Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am sad to say I was a bit disappointed in this one. Its my least favorite Alex Michaelides book so far. And let me say, that doesn't mean this book was bad. It was fine and there were several things aspects that I really enjoyed. The main problem I had with this book though is that this was one of the slowest thrillers I have ever read.

I enjoyed that way the story was told and the psychological aspects Michaelides added in. This book could have been like 100 pages shorter and I think that would have helped honestly. Will this stop by from reading his future books? No, not at all. I will continue to read his works, this one was just a little disappointing.

And there it is...another reason Alex is an auto buy author for me. This was a great story of unexpected twists and turns.

I'd like to than NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was disappointed by the silent patient. I was exited to give the author another chance and unfortunately this book was also a miss for me.

I can see why so many people will love this, and I'll be so glad for all of you who do, but for me this was a 2 star read. I guessed the twists, the tone was off and the writing felt rushed. If you loved the silent patient, I think you'll like this one. if you didn't, donc pick this one up either. 💚

The Fury by Alex Michaelides is a brilliant work that defies definition. Written like a Greek tragedy in 5 acts, the novel features a narrator that is a shape-shifter throughout the book as he tells the story, becomes an active participant in the mystery, and seemingly dispassionately lends a sardonic commentary to the drama as it unfolds.
Elliot Chase, the protagonist, is a playwright who tells the story with dramatic flare, relating his dark childhood and his obsession with film actress Lana Farrar. Their lives intersect, and, as Elliot opines, “our tragedy was a direct consequence of our characters.”
This story is all about character—what motivates and why, the strength and failings of our morality and how that is forged.
The brilliance is in the structure of the novel and the prose. As the story plays out in 5 acts, the reader has a front-row seat, watching as the protagonist finally succumbs to his tragic flaws, and an equally flawed cast of darkly motivated characters propel the intricate plot.
I enjoyed the allusions to literary greats, from Heracleitus, and Euripedes, to Coward, Christie and Hemingway--such a rich group to use as inspiration!
The twisted plotting of love, obsession and lasting damage from childhood trauma and adult psychosis is perfect for this Fury!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Alex Michaelides ability to write a thriller/suspense novel is like no other. I loved the Silent Patient so much that I stayed after my shift at work just to read the last few pages. First off, I would like to comment on the cover of this book, the evil eye being displayed on the front was such a brilliant and eye catching choice. After reading the novel it now makes even more sense to me. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but well done Alex Michaelides. I also really enjoyed the writing style and how it read like screen play. I loved the narration and how it felt like you were in a conversation with the narrator himself. I thought the character development was great but the pace of the novel itself was slow. I found the end a little predictable but at the same time chaotic. I did thoroughly enjoy this book but it wasn’t my favourite read by him. Overall the concept was intriguing, the character development was great and the writing was fantastic. I can’t wait to read more by Alex Michaelides in the future.

I'm sorry to say this will be my last book by this author. I didn't get the hype of The Silent Patient or The Maidens and this one was just another disappointment to me. I think the only thing I actually enjoyed about this book was the Greek settings.

I was intrigued when I first got into the book, the prologue drew me in and I was excited to see what happened and whose body was found. But this book could have been so much shorter. I hated the storyteller Elliot and it irritated me reading the entire book from his point of view. All of the "crazy twists and turns" at the end did nothing to impress me or shock me and I couldn't wait to finish this book. The only reason I'm giving it two stars and not a one star review was because I liked how the ending wrapped up. Did I enjoy the story as a whole though? Definitely not.

⭐ 3.5/5

The Fury, by Alex Michaelides, is a fast-paced whydunnit mystery, with short chapters.

I really liked the writing style. It was very different from what we usually read, with an unreliable narrator, speaking directly to the reader. It's kind of like reading a diary.

It read pretty easily, thanks to the short chapters and the good writing. However, it took a while for me to get into the story.
The plot separated in 5 acts, and I feel like the whole first act could've been dismissed. Starting around act 2-3, it gets much more interesting and that's when most the action starts.

I liked the ending (and if you've read his other books, you even get a small Easter egg at the end 😉), it was full of twists and turns, and I was really into it.

Overall, since I've read and loved his over books (especially The Silent Patient), my expectations were quite high and unfortunately, The Fury didn't meet them. Maybe that's on me! So I'd still recommend people to read it and give it a chance, because although I thought it was a slow start, I really liked the ending and I think it may surprise most of you!

Thank you @netgalley, @celadonbooks and Alex Michaelides for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

📆 Release date: January 16th, 2024

I very much looked forward to reading this book after having read The Silent Patient ( which was great). Unfortunately The Fury didn’t meet my expectations. The story is being told by a “narrator” who is also an integral part of the story. It started slowly and quite often as my interest was getting piqued Elliot “the narrator” would stop the flow of the story to interject his own thoughts and feelings before returning to the story. It read like a much longer book than it really is due to Elliot’s need to interrupt the plot-until about the last 100 pages which, although chaotic, gives credence to the real story of murder and unrequited love and has an unexpected twist at the end.

What a fun read! It starts off with a bang. A group of friends (if you would call it that) plan to spend Easter weekend on an island. Ultimately this trip ends in murder…. but who was murdered and who was responsible?? Was it one of them? Could one of them be a murderer??

The story is narrated by one of the characters and its structure is interesting. It’s like a story or play within a play – which I found to be different and intriguing. The Narrator gives us the background of each of the characters while planting suspicion on who the murdered and murderer is. This is not only about a murder, but also about the dynamic of a group of friends, fame, and childhood influences carried forward into adulthood.

With short chapters, I really enjoyed this. it was fun and entertaining without feeling sluggish at any point. I finished it quickly. The last Act, what a twist!!! I was slightly confused about the ending which left me with questions about what actually happened, pondering what it could have meant, however it allows for various interpretations which can you leave you thinking about it well after you have completed.

Perfect for all, but especially fans of mystery/whodunnit looking for a twist!

Thank-you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

The ending was great! The drama the secrets, this book had me intrigued from the beginning. Definitely a favorite

Alex Michaelides excels at spinning Greek history into each book. I love the eerie air of every novel. While not as good as Silent Patient, I liked it a lot more than The Maidens. I wish there was more character background showing the true nature of each character.there are some details but it was more “fade to black” than proven. Told in a narrative conversation style, it was hard to follow in parts. In all, it’s a solid 4 stars. More dramas than thriller.

The author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens is back with his newest mystery/thriller – The Fury! The Fury takes place on a private Greek island, where friends and lovers come to share a weekend getaway that ends, unfortunately for them, in murder. Unfortunately for the reader, this book misses the mark and fails to capture interest.

The first half of this book is boring. The narrator himself, Elliot Chase, starts off as quirky and likable, but soon becomes annoying and repetitive. It takes so long to set the scene and get all the characters to the island, and by that time the reader has grown uninterested in the slow-moving plot. The title of the book – The Fury – is explained in a clever way initially, but then the phrase “the fury” is so over-used throughout the novel that it loses its cleverness and shine.

The second half of the book somewhat redeems it. Where the first half was slow, the second half moves quickly and adds suspense that was previously missing. Parts of the ending are smart and witty, in Michaelides’ typical fashion that readers have grown to love.

If you’re looking to read a Michaelides book, I would recommend his other two over this one. I will still plan to read any future books by this author, but with somewhat lowered expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Fury is a suspenseful page-turner, one that will be difficult for readers to put down. The multiple twists were fantastic (my head was spinning) and the author’s writing was exceptional. I was entranced throughout this book and the ending did not disappoint!!

Alex Michaelides' third novel, “The Fury,” takes place on a private Greek Island. Elliot Chase, the narrator, invites the reader to “pull up a barstool, pour yourself a drunk, and settle in.” This is a story about murder, with a love story at the heart. Elliot promises “a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.”
Michaelides’ “The Silent Patient” was novel that was impossible to put down. His second novel was a decent thriller, but had a lackluster ending. I was thrilled to receive an ARC (my first ever from NetGalley) to read and review prior to commercial release.
Unlike his prior two novels, “The Fury” has a very “meta” style of writing, with Elliot breaking the fourth wall. Elliot constantly addresses the reader, eye-rolling or remarking about something within the scene. He acknowledges his own flaws as a narrator, and omits things and then returns to confess his lies by omission.
There are several instances throughout the novel where things are mentioned, such as Kate going into a room to snort some cocaine from a hidden box on a shelf, that Elliot would have no knowledge of. Scenes are described in detail when Elliot has no knowledge of them. Elliot is both a first-person narrator and an omniscient narrator. There is even the backstory chapter for Elliot in which he tells his past from a third-person narrative, yet in the middle of the story he interjects using “I” to explain some hindsight.
In order to create suspense in what appears to be a never-ending story, Elliot dangles the proverbial carrot for the reader. He mentions just enough and then stops the story to go back to disclose something that he promises is important, only to go forward in the story and stop again. This line of storytelling is intense but not in a suspenseful, hanging on the edge of ones’ seat manner, rather, in the sense of staring at the clock waiting for the storyteller to FINALLY get to the important part.
One of the plot twists towards the end before the grand finale was more farcical than jaw-dropping. I laughed instead of gasped. Any tension this story had was drained by Elliot’s constant reminder that he is an unreliable narrator and the slow pacing of the first two-thirds. I did enjoy the ending. I always like to see how Mariana (The Maidens) and Theo (The Silent Patient) end up sprinkled in his novels.
Questions I have that were not answered:
1. What is Elliot’s real name?

2. What were the papers Jason asks Lana to sign?


Thank you Net Galley and Mr. Michaelides for this ARC. I hope to read another one of your novels in the future!

Prior to reading this book, I had seen a fair share of average reviews, and a lot of them were comparing this book to The Silent Patient. Absolutely no judgment on that — I did the same thing without even having read it yet. It’s very easy to compare novels when they are written by the same author. While The Silent Patient will remain as my favorite novel by Michaelides’, I absolutely think that The Fury is worthy of five stars.

Enough comparison-talk, let’s dive into my actual review. There were a lot of things that I thought “worked” for this book:

🗣 The narrator’s voice: WOW… This is the first book that I’ve read in which the narrator speaks directly to the reader. It was one of my favorite aspects of this book. I feel like Elliot Chase and I go way back!
🕓 The timeline: This book was written in a linear timeline with occasional flashbacks. The flashbacks were not consistent, and instead of this being an inconvenience for me as the reader, I found that I really liked that. While inconsistent, the flashbacks occurred at times that made sense to the story.
🎭 The theatrical writing and references: I’ll let this one speak for itself. I’m not a theatre gal, but again, this just WORKED.
🔀 The mentions of potential alternate timelines: I love how Michaelides wrote about what would have happened if certain things had taken a different turn.
👨‍👦 The psychological talk of the younger-self: I really related to this and thought it tied right in to the story.
🥼 The quick appearance of Theo: Need I say more!?
☕️ The cozy mentions of tea: I should’ve expected that, seeing as though this book is written by a Londoner!
🦆 How Barbara called Elliot “duck”: I was really just looking for an excuse to post a picture of this adorable duck pouch.

Set at 320 pages, I found this book to be the perfect length, without feeling like it was going in circles. I fully recommend this book.

I couldn’t get into it…I tried reading a few chapters I just couldn’t. I will try again later because I did love silent patient like everyone else but ….this was just not it for me at the moment

Thanks to NetGalley and Caledon Books for this read. When the approval appeared in my email, I was in disbelief that I was approved. I had to stop myself from starting it right away as I was already reading an ARC. This book is quite different from his others as there is a narrator but it was well written like the others. The book was fast paced and so interesting to read. The chapters were short and just forced you to keep reading. This book is going to be what people are talking about for 2024 as the author writes good books.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Like thousands of other readers, I absolutely loved The Silent Patient and still consider it an all time favorite thriller. The Maidens ended up being just okay (but with a stunning cover), so I was excited to see how I would feel about this 3rd release.

Unfortunately, this ended up being a MAJOR flop for me. I liked the idea of the plot and enjoyed the fact that the chapters were super short…but outside of that, I just didn’t like it. Immediately from page 1, I found the narration style to be incredibly off putting. Like, I get that the narrator is supposed to be unreliable/unlikeable from the start, but the issues I had with it were specifically as to how it was written. The stylistic writing choice was just so cringey to me and ruined the mysterious vibe. I literally laughed at the quote - “I hope I won’t prove disappointing as a narrator.” Hate to break it to you buddy, but I found you super disappointing. Also, the alternating POVs felt so strange. It almost felt like the book itself was unedited and they never found a way to make the POVs cohesive. Especially considering the plot had some potential, I feel like there would have been a way to meld the different characters/POVs/narration in a way that actually made sense. I also felt like the reveals at the end were trying a little too hard to do something big and shocking. And I hate to say it, but the backlist cameos are also starting to feel a little heavy handed.

I’m not sure if I’ll ended up picking up any more Alex Michaelides books in the future. His other books likely have their own perfect audience, but it seems like nothing will ever live up to The Silent Patient for me.

Short synopsis: Elliot Chase recounts the story of a vacation on a Greek island, when someone winds up dead.

My thoughts: The story was told in a unique way, it was if Elliot was telling the story to a friend. Each of the characters were unique and unlikable in some way or another, definitely untrustworthy in nature!

This was such a slow burn for me. Id have liked it to flow a little quicker. But the narration was very well done.

Read if you love:
- Greek settings
- Slow burns
- Unique storytelling
- Past/present time frames

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

When I heard about this new mystery set on a remote, isolated, stormy Greek island with a cast of Hollywood darlings... I was immediately intrigued. Sign me up! Despite an overall concept I thought I would enjoy, this one didn't work for me.

Things I liked:
- The setting was great! Loved the vibes of the island and I wanted more about it.
- I love the "mysteriously retired actress" trope (?) used in books like this one. I always find them interesting.
- Short chapters that end on cliffhangers - this is the reason I was able to finish the book!

Things I disliked:
- I just could not stand the narrator. They were just insufferable to me! I think this is on purpose - they are meant to be facetious and unlikable... but it was just too much for me.
- There were so many times this narrator explained a whole situation and then "oh, well that actually didn't happen". I understand the unreliable narrator trope can be done well... but I am feeling pretty bored of it by now. Maybe I have just read too many thrillers.
- Although nonlinear timelines usually work well in mystery/thrillers, this one annoyed me. It felt like half of the book was the narrator going back and retelling a portion of the story because he had lied about it previously. Then he would say some quip about "well, this is how it actually went"...
- This is just a minor detail... at the beginning of each Act, the chapters restarted to 1. It really annoyed me. I know we are in a new act, but can we continue with the normal counting of chapters? Again, minor and unimportant, but bothersome to me.
- My biggest point - I already know I won't continue to think about this story. There are still questions after finishing the book, like in any unreliable narrator story, but with this book, I simply don't care that they aren't answered. I just wasn't connected enough to the characters to feel anything about understanding their story better.

Although I liked a few aspects of this book, it ended up not being for me. I think it would work better for people who are newer to thrillers and would enjoy trying an unreliable narrator for the first time.