Sorry I just didn't like the way this book was presented and found it really hard to get into. The characters were shallow and frankly the sort of people the world can do without. That in itself put me off. There were some good plot ideas but not enough to make up for the rest so I cannot say it will be a recommendation from me...but then we can't all love everything. Some will think its great I'm sure.

I’m not sure where to start with this review. Having loved The Patient, I was very excited to read The Fury. The story is basically written as a play in 5 acts and set predominantly on a Greek island. I felt no affinity with my of the characters and in fact found them all tedious neither likeable or hateable! The story was ok no you learnt a little about each character. There were some “plot twists” towards the end but not enough “wow” for me.

This is a slow burner
When I started reading it, I felt it was going to be like an Agatha Christie
Love the fact that this book is set up like a play which I did find interesting
I really enjoyed the plot line with all the mystery and drama to it
Couldn't read it fast enough
Loved it ..................

Thank you netgalley, Penguin house and Alex Michaelides

A group of friends are on holiday on a Greek island.
A slow moving thriller told in five acts with lots of twist and unlikeable characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having been blown away by 'The Silent Patient' I had high expectations for Alex Michaelides' new book - I certainly was not disappointed.
The writing is exquisite, the setting perfect and the twists and turns incredibly clever.
The Fury is a “whydunnit” as Elliott the narrator calls it, blending fact and fiction and keeping the reader guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have it sussed, the author springs another surprise!
Lots of crime thrillers these days tend to be much of a much but this one certainly is different. I cant recommend it enough.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this fabulous book.

A retired movie star of some repute invites her best friends to her private island, Aura. Set in the Greek Cyclades, it is a beautiful though somewhat austere island due to the wind known as The Fury.

What starts off as an Easter holiday to get some sun, soon turns into a chaos of mystery, intrigue and deception.

This is my first book by Michaelides and I was drawn in by the synopsis. Though not a bad book, it was frustratingly slow and drawn out, could have been a bit punchier, especially as the twists and turns were there, though some fairly predictable.

I will look out for The Silent Patient, as I gather this first book was excellently reviewed, with subsequent books not quite as well received. Though I understand that there is a spoiler in the epilogue of this book for TSP, I will have forgotten it by the time I get around to reading it! That said, bad form for an author to include spoilers in following books.

Thank you NetGalley.

3.5/4 stars ★★★★☆

It goes unsaid that anything Michaelides writes will be compared to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵. I found this much more enjoyable than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴, but fear nothing will compare to the twists and unpredictability of his first novel!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘺 is set up like a classic murder mystery, with 7 people stuck on a private island, and one of them is killed. It leans more into themes of greek tragedy, and our narrator is actually a playwright (rather than a psychotherapist - yay!), making it unique from the previous two books.

The pros for me were the execution of the unreliable narrator (we know Michaelides is excellent at this!), short chapters and twists, especially towards the end. I loved the way Elliot told the story and broke the fourth wall. However, I struggled with how slow-paced it was - more of a character study with a lot of setting up/backstory.

Characters from 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 are mentioned and it’s fun to see the overlap in the timelines. I’d love to see if these easter eggs are leading to a future book where these characters come together in one storyline - wishful thinking?

For some reason there is actually a major spoiler for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 in the epilogue - I guess the logic being that most will have already read it?? 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁!!! Don’t risk spoiling one of the best twists of all time for this!

Ironically, I think those who haven’t read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 would be impressed with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘺, but unfortunately this falls slightly flat in it’s shadow.

Interested to see what everyone thinks in 2024! I think it’ll be a marmite book - love it or hate it?

*Thank you Michael Joseph / NetGalley for provided me an ARC.
𝘜𝘒 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: 1st February 2024

I am not really sure what I thought of this book. I don’t like that it is written in the first person, I can’t say I enjoyed it as I didn’t like the characters, but I am glad I carried on reading to the end. Lots of twists and turns, I didn’t see it ending the way it did- so surprise it was worth reading to the end
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read the ARC

My first Alex Michaelides book. The plot is narrated by Elliot and is a tale of intrigue and murder set out in five acts.
I struggled to engage with any of the characters and found the book slow.

I thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review it though

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

I loved The Silent Patient so was really looking forward to reading this but I have to be honest and say I didn’t like the style of writing in The Fury - it was difficult to feel empathy for any of the characters and the pace of the book is quite slow.

A slow burn thriller about a murder on an isolated Greek island. An atmospheric nod to Agatha Christie, with all the classic Alex Michaelides twists and turns. Unfortunately it was slow in a frustrating way and predictable if you've read his other work. Not one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Lana is an ex film star, and is very famous. Every year she goes to her private Greek island, inviting those closest to her. And this year is no different, as she jets off with her husband, teenage son, housekeeper, and two friends with her, Elliot and Kate. But some of these guests have secrets that they don’t want exposing, which leads to tragedy and murder.

This was set out like a play, with 5 Acts that tell us the story of who, how, and why there was a murder. We read predominantly from Elliot’s point of view. The writing was witty, and was very fitting for the style of writing involved. I didn’t much connect with the characters, but I did like the character of Lana, and how sometimes fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This wasn’t just a story of murder, but also love.

Lana Farrar, a former Hollywood star, invites two of her friends to join her for an Easter weekend break on her private Greek Island. Also present are her husband and teenage son and the island's caretaker and her housekeeper Agathi. What happens during that weekend and the events leading up to it are told by one of the guests Elliot Chase who tells the story as if he's having a private conversation with the reader. I found this rather off putting to start with but soon became intrigued by what is essentially a tale of unrequited love, jealousy and revenge. To say there are plenty of twists and turns is an understatement!

We start off getting to know the characters Lana, Elliot, Kate from theater. Lana invites them and others to her island home in Greece. This is a slow burn murder mystery told in five acts and is narrated by Elliot. It picks up towards the end and is quite twisty! Thank you Celadon for a gifted copy.

Another gripping thriller from Alex Michaelides. An isolated island a small party for friends and many hidden secrets. I love a 'locked room mystery' and this was exactly what I love. I couldn't out the book down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review

The Fury
by Alex Michaelides
⭐️⭐️

Let me set the scene. Told like a Greek Tragedy in five acts, this is a twisted tale about a murder that takes place on a privately-owned Greek island. Or is it? Every year, movie-star Lana Farrar invites a group of her closest friends to spend time on the island of Aura. Elliot Chase, a longtime friend of Lana who is also our narrator, recalls the events leading up to an unforgettable night full of deception and revenge. But in true Michaelides tradition, not everything is as it seems.

I was so excited for this one so you can imagine how grateful I was to be given the chance to read it early. I loved The Silent Patient and really enjoyed The Maidens, but regrettably this one just didn’t do it for me. I found the pacing way too slow, I didn’t gel with the writing style, and I failed to connect with any of the characters. All of this combined meant that I found myself trudging through the book, rather than turning pages with anticipation. The final twist was reasonable, but by this point I just wasn’t as invested as I could have been. I hope this review doesn’t put anyone off, as reading taste is incredibly personal and you yourself might find a lot to like with this one but unfortunately, it just wasn’t my cup of tea!

P.S The Epilogue contains a spoiler for Michaelides first novel, The Silent Patient, so please be aware of that before reading!

Thank you kindly to both @netgalley and @michaeljbooks, a division of @penguinukbooks, for giving me the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller. I liked how the drama unfolded slowly peeling away another layer of events with each act so by the end I still wasn't sure which version was the truth. Was it as multi-layered or was it just one single act of unrequited love. Who knows - only Elliot does.

The narrator - Elliot - was really well written. I couldn't stand him!

Well.
We all love unreliable narratives and narrators and this hits all the bullseyes 🎯
I actively raced through this book because I wanted to know what happened to Elliot and Lana. Kate I couldn’t really have cared for - same with Lana’s husband he seemed a bit one dimensional and lacking. Other than that it’s a great book and one I would recommend heartily to my friends

A new Joan Collins mixed with Stephen King.

I could not put this book down. I thought at first it was going to be one of the books with no substance. Just went to show how wrong I was.

Plot lines, screen scripts, madness, jealousy, greed, and a sun-kissed island. what more do you want from a book?

Get this book as soon as you can for a Winter night reading.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this excellent book.

I am a huge fan of this author, so literally couldn't wait until February to read this. This book is like no other psychological thriller/murder mystery, although the premise may trick you into thinking so. Elliot tells us a story predominantly set on a beautiful Greek island. A murder mystery with so many twists and turns and so beautifully written, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend every book written by this author, but this is definitely my new favourite. Put it on your wishlist x