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lanternheart's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A gripping, exhilarating, and at turns deeply suspenseful story that was difficult to put down whenever I began a session of reading it. This is my first time reading Michaelides, after being recommended another of his books, The Silent Patient. Having now read The Fury, specifically the last ninety-odd pages in a dizzying haze of twists, accusations, revenge, and sickening realization, I can confidently say that I look forward to reading Michaelides' previous works, as well as whatever he writes next.
The conceit of this book very much, at turns, reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, with the first-person retrospective of a narrator telling us their increasingly twisted, increasingly murderous, tale. Like Tartt's Richard Papen, Elliott Chase is a manufactured man of sorts, a desperate outsider to a world of privilege (here, Hollywood and the London theater scene, in TSH an elite group of students) and insularity that the desperate, painfully lonely child within the narrator seeks to become a part of at any cost.
Where the books diverge is the sheer number of twists, and the sheer Machiavellian ways that Elliott Chase, as The Fury continues, twists from semi-sympathetic narrator, gathering the reader to a story, to villain as the realization hits that heorchestrated faking his best friend and near-lover Lana's murder to be with her . That Elliott does not succeed, but is instead foiled by Lana's having found out his plan, found it disturbing, and decided to betray him from the outset in her own form of justice, her own betrayal, and chooses to take back her life from every man who's ever orchestrated it, is a brilliant climax.
As much as Elliott tells us he loves Lana, it's clear that his own attitude, his own belief that the others in his life he can orchestrate to make them love him, because he believes it will end in love, is folly of the utmost, a quest for self-fulfillment in a way that made me, as a reader, question everyone he says he loves. Of course, some of his affections felt genuine, but how much was this always about Lana herself? How much, in the end, as he describes himself havingmurdered her out of potent rage, out of fury, yet still seeing her in his mind as the woman on the big movie screen while he sits, glowing, in front of it as a child, was it always about having fallen in love with the image he wanted of a woman who loved him?
Elliott's near-fatal mistake is believing that he, like the novel itself, like the structure of it, holds all the power: that the people in his life are characters whom he can control. When he tries, in his own narration, to want to "interrupt them—to say, No, no, you're not meant to be saying that and This shouldn't be happening. But it was happening," he all too late realizes the sheer unpredictability of others, and in turn the sheer unpredictability of himself, embodied by the furious island winds into murdering the woman he thought he'd loved in cold, furious blood.
Needless to say, this was a gripping, disturbing, and deeply fascinating read that will doubtlessly offer a fruitful future reread which, despite my discomfort with Elliott as a narrator (the further you go, the less likeable he is), will likely propel me to return again, knowing all the twists, to see the eventual tragic ending. Like a good play, I have a feeling you could read this book more than once, see it more than once, and pick up something new each time.
The conceit of this book very much, at turns, reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, with the first-person retrospective of a narrator telling us their increasingly twisted, increasingly murderous, tale. Like Tartt's Richard Papen, Elliott Chase is a manufactured man of sorts, a desperate outsider to a world of privilege (here, Hollywood and the London theater scene, in TSH an elite group of students) and insularity that the desperate, painfully lonely child within the narrator seeks to become a part of at any cost.
Where the books diverge is the sheer number of twists, and the sheer Machiavellian ways that Elliott Chase, as The Fury continues, twists from semi-sympathetic narrator, gathering the reader to a story, to villain as the realization hits that he
As much as Elliott tells us he loves Lana, it's clear that his own attitude, his own belief that the others in his life he can orchestrate to make them love him, because he believes it will end in love, is folly of the utmost, a quest for self-fulfillment in a way that made me, as a reader, question everyone he says he loves. Of course, some of his affections felt genuine, but how much was this always about Lana herself? How much, in the end, as he describes himself having
Elliott's near-fatal mistake is believing that he, like the novel itself, like the structure of it, holds all the power: that the people in his life are characters whom he can control. When he tries, in his own narration, to want to "interrupt them—to say, No, no, you're not meant to be saying that and This shouldn't be happening. But it was happening," he all too late realizes the sheer unpredictability of others, and in turn the sheer unpredictability of himself, embodied by the furious island winds into murdering the woman he thought he'd loved in cold, furious blood.
Needless to say, this was a gripping, disturbing, and deeply fascinating read that will doubtlessly offer a fruitful future reread which, despite my discomfort with Elliott as a narrator (the further you go, the less likeable he is), will likely propel me to return again, knowing all the twists, to see the eventual tragic ending. Like a good play, I have a feeling you could read this book more than once, see it more than once, and pick up something new each time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Vomit
mylittlehappynook's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Gun violence, Trafficking, Murder, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
kelly_e's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Title: The Fury
Author: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: January 16, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Atmospheric • Clever • Dynamic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.
I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.
We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Fury is my second book from author Alex Michaelides (skipped The Maidens due to Greek Mythology focus) and I knew to expect something clever and different than your run-of-the-mill thriller. And that is exactly what this is.
The story itself is fairly forgettable, with typical tropes and elements often used in other locked room mysteries. But what makes this book stand out are the narrator, Elliot Chase, and the brilliant structure. Told in the form of a play, with quick, short chapters, it was like sitting down and being told a juicy story as Elliot was speaking directly to the reader. On the surface it's a story of deception and revenge, but when digging a little deeper it's a love story.
Reminiscent of a Greek tragedy, Alex Michaelides has skillfully delivered one of the most unreliable narrators I have yet to come across in my reading life. The story isn't the strength of this book rather its the telling. I still prefer The Silent Patient, yet the author definitely has a gift in writing clever books. I am intrigued to see what he will do next.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• unreliable narrators
• murder mysteries
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, death, alcohol, drug use, infidelity, bullying, toxic friendship, toxic relationship, blood, stalking, gaslighting, mental illness, alcoholism, child abuse, emotional abuse, suicidal thoughts, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"In case I am speaking to a young person now, let me give you something to hold on to: do not despair at being different. For that very difference, initially such a source of shame, so humiliating, and painful, will one day become a badge of honor and pride."
"We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives."
Author: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: January 16, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Atmospheric • Clever • Dynamic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.
I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.
We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Fury is my second book from author Alex Michaelides (skipped The Maidens due to Greek Mythology focus) and I knew to expect something clever and different than your run-of-the-mill thriller. And that is exactly what this is.
The story itself is fairly forgettable, with typical tropes and elements often used in other locked room mysteries. But what makes this book stand out are the narrator, Elliot Chase, and the brilliant structure. Told in the form of a play, with quick, short chapters, it was like sitting down and being told a juicy story as Elliot was speaking directly to the reader. On the surface it's a story of deception and revenge, but when digging a little deeper it's a love story.
Reminiscent of a Greek tragedy, Alex Michaelides has skillfully delivered one of the most unreliable narrators I have yet to come across in my reading life. The story isn't the strength of this book rather its the telling. I still prefer The Silent Patient, yet the author definitely has a gift in writing clever books. I am intrigued to see what he will do next.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• unreliable narrators
• murder mysteries
⚠️ CW: murder, gun violence, death, alcohol, drug use, infidelity, bullying, toxic friendship, toxic relationship, blood, stalking, gaslighting, mental illness, alcoholism, child abuse, emotional abuse, suicidal thoughts, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"In case I am speaking to a young person now, let me give you something to hold on to: do not despair at being different. For that very difference, initially such a source of shame, so humiliating, and painful, will one day become a badge of honor and pride."
"We are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Blood, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Stalking
Minor: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
honeybeewitched87's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Grief, Alcohol, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
kimveach's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a long, slow tease, but it worked for me. I liked the twists and turns, misdirection, and unreliable narrator. If you like this author's style, I think you'll like this book as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Classism, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Murder, Abandonment, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Gore, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
photogenicegg's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Even though I had it figured out from the very beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed the way this story was told. I was hooked from the first page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Alcohol, Murder, and Bullying
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Cursing
katelynprice's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
2.0
At first I enjoyed the meta, aware-of-itself vibe of the book, but I quickly grew tired of it. I'm not sure that I would classify this as a thriller. I was really bored and felt like the pacing was pretty slow. The twists really annoyed me. I didn't find any of it to be clever, satisfying, or even believable. I can handle an unlikeable character/narrator if there is good storytelling, but I wasn't a fan of the way this story unfolded at all. I like mysteries/crimes in which the pieces of the puzzle are dropped along the way so that the reader can play detective. Mysteries like this one just leave me irritated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Gun violence
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Child abuse
leebeeloves's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Mental illness, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
Minor: Blood and Domestic abuse
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It's a thriller based very loosely on Lana Taylor's murder. (Or that's my guess)
There were many twists and turns, but I figured out some partway through. I knew it would some way tie back to the other books. As they all tie back to each other.
I would have liked to know what he meant by, if you read this I'm dead part. Maybe I just don't remember from the other books.
None of the characters were particularly likable which did make it harder to enjoy. Though it was well written. It was very atmospheric. I also would have liked someone else's POV besides Elliot, since he was a highly unreliable narrator.
Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job. Though he was a bit easy to zone out to.
Extra ratings: Fluff-NA Heartfelt-3/5 Helpful-NA Horror-NA Inspiration-NA Love aka Romance-0.5/5 Mystery-3/5 Predictability-1.5/5 Spice-0/5 Suspense-3/5 Tear- 1.5/5 Thrill-3.5/5 Humor-0/5
There were many twists and turns, but I figured out some partway through. I knew it would some way tie back to the other books. As they all tie back to each other.
None of the characters were particularly likable which did make it harder to enjoy. Though it was well written. It was very atmospheric. I also would have liked someone else's POV besides Elliot, since he was a highly unreliable narrator.
Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job. Though he was a bit easy to zone out to.
Extra ratings: Fluff-NA Heartfelt-3/5 Helpful-NA Horror-NA Inspiration-NA Love aka Romance-0.5/5 Mystery-3/5 Predictability-1.5/5 Spice-0/5 Suspense-3/5 Tear- 1.5/5 Thrill-3.5/5 Humor-0/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Bullying, Drug use, and Mental illness
Moderate: Murder, Addiction, Cursing, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
kelshenka's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Challenging characters (plus unreliable narrator) ricochet off one another, unraveling the story like the threads of a scarf tugged loose by cold fingers of wind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, Bullying, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Cursing, and Toxic friendship