Monday, May 6, 2013

Review: FURIOUS by Jill Wolfson

Title: FURIOUS
Author: Jill Wolfson
Published: April 16th, 2013
Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co BYR
POV: 1st person
Pages: 336
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy
Source: Publicist
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
"Three high school girls become the avenging Furies of Greek legend.

We were only three angry girls, to begin with. Alix, the hot-tempered surfer chick; Stephanie, the tree-hugging activist; and me, Meg, the quiet foster kid, the one who never quite fit in. We hardly knew each other, but each of us nurtured a burning anger: at the jerks in our class, at our disappointing parents, at the whole flawed, unjust world.

We were only three angry girls, simmering uselessly in our ocean-side California town, until one day a mysterious, beautiful classmate named Ambrosia taught us what else we could be: Powerful. Deadly. Furious."

I'm a sucker for mythology, so when I saw that this book was about Furies, I became excited. Deadly furies in high school? Yes please, sign me up for that book.

Meg, our narrator in FURIOUS,  is a foster kid who has a tendency of finding herself in embarrassing situations that would make just about anyone cringe. After an unfortunately awkward class moment starring Meg, Meg soon finds herself grouped together with Ambrosia (a mysterious, gorgeous, popular girl), Alix (a strong, fiery-tempered surfer chick), Stephanie (a nature-loving sweetheart with some spunk) and her best friend Raymond (who is made of awesome, let's just leave it at that) for a school project, Meg's life quickly spirals out of control as she learns the truth about herself and the deadly power she holds inside of herself....

Who knew three girls could cause so much damage? In the introduction, Wolfson thrusts Meg into an awkward situation that demands a reader's sympathy. Once Meg and the other girls start embracing their abilities, the story becomes even more fascinating as the lines between what's good and bad begin to blur uncomfortably.  From high school bullies to deadbeat dad's, no one is off limits and no punishment is too harsh in their eyes. While the girls quickly become intimidating and hard to enjoy fully, and I enjoyed how far Wolfson took them in their fury-filled journey. Dangerous and exciting, FURIOUS is one novel you'll have a hard time setting aside.

Highlights: I enjoyed Wolfson's take on Furies, along with how and the way they used their abilities. I also enjoyed that there were consequences from using these abilities, too. Despite seeming to be very stereotypical at first glance, these characters have a few extra layers to them. There's a costume party that is wonderfully described and vivid (I love costume parties, so I'm definitely biased on this point). 

Lowlights: Predictable. Characters quickly became unlikable, but that didn't greatly hinder my enjoyment of the novel. As much as I devoured this book, there was something about the writing, and I never became fully invested in this story and the characters.  

Rating: This book is a difficult to rate. While I couldn't stop reading, there were some aspects I didn't like. So, I'm going with 3.8 out of 5: I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite a few issues.

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18 comments:

  1. While I love the Percy Jackson books (and the Kane Chronicles), I haven't had much luck with other YA mythology based books. There was another book a few years ago about the Furies that I couldn't get into so I kind of wasn't interested in this one when I heard about it.

    I think being angry about injustice and wanting to do something about it sounds good at least. It doesn't look like personal vengeance like in the other book. Maybe I will pick it up from the library sometime in case I have trouble connecting to the characters and story too. Thanks for sharing your review!

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    1. The Percy Jackson books are one of a kind! They really tackle mythology in such an excellent, charming, and creative way.

      This story did a nice job of showing how vicious the Furies could be. Hope you enjoy FURIOUS, if you do check it out of the library! :)

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  2. Ooh, unlikeable characters can completely mess up a story, no matter how interesting or well-written. I do enjoy a good costume ball (as long as I'm just observing -- I've never been very comfortable in costume).

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    1. I liked the narrator at the beginning, but quickly lost interest in her and others in the supporting cast....yet, the story was still interesting. This book was a bit strange for me!

      Costume balls are definitely fun as an observer - no need to dress up ;)

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  3. I have been really enjoyed all the YA books based on mythology and have yet to read one focusing on the Furies, but it seems like I would find the characters tough to enjoy as well. I may pass on this book or get it out from the library. Thanks for the honest review!

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    1. I kept changing my mind about the characters. I liked them, then I hated them...it made rating the book a bit challenging!

      The Furies aspect was good, though! Hope you check it out :)

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  4. Gah I really want to see a YA book that tackles mythology well. Frankly, Percy is the only mythological book I've really, really LOVED in recent history. If I can't like the characters completely, too, I doubt it's for me. Great, honest thoughts though, Lea! :)

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    1. Percy = love! I love how Riordan uses myth in those books :)

      The main characters were a bit hard to like by the end. But, plenty of other readers highly enjoyed them, so I might be in the minority!

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  5. As soon as I hear mythology, I'm down! I love a good mythology story and I've had my eye on this one for a while. Your reveiw is the most positive I've read yet and so I may give it a try while keeping an open mind.

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    1. Mythology is always fun in books! I hope you give FURIOUS a chance :)

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  6. I do love a good mythology book... but this one just didn't seem to jump out at me. Maybe I don't like the Furies. I don't know. I'm glad you enjoyed this one for the most part though!

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    1. Don't like Furies?! *gasps*

      Well, if you do check it out, I hope you enjoy it! :)

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  7. Sounds like a hard one to rate... with the good premise, and the characters becoming unlikeable. Thanks for honest review though
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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    1. It was very difficult to rate. I couldn't stop reading, but I kept having a hard time connecting with characters...I still have no idea if I rated this book correctly! So strange!

      Thanks for stopping by :)

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  8. I've heard similar things about the characters. I love mythology books too, but this one doesn't seem like it's for me. Embarrassing cringe-worthy scenes are hard for me to get through. Even when I know revenge is coming. Great review :)

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    1. Ha! Luckily, there are only a couple embarrassing cringe-worthy scenes. I have a hard time reading those too, I always feel so bad for the character it happens to.

      Thanks for dropping by! :)

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  9. Hmm, well I would be mostly interested in reading this one to compare it to the only other Fury novel I've read, Fury. It sounds like their abilities may be generally cooler from the Furies in the other book. I don't know, despite your faults with it, this one still sounds like a pretty good read to me, so I'm going to keep it on my tbr - thanks for the review!

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    1. It was a good read, despite the issues I had with it! Definitely the kind of book I'd borrow to read again. FURIOUS definitely gives readers a closer look at their abilities (I think FURY barely showed the abilities?).

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