Review: Fury

Title: Fury

Author: Elizabeth Miles

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 352

Release Date: August 30, 2011

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

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.—Goodreads 

When I started Fury, I was totally into it. It's dark and creepy and mysterious. I was hoping the book would be a pleasurable romp through the revenge the Furies take on the teenagers in the town of Ascension, Maine, but instead I got a story of what happens when two teenagers make mistakes—one seemingly more serious than the other—and, though they try to atone for their mistakes, they just . . . can't. It was a bit of a hard pill to swallow. 

The two teenagers in question are Em, a popular girl from a well-to-do family who is harboring a crush on Zach, her best friend's boyfriend, and Chase, the popular quarterback raised by a widowed mother who works at a gas station, who is harboring a lot of angst and anger toward most people at his high school.

Though I liked both Em and Chase well enough, what makes them interesting main characters is that they are flawed and mostly unlikeable. They both do things that they seriously regret, but instead of being able to apologize and move on, they are targeted by the Furies, the three women of Greek mythology who have the power to claim mortal lives so as to take revenge for sins committed against other mortals. And the Furies are hell-bent on claiming Em and Chase. 

What makes the book sort of weird is the tone of it all—it's bleak not only in theme, but in setting as well. That's not to say that Fury is a book without hope. There are light moments and characters that help  with comic and romantic relief (J.D.!!!! <3). But, ultimately, the story isn't happy. However, the last page is incredibly satisfying for the reader. Like, in the same way the credits of Jennifer's Body are satisfying. *grins*

In a way, Fury is a cautionary tale for teenagers. At the heart of the story is the fact that humans aren't perfect and that actions, even those made as a teenager, have consequences. Miles does a great job of harnessing the type of tragedy found in the Greek epics and weaving it into her story—all of the characters change and learn lessons, but the change comes with a price and the lessons are ones that suck to learn.  

I'll admit that toward the middle of the novel I got a little discouraged in my reading, but, luckily, that didn't last. Overall, I really liked Fury even though it wasn't the let's-have-fun-with-revenge romp I was hoping it would be. Miles does a fantastic job creating a modern Greek tragedy that isn't so tragic it's depressing. And you'll definitely find yourself gasping at situations and yelling at Em and Chase throughout this book. That part is actually fun. So if you're in the market for a mysterious, not-so-happy novel where the author masterfully applies the idea of Greek tragedy to modern life, then pick up Fury.