Fury Review (Spoiler-free!)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: August 30, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.
Emily's crush is finally spending time with her, and she's ecstatic. The catch? It's her best friend's boyfriend. Chase's love interest is finally showing interest in him, but it appears she has a secret, and it's driving him mad. With teens, rampant hormones, festivities and a group of gorgeous girls who are set to wreak havoc on those committing sins against one another, it's setting up to be one heck of a holiday. Love makes people do crazy things, and winter break in Ascension, Maine is about to get crazier than ever.

Fury is the first book in a planned trilogy loosely based upon the myth of the Greek Furies. Placed in the modern context of a high school dynamic, loaded with teenagers and rampant with hormones, Fury explores the idea of what might happen if, indeed, these mythical Furies were real and how life would continue for a group of teens. Author Elizabeth Miles has created a pulse-pounding adventure alive with detail and imagery sure to captivate teen readers. Fury features a pressure-building approach, leading up to an ultimate climax that will leave you desperate for book two.

I have to premise my review saying that if you're going into reading Fury looking for a true and accurate take on the Furies, allow me to enlighten you. This is what I like to call "mythology-lite," meaning simply that Fury takes liberties that changes much of the actual idea of the Furies, while borrowing the idea of their revenge as the fuel for the fire of the story. That said, let me focus on the characters for a moment. I'll be honest and say I didn't really like any of them, but let me clarify that my saying that I don't believe I was supposed to. The fact that I didn't like them actually made me like the story more because they felt more tangible and their acts seemed more real and reprehensible, if that makes sense. Em and Chase were pretty good characters - fleshed out and flawed, which drove the story towards the whirlwind finish. The Furies, however, were a bit too surface-only for me. I didn't get much anger, or emotion at all from them. Mostly, I just knew they were deceptively gorgeous, and a lot of time was spent on that. I wish I'd known more about them. Also important to note is the pacing of Fury. Not quite slow, but certainly steady, I found that the pace grew a bit tiring for a bit, but as you reach the end of the book, the action is fast, intense and white-knuckle worthy.

All in all, Fury was a pretty good book with a great premise and a pretty decent follow-through. While I think a lot could have been played up and played out, I do look forward to seeing book two (hopefully) exceed book one. I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to upper YA audiences due to some graphic and foul language, as well as other lurid teenage activities. Those who enjoy paranormal stories and series will also enjoy Fury.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

26 comments:

  1. This sounds like a promising series despite it flaws. Great review Melissa :)

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  2. Great review. After reading it I have an idea of what to expect. I'll be reading this one next. :)

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  3. I was so glad to see your review of this one, as I just started it a few days ago. I'm only about 90 pages in, but I'm honestly not that impressed so far. I think it has to do with the slow-ish pace that you mentioned. I do plan on finishing it though, so who knows what I'll think after that!

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  4. I had no idea this book was based on the Greek furies. Two other YA books which were also based on Greek myths disappointed me a lot, so I am hoping that Fury will make up for it.

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  5. Reading this now and I totally agree with you about the characters. They are certainly far from perfect, but definitely authentic teens with realistic, immature teen feelings. Overall, I'm enjoying it so far and will hopefully finish it today. Great review :)

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  6. Hm now I'm even more curious to see how I might like it. The premise sounds fascinating and I have a soft spot for Greek Mythology.

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  7. I can't wait to read this one, but I'm a bit sad that the action comes near the end. What's with these books today? Always a slow start, action coming last, not a lot of telling about the creatures in the book and just a fantastic cover. :) GOSH> ;)

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  8. Great, great review, Melissa! I love the furies, and love anything mythology-related. I definitely have to check this one out, and thanks for the non spoilery review.

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  9. Eh, I think I will just pass. But great review and such a stunning cover! This book was blessed for sure

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  10. I have an egalley of this waiting, but it sounds like it doesn't really deserve a high priority. Thanks for the review!

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  11. Great honest review. Thanks for the lite warning :)

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  12. The premise is great but I appreciate you pointing out that it doesn't stick closely to the mythology of the Furies. I can see my students liking it, so I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the review!
    Happy reading,
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  13. I'll be honest - I love my mythology but don't actually know a lot of the "real" stories. So thank you for pointing this out in Fury because I probably wouldn't have noticed it otherwise!

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  14. I am super excited to read this book! AGHHHH! Thanks for the review!

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  15. Fabulous review as usual Melissa, thanks for making it spoiler free:) I'm such a fan of anything remotely dealing with Greek mythology, so I think I'll enjoy this one though it's a touch disappointing the furies themselves aren't fleshed out a little more.

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  16. I love the term "mythology-lite"! It's so perfect! It's a bummer that Fury didn't live up to expectations. I'm still excited to read it, though! I love books that feature Greek mythology, even if liberties are taken. :)

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  17. I'm so glad I read your review before reading the book. Now I know how to adjust my expectations so hopefully I won't be disappointed. Thank you!

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  18. The cover is stunning indeed but mythology-lite irritates me more often than not. Thanks for a very nice review!

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  19. I actually had no idea what this book was about. I only remember the cover and all that red hair, it's kind of insane. Anyway, a lot of the mythological books I've read as of late just aren't that good. It's kind of put a bad taste in my mouth. I may try this one though.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  20. Melissa=

    You live near Maine. What's up with all the weird stuff in Maine?? Is it a creepy state or what? Need series is there. Beautiful Dead by Yvonne Woon. This one. Of course Stephen King. Something else on the fringe of my mind. Oh, E.J. Stevens' series. Just seems like an abnormal amount takes place there.

    Anyway, good review. Thanks for enlightening about the not liking the characters. I'll go in with that in mind. I love that beautiful red hair on the cover. The red heads are getting their cover time this year!

    Heather

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  21. Hey, Buried in Books is kinda right-- what's up with Maine and all the horror stories?!

    Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading this book despite the unlikable characters you pointed out because the Furies are just so intriguing. I wish the interpretation of them had been a little closer to the mythos, but I like the idea of a modern take, too. Great, honest review. :)

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  22. I was hoping for a more positive review but still love the cover!

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  23. It sounds like this one despite some problems could be an interesting read. I also love that you feel that the author's writing is strong enough that the next book could be better. Thanks for the honest review.

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  24. Hmmm...This book sounds good but imperfect. I don't mind not liking characters when you're not supposed to. But it does sound frustrating that the emotions that should have been coming across really weren't.

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  25. Thanks for your honest review! I might hold off on this one for now, and maybe check it out when it gets released in paperback.

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  26. Can't decide whether or not I want to read this one. I feel like all the mythology stories out there can't even hold a light to Percy Jackson.

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