I loved Michaelides' previous two novels so I was super excited to jump into "The Fury", which offers a tantalizing premise, blending murder and love on a private Greek island. Narrated by Elliot Chase, the novel promises a unique story, however, the execution falls short.

My biggest gripe is the book's inconsistent pacing, which disrupts the narrative flow, leaving readers grappling with abrupt shifts between suspenseful moments and slower, less engaging passages. While the promise of a murder mystery looms, the story often veers into tangential reflections, diluting the tension.

Character development also proves lacking, with the central figures feeling thinly sketched. Lana Farrar, the enigmatic ex-movie star, and her friends become mere pawns in a convoluted game. The narrative struggles to evoke empathy or investment in their fates, hindering the emotional resonance crucial to a compelling mystery.

But, despite its flaws, Michaelides demonstrates skill in constructing twists and turns, leading to a memorable climax. The tale's potential is evident, but for me, the inconsistent pacing and underdeveloped characters detract from its overall impact.

3.5 stars

The Fury is a book that will transport you to both the Greek island it is mainly set on, but also to dreary London which the characters are trying to escape. Told like a play in five acts it isn't a fast paced thriller. The story meanders around thanks to the narrator Elliot. He tells you want he thinks you should know in the order he thinks you should know it. This makes for an interesting storytelling experience. The book claims to be a story of murder or love (you can decide which you feel is more of the main topic) but in fact it seems to be more so a story of the circle surrounding ex-movie star Lana, and thanks to his way of storytelling, especially Elliot. If you are looking for an intriguing story filled with murder, love, a locked room setting, betrayal, and drama all told at a leisurely pace you can stop searching, and pick this up.

An added bonus is that this book is set in the same world as Michaelides' other novels. The main characters from The Maidens, and The Silent Patient are there, but not having read those other titles does not deter from understanding of this one. They are just Easter eggs for fans.

I really enjoyed this propulsive locked-room thriller set on a private island in Greece. It moves very quickly, despite relatively little actually happening, and for a quick read this is perfect. The ending didn't quite live up to my hopes, however, as the twist (in my opinion) was pretty easy to see coming, and the other parts I didn't expect weren't really that exciting. However for the setting on a Greek island, the lavishness of wealth, and the fast moving story, I do recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Michaelides and Celadon books for the free ebook I exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I’m still processing this one a bit - it’s written very uniquely and it took me a few chapters to get into it. I loved the twists and the past and present back and forth we see, but it was my favourite novel of his. It’s definitely unique and totally worth reading, but it didn’t live onto the hype for me personally.

I loved The Silent Patient, but The Maidens missed the mark for me. I was excited about this one, but sadly, it, too, left me disappointed. The pace was so slow, which made it hard to get and stay engaged. The narrator switches at odd times. The twists were lackluster. The characters were flat and unlikeable, so I didn't really care about the ending, which I found to be a bit bizarre. I also found it very strange that there's a spoiler for The Silent Patient . I'm glad I'd already read that, and I didn't really see the purpose in giving the spoiler. I liked the setting and the premise, but, for me, it fell flat in the execution.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review for one of my favourite thriller authors!

The Fury was a dark story but light in a way that kept it readable and enjoyable throughout. Michaelides has a way with words that I can't place but can appreciate. I was hooked from page one, even though not really a whole lot was happening a lot of the time.

I loved the perspective we get in this book, as you get to know the narrator before he ever even really tells his own story, just based on how he judges and describes the other characters. We get to also see the power of feelings and emotions, and also how heartbreak and longing can dissolve into irrational and intense behaviours.

Reading a thriller without a major twist (which is knowledge you are given very early on) was a strange experience, and even though there were twists, they weren't jaw dropping or shocking by any means, but this story was enjoyable on its own, without the need for crazy plot twists. It still allowed to theorizing and it still had that want-to-know-the-truth, page turning affect to it.

Overall, loved this book! Definitely happy to add it to my collection and can't wait for more from this author!

Lana Farrar, a super famous ex-actress invites a handful of friends to her private Greek island for a mini vacay. Once on the island, someone is of course murdered and now we have to figure out WHO DID IT. In comes our unreliable and very animated narrator, Elliot Chase—one of the guests on the island. He felt so familiar, like he was sitting around a campfire telling me a creepy murder mystery.

Getting to know the characters, setting up “the murder”, and general atmospheric vibes were all laid out in the first half of the story. Some may find this a bit slow, but I was ok with it. And yes, twists and turns are so very cliche when talking about a thriller, but there really is no other way to describe the second half. It required my full attention to keep up with the narrator’s constant teasing and misleadings about “what really happened”. The pace quickens at this point and The Fury elevates to a whole new level. Yes it still has all the signs of a classic whodunnit tale, but Michaelides adds in all the psychological elements ( love this) that not only add thick layers to his characters, but to the crazy plot and ending as well. One other interesting piece to this story is that it is told like a play in many ACTS. Wicked clever story telling!!!!

The Fury is a fantastic tale and officially makes Alex Michaelides an auto buy author for me.

One note of caution…. The epilogue of this book has a pretty large Easter egg in it from his first book, The Silent Patient. If you have not read this book, I highly suggest you either read it real quick before the epilogue or don’t read it at all ( it spoils the ending) 🫢

This book was a whirlwind! I really like how the story was told.
The narrator was interesting and the ending really threw me for a loop!
I thought it started off a bit slow, then the murder happened, then it slowed down again but once everything started to unravel, I couldn't put it down!
I found the storytelling to be very unique. I liked how the narrator was so charismatic and made it seem as though we were friends.
It also kind of reminded me of the movie Vantage Point. The main event happened and we were shown different POV's that led to that moment and the aftermath. It was honestly brilliant, in my opinion.

I had a weird experience reading this book. On one hand, I tore through it. On the other hand, I didn't really care what happened. I think the reason I was invested enough to want to keep reading is a testament to the pacing and the author's creative way of revealing information by revisiting the timeline we think we understand. But the rest of it ... I saw the ending coming, I didn't really care about the characters that much, and it was overall just kind of ... okay.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides was so clever and masterfully written.
The way this author writes is just incredible. How he pulls you into the story is just riveting.
The plot is so smooth, the character development is enticing and you visualize the situations as if the images are right in your face.
A wonderfully done mystery novel, the characters were unique and I was totally invested once I started.

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Fury is a furious novel once again from Micaelides. Once again he crafts a soap opera stylish suspense novel that he somehow makes the crazy person seem sane until it all falls apart slowly. It's very entertaining and even if you think you know what's going to happen......well its not. Great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for an ARC of The Fury.

Murder? Check. Found Family? Check. The perfect thriller? Ehh.

All-in-all, I enjoyed my time reading The Fury. The author, Alex Michaelides, has a real knack for drawing the reader into the worlds that he creates with The Fury being no exception! I felt that the narrative had good pacing with a nice found family trope and kept me engaged throughout.

My only two issues with the book are that 1) Michaelides seemed to weave a cliffhanger into every chapter and sometimes multiple cliff hangers in a singular chapter. It felt very unnecessary and too fluffy. and 2) I felt the ending was a bit messy

Overall, The Fury is a well-paced thriller that may leave you wanting more? maybe even less than what you got?

3 stars

This book... At first I thought I didn't like it. I thought it was slow, and a little boring (which at times, it was) But, it was also very well written, surprising, and a little crazy.

Elliot, our narrative, is in love with his friend Lana, who is married to Jason whom she took from her friend Kate, who is now having an affair with Lana's husband (Jason). They all end up on an island for Easter and everyone is manipulating and lying to everyone else and chaos ensues.

Every time I thought I knew what was going on in this book, I didn't. But yet everything always ended up making sense once it came together. I'd recommend this. It was different from anything I've ever read.

Another intriguing novel by Alex Michaelides. This story was told in a very Agatha Christie-esque way. While I did guess the ending, it was a journey to get there nonetheless.

Holy moly! This book is nuts! My jaw is hanging open, but I enjoyed it. Alex Michaelides definitely has a special talent when it come to writing. His approach is different. I thought I saw things coming, but I didn't. I loved his choice of narrator - Elliot - who speaks directly to the reader and asks us to imagine that we are sitting at a bar together while he tells his story. And Elliot describes the story as a "whydunit" not a "whodunit" which is appropriate. Elliot is a good storyteller and observer, and he seems to enjoy telling the story. But can we trust him? Or anyone else? Sometimes, he changes or adds to his version of events. This book is about dreams, confessions, perceptions, hope, denial, lies, truth, true feelings, hurt feelings, revenge, betrayal and more. At one point, it moved a little slowly in the middle, but then picked up pace again. The Fury makes you think. Thank you to NetGalley and to Celadon Books for the eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fury
By: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Swipe for synopsis and check out my

✨ This book was my first NetGalley ARC ever - thank you so much, NetGalley, Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides!

✨ First and foremost, I thought this was a great read!!! For me, it was another 5 star thriller from Alex M!

✨ I loved Elliott Chase, our somewhat unreliable narrator. I liked the long windy narrative routes the story took across time and the narrator’s “storyteller” approach. I enjoyed the conversational aspect of the narration as well.

✨ Setting-wise, I love Greece and can’t wait to go back someday. My goal is to explore more of the “off the beaten path islands.” So, I really enjoyed the setting of the private “haunted/cursed to the locals” Greek island and the suspense added by “the fury” - or the mad wind that can blow there.

✨ I am always intrigued by famous celebrity murder mysteries whether fiction or nonfiction, so the plot and characters were up my alley.

✨ This book also me company during a 3.5 hour ER saga for a stupid hand injury. And then it kept me riveted for the rest of the day until I finished it at nearly 2 AM - I did not want to put it down!

✨ The ending got a little weird at parts. I did see the last bit coming, but the story twisted and turned many times completely unexpectedly!

✨ I am very excited for Alex’ event in Pittsburgh in January and to get my physical copy of the book! I love love the cover.

✨ There’s a cool little nod to The Silent Patient in the book. See if you spot it! I am reading The Maidens very shortly!! I wonder if there are any other cross-book Easter eggs.

❓ QOTD: If you were gifted a vacation home anywhere as a Christmas gift, where would you want it to be??

Having previously read Alex Michaelides’ Silent Patient, I was very excited for The Fury. It follows the story of a group of friends going to a Greek island for a vacation. There are points of views from characters, so you are able to get the full experience. It is a slow burn and I did not enjoy it as much as the silent patient. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A well-paced addition to the Michaelides Cinematic Universe. I appreciated the softened emphasis on Greek mythology in this book as I felt like I could focus more on the characters and their motivations. Suspenseful and thrilling.

My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an eARC of The Fury.

Pull up a barstool, Elliot Chase has a story to tell. About an island, a murder, and the seven people who were there that night.

Alex Michaelides has undoubtedly written the the gold standard for the thriller with The Silent Patient, and it’s hard not to come to his subsequent novels without any expectation. And if you read this novel expecting another Silent Patient you’ll likely be disappointed.

But if you picked up the The Fury, author unknown, I think any reader would enjoy what the book has to offer. It’s a slow burn, with a lot of setup, but the treat of this novel is the fun Michaelides has with his narrator and with his personal screenwriter background. I was thoroughly entertained by Elliot Chase, and the fact that he and most of the characters were quite unlikely worked well in this novel.

When the twists start coming, they come at lightning speed and make for an entertaining ride that I was happy to go along with. It ends up being a leaning more towards clever mystery territory than creepy thriller territory, and I think one’s experience of this novel will highly depend on how the reader approaches the novel.

Thank you, Netgalley, and publishers for my ARC copy.

The Fury was a slow burn for me. In the first half of the story, I found myself repeating the words, "Come on already, get to the point!" However, about mid way through, it started to click and pick up pace. The first half began to make sense as to why it was shared with us. Then the ending, it was making me angry with all the back and forth twists, but I loved it all at the same time!

Lana, her family, and friends all take off for a getaway to her privately owned island off of Greece. What's supposed to be a relaxing little vacation turns into a big game of secrets and seeking revenge. Lana discovers her husband hasn't been honest, and when she confided to her friend Elliot, they came up with a mastermind plan to call him out. Once they arrived on the island, everything was going as planned... until they weren't. Six friends on one island and one murdered. Can you figure out who dies and who the suspect may be? It wasn't till the last page before I figured it out, and while I wasn't surprised, I didn't see it coming.