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emma_sky's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Gaslighting, Stalking, Violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Gun violence
author2223's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Murder, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Drug use, Stalking, and Blood
acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book you think you're going to get going in is absolutely not the book delivered, but it's a wild ride. Nothing you can't see coming, but if you love dark themes with terrible people who are wildly unpredictable narrators, then this might be the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Murder and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual violence
rhiannon_loves_books'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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
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
carlack7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia
turrean's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Enjoyably twisty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder
miggyfool's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Body horror, Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
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
afterplague's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I read the Silent Patient, and I enjoyed it, so when I saw another book by Alex Michaelides I was definitely excited to give it a read. I think unfortunately The Fury and I just didn't connect with each other. The reader is warned explicitly that this is not a whodunit murder mystery, so if that's what you're expecting I would advise you to avoid this book. What is doesn't warn you, however, is that it's structured like a play.
Our narrator is a playwright and the book is separated into acts, which is a style I've seen in other books (specifically If We Were Villains). However, The Fury handles this a little differently where is also incorporates the structure of scenes within a play. Each chapter is unbearably short, only two or four pages usually, and this made it impossible to sink into the narrative. There's a reason people usually watch plays and don't read them. In a novel, this choice is extremely misguided.
There are good elements to it, but I don't think the structure contributes to the story at all. I don't really recommend The Fury for that, and many other reasons.
I'm going to go into more detail below, so please beware of spoilers.
Our narrator, Elliot, is insufferable. He's pretentious, snobby, and so present throughout the first few chapters. He's so irritating I had to put the book down and SLEEP to relax before I could continue. This is the point of his character. He's an obnoxious writer who found immense success for a play he wrote. He's got friends in high places now and slots into their friend group even though he doesn't really fit in. Elliot speaks often of loving one's inner child and having empathy for oneself because all our worst actions come from that inner child attempting to avoid pain.
Elliot's whole life is a lie.
Elliot isn't even his real name. He didn't write the play that made him famous, and he murdered the old woman who did. He's a narcissistic "nice guy" who believes that his best friend should have married him instead of her husband. All his friends dislike him and find him annoying, and they're right. He's a stalker and a manipulator and the entire novel is his attempt to manipulate the reader into being on his side of the horrible events he planned.
His character does kind of work, and he's explored well, as is Lana. She's the center of all his obsessions. The other characters don't achieve very much depth, but they are all still memorable and have their own parts in the plot.
The twist is both shocking and not at the same time. I had predicted that Elliot was not a good man, but I didn't predict the way the plot would shake out in the last fifty pages. I liked the twist, but the author has this horrible habit where anytime something exciting is happening he immediately takes you away into an EXTENDED series of flashbacks and explanations and diatribes about human nature. It kills the pacing of the story incredibly. I can understand why that was done on a practical level, that this is a story about the characters and not the events, so we need to flash back to learn more about the characters. However, 80-85% of this book is just those long winded character explanations.
The structure is a real problem. We continuously return to the same moments to see them from different characters perspectives with new knowledge, but I don't think it's justified. The plot of this story is a tangled yarn ball and I get a headache just thinking about it. The writing is also pretentious and odd. The descriptions are fine for the most part, but Elliot is not a great writing, and I'm not sure if the writing I don't like is Elliot or Alex Michaelides.
It's supposed to feel like a Greek tragedy, and it succeeds in some ways, but it just feels so pretentious, smug, and self-satisfied that I couldn't enjoy it. I suppose I would recommend this book if you're interested in the way stories can play with structure. I'm just not sure I enjoyed it.
Our narrator is a playwright and the book is separated into acts, which is a style I've seen in other books (specifically If We Were Villains). However, The Fury handles this a little differently where is also incorporates the structure of scenes within a play. Each chapter is unbearably short, only two or four pages usually, and this made it impossible to sink into the narrative. There's a reason people usually watch plays and don't read them. In a novel, this choice is extremely misguided.
There are good elements to it, but I don't think the structure contributes to the story at all. I don't really recommend The Fury for that, and many other reasons.
I'm going to go into more detail below, so please beware of spoilers.
Our narrator, Elliot, is insufferable. He's pretentious, snobby, and so present throughout the first few chapters. He's so irritating I had to put the book down and SLEEP to relax before I could continue. This is the point of his character. He's an obnoxious writer who found immense success for a play he wrote. He's got friends in high places now and slots into their friend group even though he doesn't really fit in. Elliot speaks often of loving one's inner child and having empathy for oneself because all our worst actions come from that inner child attempting to avoid pain.
Elliot's whole life is a lie.
Elliot isn't even his real name. He didn't write the play that made him famous, and he murdered the old woman who did. He's a narcissistic "nice guy" who believes that his best friend should have married him instead of her husband. All his friends dislike him and find him annoying, and they're right. He's a stalker and a manipulator and the entire novel is his attempt to manipulate the reader into being on his side of the horrible events he planned.
His character does kind of work, and he's explored well, as is Lana. She's the center of all his obsessions. The other characters don't achieve very much depth, but they are all still memorable and have their own parts in the plot.
The twist is both shocking and not at the same time. I had predicted that Elliot was not a good man, but I didn't predict the way the plot would shake out in the last fifty pages. I liked the twist, but the author has this horrible habit where anytime something exciting is happening he immediately takes you away into an EXTENDED series of flashbacks and explanations and diatribes about human nature. It kills the pacing of the story incredibly. I can understand why that was done on a practical level, that this is a story about the characters and not the events, so we need to flash back to learn more about the characters. However, 80-85% of this book is just those long winded character explanations.
The structure is a real problem. We continuously return to the same moments to see them from different characters perspectives with new knowledge, but I don't think it's justified. The plot of this story is a tangled yarn ball and I get a headache just thinking about it. The writing is also pretentious and odd. The descriptions are fine for the most part, but Elliot is not a great writing, and I'm not sure if the writing I don't like is Elliot or Alex Michaelides.
It's supposed to feel like a Greek tragedy, and it succeeds in some ways, but it just feels so pretentious, smug, and self-satisfied that I couldn't enjoy it. I suppose I would recommend this book if you're interested in the way stories can play with structure. I'm just not sure I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Gun violence
Moderate: Gaslighting and Murder