I don’t think I’m supposed to be this bored reading a thriller… the story meandered and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. There were (dare I say it) too many twists, to the point of fatigue. I loved the final reveal, but I had to fight the urge to DNF this book the entire way through.

For readers who love to question the reliability of the narrator, narrators that dissect literary components of story telling, meta storytelling, and the repetition of going back to a series of scenes and revealing more details that changes your perspective of the events. Also good for readers looking for Greek culture in fiction and weather as a side character.
Note: epilogue contains spoiler for THE SILENT PATIENT

3.5 Stars

Much like everyone else, I read The Silent Patient by Michaelides and had my mind absolutely blown. I’m not much for mystery/suspense/thriller books, but was so glad I was forced into it via my bookclub.

What I appreciated most about The Fury was the way in which the story is told. The book is broken up into acts with a narrator (at times) talking directly to the reader. Not only did it feel like a play of sorts, it also had classic murder mystery or “whodunit” vibes. The way Michaelides chose to tell this story felt very unique. I applaud authors who try to step outside the box to deliver something different.

As far as the characters go, there are not really any likable characters in this story. This did not bother me, however if you are someone who has to connect to or feel sympathy for at least one character to enjoy a story you might want to skip this one.

This might go without saying, but The Fury is vastly different from The Silent Patient. If you are picking this book up expecting a similar read as The Silent Patient, I fear you’ll be disappointed. While not my favorite mystery/thriller, I enjoyed my time with this one.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review

2⭐️: Did not care for this one. The characters were trite, think more caricatures, the story predictable (and I am notoriously bad at guessing plot twists within the mystery genre), and for such a short book the story still felt like it took forever for the action to unfold. Skip it.

Close proximity, a private island, 7 people are involved in a murder of one of their own..... or are they?

This story was told by one of the main characters, who is an unreliable historian on the best of days, so this story felt like it was a little all over the place. It was also written in five acts, like a play, so there were also some scenes that were not told in chronological order. Backgrounds and development of most characters were not flushed out, just vague descriptions, which also felt more like a play than a book. One thing that was unique was to have the weather described as a character - the wind that gusts over and around the island during the murder scene was just poetic. Given the twists and turns and untruths that are told throughout this story, I was more than a little confused, but the ending was sufficient to tie everything together.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

this was such an interesting book!! i loved the way it was told in second person and how i felt like the narrator was talking directly toward me. i never knew what to expect while i was reading and this definitely had some jaw dropping moments for me. as always, michaelides includes talk of therapy and greek mythology which i enjoyed. i loved the setting of greece and the whole cast of characters that we got to follow. i also loved getting to see glimpses of theo and mariana (from the silent patient and the maidens). i definitely will recommend this! i know i will be thinking about this book for a long time

CW: murder

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I did have a NetGalley e-ARC, but DNFed it. I decided to try again by listening to the audiobook and had a much better experience. If you're going to read this, I recommend the audiobook.

This was a slow-burn. It was part character study, part murder mystery. I liked the cat-and-mouse, whodunnit plot. The Silent Patient is still my favourite by the author and there are Silent Patient Easter eggs in this, so I would recommend reading that before reading this. The narrator in this book does break the fourth wall, so keep that in mind if you don't like that in books. I didn't mind it. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my review.

I was bored most of the book. I really enjoyed the writing style, but the story itself was just not it for me. I would def check out his other books before, because i did like the way he told the story, just not.. the story!

I had trouble keeping track of the story sometimes but I loved how it was set up. It kept my interest and kept me guessing. I loved the tone of the narration and how we eventually discovered the unreliability of the narrator.

This was a solid book, though not my favorite of his. It’s a solid creepy book in his typical style on an island, and I’d recommend it if you like Michaledes.

This was on my most anticipated read for the year. I wanted to like it so much. The way the story is laid out was confusing at first. The main person telling the story was so obnoxious and entitled, I just couldn't get past HIM to enjoy the story. By the time the twist came and where you should be shocked, I felt nothing and just wanted the story to be over. Really said, cause I actually purchased the book, anticipating a 5-star read, to go on my shelf. This is the 2nd book that left me disappointed. His next book? I think I'll wait a while before trying to read.

#NETGALLEY #THE FURY. #ALEXMICHAELIDES

Thank you Celadon for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This took me so long to read because it was my treadmill read! 🙈

I always enjoy Alex’s books. I love the Greek play writing style. This had super short chapters with multiple acts throughout. It started a little slow, but once the first act was over it picked up as you wanted to know what was happening and who to believe.

Just when you think you know what’s happening another twist appears.

Again this has an Easter egg to his other two books that is always fun to see!

The Fury is my favorite Michaelides' book yet - I loved the locations of London and the island, loved the dark, unreliable characters, and all of the drama that ensued. A perfect summer read to get caught up in.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides didn’t quite hit the mark for me compared to his other books. It follows a psychologist caught up in a dangerous crime investigation, but the main character felt hard to connect with and a bit inconsistent. The supporting cast also lacked depth.

The plot had its moments but sometimes felt predictable and uneven in pacing. Michaelides still creates a tense atmosphere, but the psychological insights we love from his other books seemed watered down here.

Overall, The Fury has some suspenseful moments, but it didn’t grip me like Michaelides' previous works.

I enjoyed the characters and scene of this book, but that's about it. The narrator was frustrating and this book did not grab my attention very quickly. I am willing to give their other books a try but I expected more excitement.

I absolutely loved this. It was a slow start for me, but once I got into it, and the way the story was told, I could not put it down. Coming from someone who was not big on Alex Michaelides' first big novel, this one was definitely it for me.

This thriller was extremely gripping from the beginning and the characters are described in great detail. Their personalities are well flushed out and it makes it very interesting to read. The plot was very fun to read. The author does a great job and continually kept me engaged. I read this book in a couple of days because I needed to know what happened.

Michaelides has a way of writing these tragic characters that always seems to draw me in, but this one can be described in one word.. meh.

Did I love it? No. But did I hate it? Also no.

I actually started and DNFed this book THREE separate times before I just finished it. I will say once I got to about Act 3 I was intrigued more than when I started.

The narration style was a bit odd. We listen to one of the people involved, Elliot Chase, and his own opinions, daydreams and reactions to the events in the book. Which gets old, quick. I will say I did like how things I noted in my head that seemed inconsistent, did get resolved later which I will give Michaelides credit for.

Once you get into it there are plenty of twists and turns that will have you questioning everything you just read. I flew threw the end pretty quickly but I had an idea of where the tale was going.

The ending left me wanting more, something more than what we were given. I wanted something big and dramatic - instead I was just like OK. This was just a really slow "thriller". It bordered on a cozy mystery if not for all the drugs and sexual comments.

Overall, a 3-star read. It didn't wow me but I didn't hate it. As a fan of The Silent Patient and The Maidens, I would recommend those before I would pick this one up.

we purchased this book for our library
Will you recommend this title through Readers’ Advisory, book clubs, events, etc?
Yes
Do you nominate this title for the LibraryReads List? By pressing YES, you also consent to your email address being shared with LibraryReads.
Yes
Is your library likely to purchase this title?
yes

I liked other books by this author but this admittedly was my least favorite. The plot felt a little all over the place and the narrator was unlikable to me. The pacing was very slow and the drama and twists would up feeling ridiculous and uninteresting.