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annaavian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
2.0
While this book had the potential to be great, I found it's heavy reliance on dramatic elements for shock value rather disappointing and tiring.
The flow of the story often felt unbalanced. Some scenes tended to drag on longer than necessary, while other key moments were rushed through or not fully developed. This unevenness in the pacing detracted from the overall enjoyment I had while reading.
I also felt there was a lack of credibility and common sense throughout, which prevented me from fully enjoying it. The characters' choices often came across as being poorly thought out.
And while Elliott may not have been the most likable or believable narrator, it would have added depth to the story if his past had been more fully developed.
Overall, this book felt like a shallow imitation of an Agatha Christie novel, lacking the depth, complexity and attention to detail that made her novels so captivating.
The flow of the story often felt unbalanced. Some scenes tended to drag on longer than necessary, while other key moments were rushed through or not fully developed. This unevenness in the pacing detracted from the overall enjoyment I had while reading.
I also felt there was a lack of credibility and common sense throughout, which prevented me from fully enjoying it. The characters' choices often came across as being poorly thought out.
And while Elliott may not have been the most likable or believable narrator, it would have added depth to the story if his past had been more fully developed.
Overall, this book felt like a shallow imitation of an Agatha Christie novel, lacking the depth, complexity and attention to detail that made her novels so captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, and Alcohol
tallhousecookies's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
2.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of The Fury.
I credit Alex Michaelides' first thriller The Silent Patient for getting me back into reading, however I have been massively disappointed by two subsequent thrillers he has written, first The Maidens and now The Fury.
A postive aspect of this book is Michaelides' ability to world build. The settings of both London and the private Greek island were vivid and definitely placed me in the world of the novel.
The biggest aspect of this book and a pattern Michaelides has in all of his thrillers is the female character(s) are truly obsessed with the men in their lives when the men are actively causing harm to these women and the people around them. That may be a point of these books, but I feel it would be more interesting and compelling as the reader to understand the women's why for loving them more than just"they provide me attention and affection" and/or "they have daddy issues." What are the men's good moments, if there are any? If there aren't, let's get to the root of the woman's why a bit more. I struggled to understand any of the female character's motivations for their actions and reactions when it came to the love interest of his novel, which made me fail to understand a large portion of the plot.
The pacing of this novel left a lot to be desired. It's a short novel, and I found myself speed reading to find the point. The story would progress and then you'd find out in the next chapter that none of the events that happened in the previous chapter actually happened. It just left me, the reader, feeling like "okay then why did you put me through this?" I like a book with an unreliable narrator, but I think this could have been executed in different and more effective ways. See Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees with the usage of an additional character being the "editor" of the main character's compilation of diary entries and providing footnotes with additional context or differing "facts." Something similar could have been done byhaving Mariana, Elliot's therapist and main character of Michaelides' previous novel The Maidens, provide additional context or be a conduit for Elliot's story. This would also make Mariana's addition in the book and the linking of all the novel's worlds more intentional and less cheeky.
It was also, sadly, a bit predictable.There's a reason the book was written in Elliot's perspective, so obviously he would be the one to kill Lana. Also, there was too much left in the book when she "died" initially so I saw the red herring death coming . Because of the predictability, I was made less interested in the novel as a whole.
While I love The Silent Patient, I think that Alex Michaelides may not be for me as a whole. If this is your first Michaelides book, you may find The Fury more enjoyable than I did. However, I personally would not recommend this book to any thriller lover.
I credit Alex Michaelides' first thriller The Silent Patient for getting me back into reading, however I have been massively disappointed by two subsequent thrillers he has written, first The Maidens and now The Fury.
A postive aspect of this book is Michaelides' ability to world build. The settings of both London and the private Greek island were vivid and definitely placed me in the world of the novel.
The biggest aspect of this book and a pattern Michaelides has in all of his thrillers is the female character(s) are truly obsessed with the men in their lives when the men are actively causing harm to these women and the people around them. That may be a point of these books, but I feel it would be more interesting and compelling as the reader to understand the women's why for loving them more than just
The pacing of this novel left a lot to be desired. It's a short novel, and I found myself speed reading to find the point. The story would progress and then you'd find out in the next chapter that none of the events that happened in the previous chapter actually happened. It just left me, the reader, feeling like "okay then why did you put me through this?" I like a book with an unreliable narrator, but I think this could have been executed in different and more effective ways. See Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees with the usage of an additional character being the "editor" of the main character's compilation of diary entries and providing footnotes with additional context or differing "facts." Something similar could have been done by
It was also, sadly, a bit predictable.
While I love The Silent Patient, I think that Alex Michaelides may not be for me as a whole. If this is your first Michaelides book, you may find The Fury more enjoyable than I did. However, I personally would not recommend this book to any thriller lover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A bewitching blend of Agatha Christie, Clue, and Knives Out/Glass Onion. This spectacular performance left me on the edge of my seat at curtain call.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail