Book Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books.
Hardcover, 352 pages.
Release date: September 1st 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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.

A darkly seductive tale of revenge and retribution, Fury, the first in a trilogy from debut author Elizabeth Miles is a haunting story that mixes the small town horror of Stephen King with the guilty secrets of Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and adds a dash of Greek Mythology to present a menacing tale of terror and revenge that grows decidedly darker with every page, leading to a stunning finale that will leave you wanting more.

Fury introduces us to Emily Winters, a girl who is madly crushing on Zach, a total hottie, who just happens to be dating her best friend. Meanwhile, Chase Singer is a guy from the wrong side of town who will do just about anything to maintain his social standing amongst his band of high school jocks. Totally selfish and horribly self-absorbed, Em and Chase think only of themselves and are not particularly likeable characters, to say the least. Now though, things are going to change. With the arrival of three beautiful and mysterious girls to the town of Ascension, Maine, Em and Chase are about to pay for all their wrongdoings. With the Furies in town, there’s no such thing as an innocent mistake, and revenge is not only sweet, but is also relentless, brutal and horrific.

While I loved Fury on a number of levels, I have to admit, its contents were quite surprising to me. When I first read the synopsis of this one I was expecting a straight-up modern day retelling of the Furies of Greek Mythology. After all, modern day retellings of Greek Mythology with romances to die for are where it’s at in the Young Adult realm these days, and one more couldn’t hurt, right? However, Miles underplays both the mythological and romantic aspects of Fury to instead give the book a deliciously old school horror feel. The Furies themselves exist to us not as distinct personalities, but instead as beautiful yet horrific and genuinely scary entities. Indifferent to the havoc they bring to the town of Ascension, and relentless in their pursuit of revenge, their brutality knows no bounds. While we meet the Furies, and we get to learn exactly the extent of their powers, the main focus here is on just one of the Furies, a beautiful red head called Ty, and we don’t get a whole lot of information of their history or origins. I suspect that this element of the story along with a budding romance that I totally want more of will be explored further in future books, but for now I’m labeling this one part paranormal romance, part psychological thriller and a whole lot of horror! Prepare to be scared!

As someone who loves horror and grew up on scary tales of Stephen King and Christopher Pike, I loved all the shocks and scares that Fury contained. A chilling, thrilling page-turner from start to finish, Fury is more mature in tone to many YA paranormals I have read lending to its major crossover appeal. With delicious twists and turns throughout, and a finale that I adored, I can’t wait to discover what Elizabeth Miles has in store in Envy, the next book in the Furies trilogy, releasing next year.