"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides, while an engaging psychological thriller, falls short of reaching its full potential. The intricate plot and exploration of the human psyche are commendable, yet the execution feels somewhat formulaic. Michaelides' writing, though skillful, lacks the nuanced touch required to make the characters truly resonate. The suspense, while present, doesn't consistently maintain its grip, and some twists feel forced rather than organic. Despite these shortcomings, the novel still offers a decent escape into the realm of psychological drama. It's a three-star read that, while not groundbreaking, manages to entertain with its exploration of secrets and their haunting aftermath.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides delivered on its promise to be a masterfully told mystery. It interweaves thrilling aspects with well sequenced suspense creating a psychological, mystery/thriller like no other. A little slow for me at first, but when it picked up, I couldn't put it down. The truth lies between inasanity and reality and everything you think you know is wrong. If you are sick of the same old same old thrillers, this book will give you a different and quirky adventure. So glad I went for the ride.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it through this audiobook. The story was very slow and the narration made it impossible for me to follow along. I did give it many attempts but decided this one just wasn't for me.

This was a great slow burner to listen to while you do chores around the house. I loved the setting being in Greece and that we knew a murder happens so early on but it’s a slow build to find out more about it. And I thought I had this figured out but I was wrong. Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

The narrative style is intensely self-aware, and I found myself getting pissed at Elliot. The dynamics among the other characters or so-called friends on the island appeared to be marked by mutual disdain, perhaps even bordering on loathing. Not a single character resonated with me. The overall flow of the story is erratic. The initial stages were sluggish and repetitive, while the conclusion took a hit from left field.

Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Silent Patient," this novel failed to meet expectations. The characters failed to capture my interest, and my investment in the story was lukewarm at best. Despite the lingering desire to unravel the mystery of who did what, upon finishing, I was left with a rather lackluster feeling.

While you know within the first chapter that a murder has been committed, the book's first half is a slow-paced development of the characters, the relationships, and their motives for being the murderer or the victim.

By 60%, the pacing changes into a non-stop action plot with twists and turns around every corner. It reached a furious crescendo that I did not see coming, but Alex’s books tend to do that to me!

Why we love it: I loved the settings - mostly gorgeous Greece, sometimes rainy London. I loved the characters (and by loved I mean loved to hate them all.) The book being in journal format was stellar storytelling, as was the audiobook narrator’s reading of it. #gifted by Celadon Books

I almost want to come in giving this 2.5 stars. I was not a fan. The narrator, Elliot, tells us he is an unlikable character. The reader knows that immediately and even if he didn't warn us, we would still dislike him very much. The internal dialogue, which was meant to be narration/storytelling, just came across of sniveling nonsense. The amount of times he interrupted himself to say he was getting off track and would get back to that line of thought another time was borderline infuriating. I did not like this book. I did listen to the audiobook. I think that the actual audiobook narrator did such a great job in production of making Elliot unlikable. So kudos to him!

The Fury is told by our narrator Elliot Chase. Our story is about Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star. Elliot is a friend if Lana’s, who is accompanying her and her family and a mutual friend Kate on a trip to a price Greek island.

While there, tension amongst friends thickens, gun shots are heard, and a body is discovered. Who did it? A friend? An intruder on the island? As Elliot starts to unravel the story, we see that not all are who they seem to be and everyone is keeping secrets.

Honestly, this was not my favorite by this author. I very much disliked the narrator Elliot. I also didn’t love how the “twists” were done-I felt like I had whiplash.

If this is your first read by Alex Michaelides and you didn’t love it, please pick up The Silent Patient or The Maidens. In my opinion they were better!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an early recording of the audiobook.

As always, all opinions are my own.

I always appreciate that Alex Michaelides is going to create unique formats for his stories. While the ending of this one didn’t work for me, I enjoyed the listen!

There was a slow burn in the beginning. I thought it was slow until I got half way through it then the book takes off and I couldn't put the book down. I was so intrigued and just loved this story. I am a big fan of this author. All of the characters are so unlikable.

I thought I had the whole book figured out but I did not see the twists coming at the end. I was so surprised my jaw hit the floor.
This book was one of my most anticipated reads. When I got the copy of the book I screamed with excitement. I was thrilled.

This is my second book from Michaelides and I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the first one. The twists and turns were dramatic and gripping. However, I did find the constant switch from the current timeline to a flashback slightly confusing at times and they weren't as seamless as they could have been. I enjoyed the drama and the flair that came with the atmosphere and setup of this book. And even though I knew where the story was going, I enjoyed how Michaelides told it. The narration was wonderful too.

Twists, turns and unable to put it down. This book builds layers and keeps you guessing. I loved it. A locked room mystery on a Greek island. Celebrities, egos, jealousy, greed, ambition - everyone has a motive. It begins as a narrator sitting at a bar telling a tale that you may or may not believe. You are swept into the lives of a handful of people and learn all of their back stories. Lana a worldwide movie celebrity has a home on a Greek island to escape her life. In the first chapter, someone dies. Was it the reclusive island local caretaker, the longtime housekeeper who holds superstitions, the two best friends (one male, one female and also a celebrity), the husband or the son. Oh, you won't know till you read/listen and then you still won't get it right. I did the audio version of this book, and the reader was great, and made the book go from 4 to 5 stars. Definitely one to read and then discuss!

I enjoyed the ultimate story of this but found the narration story telling a little bit hard to follow, with the voice of the narrator coming through so loudly. I like that the author was trying something different here, but it came across a little bit annoying to be. Still, this was a compelling story and I would recommend it to friends who love thrillers.

Michaelides' third novel is my least favourite by far. This book is so weird and messy. I found it impossible to suspend disbelief for. In the end I didn't care who had done it. I didn't care which of these flat characters would live or die. I didn’t hate this but I’m definitely feeling underwhelmed,

From wind to murder. "At its heart it's a love story, the saddest kind. about the end of love. The death of love." Narrator and character in the story was an interesting concept. There were 7 people trapped on the island. One of whom was a murderer. Not a who done it but rather a why done it.

This was such a slow thriller then the end seemed rushed. There is not much which kept my attention. I found I kept putting this book down. It was a slow burn. The story comes full circle after listening to an unreliable narrator who is telling the story. There were tangents that seemed silly but in the end made sense. It was an interesting read, and the story line overall was intriguing.

I listened to The Fury on Audiobook, written by Alex Michaelides and narrated by Alex Jennings. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I adore a closed-circle isolated mystery, and I was excited to try The Fury despite my past experiences with the author because I love this trope so much. I was further intrigued because The Fury is told in five parts, like a Greek tragedy, and the narrative structure is very meta. Which has been very big in publishing recently, and I am finding that I like it. Yet, here, it was underwhelming and poorly executed.

Bogged down by backstory and exposition, the first 3rd of the book is slow and meandering, and despite the number of pages dedicated to the formation of the characters, they still feel underdeveloped. Further, our narrator gives so much away at the beginning that the remainder of the story, including the "shocking twists," has no tension.

By the end, I was so bored I didn't care who died or who did it. I just wanted off the island.

The Fury confirms my suspicion that Alex Michaelides is not for me. I am always intrigued by the premise of his stories, but I find the execution poor. He relies on unbelievable, obvious, and uninteresting twists to hide that his mysteries are ultimately poorly plotted and unsatisfying.

Despite all my issues with the story, I did find that I enjoyed the audiobook narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think I'm done with Alex Michaelides. His last couple of books have been very dull, in my opinion, and it's probably time I stop reading his work.

The Fury is a fast paced thriller that hooks you from the first minute and doesn’t let you go until the very last! I absolutely loved this audiobook!

This one a book that kept me guessing. One minute I was sure I had solved it then the next I was second guessing myself. Well written and I loved the way it was “scripted” to sound less like a book. Great story line not ending the way I expected it too. Wonderful read or listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book. Comments below are my own opinions.

Personally, I loved Silent Patient, but this book was not it. I feel like it took half the book to figure out who died. This was where the mystery started for me. I’m not sure what to call everything before besides background to set the scene? This book was hard to follow and if it weren’t for being an audiobook, it probably would have been a DNF for me.