REVIEW: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Now that I'm back from Revisionland, I can return to my regularly scheduled blog posting! Of course, during my 10 day trip to Revisionsland, I kept having great ideas or seeing great links and thinking, "Oh, I should put that on the blog!" But because Revisionland is a destination that causes you to lose all sense of space and time, I never actually wrote those things down.

Luckily, there was one thing I experienced during Revisionland that was SO. AWESOME. that it stuck with me. And it was this:

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Sometimes sorry isn't enough...

From Goodreads:

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. 

I loved Fury. I read it in 24 hours, which, with a busy schedule of work, writing, and roller derby, doesn't often happen for me. What kept me reading was the way that Miles painted such a creepy and seductive picture ... I was completely in Ascension from the first page until the last. She sets the stage for a typical northern small town in the dead of winter, then quickly yanks you off-balance. You HAVE to keep reading.

Honestly, the book was horror done well. I was reading the last third of it on my balcony in the middle of the night, and a car backfired or something and I literally yelped. That's how good Miles is about building tension in Fury. I don't think I've read a scary book that's affected me physically since ... well, I can't remember.

I've read a couple reviews where people noted that Chase and Emma's "crimes" don't seem awful enough to warrant the punishment the Furies dish out, and to those people I say, you're right! But that's what made the book so terrifying! Chase and Emma certainly did a lil wrong ... a lil wrong you or I might do under the right circumstances ... which means the Furies could come for US, too. Just like in a horror movie, where the girl is getting killed and it's awful because she's screaming, "Why me?! Please don't do this!" that was the horror and tension I felt as the book raced to the finish.


If you devoured Fear Street and Christopher Pike back in the day (and oh, did I....) I definitely think you'll be into Fury. I know I can't wait for the next one!

*Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab