Book Review: The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Rating: 🌪️🌪️
Genre: Thriller
Publishing Date: 1/16/24

Review: Let me start off by saying, thank you to @celadonbooks for my advanced copy of this book. I was really looking forward to it because of how much I loved The Silent Patient. But this book was a miss for me. It read more like a tainted love story gone wrong than a thriller book. I absolutely HATED Elliott, which I think was the point. But it made the book hard to read. All the characters were unlikeable and I didn’t really care for anyone and didn’t care how the book ended. I continued reading it though hoping it would get better. The only part of the book I liked was Act IV. So unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, but I will continue reading Michaelides’s books for sure!

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As always Michaelides writing is excellent, 5 stars.
I will read everything he writes.

I read this in two nights on my kindle. I will give the plot and creativity and writing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5 Stars, 5 hearts.

His books are a wild ride.
Thr narrator, Elliot, breaks the fourth wall and narrates this novel as a play with 5 acts. Each act the main story unfolds and we learn a bit more about Elliot.
The characters are not likable nor relatable but they are intriguing.

There’s little I can say about the actual story, however, I can say that it was fairly well paced ❤️❤️❤️.1/2❤️

There were times I became irritated with the narration, the interjection and need to speak to the audience do throughly but it is fitting.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity read the wonderful Michaelides. Such a treat to read one of your favorite authors.

Alex Michaelides' The Fury plunges readers into a world where truth is as elusive as the shifting sands of a private Greek island. With an unreliable narrator at the wheel, this novel questions our perception of reality, leaving us wondering if we can ever fully know what hides in the hearts and minds of those closest to us.

The story begins with a group of friends traveling to a quiet paradise in Greece. Among them is Lana, a former actress who is worried about her failing marriage. However, when Lana is the victim of a mysterious murder, the lines between fact and fantasy blur. Is she truly dead, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?

The Fury explores the theme of unreliable narration to its fullest extent. This storytelling device adds levels of suspense and complexity, making it an exciting read for anyone who likes dubious narrators. However, while the concept is intriguing, the execution leaves something to be desired. The first half of the book wanders, leaving readers disoriented as they work to unravel the mystery. It isn't until the second half that the story fully takes off, providing a more compelling narrative.

Then there are the twists—oh, the twists! While I love a good plot twist, The Fury may have gone a little too far. The number of unexpected turns can make you feel like you're trapped in a never-ending maze of lies. But if you enjoy the Knives Out movie franchise, The Fury is right up your alley. It uses a similar storytelling style, with an ensemble cast of individuals hiding secrets and motives that keep you guessing until the very end.

While The Fury was not my favorite book, it does offer an intriguing and twisty story. Alex Michaelides showcases his skill for crafting intricate narratives, and while this book had its ups and downs, I'm excited to read more of his work in the future.

Despite the fact that I only gave The Fury a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, it is an exciting rollercoaster of a read that you should check out for yourself. I would not be surprised to see it on the big screen someday.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Fury is a story of murder, glamour, and psychological suspense that will immerse you and keep you hooked until the very end. I was so engrossed in this trying to figure out what was going to happen. Just when I thought I had it BOOM another twist! I love a book that can surprise me and Alex Michaelides excels at this. I had a lot of fun with the narration and the tie-ends to his two previous books. 5 stars all the way. Y’all have to check this one out. 🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿/5

I'm such a fan for writing like this. I know its a certain audience that enjoys it, but thats me!

I loved it. Not only for the shocking twists, but for the fact I had no clue how or what this was going to turn into.

I wasn’t a very big fan of this book. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone. 😅 None of the characters were likable, at all. Then I was so annoyed at the end when none of what happened was real.

This is not this authors best work but also it’s not his worst work. I was entertained but expecting a lot more. The beginning was a little slow and it took me awhile to get the gist of what was happening. Once we got there it was good but missing that wow factor to keep me invested. If you like this author you will find this book enjoyable, just go in with lower expectations.

Thank you so much to @netgalley @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio for the ARC/ALC of The Fury! Big thanks to Celadon for the gifted book and amazing promo book!

🧿 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🧿
I switched off reading and listening to the audiobook of The Fury! I don’t read a lot of books with unreliable narrators, so it’s hard to know what to think of them. They are simultaneously interesting and annoying. They are taking you through the story through their eyes, even when they are describing someone else’s point of view.

Our narrator is Elliott, and he seemed somewhat shady from the beginning but I was never sure how shady he could be. Suspicion is thrown nearly on every character in this book at some point. Rightfully so, because there was a murder to solve!

This cast of characters is alone on a private Greek island, where a murder takes place. There’s a famous movie star, Lana, her family, friends and the staff. Timelines are all over the place. Just be prepared to whip your head back and forth on this one a bit! It definitely takes you on a wild ride!

What a wild ride! I really like how all of his books so far have had some connecting thread between them. If the mystery itself wasn't enough, that connection makes his books that much more fun!

This book went so many different ways, none of which I saw coming! And the end left me questioning how real any of it was. It was a fantastic ride and I cannot wait to read his next book!

I absolutely loved "The Silent Patient." I tolerated "The Maidens." This one felt so far off from what I've gotten used to by Alex Michaelides that it wasn't the book for me.

"The Fury" is an artistic thriller that relies heavily on an unreliable narrator and is told through shifts in time. The artistic element was so strong, with the majority of characters having their foot in the door of plays and acting ventures. It should have read to me like a Greek drama but instead it fell all over itself and tried too hard to make that point come across.

What worked for me in "The Fury" was the beginning of the narration. I enjoy having an unreliable narrator to an extent but as the story went on, it became more obnoxious. Maybe the choice of having Elliot as the narrator was for a certain meaning, but his character itself rubbed me the wrong way several times. I did also enjoy using the idea of performing a play for the story on the island.

Unfortunately, the rest fell flat for me. Michaelides' style of writing is so well done but this one felt sloppy. Again, because it is told through the narration of a character, that could also be a reason why the writing felt different but the character itself was not interesting or relatable enough to truly get me invested in the book. The story itself was done well but I personally felt something more was going to happen and it just never did. It was a lead-up to a very disappointing conclusion for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC copy in exchange for the honest review!

Michaelides hit a three-pete for me. This was a fantastic read. Set on a private Greek Island nothing is as it seems. With an unreliable narrator, and a murder where everyone has a motive this is a great mystery. And just when you think you have things figured out there is another twist. Brilliantly plotted and written this author is one of my auto buys -

This book takes you on a journey with the elite people of Hollywood. A playrwright, a retired actress, her son, housekeeper and husband, the isolated young groundskeeper and a current actress all converge on the island for some rest or is it more than that?This book reeks of privilege and greed, and what people will do to get what they want. However the narrator states that it's a love story and it is in a way, a dark, twisted one perhaps or is it just obsession?

I have really enjoyed all the books that I've read from this author. This book was very atmospheric and I enjoyed the setting immensely. However, it was a bit all over the place. It was definitely an interesting concept and I liked the unreliable narrator, it just felt somewhat sloppy.

Before I get into my review, there are a couple of things I would like say right away.

1. Suspending my disbelief with a book is something that I don’t struggle with (to an extent), as long as the plot comes together.
2. This is the first Alex Michaelides book that I’ve read so I came into it with zero expectations.
3. Apparently there’s a spoiler at the end for the other books, it didn’t ruin anything for me personally, but I did see that mentioned in other reviews.

This book was a wild ride. Right off the bat, the narrator lets you know that they’re unreliable and that you will need to suspend your sense of disbelief and it’s important to keep that in mind throughout the book. The premise itself is what drew me in. A private Greek island? Retired movie star? Secrets? Murder? Say less. I felt that the book was well-paced and the twists were revealed at just the right time. I don’t read too many thrillers/murder mystery books because I have found that a lot of them have predictable plots or insufferable characters. That was definitely not the case with this book. I did think I knew what was happening at one point, but then another twist I didn’t see coming was revealed. It was a fast and fun read, it was entertaining, it was full of intrigue. Was it the most believable/realistic plot? Absolutely not. But, I never expected it to be. I would recommend it, just don’t go in expecting it to be like the author’s previous works so you can go in with an open mind.

Thank you to @netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book so much! What an amazing book to start the year off with!
I switched back and forth from reading to audio but I enjoyed the audio more. The narrator just added something to the book that I enjoyed!

Wow! I really enjoyed this book!!!
This was a slow burn in the beginning. (Which usually i don’t love but god it worked so good).
I thought it was slow until I got half way through it then the book and then i was hooked. I was super intrigued and fell in love with the story and the character’s.
I thought I had the whole book figured out but I did not see the twists coming at the end, literally love when this happens in a book. I’m a huge fan of this author and will read anything he writes! Looking forward to his next story.

I couldn't even finish this. I was really interested in the beginning but I couldn't stand the break in the 4th wall. It might just be me but I don't like this in books.

This was neither my favorite nor least favorite by Michaelides. I think what he does well here is an unreliable narrator that you’re not sure if you like or not (not unlike my favorite of his, The Silent Patient-which frankly set my bar for the author incredibly high). I think where this book lacks is in pacing and I found one of the main characters a bit insufferable insofar as the fickleness she was portrayed to have-but perhaps that was just a choice I didn’t love. Overall I thought the twist was pulled off decently (I had a feeling the narrator had done a bad deed but not the one he did).

This is not a whodunit.

This is a story of love.

The Fury follows the retelling of a murder, narrated by an erratic character who was close to the victim. Alex Michaelides created a cast of characters fitting for this outlandish tale you won't believe until you reach the end. From page one, you are guessing who murdered whom. Everyone has a motive. Everyone has a secret.

In true Michaelides fashion, the reader is kept guessing and mentally maneuvering plot twists and turns. And again you will find how he weaves in characters from his prior works. Truly, another suspenseful masterpiece.


Thank you to Caledon Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. It was a pleasure to read and review another thrilling masterpiece from Michael Michaelides.

Alex Michaelides has the trippiest, twistiest writing. Once again I don’t know how I feel or what just happened after finishing one of his books. I’m just over here like 🤯

This book is a murder mystery set on an island. But not the fun whodunnit kind, more like the kind that dives into the inner workings of the characters minds and lives and uncovers their twisted pasts little by little. The plot jumps between the current happenings on the island and the characters’ lives on different parts of the timeline. It does still have a murder that you need to figure out, but as Elliot, the narrator, takes us through the story, the characters’ lives outside of the island gain a big part of the focus. It’s hard to describe the plot, but that’s the best I’ve got.

This is not a traditional thriller, and it’s mostly slowly paced, but it’s definitely not a mild story, especially as it progresses. There are triggers of alcoholism, cheating, stalking, bullying, mental illness, and child abuse.

Overall, this was a very well-written book, with plot twists that you don’t expect, and even a vibe twist if that’s a thing. I recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of a slow psychological thriller, especially fans of The Silent Patient. It’s a completely different book, but there is a connection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The drama!! I’m not just talking about the plot, but the characters too. This book is truly unique starting from the first character interaction, who is also the narrator. It felt like the beginning of Aladdin in which the narrator is trying to bring you into the story almost conversationally. Making you an ally or a conspirator to the madness he’s about to drop on you. What could possibly go wrong when a reclusive but very famous movie star and her friends go to a private Greek Island on holiday?! Turns out quite a bit!
I could not put the book down mainly because I wanted to get to the excitement. It took quite a bit to get there (at least 2/3 of the way through the book). Given such a slow start, the end was twisted, fast paced, and shocking. I loved it and my jaw was on the floor by the end! I don’t know how I can simultaneously like and admonish a character so much all at the same time.
I liked reading the book in ‘Acts’ seeing as our narrator is a playwright. The characters were vibrant and the setting was mysterious and beautiful. I really enjoyed this story! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.