private Greek island owned by the famous Hollywood actress, Lana Farrar. Joining her is her teenage son, boyfriend, fellow actress/friend, and Elliot, also a friend and the narrator of this story. Elliot slowly reveals the events leading up to and after the murder of someone on the island.

I had to DNF this one. The plot sounded great, but I did not care about any of the characters, especially Elliot. It was told in first-person but covered so many scenes Elliot couldn’t possibly know and it didn’t work for me. It was so slow paced and meandering - which can be fine and work if the characters are interesting - but for me, none of this worked for me.

⭐️: 5/5
☕️: 4/5

When I say that I was super hyped for this book, I cannot stress enough how absolutely irritated I was with myself for putting it off for as long as I did 🤦🏻‍♀️ (for reference (?is that that word I want?) Netgalley sent this to me and I meant to read it on my cruise but then got into a MAJOR reading slump, it’s fine)

Mystery/thriller, author of Silent Patient, just the twists that were in place as the story unraveled. Just beautifully done!

Lana and her husband, son, personal assistant, and two friends, go on a little weekend getaway to a Greek Island near Mykonos. While everyone goes willingly, one does not make it off the island (cue creepy suspenseful music). Six suspects, all with motives. Who did it? Who had the motive or the means? Was is a crime of passion? Or was it something entirely different?

I really enjoyed the way the book was broken up into 5 parts, with “showcases” of each of the 7 main characters. There were some parts that were a little harder to follow just with how the narrator was explaining the events and past events leading up to the murder day. Also absolutely loved that lil slip of a shoutout in the epilogue (iykyk not to spoil anything for anyone). It was very consistent in writing style to The Silent Patient and had some Agatha Christie-esque vibes.

We will not talk about how I was able to talk myself out of who I KNEW the culprit was, but we will talk about the fact i need to know how Lana got her man to buy her an island?! 🏝️ IN GREECE!

Anyway, if you like Agatha Christie, Lucy Foley, etc, I definitely recommend The Fury. It was a pleasantly quick thriller (I know I only gave it 4/5 ☕️, but I was in a BIG reading slump) that really captures your attention fairly easily.

Having read the author’s previous two books I felt like I knew what was in store for me with this book. I could not have been more wrong.

This is the story of a man in love with a famous actress who is his friend but doesn’t return his feelings. There is a murder, but that isn’t the main story of the book. The narrator takes you on a wild ride to leave you at the end of many twists and turns.

This was a quick read that I found unputdownable but I honestly still have questions about the ending. My mind is reeling.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

This book has been allll over the internet and for a great reason I enjoyed the bookend would read it again . I was skeptical because I didn't enjoy his other book but this one was interesting and the plot twist had my gagging!

I LOVED the silent Patient so I was extremely excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately it was his worst book by far. It felt very elementary and slow. I wasn’t engaged at all and guessed every twist at the beginning of the book. Super sad about this one!

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is an Amazon pick for best mystery and #1 new release for this #suspensethriller. This is a twisty plot that will have your head spinning. All of the characters are involved in his play and as the work develops he becomes detached from reality. He writes the dialogue as the changes to the play develop. He talks to himself and the reader as the plot develops and it does, indeed, defy the reader to keep up with the twists. A CE review.

Read on January 12th, 2024.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a unique and suspenseful thriller, that undoubtedly lives up to the hype of Michaelides's first novel, The Silent Patient. It takes place on a small private island in Greece, called Aura, owned by a reclusive movie star Lana Farrar. The book follows Lana and her rich friends over the course of a spontaneous weekend trip to the island and a murder takes place. It is narrated by one of Lana's friends Elliot Chase, in an extremely conversational style, and the story unfolds in 5 acts as a play would. It was well-paced, had an interesting cast of characters, and had multiple twists and turns throughout the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I've yet to be disappointed by an Alex Michaelides's novel, it is fair to say that he is one of my favourite authors, especially when it comes to thrillers. I think that fans of If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio and The Guest List by Lucy Foley Would really enjoy this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Caledon Books for an advanced reader copy of this book! And thank you to Caledon Books for mailing me a 'The Fury' themed Playbill with a code for the audiobook as well - that was some super cool promo to receive!
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THE FURY
Alex Michaelides
Celadon Press
320 pp.
$28.99

“Character is Fate.”

That’s a heady premise behind a classic mystery novel with seven people trapped on a Greek Island. Does who we are, determined by our younger selves, then determine what actions we take? And, in this case, murder someone?

Elliot Chase is the self-professed unreliable narrator who presents this quote from the Greek philosopher Heraclaites early in the novel. With a slow start, he then finally gets us to the island of Aura, owned by retired movie star Lana Farrar. Along with playwright and sycophant Elliot and Lana, the other inhabitants, all unlikeable in some way, are Kate, Lana’s friend and London West End actress; Leo, Lana’s diffident son; Jason, Lana’s financier husband; and two servants, Nikos who lives on the island and Aurithia, who travels with Lana. After a brief time on the island, the group is trapped by the mythical winds, cutting off access to the mainland. At that point, the narrator takes us on a labrynthine trip through repeats, replays, and reveals, in third person, that shed light on the page-turning action. Michaelides does a fine job of whirling us toward the finale, where THE FURY grabs one of the “kids” deep inside one of the character’s character, and they kill someone. With so many actresses, as well as a playwright in the cast, Michaelides creates a theatrical context that would be over the top in another story, Here, the drama only heightens the finale. It looks like the author has another best-seller—and a streaming special—in hand.

I’ll be honest, I struggled to get through Act I. I had some preconceived ideas and expectations for what this book should be, based on my experiences with the author’s first two books, and this wasn’t it. But, I’m SO glad I stuck with it because this book paid off in spades. I was glued to the pages for Acts II-V and the chapters just flew by. And the fever with which I read this book proves the book is aptly named. The Fury is in references to the winds of the Greek islands. And it, also, serves as the perfect metaphor for the pace with which this story gradually gains speed then just whips into a frenzy. Sure, there were too many chapters that ended with those vague allusions of what was to come and too many instances where you read part of the story only for the narrator to say, “psych! That’s not what happened. Jkjk! Here’s how it really happened…” But you know one thing that was fresh AF? Having an unreliable MALE narrator. I am so, so grateful the author avoided the overly workout unreliable-female-narrator trope. I think for some readers, like myself, approaching this as more of a character-driven, Agatha-Christie-esque murder mystery gives this story a better chance at success than expecting your typical run-of-the-mill thriller.

Ever since the "Silent Patient", I have been an instant fan of Alex Michaelides so I knew I had to read "The Fury" as soon as I could. This book was different in such a good way. I really enjoyed the narration of the character as if he was reading a greek tragedy to me only that this was his own story. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as well. This was a great change from the usual murder-mystery books that usually follow the same pattern and are usually forgotten as this does the opposite.

In The Fury we meet Elliot, a forthcoming narrator who guides us through the theatre-like story. Set on an island in Greece, readers will love both the escapism setting and the page turning drama. Fame and fortune, affairs, jealousy, family and finance add to the drama. Readers will fly through this one.

I plowed through this book in a week (would've been less if I didn't have to work!) and when I tell you it delivers, believe that. There are so many twists and turns in the story and I loved every second of it. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something else happens. It gives "The Talented Mr. Ripley" vibes. I loved the way that Alex used different voices throughout the novel and how it in with mythical Greek legend. He never disappoints (hello, Silent Patient!) and this is most definitely one of his best books yet. Highly recommend!

Truly about a 3.5/3.75 for me. It felt a little chaotic. Particularly in the beginning for me. When we would meet new characters and I’d be like who tf is this? Maybe my brain was just off though. I also feel like it goes in too many different directions with the plot. With that said though this was still a pretty fun read. The narrator was unreliable and I caught myself smirking at his words a few times throughout the book. It’s fast paced and easy to read. I always appreciate short chapters. All in all I thought it was good but maybe just a tad overboard in some areas.

It’s no secret that THE SILENT PATIENT I one of the best thrillers there ever was (don’t @ me) and while THE MAIDENS wasn’t my favorite (I still liked it) I was excited to see how I liked Alex Michaelides newest book THE FURY. I’m here to tell you I really liked it! This book took place on a remote island with murder and a whodunnit type thriller. HOWEVER - this book has a very different take on just a normal whodunnit. When I tell you you won’t be able to trust a single character in this book I mean it! This story takes unreliable narrator to a whole new level but in the best way possible. You definitely want to get your hands on this unique and fun thriller!

I loved Michaelides’ first book, “The Silent Patient” and was thus, very excited to read this follow-up novel. A dead body, a Greek island, and a cast of characters that includes an actress seemed like a plot that I would absolutely adore. However, the execution of this story while unique, became a bit too meta for me. There were some POV twists that made the story a bit confusing and the ultimate ending up drag a bit. The book was fine, but not a novel that I ended up loving. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

“… the first half of life is pure selfishness; the second half, all grief.”

I think I fell in love with this book before I even opened it. The cover with the evil eye on it intrigued me as a result of my interest in Turkish culture.

I enjoyed how uniquely written the book is, from the perspective of an obviously unreliable narrator who jumps around in an unpredictable and very interesting way.

He introduces us to the main characters, Lana, her closest friends and family. He tells us that everyone is getting together on an otherwise uninhabited island and, Agatha Christie style, one person will die.

One third of the way in, the murder victim has been revealed, and we discover the narrator has left gaps in the story. Back we must go, to fill in these gaps. But will we get the complete story this time around?

The Fury had lots of psychological details focusing primarily on how pain in childhood has a continued impact into adulthood. It also doesn’t disappoint for readers who really enjoy unexpected twists!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC of The Fury by Alex Michaelides⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bestbooksof2024
#fivestarthrillers
#psychologicalthriller

Alex Michaelides' "The Fury" is a captivating and frankly UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. With a unique narrative style, an unreliable narrator, and unexpected plot twists, this book is a rollercoaster of suspense and intrigue.

One of the standout features is the narrative style, which is conversational and draws readers into the protagonist's mind with a gripping intimacy. The use of an unreliable narrator adds a layer of complexity, making it challenging to discern truth from deception and keeping the suspense alive throughout the story.

The plot twists in "The Fury" are nothing short of brilliant. Michaelides skillfully subverts expectations, taking the narrative in directions I never saw coming. Each revelation adds a new layer to the mystery, creating a sense of urgency that makes the book truly "un-put-down-able."

"The Fury" is a masterfully executed psychological thriller that deserves high praise. The narrative style, unreliable narrator, unexpected plot twists, and immersive setting contribute to a reading experience that is both gripping and satisfying. Alex Michaelides has crafted a tale that lingers in the mind, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.