I would first like to thank Celadon Books and Alex Michaelides for providing me with this arc! The Fury is the third book by Michaelides and has similar Greek mythology sub-plots as his second book The Maidens. The Fury tells the story of love and murder and how the two can be inextricably intertwined. It is set in many different locations with the main ones being London and a small, private Greek island. The story is told from the perspective of Elliot, who is the worlds most unreliable character. For the most part this book was very good!! I found myself intrigued and invested throughout the whole book. It was fast paced and I enjoyed the time jumps. The ending however was where this book lost its points from me... I felt it was lackluster in a way and just didn't tie the loose ends together as much as I would have liked! Overall I think this is the weakest of his three books but I did still enjoy it!

3.5. I found the first half of this book hard to get through due to the writing style of the narrator. While I recognize it was crucial to the plot, it felt taxing to me. Once again, Michaelades provided a twisty book that I couldn’t predict, with a satisfying conclusion.

While the format of this book was a new experience for me, I found it rather engaging and in a way, entertaining. The book was divided into five acts, I'm guessing sort of like a play given that the storyteller himself was a playwriter.

The story's narrator, Elliott Chase, walked us through the night of the murder and the days leading to it. He claimed himself to be unreliable - although usually a plot twist in some novels, this one was admitted by the character himself and rather important to note.

The story revolves around Lana Farrar, an ex-movie star who retired early to be a devoted mother to her son, Leo. She married her older producer, Otto, who died prematurely. She then moved out of LA (or out of the country, rather) to England post-retirement and has since made friends around her. One of which was her best friend Kate, from whom she met her husband Jason, and of course the narrator himself, Elliott. When Lana decided to escape the rather rainy weather in England, she decided to invite her friends, along with her husband, Leo, and housekeeper Agathi to her private (gifted by late husband, Otto) island in Greece. Said island was named Aura, due to the raging wind that often works through the island. "Agathi's grandmother used to call the Aegan wind to menos, which means 'the fury' in English."

I appreciate the artistic writing throughout the story. The wind (the fury) being played throughout the story being its own theme was fantastic. The plot was cohesive enough, though I thought it would help more to know about the Elliott beforehand (that's all I'm going to say to avoid spoilers). Each Act reveals more to the story than the previous one which kept me engaged. Overall, this was a love story indeed.

Just when I thought the story was finished, the author decided to INCLUDE a very memorable character from his previous book, which was WHOA. It be nice to have a little short story about these character's encounter in my opinion.


I was provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Celadon Books and NetGalley!

Wow! Just wow! I didn’t think Alex Michaelides could get any better after The Silent Patient. I was wrong! This book was great. There were times it was a little slow, but for the plot, it worked. Wonderful development of the characters!

The Fury

Note: Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for this ARC.

The Silent Patient is still one of my absolute favorite thrillers of all time and if you feel similarly, this novel was unlike his previous novels. This read as cozy mystery rather than a thriller and felt very Knives Out 2. At the same time, this book was filled with many introspective observations which felt meaningful as this is my first read of the new year. I am attending the author’s book signing later this month so I look forward to hearing the backstory behind this novel’s fruition.

Some of my favorite quotes were:
How did such two different people ever become friends? I suspect youth had a lot to do with it. The friends we make when young are rarely the kind of people we seek out later in life. The length of time we have known them accords them a kind of nostalgia in our eyes, if you will; an indulgence; a "free pass" in our lives.

It's like falling in love, isn't it, when you make a new friend?

Character is fate…who you are determines what happens to you

A human being will act to remove pain.

That's where all creativity is born, I believe in the desire to escape.

Can we first talk about the brilliant cover for this book?! Why are we not focused on the huge “evil eye” symbol that is front and center on the cover of this magnificent book? And how convenient that this story takes place on an island in Greece. And for those who are not aware, the Greek evil eyes are “all-seeing eyeballs”, which are supposed to ward off negative energy caused by another’s jealousy. 🧿 Very well played Alex Michaelides. 👏

All I can say is that I loved this cleverly written story! The Fury had everything that I look for in a book, which included exquisite writing and short chapters- which made me turn the pages faster. The book was broken down into Five Acts, just like a screenplay. So brilliant!! The characters were relatable, and even though they weren’t the most likable, I still had a soft spot for some of them- especially our narrator Elliot Chase.

Elliot Chase is the narrator of this story. Elliot will speak to you like you are an old friend. Elliot will tell you step by step (and play by play) exactly what happened at his friend Lana’s house on the island in Greece. Were there some unexpected events that made me gasp 😮 You bet there were! This story certainly did not play out like I expected.

The Fury is my first thriller going into 2024, and while I was debating between 4 or 5 stars- I decided to go with five stars because of the originality of this story. I loved the narration of Elliot, and I loved the fact that this book was quite different than most of the thriller/suspense books that I’ve read lately, and for that I am very grateful (and happy). I also highly recommend reading this fast-paced story!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: January 16, 2024.
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers

On a private Greek island near Mykonos, one of the most famous actresses in the world, Lana Farrar, gathers with her closest companions: her husband Jason, her son Leo, her assistant Agathi, her close friend (and narrator of the novel) Elliot, her best friend Kate, and the island's caretaker, Nikos. By the end of the second page, we know that a murder takes place. We know that Elliot survives (since he's narrating), as well as Leo (since he finds the body); the rest, as they say, shall be revealed in due time.

From that point forward, our narrator Elliot takes the reader on a journey, gradually revealing bits of the story to help us understand what really happened on the island. Elliot strikes a conversational and conspiratorial tone, with frequent tangents and side commentary separate from the rehashing of the story. Despite his alleged efforts to the contrary, Elliot can't help but make this story about him, and so much of your enjoyment of the novel, I think, hinges on how you feel about Elliot as a character and the conversational style employed by Michaelides.

I, for one, was not a fan. While Michaelides does an admirable job of giving Elliot a distinct voice that is consistent and "in character" until the bitter end, the schtick grew tiresome for me. Elliot is like your cattiest, most insecure friend, always anxious to spill the tea on the latest gossip. Fans of The Silent Patient also know that Michaelides loves to employ an unreliable narrator. While Elliot repeatedly assures the reader that what he is rehashing is the truth, he also acknowledges there could be some gaps in the retelling. To give you a sense of the pattern of narration, here's a quick excerpt on that topic:

"I stress all this so that, if at any point during this narrative I mislead you, you will understand that it is by accident, not design -- because I am clumsily skewing the events too much from my own point of view. An occupational hazard, perhaps, when one narrates a story in which one happens to play a minor role.

Nonetheless, I'll do my best not to hijack the narrative too often, Even so, I hope you'll indulge me the odd digression, here and there. And before you accuse me of telling my story in a labyrinthine manner, let me remind you that this is a true story -- and in real life, that's how we communicate, isn't it? We're all over the place: we jump back and forth in time; slow down and expand on some moments; fast-forward through others; editing as we go, minimizing flaws and maximizing assets. We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives."

If you enjoy the above conversational approach to narration and storytelling in a novel, The Fury might be a great fit for you! Michaelides provides at least a minor motive for each character on the island to turn to murder. It is effectively a whodunit (although Elliot says it's really a "whydunit"), and whether it's Michaelides' skill as an author or Elliot's "labyrinthine manner" of storytelling, most everyone remains in play as a suspect until the end. It's a quick read -- the conversational style speeds the story along, and while there are the previously advertised divergences from the plot, in most cases those are minor. The story follows a pretty linear recounting of the path from the conception of the trip to the dead body at the end, with the occasional divergence to fill in some expository backstory.

I was one of the rare few who didn't love Michaelides' debut novel The Silent Patient, and so I wondered if perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind while reading that one. As such, I was excited to give The Fury (and Michaelides) another try. While I was generally satisfied with the novel, I think his style is probably just not for me, so take my middling opinion of this novel with a large grain of salt. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient (like so many did), you may find The Fury more to your liking than I did, but be sure you're ready to spend 300+ pages with Elliot and his narrative style.

I kicked off 2024 with one of my most anticipated reads, and The Fury delivered!

The Fury admittedly has a bit of a slow start; but once I hit Act III, I could not put this book down. With short chapters, it’s easy to read this book quickly.

I loved Michaelides’ presentation of this tale as a Greek tragedy with five acts. The first person narration was fascinating, and the twists were stellar.

Character is plot! And Michaelides is a master.

A perfect book for readers who enjoy:
🧿 nonlinear timelines
🧿 character-driven storytelling
🧿 murder mysteries
🧿 atmospheric settings
🧿 nods to other books and writers

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for my gifted copy of The Fury.

What to expect in this book:

-Greek island setting
-Second person POV
-Unreliable narrator
-Short chapters
-Slow burn thriller
-Play-like structure

Thoughts

From the author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens comes the slow-burn and intriguing thriller set on an island off the coast of Greece. There is a full cast of characters on this island and a murder. In what seems like an Agatha Christie style story, this is more than a "whodunit" but a "why" did they do it? This is truly the most unique thriller that I have seen in a long time--both in the structure of the story as well as the overall plot and ending. I have seen in many people's reviews, both positive and negative, reasons for loving and applauding this book and can also see why other's would not love it. Personally, I really enjoyed it.

Going into this story, if you have read either of his previous works, just go ahead and throw whatever you are thinking about out this window. This is not The Silent Patient, this is completely different. Written like a play, this book is split into various Acts and has short chapters which keeps the story flowing. The first 30% felt very slow to me and leaned much more mystery than thriller. While there is a murder discussed, the heartbeat of the story is about the characters and the narrator in particular, Elliot Chase. Elliot details much of his own life, so much so that the fourth wall is knocked down to talk directly to readers or "the audience." Readers may find this different or strange, I found it to be interesting and reminded me of stories I read as a child.

I have seen several readers describe this as a thriller for intellectual readers and I would agree with that statement. The twists that occur are not sweeping and shocking but smooth and seamless, so much so that you might have to flip back some pages to fully grasp the meaning. I really enjoy books that make me think and question character-arcs. If you love theatre and have been a part of productions, this may prove to be especially interesting to you. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see how it is received by others.

Thank you to Celadon Books and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book publishes on January 16.

Same author as The Silent Patient (which I LOVED) and The Maidens

Pull up a barstool, pour yourself a drink, and settle on in as narrator Elliot Chase tells you about the murder that took place on a beautiful Greek Island over Easter weekend.

Seven people start on this island, and one ends up murdered. Elliot tells the story in his POV. While I liked this concept and thought it was unique, some parts didn’t make sense. Like he couldn’t have been in this particular place watching this unfold, while also being some place else.

While Elliot wasn’t all that relatable, I did like how we gave background on all the people on the island. It made the characters more likable and full of secrets.

The short chapters make this book a quick-easy read! I was dying to know who the “killer” was. The ending also has a big twist that I did NOT see coming!!

If you like murder mystery’s with unreliable narrators, this book is for you!!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Pub date: January 16th, 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book was a thrilling ride that I could not put down. I loved every minute. I never knew who was lying and what would happen next.

I was super excited for this book, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I absolutely loved The Silent Patient, but The Maidens and now The Fury just aren’t on the same level. I found the storyline to be extremely slow and to be honest I had no interest in finding out what happened. I rarely DNF a book, but unfortunately I had to call it quits about 20% through. Maybe I’ll revisit this again in the future, but for now this was unfortunately a disappointment. 😞

So interesting, a quick read too! Lana retired young from Hollywood and moved to London. A murder occurs during a trip to her Greek island while there with her family and two friends. I loved the tone of the narrator, Elliot. The twists were great, very suspenseful. I especially loved the brief appearance of two characters from previous books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Fury by Alex Michaelides, set to released on January 16. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

I was super excited to read this book! I read The Silent Patient by the same author last year, and it was a hit for me! I hoped this would be similar and it delivered!! The short chapters made this book fly by, seriously, I could not put it down.

This is a murder mystery set on an island in Greece. It follows a group of friends/frenemies as they navigate there complicated relarionships. Michaelides does a great job at both making you love and hate each of the characters, and at one point during the book, I personally could see any of them being the main suspect
Overall, I enjoyed this book! I had some aspects of this plot figured out, but I was still shocked at the end.

Thank you so much to Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for this ARC of The Fury. This is my third read of Michaelides and might be my favorite! The short chapters had me flying through this book and I couldn’t put it down. I had some of the plot figured out but in the end I was fairly surprised by the outcome. I love the small references to Greek mythology.

Elliott is such an unlovable, lovable narrator. In fact, there’s something to be said for how you’re able to dislike all of the characters.

This is such a twisty, psychological thriller. 4/5 stars and a really great read!

“This is a tale of murder.” These are the first words in the book, so no spoiler here. It is told in first-person by Elliot Chase, who is writing this story to explain what happens when five people go to a Greek island over Easter weekend, and a murder occurs. A real “whodunit,” in his words, though unlike any murder mysteries you have read before, such as in Agatha Christie’s books. He wants to assure the reader, this story is not like those stories. But as you go along, you may begin to wonder about Elliot himself: is he telling the truth? Is he telling the whole story? What is really happening here? So -- you must keep reading and reading until you get to the very end -- you will not want to put this book down until you find out! It is quite the fast-paced page-turner, and will hold you captive until you know: who was murdered, who was the murderer, and more importantly why?

This is a good one!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, and Celadon Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I loved The Silent Patient and thought The Maidens was just okay. I am happy to say that The Fury lands somewhere in the middle! This book hooks you in from the first chapter and keeps you until the very end.

I loved the narrator- the voice kind of reminded me of the narrator in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Snarky and kind of meta. I found the setting so immersive and easy to fall into. I liked switching between POVs and finding out what each character was thinking. I also thought the Greek tragedy formation of it was very clever.

The Fury is a book every thriller fan should have on their TBRs for 2024.

whew okay I devoured this one yesterday on our plane ride home after the holidays.

I've had 'The Silent Patient' [also by Alex Michaelides] on my list for some time so when I recieved this advanced reader copy of 'The Fury' from @netgalley & @celadonbooks
I was stoked to read it.

set in London & on a private Greek island, Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star, invites her closest friends to her island for Easter, but their reunion turns dark as a storm traps them, and a murder unfolds.

the timeline is a non-linear, bouncing between present day and years past which makes for some fun as you try to work out the story.

the opening of the books sets the stage -- it's not a whodunit, it's a whydunit.

loved Elliott [the narrator] and thought the writing was brilliant all the way through. You love him, you hate him & you can't put the book down.

will definitely be picking up Michaelides other books.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on January 16, 2024.

This is my third Alex Michaelides books and my favorite since The Silent Patient.

Lana Farrar is a famous former movie star. When she decides she needs to get out of London for a few days, she invites her husband, son, and two best friends to her private Greek island. There will be bl👀d.

The novel is told in first person by one of Lana’s best friends, Elliot Chase. This is the second novel I’ve read recently where the narrator speaks directly to the reader. The other one was West Heart KiII by Dann McDorman. I enjoyed both novels very much. I’ve decided I like being a character in a book. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a really good one. Recommended.

Lana Farrar is a former Hollywood movie star now living in London with her husband and son. The English weather has her down and she invites her friends Kate and Elliot to her private Greek island along with her assistant and island caretaker that stays there all year round. Told from Elliot’s point of view, the friends are full of secrets and by the end of the weekend one of them is dead.

This was such an interesting read, not your normal locked room mystery. Told from an unreliable narrator, Elliot, who spins wild stories you don’t know are true or not. With quick, short chapters this book will have you devouring it quickly.