In theory, The Fury by Alex Michaelides has everything needed for a perfect, five star bingable winter read. Unfortunately, when all those wonderful elements were put together, the book fell a bit flat.

Unlikable characters can generally be saved by an interesting plot and twists and turns that keep readers at the edge of their seat. The twists and turns that I was so looking forward to after loving The Silent Patient didn’t quite materialize. They just did not have enough “Oomph” behind them to make up for the cast of unlikable characters. Much of the dislike for these characters stems from the unreliable narrator of the story. Repeatedly being told that the narrator was unreliable took away from the immersive experience as well. Each time it was mentioned, I was dragged right back out of the story and was only able to focus on the fact that not one character had a chance to be well rounded.

That being said, the narration style did lend itself to creating an atmosphere on the island. Every once in a while there was a glimpse into what the story was meant to be, a thrilling mystery. When those moments happened, usually when the island was being described, it was a breath of fresh air.

In conclusion, I just can’t recommend this book when Alex Michaelides has the Silent Patient available, which is just so much better of a read.

⅖ stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't read the Silent Patient or Michealides' other works, but I've heard such good things that I was excited to get this as an e-ARC. Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was right for me.

Content warning:

- Alcoholism
- Death
- Drug usage
- Intimacy
- Mental illness
- Murder
- Violence

The Fury starts with a quirky introduction from our narrator, who claims he’ll try to tell the story well, but that we can’t fault him for messing up. He claims this is the kind of story you would tell your friend over drinks at the bar.

We learn that he’s friends with a famous movie star, Lana. According to our narrator, Lana is going for a walk when she decides to invite her friends to a vacation on her personal island. She invites Kate, who’s starring in a Broadway play, Elliot, our narrator, and brings her husband Jason and son Leo.

The group arrives on the island and meets Nikos, the caretaker who’s been alone on the island for years, looking after the property. Agathi also comes along—she’s a Greek woman who’s been a nanny and housekeeper for Lana since they first came to the island.

As they move around the island, the characters have some moments of feeling wary, like someone is watching them. Jason, Lana’s husband, has taken up shooting and hunting as a new hobby, and the sounds of him shooting can be heard throughout the island.

Lana and Leo work on planting a garden on the island, then the members of the group have a picnic. Kate is late because she’s constantly drinking, and that’s when she comes across Jason practicing his shooting. This is when we learn that the two of them are having an affair. As they talk, and then kiss, Jason gets the feeling that someone is watching them.

The wind is picking up around the island as the day goes on, and the group decides to have dinner at a fancy restaurant on a nearby island. during dinner, tensions are high, and Kate makes a bit of a spectacle of herself. They take a boat over there, and the boat lurches on the ride back because of the wind, which the book refers to as “the fury.”

Agathi goes to bed for the night, and when she wakes up, she finds Lana’s body in a pool of blood beyond the olive grove. Leo arrives and screams, holding his mother’s body. The narrator feels for a pulse, then tells Jason and Kate as they arrive that Lana is dead.

After discovering Lana’s body, the narrator re-winds again and retells the story, detailing how close he and Lana are as friends. We learn that Lana found out about Jason and Kate’s affair before the trip, and went to Elliot to ask what they should do. Elliot came up with a plan to punish Jason and Kate for what they did—by faking Lana’s death. So she invites everyone to the island and they go along with the plan.

Elliot has his own plans, however, and goes behind Lana’s back to try and manipulate the situation further. He plans to agitate Kate and get her to shoot Jason so Lana can marry Elliot instead.

Tensions escalate, and Elliot manages to get a gun into Kate’s hand, and has her walking down to Jason, ready to confront him. Before Elliot’s plan can unfold, Nikos finds him watching the scene from the bushes, and makes him walk out to where Kate and Jason are.

They all confront him, revealing how he’s been trying to manipulate things, and Jason and Kate decide they’re going to kill him instead. Elliot screams for Lana to help him, but she appears and reveals that she’s been in on this plan from the beginning.

Once again, we reverse to the beginning of the story and learn new facts. After Lana went to Elliot and came up with the plan to punish Kate and Jason, she discovers Elliot’s journal, in which he tracks the affair (which shows that he’s known about it for longer than he lets on). He also details his plan to kill Jason and marry Lana instead.

Lana is horrified by this, and goes to Kate, who admits she’s been having an affair with Jason and apologizes for it. Lana explains what she discovered about Elliot, and Kate devises a plan to get back at him in the same way.

We fast forward to the present moment, where Elliot is being humiliated by all of them. They leave him on the dock after he’s wet his pants and Lana tells him to get off the island, then the group goes back to the house to have lunch. Elliot turns into “the fury” like the wind around the house and goes in with a shot gun, killing Lana for real this time.

We end the book by discovering Elliot is in jail and is telling us this story from there.

I loved the idea of the layered scheming on paper, but I don't think The Fury nailed the execution. It was hard to feel invested in Lana double-crossing Elliot when I didn't feel invested in any of the characters. They weren't lovable and relatable, nuanced and layered, or even just plain hatable-they felt lke cardboard cutouts rather than real people.

Elliot also comes in with all these cheeky interjections that I just don't think the character has earned. Rather than being charming or even deliciously awkward, they just served to make me cringe and want to put the book down. I felt like I was never rooting for or against Elliot, and rather just waiting for him to be done talking.

All in all, The Fury was not the right book for me. I felt the characters were too flat, like they were pieces moved around a chessboard, rather than complex and interesting people. Because this wasn't character-driven, I felt it became plot-driven, but the plot was just not enough to redeem it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Personally, I will always read anything Alex Michaelides writes. I love a good unreliable narrator and he excels at it. I jumped at the chance to read this early, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The dynamics between the characters kept me reading constantly when I could, and I devour murder mysteries, so I loved it!

This was a fun book to read.
I always enjoy the stories Alex Michaelides has to share with the world.
I especially think that he writes unreliable narrators very well.
This felt similar to to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, in the way that we get to meet our cast of characters individually before getting the the mystery element. However, everything you find out about the characters beforehand, though it may not feel like it at the time, is relevent to the actually mystery story.

I wanted to love this book since I was so excited to read it. However, I am sad to say I didn’t. The narrator and the way the book was presented was frustrating to me throughout the whole book.. I have a feeling this presentation will be what many people love about it, but for me I didn’t like it. The short chapters were good, but I picked up this book and read a chapter just to put it down to pick up something else several times this month. Finally, I kept reading just to find out what the twist would be. And then I wasn’t shocked. The last 1/4 of the book was exciting which is why the 3 stars, but overall the book fell flat for me. I have enjoyed the last two books by this author, so I will continue to pick them up, but for me this was my least favorite.

I absolutely love Alex Michaelides's writing. He weaves so many details into every page of his novels, carefully pulling them taught as you near the end of the book, until you can finally step back, slowly, to see the intricate tapestry before you. Ok maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it's fitting.

This is in no way a fast thriller. It's likely not the book for everyone. It doesn't quickly grab you and hold you tight every single chapter. It's a slow-burn mystery/thriller and I loved the pacing of it. There's loads of character development, arguably making up most of the novel, to explain WHY this murder took place and all the messy steps that led to the present situation. Loved it.

I agree with the current Goodreads score, which is 3.65 stars. I loved The Silent Patient and DNF'd The Maidens, so I was very curious to read this book. Like many have said, it was a slower pace to begin with, but it didn't take too long for me to start enjoying the book and I felt like the end of the book had lots of twists and turns that made up for the slow pace. I loved the way the narration broke the fourth wall and was self-aware of the story structure. I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator added a lot of personality to the story.

Heads up: there's a spoiler for The Silent Patient in the epilogue.

"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller that really works to build up anticipation. Chapters were short, so despite being a quick read for me, some readers might find the pacing to be slower than expected. The author's skill in creating suspense and the overall plot make it a compelling experience, but the pacing may vary based on individual preferences. The author talks directly to the audience which was odd at first but this is Alex Michaelides we’re talking about. This book felt very similar to The Silent Patient…just not as good. And if you haven’t read Silent Patient. Read that one first. The ending sort of spoils the big twist in The Silent Patient.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides has blown my mind again with his crazy twists and creative storytelling. The Fury is narrated by Elliot, a playwright, who is invited to spend the Easter holiday with his glamorous movie star friend Lana, and several others on a private island in Greece.

Then there is a storm - the fury - a murder. At first it might seem very Agatha Christie, with all the different personalities and motives gathered on this island, but then Michaelides keeps taking the story to different places I did not expect. Elliot reminds me of an Edgar Allan Poe narrator; his past is dark and shady. He and most of the other characters are unlikeable, but all very compelling. I don’t want to go into details because I don’t want to spoil things!

The Silent Patient and The Maidens were both 5 star reads for me, and I gave this a five as well. This one had a slower pace as Elliot is unraveling the story like he’s having a conversation with you at a bar, but it was equally riveting for me.

There are also some references to those two other books - this is not in any way a sequel - but I’d read those first to avoid potential spoilers.

Also, this is the second book I’ve read recently set in Greece and I want to book a trip!

I received a free ARC copy of The Fury from Celadon for review.

This was an interesting take on the thriller genre. I enjoyed the way it was written as if someone was telling it like a story to their friend. I enjoyed the various characters, even the ones I couldn’t stand, and their various secrets. The descriptions of the island were great, I felt as if I was there.

There were so many other things going on in this story that the setting took a bit of a backseat this time. This is such a minor grievance, but it’s truly one of the reasons I love Michaelides’s work as much as I do.

However, the writing and storytelling more than makes up for any misgivings. The twists here shook me and spun me in a hundred different directions. By the time the story ended, I was in awe. There is a genius to the art and level of twists that Michaelides reveals, and it’s truly captivating. The Fury is a suspenseful page-turner, one that will be difficult for readers to put down.

Great story! Wonderful set of characters. So many twists you never see coming. Have been waiting for another book since Silent Patient and she definitely topped it.

✔️ Murder mystery
✔️ Unreliable narrator
✔️ Isolated setting
✔️ Unlikeable characters
✔️ Quirky
✔️ Meta
✔️ 2nd person point of view
✔️ Quick read

With this book, you might think you know what’s going on at all times, but you’d be wrong. It’s not only a whodunn𝘪𝘵, but a whodunn𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵, and takes the idea of an unreliable narrator to a whole new level.

This felt a little bit like The Guest List, a little bit like White Lotus, and a little bit like Looking Glass Sound. And despite having aspects of all of these stories, and feeling extraordinarily familiar at first glance, The Fury stands apart because of its bizarre narrative structure. It is written in 2nd person point of view, which isn’t commonly used in much these days beyond short stories, which makes it immediately feel different. Our narrator, Elliot Chase, breaks the fourth wall often, and refers directly to the reader, pulling us into the story and investing us more deeply in its outcome. I would say that if you can enjoy this style of narrative voice, then there’s a good chance you will like this book. If you find it off-putting and can’t get past it, there’s a good chance this won’t be for you. Luckily, I was able to get used to it fairly quickly, and even found it kind of fun when all was said and done.

And although being billed as a psychological thriller, I would say this book is much more of a mystery that has psychological components than a true thriller. The storytelling is not quite as fast paced as you’d expect from a thriller, and the narrator takes his time peeling back the layers of this twisted tale. However, the author compensates for the pacing with short chapters and small reveals sprinkled throughout, always giving you just enough to want to turn the page.

Another aspect I feel deserves mentioning is the tone of this book. Alex Michaelides’ writing always reads a little pretentious to me, but in the case of this book, I think it actually works. The writing fits well with the narrator’s personality, and makes it seem as though the pretentiousness is meant to be a part of his overall character and is not of the writing itself. This pretentiousness even comes across quite playful at times—like he, our narrator, is the cat and you, the reader, are the mouse. I don’t think the same effect could have been achieved had this been a multiple POV book like The Hunting Party or The Guest List, but because there is only the sole narrator this worked in the book’s favor and lended itself well to the vibe.

I can only imagine this book will be polarizing for many people, and so I hope that my small insights will be found helpful when deciding to read this. (Let me know if you do and what you think!)

Thanks so much to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Reader, this won't be long -

Upon opening The Fury, whether by opening the book's covers or by clicking your preferred device, be aware that you'll be having a book-long conversation with Elliot Chase. He's charming, witty, wise even. Don't be sucked in. Listen closely, and do stay up. Don't let the spaces between reading and not reading be long. He'll be sure to take good care of you (he knows you've bought the book and so are invested in this tale), although he digresses from time to time. Not that those digressions are unimportant. . .you might want to take a few notes. . .

After this read you might suffer from whiplash, need to strap your jaw back into place, and do something about those tall eyebrows and wide-open eyes. . .

Other than that, happy reading, enjoy with a tasty beverage of your choice. (And don't trust Elliot as far as. . .oh, wait. jk. jk. . . .)

*A sincere thank you to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheFury #NetGalley 52:10

🎁 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 🎁
2.75/5 🌟

Ugh, what a bummer. I was SO excited for this one - it was SO hyped up. It’s a thriller, and a mystery, with a supremely unreliable narrator (my favorite kind!) but there were just so many versions of what was going on that I lost track.

I was truly engaged the first half, and I loved that the narrator, Elliot, was snarky and insufferable. He was a version of Nick Carraway, or Truman Capote. In this case, a writer trying to shed his past as a bullied and abused young boy (if we can believe him) and get “in” with the glitterati. He has befriended one of the world’s biggest movie stars, Lana Ferrar, after she left the Hollywood life behind. Elliot and several others of Lana’s inner-circle are spending Easter on her private island in Greece, and one will end up dead, as Elliot has shared from the beginning. But just who, and how, and why?

There was so much plotting and scheming and so many different POVs, that I got twisted up and eventually annoyed. Alright already, what is the REAL story? Not sure I know, even after finishing the book. It was messy. The first half intrigued me, for sure, and its a fast-paced read, but then it was just enough. I think there are a lot of readers who will enjoy this, it just wasn’t for me. Honestly I think this will be adapted for the screen and I’ll like it better that way!

Thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

The beginning of this book is SO insanely slow. It was slow, annoying and had way too many small descriptive details that were unnecessary. The narrator Elliot was so frustrating and I couldn’t stand him.

It DOES get better once you’re about 60% done the book. It picks up the pace and is actually interesting and you will want to find out what happens. The only reason i continued to read it was because I received this as an Arc and I wanted to leave an honest review.

I gave it three stars because I did enjoy the ending. Once i got to the part that picked up, I did want to continue and find out what happened. It is a different writing style than The Silent Patient and I liked the style. I also liked that someone from Silent patient wad mentioned, which was cool.


Thank you for the Arc!

The first 20% of this book had me hooked, I liked the premises , the narration feel of the book, the point of view of the “odd one of the bunch”, and the murder mystery aspect. It was getting a little dry with the storytelling of backstories of some of the characters after the introductions, and some of the characters needed more depth and details to make me connect and care more, such as the main woman’s son. The twist at the end was good, but maybe a little too mild for what I thought this book would give. I would recommend to certian friends and viewers

I really enjoyed this new release from Michaelides. The narrator takes us on a journey that is part theater and part memoir. I really didn't expect a lot that happened. The twists and turns kept me constantly guessing and it was pleasantly surprising. The only thing I can complain about is that the narrator telling the story made the action less palpable somehow. I guess because it all seemed to be taking place in part tense or we were hearing the information second-hand. It didn't seem exciting even the content was.. I guess it was just delivery that missed the mark a tiny bit for me. overall, WELL DONE! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thank you #netgalley for early access to this amazing book. Just released 1/16/24. Must read!! #TheFury

So I have never read any of Alex Michaelides work, although I've seen it mentioned often enough. This book cover kept intriguing me and I had to check it out. I really loved The Fury. I had to think hard about how I would review the book, because I can see where it would be hard for some to stick with, but I personally loved the slow burn before we got to the pay off in the end.

Michaelides writing style was a little different than typical popular books that I've read, and I always enjoy reading an author with a different style. I'm also a fan of the locked room style murder mysteries. The reader is told that a murder has taken place, and I'll admit it took me a bit to figure out and follow the flow of our narrator in this book. Elliot Chase is himself an enigma, and as we go through the story we see scenes told from different perspectives, undermining what the reader thinks they know.

There are several twists and turns throughout the book, and I enjoyed immersing myself in the story on a Greek island. Each one of the characters in the novel seems worthy of their own book, they have so many interesting backstories and motivations. I saw my local bookstore advertising this in their Insta as a new release Tuesday book (they were literally placing it on the floor), and now I'm debating a physical copy to re-read and see what I didn't pick up on the first time through. I'm sure there are a few key pieces I probably missed as I burned through it. There were a few slower parts, but I felt that the slower portions of the book added to the build up of the finale. I will probably end up picking up the Silent Patient after reading through this. I don't always pick up books that are super hyped, but after reading The Fury, definitely want to check out the Silent Patient. There are several twists and turns throughout the book, and I enjoyed immersing myself in the story on a Greek island. Each one of the characters in the novel seems worthy of their own book, they have so many interesting backstories and motivations. I saw my local bookstore advertising this in their Insta as a new release Tuesday book (they were literally placing it on the floor), and now I'm debating a physical copy to re-read and see what I didn't pick up on the first time through. I'm sure there are a few key pieces I probably missed as I burned through it. There were a few slower parts, but I felt that the slower portions of the book added to the build up of the finale. I will probably end up picking up the Silent Patient after reading through this. I don't always pick up books that are super hyped, but after reading The Fury, definitely want to check out the Silent Patient. If I can be on Santorini while reading it, that would be a bonus.

Please be advised that I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"It's imperative to refrain from tinkering at this late stage. Many a great work of art has been ruined by the artist's inability to stop tampering with it. Many a criminal venture, too, no doubt."

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of The Fury!

I feel like I can always count on Alex Michaelides for a quick, engaging thriller. I loved The Silent Patient, enjoyed the Maidens, and The Fury roped me in and kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole book!

Things I Loved:

The unreliable narrator: I kind of loved how it felt like the reader is sitting in a bar listening to the narrator (Elliot) tell the story. As a playwright he is obviously a creative and essentially tells us at the beginning that he has a good grasp on how people felt. This is the first red flag that we can't trust what he's saying. There were multiple times as I was reading that I got wrapped up into one version of events only to learn that it wasn't true at all. The more we read, the more we can see that maybe we need to take Elliot's version of events with a grain of salt.

The setting of the story: We mainly jump back and forth from London to a Greek island. I loved the pictures Michaelides painted of both settings. The Greek island in particular was so vivid in my mind that I could perfectly visualize events as they happened. It was a great mix of beauty and spooky which is tough to master in a good thriller!

The twists and turns of the story: Holy toledo - twist after twist after twist. Not all of them were big. Some were small and simply gave us insight into the character of the characters. Others had me saying "WHAT?!" I thought all were executed fabulously and were very well set up throughout the story.

The tie in to the Silent Patient!

I don't have anything I absolutely did not like about this book. I thought it had a great plot, great twists, interesting characters, and an easy flow about it. I definitely recommend it for anyone who liked his previous works and also fans of Riley Sager and Ruth Ware!