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dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 3⭐️
Vibes: 🎥🎭🇬🇷🏝️📝
Publishing date: Jan 16, 2024 (out NOW, happy pub day!)
Thank you to @celadonbooks for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.
What to expect:
- First-person narrator
- Murder on a private, remote Greek island
- Told in 5 Acts
- Non-linear timeline
*** WARNING: There is a spoiler for the Silent Patient in the epilogue, and Easter eggs throughout the book
My critiques:
- Don’t go in expecting a thriller; I did for some reason, but I would describe this as more of a drama/mystery; it didn’t have the propulsive nature or anything that really gave me goosebumps which I like from a thriller (like the Silent Patient did)
- Unlikable characters that made it difficult for me to care about their fates; there is a murder, but I was never truly made to care
- Slow pacing in the beginning; due to this, I feel like there was so much set-up that I was sick of waiting by the time of the big reveals
What I liked:
- Quick read overall (started it on Sunday, finished it Monday)
- The ending really did pick up, and the twists and turns did surprise me
The Silent Patient is still his best work imo; both the Maidens and this book left me wanting more. I think I’ll give him one more chance? It has to be difficult when your debate is so widely loved and recommended, to measure up to that.
Overall, I’d recommend this if you enjoy tragedies with Greek mythology references, Agatha Christie-inspired works, and omnipresent first person narration (which was interesting, it felt like the narrator was talking to the reader/breaking the 4th wall… not sure it totally worked for me, but it was unique).
⚠️ CW/TW: murder, gun violence, infidelity, mentions of childhood abuse/neglect.
My rating: 3⭐️
Vibes: 🎥🎭🇬🇷🏝️📝
Publishing date: Jan 16, 2024 (out NOW, happy pub day!)
Thank you to @celadonbooks for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.
What to expect:
- First-person narrator
- Murder on a private, remote Greek island
- Told in 5 Acts
- Non-linear timeline
*** WARNING: There is a spoiler for the Silent Patient in the epilogue, and Easter eggs throughout the book
My critiques:
- Don’t go in expecting a thriller; I did for some reason, but I would describe this as more of a drama/mystery; it didn’t have the propulsive nature or anything that really gave me goosebumps which I like from a thriller (like the Silent Patient did)
- Unlikable characters that made it difficult for me to care about their fates; there is a murder, but I was never truly made to care
- Slow pacing in the beginning; due to this, I feel like there was so much set-up that I was sick of waiting by the time of the big reveals
What I liked:
- Quick read overall (started it on Sunday, finished it Monday)
- The ending really did pick up, and the twists and turns did surprise me
The Silent Patient is still his best work imo; both the Maidens and this book left me wanting more. I think I’ll give him one more chance? It has to be difficult when your debate is so widely loved and recommended, to measure up to that.
Overall, I’d recommend this if you enjoy tragedies with Greek mythology references, Agatha Christie-inspired works, and omnipresent first person narration (which was interesting, it felt like the narrator was talking to the reader/breaking the 4th wall… not sure it totally worked for me, but it was unique).
⚠️ CW/TW: murder, gun violence, infidelity, mentions of childhood abuse/neglect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been a fan of Alex Michaelides since The Silent Patient. I absolutely devoured that book and have been chasing the same vibes since. The Maidens wasn't my favorite, so I had really high hopes for this one. It's been a few days since I've finished it, and while I did enjoy it more than The Maidens, I'm not entirely sure of my feelings/thoughts.
It wasn't the best first impression with The Fury. I immediately got vibes similar to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Although the narrator made reference to Agatha Christie, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the similarities. To me, it greatly takes away from a book if plot lines are too similar to other works. I was nervous that was what was happening here. But as I continued to read, I started to feel that the author had something different in play here, almost as if the similar plot lines added to the unreliability of the narrator. I don't want to say too much because I want to avoid spoilers, but the turn of events (especially in the end), won the story for me.
While The Fury didn't live up to The Silent Patient, I still ended up enjoying it very much. I read the bulk of it in one sitting because I was so invested in the story and the roller coaster of emotions it sent me on. I love a good, unreliable narrator, but there was a point where I got so annoyed with him that I wanted to chuck the book out the window. Because of this, I keep going back and forth with my rating. As of now, I've settled on 4 stars. As others have said, the pacing was a bit off. There was also a twist near the end that was a bit ridiculous. BUUUUUUT, when I think about it more, I wonder if the reader is meant to feel that the twist is ridiculous. Because when you remember that everything is being recalled from the narrator's POV (this particular scene is referencing what other people were thinking/saying), and when we realize the mental state that he's in, that could explain why it sounded so ridiculous. I know I'm rambling, but this is a great book to ponder on.
One thing that I love is how the author ties together all of his books. You don't necessarily need to read them in order, but I would note that the epilogue for this one includes a spoiler for The Silent Patient.
Thank you to Celadon Books for my early copy of the book! All opinions are my own.
It wasn't the best first impression with The Fury. I immediately got vibes similar to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Although the narrator made reference to Agatha Christie, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the similarities. To me, it greatly takes away from a book if plot lines are too similar to other works. I was nervous that was what was happening here. But as I continued to read, I started to feel that the author had something different in play here, almost as if the similar plot lines added to the unreliability of the narrator. I don't want to say too much because I want to avoid spoilers, but the turn of events (especially in the end), won the story for me.
While The Fury didn't live up to The Silent Patient, I still ended up enjoying it very much. I read the bulk of it in one sitting because I was so invested in the story and the roller coaster of emotions it sent me on. I love a good, unreliable narrator, but there was a point where I got so annoyed with him that I wanted to chuck the book out the window. Because of this, I keep going back and forth with my rating. As of now, I've settled on 4 stars. As others have said, the pacing was a bit off. There was also a twist near the end that was a bit ridiculous. BUUUUUUT, when I think about it more, I wonder if the reader is meant to feel that the twist is ridiculous. Because when you remember that everything is being recalled from the narrator's POV (this particular scene is referencing what other people were thinking/saying), and when we realize the mental state that he's in, that could explain why it sounded so ridiculous. I know I'm rambling, but this is a great book to ponder on.
One thing that I love is how the author ties together all of his books. You don't necessarily need to read them in order, but I would note that the epilogue for this one includes a spoiler for The Silent Patient.
Thank you to Celadon Books for my early copy of the book! All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity
Minor: Abandonment
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This started out really slow for me and then picked up at the end to the point that I was flying through it. It was quite twisty and an interesting take on Agatha Christie (as he mentioned a few times throughout the book). I did find it a little confusing at times to keep up with who was talking/how the narrator interacted. I suppose that could have been the point after sleeping on it for a day or so. Either way, I enjoyed it and put it somewhere between like and love. The Maidens is still my favorite novel of his.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence
Minor: Stalking
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited to read this one after loving The Silent Patient, but it just fell flat for me. For a thriller, it’s pretty slow-paced. I typically like an unreliable narrator, but this one just really grated on my nerves. Almost DNF’d it because it was hard for me to get into and I didn’t feel attached to a single character.
However, I always love how Michaelides includes Greek culture and psychoanalysis into his novels. It’s always special to see parts of an author in their work. I will definitely still be reading The Maidens, and still am a fan of Michaelides, for sure.
However, I always love how Michaelides includes Greek culture and psychoanalysis into his novels. It’s always special to see parts of an author in their work. I will definitely still be reading The Maidens, and still am a fan of Michaelides, for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Blood, Alcohol
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoyed The Silent Patient; unfortunately I found that this one fell flat. I really didn’t enjoy it due to the slow pace, unlikeable narrator and underwhelming plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol