3.5

I had a hard time deciding what I would rate this book. I thought it was different, and I appreciate a unique story. I didn’t see the ending coming either, and I thought it was really clever. Unfortunately, I was just so bored. I wanted Elliot to get to the point.

I felt the same way about The Silent Patient. It dragged, but I loved the ending. Perhaps I just need to speed up my audiobook next time.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for the Fury and I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I didn’t love it or hate it, but I’m not entirely sure what I just read? It took me a little while to get into the book, but once I hit 25-30 percent, it flew. From this point, I has to know what happened and didn’t want to put it down.

The narration felt a little choppy but I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be that way because of Elliot. I liked the surprise of Lana not being dead, but it was very risky if he intended to murder someone and ultimately backfired. I would still be interested in checking out more books from this author.

Perhaps once again hoping to befuddle readers with a shocking twist, the author gives us a self-proclaimed unreliable narrator leading the reader through a tale in a very Gatsby-eque manner. The narrator, a playwright named Elliot, breaks the third wall and speaks directly to the reader as if sharing a drink at a bar. He hints repeatedly that SOMETHING bad is going to happen, but darned if it doesn't take a wicked long time to get there. Elliot makes multiple jumps back and forth across time in his narrative, often adding new information or even admitting that he had hidden or fudged the truth the previous time he told it. But, again, there is so much emphasis on what happened in the past (which is sadly quite slow and tedious) that by the time we get to what happened in the present, it's a bit disappointing. The whodunnit is unfortunately somewhat predictable, though the whydunnit is more interesting and entertaining.

The real problem is that where Nick Carroway is an engaging and relatable narrator, Elliot is not likable, and though we hear about his troubled past, it's not enough to fully explain why he does things or to make the reader engage with him. This detracts from the plot twists and any sympathy that might be felt for him throughout the events Elliot describes early on as "ones that destroyed my life". There is also a bizarre turn of events involving the eponymous Fury (I was disappointed that, despite the story occurring on the Greek Isles, the title is not referring to the Furies from Greek mythology, but rather a storm that frequents the island and a completely different Greek goddess ) that felt oddly out of place.

If you like a slow burn, this will probably be a book for you. But a thriller, unfortunately, it's not.
Thank you to the author, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. Alex Michaelides is a talented author. I adored The Silent Patient, felt less passionate for The Maidens and now The Fury unfortunately did not resonate with me despite its beautiful scenery.

The Fury
By Alex Michaelides

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

This story is about Lana Farrar and how happens to be a famous movie star world renowned. Every year she invites her closest friend to her luxury island by Greece. This year ends differently though.

I went into this story excited because I have read books by this author before and really enjoyed them. This story however, did not enthuse me. I guess I didn’t like how the story read/narrated by a guest, Elliot Chase. For some reason, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Some books are better read than listening to and I believe this one is just this, one I should have actually read.

Thank you again for giving me the chance to review this audiobook.

A Private Greek Island, Movie Star, Lana Farrow; her family, husband Jason and son, Leo; friends, Kate, Elliott, and Agathi, and Nico who oversees the Island year round. So, 7 people and then one less because a Murder happens. We know this because Lana’s close friend, Elliott Chase tells us the story. The locals say that the island is haunted and doom is always close by. The water can be gorgeous, turquoise and translucent or the Winds can make it dark and dangerous, resulting in a rage called The Fury.

Lana invites her friends and family to come each Easter to get away and relax. Yet, that is not as easy as it seems. Each person is keeping secrets, and that creates tension for all. There is a severe storm so no one is able to leave the island and the Fury is not just from the wind and water. I like the way the author has Elliott tell us a story, but promises more to come. He is speaking directly to us and that makes for some juicy news. The story is broken into five acts like a play, so each time a different act comes, Elliott must tell some more information he decides needed to be told.

So, once this story gets started, I really just loved listening to this tale. There are many twists and turns as happens with these types of stories, but many that I could not anticipate. It was a nerve racking 24 hours on the beautiful island. This group really behaves quite poorly and it is hard to love anybody, but still killing is an extreme way to go of course. I enjoyed finding out the entire story and could not put the book down until it was all explained.

The problem I had was that it took 1/3 of the book to get to this enticing point. Before that, the book moved too slowly. There were just too many details about each person that bogged the book down. That is why I rated this book 4 Stars.

This worked really well as an Audio book and I loved the narrator, Alex Jennings. His voice was perfect for this. Overall, I enjoyed this book so much, but wish I could have jumped in 30% into the story. Alex Michaelides has a great way of laying out of story that I find unique and this one did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley, Alex Michaelides, and Macmillan Audio for granting a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this thriller. It was quite the psychological merry-go-round. This book earned 5 stars from me for its masterful writing style though I did feel like it moved in circles throughout the storytelling rather than advancing forward. There was no figuring this one out, it kept me guessing the entire time and I appreciate when my head is still spinning at the end of a story — the author really accomplished that here.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Audio version of this book. I have to believe listening to this book made it far more enjoyable. Join this murder mystery, and listen to it play out with our cheeky storyteller, Elliott. I totally picture the narrator wearing a director's cape, and beret, wearing sunglasses and holding a martini! He is completely delightful. Elliott presents the series of events as if you are watching a play or a dinner murder mystery. You join him and all the other guests on a Greek island where we know a murder has taken place, but we don't know why or who did it. There are twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed the audio version of this book. I think the only thing this book suffers from, is being longer than it needed to be, it could have ended a few chapters sooner. But I believe the listener (or reader) will be swept into the play (or series of events), love some characters, and hate others. And be happy with a satisfying ending.

Despite the mixed reviews, I thought this book was great. I loved The Silent Patient and honestly nothing will ever compare to it, but this novel was was not bad. I loved the greek reference throughout the book. I read it in 2 days which shows that I was hooked!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Alex Michaelides for my eARC copy of this book via NetGalley.

There's been a murder (read this in a Savannah accent, à la The Office), and Elliot Chase is here to tell us about it. Elliot outlines the occurrences of the last few years and weeks leading up to the murder so we can get a better sense of himself and those around him on the private Greek island where the killing occurred.

I have read all three of Michaelides novels, and I think The Silent Patient is still my favorite, though this one would probably come in second. I do think the choice of writing the entire book as a story told by Elliot is a really interesting choice, and I know from other similarly written books that having listened instead of reading it gave me a better ability to follow the story. I think I would have gotten easily lost if I wasn't listening to it being read to me, and this way it felt like I was actually in on the conversation, and it made the points where he breaks the third wall feel a lot less hokey than they would have been otherwise.

I agree with others that the ending was extremely far-fetched/unrealistic, and for that reason alone I didn't know where it was going to end up at any point. However, I feel like that's a bit of a cop-out on the writers side; if you make the grand reveal something absolutely out of left field, you don't get the credit for fooling everyone (in my opinion of course).

Overall it was a fast-paced read, and it was enjoyable, but I think having The Silent Patient to compare it to makes it hard to ignore the flaws of this piece. I would like to also request a diagram of the universe these are set in, because gosh I just cant keep track of the characters' names.

Alex Michaelides is a fantastic author and has truly proven what a creative, thoughtful writer he is with the three novels I have read from him. I loved The Silent Patient, was "Ehh" about The Maidens and this one, while intriguing, falls somewhere in the middle for me too. I thought the premise was really great and couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. The story was good, the twists were ok, but the narration style was just simply hard to connect with. It was a very odd experience having the narrator speak TO you in second person. It broke down the fourth wall so to speak and while, it was fine at first, it was hard to connect and enjoy for me because I felt like the narrator had dangled *something happening* so often that when it happened it was a little... underwhelming. IDK. I think many people will love it but it was just not for me. That said, it's clear that Michaelides is incredibly talented and well rounded when it comes to what he writes and I'll surely pick up his next book too!

The Fury, by Alex Michaelides, is one of those books where you're practically burning at the seams to talk about it- but you're afraid to say too much and ruin the wild ride for any reader. But definitely, definitely read (or listen to) The Fury!!! If you're trying to decide your medium, the audiobook narrator, Alex Jennings, is incredible. (And you might recognize his voice-he played the Duke of Windsor in The Crown.) Highly recommend!!!

I enjoyed this audiobook and particularly the narrator, Great fit for the story about largely unlikable characters

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, endings make or break a thriller, and I was happy with the ending. I definitely did not see it coming and unlike The Maidens, it made sense and felt complete. Overall, this was a very clever thriller. If you’re looking for a new thriller to read, consider picking up this one!

This book reminded me of "everyone in my family has killed someone," a little. The narrator speaks directly to you, and I will say the twist at the end was surprising and interesting. Probably still doesn't live up to the Silent Patient, but was entertaining

Alex Jennings is a superb narrator. He truly made me feel like I was talking to someone on my couch while drinking a glass of wine.

However, the book was incredibly slow paced. I think it’s the slowest thriller I’ve ever read. I liked the ending but getting to it was pain staking. I have no doubt Alex Michaelides is a fantastic writer, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as his other works.

If you’re looking to read this, I do recommend the audiobook because I believe I would have put this book down if I was reading it instead of listening to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this story was set up as play with the narrator being character and being the playwright. Elliot was such an unreliable narrator and I love how all the narrators in Alex Michaelides’ are like that. This book was so good at deception and I was so convinced that Lana had been murdered and that anyone on the island could have done it. The elaborate ruse in the book was great.

“Now, I know only this for sure--the first half of life is pure selfishness; the second half, all grief.”

🤩 WOW!! I went into this book with trepidation, after loving The Silent Patient, I was unsure Michaelides could match it … well, IMO he’s surpassed it with The Fury.

Elliot has a story to tell … and boy, does he. Told by one of the best unreliable narrators I’ve read in a while. We follow a cast of eclectic and equally unreliable characters, on a small private island in Greece. This is one of those books where you can pop your feet up, grab a cuppa or an Ouzo and be prepared for a recount of a wickedly clever, meandering tale - the audiobook was outstanding. Narrated by the very talented English actor, Alex Jennings - think The Crown!

Adding to it’s flair, like a greek tragedy, the story unfolds in 5 acts. Elliot narrates the story like he’s chatting to an old friend. He’s recounts his version, with wit, humour, regret and precise calculation.

There’s a nod to Agatha Christie and even The Silent Patient 🤩 Overall a resoundingly clever, addictive whodunnit shifting towards a whydunit modern day thriller set amongst the ruins of the ancient.

Many thanks @macmillan audio for an ALC 🎧 - The audiobook elevated the reading experience to brilliance.

Publication date: 30 January 2024

I really enjoyed this one! The first act felt very much like Knives Out, then the second I started to get super creepy vibes from and didn’t enjoy as much but the ending reeled me right back in. I was going to rate this at 3.5 until the last page and that bumped it up to a solid 4!

The narrator was great!

Elliot is a very unlikeable character and unreliable narrator. I found myself mistrusting him from the beginning. I also found him quite annoying and at first I was rolling my eyes while listening. This is a good thing because the actually narrator reading the book is fantastic and really got in character. I did not see any of the twists coming and I was very curious to see (hear) when this was going. I enjoyed the journey and loved the epilogue.