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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
The only reasons this is a YA Horror is the age of the characters and no cursing or sex. The horror is very real. Some of the haunting images that The Fury leaves you with are amazing. The best part is the connection to the characters since it is told from each of their points of view. Great ending also.
This review originally appeared on Book Brats on July 21, 2013.
Oh, my stars. I’m not sure quite what I was expecting from The Fury, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. I don’t know if, perhaps, I read the wrong synopses or maybe they were just badly written, but there wasn’t a lot of information to go with. What I did expect was horror, given the genre descriptions and even the cover. What I actually got was a lot of confusion, a lot of boredom, and a case of reader’s whiplash. More on that later.
The Fury is a multi-p.o.v. novel, meaning there are four different characters to keep track of throughout its entirety, with brief cameos from others. That’s a lot of information, in case you’re wondering. I usually enjoy a nice multi-p.o.v. storyline, but this one just didn’t do it for me. First off, it had a few too many p.o.v.s. The three primary characters would have worked beautifully, but it just didn’t stop there. Not only do you have Cal, Daisy, and Brick, you also have a detective, an anti-terrorism agent, a mentally broken teenage girl, a drunk teenage boy, and even the brief last moments of a dying girl. That is entirely too much to pack into one book, no matter how long it may be.
As if that wasn’t enough, the plot was all over the place. True, it was grim and bleak and every other superlative within the same category. However, that wasn’t enough. Its pacing was nothing short of choppy and left me bouncing between bored and interested throughout. If you think that’s my last complaint, think again. The identity of the supernatural beings the book ultimately revolves around are surrounded in constant disagreement. The primary characters disagree with each other on their true nature time and time again. Heck, even individual characters go back-and-forth in their own minds as to what these beings are. Talk about whiplash. I still don’t know what on earth I was actually reading about. As for the horror aspect, I was sadly disappointed. True, there were elements that were supposed to be horrific. However, I found myself so disconnected from the rest of the story that it just failed to capture my imagination. I was looking for a lot more engagement than I actually got.
I have no doubt that there will be readers who enjoy The Fury. I, however, am not one of them. With such wishy-washy characters, a confusing stop-and-go plot, and continual lack of information as to the identity of all supernatural beings contained within the story, I just didn’t come together for me. Every time I caught onto a glimmer of interest, it unraveled before I could get a good grasp on it. That’s not to say there aren’t intriguing aspects to be found within. It’s just that by the time I reached the end, I found myself so apathetic that I wasn’t left with much motivation to think about them.
Oh, my stars. I’m not sure quite what I was expecting from The Fury, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. I don’t know if, perhaps, I read the wrong synopses or maybe they were just badly written, but there wasn’t a lot of information to go with. What I did expect was horror, given the genre descriptions and even the cover. What I actually got was a lot of confusion, a lot of boredom, and a case of reader’s whiplash. More on that later.
The Fury is a multi-p.o.v. novel, meaning there are four different characters to keep track of throughout its entirety, with brief cameos from others. That’s a lot of information, in case you’re wondering. I usually enjoy a nice multi-p.o.v. storyline, but this one just didn’t do it for me. First off, it had a few too many p.o.v.s. The three primary characters would have worked beautifully, but it just didn’t stop there. Not only do you have Cal, Daisy, and Brick, you also have a detective, an anti-terrorism agent, a mentally broken teenage girl, a drunk teenage boy, and even the brief last moments of a dying girl. That is entirely too much to pack into one book, no matter how long it may be.
As if that wasn’t enough, the plot was all over the place. True, it was grim and bleak and every other superlative within the same category. However, that wasn’t enough. Its pacing was nothing short of choppy and left me bouncing between bored and interested throughout. If you think that’s my last complaint, think again. The identity of the supernatural beings the book ultimately revolves around are surrounded in constant disagreement. The primary characters disagree with each other on their true nature time and time again. Heck, even individual characters go back-and-forth in their own minds as to what these beings are. Talk about whiplash. I still don’t know what on earth I was actually reading about. As for the horror aspect, I was sadly disappointed. True, there were elements that were supposed to be horrific. However, I found myself so disconnected from the rest of the story that it just failed to capture my imagination. I was looking for a lot more engagement than I actually got.
I have no doubt that there will be readers who enjoy The Fury. I, however, am not one of them. With such wishy-washy characters, a confusing stop-and-go plot, and continual lack of information as to the identity of all supernatural beings contained within the story, I just didn’t come together for me. Every time I caught onto a glimmer of interest, it unraveled before I could get a good grasp on it. That’s not to say there aren’t intriguing aspects to be found within. It’s just that by the time I reached the end, I found myself so apathetic that I wasn’t left with much motivation to think about them.
I really liked this one, it really intrigued me for how long of a book it was. I did have a few issues, the ending was a little lack luster to me and a bit hard to follow. There was a lot of character development threw the book, and near the end it seemed like a lot of that was lost, which was disappointing. But other then those few things, I did enjoy the book. 4/5 stars
3.5 Stars
This is one hell of a strange book.
I loved the first half of this book. It had great suspense. You were never really sure what the hell was going on. In this case I think the different PoVs really did work out. You get the story from three different perspectives. All 3 kids have their own unique personalities and you can immediately tell who was who. While technically they are all going through the same thing, they were all presented in different ways and from all three you can start picking up little tidbits to try and get the whole picture. That didn't exactly workout though.
During the first half I'm thinking it's a zombie apocalypse with a bit of a twist, seeing as people just go right back to normal after the kids are out of range. Then we get to the second half and this is when things start getting strange. And when I say strange I mean like, WTF is going on strange. It was pretty much like that during the whole second half.
As I said this book started out with a lot of suspense, creepyness and just a sense of the heebee jeebees. I loved it. The way people just seemed to zero in on the kids, then start hunting them down and trying to beat them bloody and then they would just not remember at all what happened, it was all just exciting, creepy, and sad. There was a great cast of characters mostly all kids. I really didn't like Rilke she was so presumptuous and arrogant, and I just really don't like the way she treated any of the characters.
I still don't understand how it took the turn it did, how it all works and why it's working like that. Why them? Why now? and why do they all just seem to believe whatever Rilke is selling? and how does The Fury work exactly? While some major questions are answered towards the end, there still wasn't nearly enough and I'm really hoping they all get answered in the second one.
While the first half was an easy 5 star for me, I was never really sold on the way the book turned out. The whole thing was just strange and not at all what I was expecting and I just didn't like what was happening by then. I will however read the last one because well it's the last one and I just really need to know what the hell is going to happen. I'm hoping it gets redeemed in my eyes somehow.
This is one hell of a strange book.
I loved the first half of this book. It had great suspense. You were never really sure what the hell was going on. In this case I think the different PoVs really did work out. You get the story from three different perspectives. All 3 kids have their own unique personalities and you can immediately tell who was who. While technically they are all going through the same thing, they were all presented in different ways and from all three you can start picking up little tidbits to try and get the whole picture. That didn't exactly workout though.
During the first half I'm thinking it's a zombie apocalypse with a bit of a twist, seeing as people just go right back to normal after the kids are out of range. Then we get to the second half and this is when things start getting strange. And when I say strange I mean like, WTF is going on strange. It was pretty much like that during the whole second half.
As I said this book started out with a lot of suspense, creepyness and just a sense of the heebee jeebees. I loved it. The way people just seemed to zero in on the kids, then start hunting them down and trying to beat them bloody and then they would just not remember at all what happened, it was all just exciting, creepy, and sad. There was a great cast of characters mostly all kids. I really didn't like Rilke she was so presumptuous and arrogant, and I just really don't like the way she treated any of the characters.
I still don't understand how it took the turn it did, how it all works and why it's working like that. Why them? Why now? and why do they all just seem to believe whatever Rilke is selling? and how does The Fury work exactly? While some major questions are answered towards the end, there still wasn't nearly enough and I'm really hoping they all get answered in the second one.
While the first half was an easy 5 star for me, I was never really sold on the way the book turned out. The whole thing was just strange and not at all what I was expecting and I just didn't like what was happening by then. I will however read the last one because well it's the last one and I just really need to know what the hell is going to happen. I'm hoping it gets redeemed in my eyes somehow.
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
Oh my gosh, I do not know what I was expecting from this book, but it was definitely not what I got, and I mean that in a very good way. This book is huge, it clocks in at almost 700 pages, but this book is hard to stop reading. Just looking at the cover I knew this was going to be a creepy book, but what I got was chilling and different. It will be difficult writing this review without giving away too much because I find this will be an easy book to be spoiled.
The story opens up with one person noticing that his family has turned on him, and from there they attempt to kill him. It is creepy to think that these people that you know so well are doing everything to kill you and no matter what you do they keep coming after you. The story is told from many different perspectives, as we meet more characters, their view is also included in the story. Cal, Brick and Daisy are the main protagonists but you do get to see how "The Fury" affects others as well and how it changes them all in different ways.
Everything that happens in this book was so surprising, I wasn't really sure what to think of why "The Fury" comes out in people and what these kids have inside them that make them so special, but I can definitely say I didn't see it coming at all. It's a very slow process for the characters to realize what is so special about them, and they all handle it so differently, some become closer while it tears others apart and makes them turn on one another.
This book gets very disturbing at times with some of the character's actions, and I found myself wanting to put the book down, and yet at the same time I wanted to know what the purpose of these character's were. They are there for a reason, and it accumulates to some very large battle scenes which were very well done. What I really enjoyed was how the characters interacted with one another, you can see that some of them trust easily and begin to bond, while others are very wary and keep back. I have to say that I loved Daisy the most, she is young but she is a very quick learner and becomes the one that knows what is happening even if she can't understand why.
I can see this book being a great gateway into Stephen King books, and even one that fans would enjoy. I am interested to see where the story will go from here. If you are a fan of creepy and supernatural books this one will definitely be for you!
Oh my gosh, I do not know what I was expecting from this book, but it was definitely not what I got, and I mean that in a very good way. This book is huge, it clocks in at almost 700 pages, but this book is hard to stop reading. Just looking at the cover I knew this was going to be a creepy book, but what I got was chilling and different. It will be difficult writing this review without giving away too much because I find this will be an easy book to be spoiled.
The story opens up with one person noticing that his family has turned on him, and from there they attempt to kill him. It is creepy to think that these people that you know so well are doing everything to kill you and no matter what you do they keep coming after you. The story is told from many different perspectives, as we meet more characters, their view is also included in the story. Cal, Brick and Daisy are the main protagonists but you do get to see how "The Fury" affects others as well and how it changes them all in different ways.
Everything that happens in this book was so surprising, I wasn't really sure what to think of why "The Fury" comes out in people and what these kids have inside them that make them so special, but I can definitely say I didn't see it coming at all. It's a very slow process for the characters to realize what is so special about them, and they all handle it so differently, some become closer while it tears others apart and makes them turn on one another.
This book gets very disturbing at times with some of the character's actions, and I found myself wanting to put the book down, and yet at the same time I wanted to know what the purpose of these character's were. They are there for a reason, and it accumulates to some very large battle scenes which were very well done. What I really enjoyed was how the characters interacted with one another, you can see that some of them trust easily and begin to bond, while others are very wary and keep back. I have to say that I loved Daisy the most, she is young but she is a very quick learner and becomes the one that knows what is happening even if she can't understand why.
I can see this book being a great gateway into Stephen King books, and even one that fans would enjoy. I am interested to see where the story will go from here. If you are a fan of creepy and supernatural books this one will definitely be for you!
I became interested in this book because the first I'd heard from the author was about the Escape From Furnace series. I've never been huge on horror stories, but I read them anyway. I finished Lockdown in two days and just kept going from there. I loved the books so much that when I found out there was another book I went out to buy it. I wasn't expecting such a big book, but that just made the experience of reading it a lot better (I love thick books).
The story also looked extremely interesting from what I had heard about it. It's also quite a chilling concept.
One day, with no warning or premise, every single person you meet is trying to kill you. It doesn't matter if it's your mother, your father, your sister, brother, best friend, or complete stranger. One day- they all go insane and their only purpose is to kill you.
Don't tell me that that doesn't sound like one hell of a story.
The plot of the story revolves around a ragtag group of teens and children - who as luck would have it are the only ones who don't seem to be affected by what they get to call The Fury; they are the only ones not trying to kill each other. They succeed at reuniting in an abandoned theme park, and little by little start attracting more people - not all of them good. It's a really terrifying situation for all of them - they barely escaped from their homes, friends or family - now they are at a kind of safe haven - but what can they do after?
And if all that is not enough trouble - soon they realize that The Fury is probably not the worst problem they are facing. A mysterious force of destruction has appeared right in the middle of London, and it holds a terrifying truth for the survivors of The Fury.
I'm not sure what more to say without giving away more of the story, but I assure you that every page is worth it. The characters are varied but deep - you can see that the author knows what he's doing both in that and in the sense that he is getting together an incredibly complex storyline. It didn't feel like a 500+ page book at all - I just breezed through the pages because I had to know what happened after. Definitely Alexander Gordon Smith knows how to write a YA horror story - and I am getting to like those more with every book I read by him. I look forward to your next work!
The story also looked extremely interesting from what I had heard about it. It's also quite a chilling concept.
One day, with no warning or premise, every single person you meet is trying to kill you. It doesn't matter if it's your mother, your father, your sister, brother, best friend, or complete stranger. One day- they all go insane and their only purpose is to kill you.
Don't tell me that that doesn't sound like one hell of a story.
The plot of the story revolves around a ragtag group of teens and children - who as luck would have it are the only ones who don't seem to be affected by what they get to call The Fury; they are the only ones not trying to kill each other. They succeed at reuniting in an abandoned theme park, and little by little start attracting more people - not all of them good. It's a really terrifying situation for all of them - they barely escaped from their homes, friends or family - now they are at a kind of safe haven - but what can they do after?
And if all that is not enough trouble - soon they realize that The Fury is probably not the worst problem they are facing. A mysterious force of destruction has appeared right in the middle of London, and it holds a terrifying truth for the survivors of The Fury.
I'm not sure what more to say without giving away more of the story, but I assure you that every page is worth it. The characters are varied but deep - you can see that the author knows what he's doing both in that and in the sense that he is getting together an incredibly complex storyline. It didn't feel like a 500+ page book at all - I just breezed through the pages because I had to know what happened after. Definitely Alexander Gordon Smith knows how to write a YA horror story - and I am getting to like those more with every book I read by him. I look forward to your next work!
I’m right in the middle with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept and thought it was incredibly interesting. But the characters were so young that they grated on my nerves and I kind of wanted to strangle them all. And the book stretched on and on when it could have easily been half the size and packed way more punch. I also would have like more explanation as to how the whole phenomenon came about, we’re kind of left in the dark about that. Despite that it was a quick, fun read and it did keep me turning the pages!
Honestly, I was really excited for this book (what a thrilling premise! Kids who somehow trigger a murderous rage in those around them!) and was massively disappointed. I haven't even finished it (which is really rare for me).
The first chapter is a good start- you feel sorry for the kid and as confused as he is by how his parents are acting, and the unsettling actions of those who begin to feel animosity towards our main characters is delightfully tense. And Rilke's messed-up relationship with her brother and her not-at-all slow descent into madness is great.
And then I lost all interest. I'm not sure if it was the introduction ofthe angels (and, side note, how could the angels inhabit these people and invoke such animosity and then not control how their hosts used their powers?) or just the fact that all the running and talking dragged on, but I wasn't invested in any of the characters at all. When it came time for the final battle, I felt literally nothing. That's when I stopped reading, actually - I picked up another book and finished that one, and then started another, and just drifted away and found myself with no interest in continuing.
The first chapter is a good start- you feel sorry for the kid and as confused as he is by how his parents are acting, and the unsettling actions of those who begin to feel animosity towards our main characters is delightfully tense. And Rilke's messed-up relationship with her brother and her not-at-all slow descent into madness is great.
And then I lost all interest. I'm not sure if it was the introduction of