Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Fury (The Fury Trilogy #1) by Elizabeth Miles.
Paperback, 384 pages.
Pub Date: August 30, 2011.
Publisher: Simon Pulse.

Goodreads Summary:
It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But all is not as it seems... Em is thrilled that the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. And on the other side of town, Chase’s social life is unraveling and the stress of his home life is starting to take its toll. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel....And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. There are three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.

My Review:
I have one word: WOW!
Elizabeth Miles is now one of my favourite authors. Her use of words is just incredible. Everything just sounds right. Her descriptions of feelings, people, places, is perfect: just enough to let you picture it or feel it; not so much to bore. Everything flows and is so expressive. I absolutely love her writing. It's incredible.
Her characters are amazing. They felt so real.

I really like the character of Em. She's a true mixed-up teenage girl. She knows she's doing something wrong, liking Zach, but she can't help herself. She tries hard to see the good side but she can't escape feeling guilty. She's also very strong-willed. When she argues with someone, she never wants to give. She sets her mind to something and keeps trying, no matter how hard it gets.

The other main character, Chase, is also very real. He has such an insecurity because of his background and that impacts everything he does. The self-consciousness comes out only in his narration, not in his actions, which is just as he intends it. I really like that he can laugh at himself, even though he's always concerned with  saying and doing all the right things.

I'm very impressed by how she makes Zach such a multi-faceted character, despite not being one of the main ones. He has so many different sides to him and each comes out with different people. He's a character that continuously worried me though. He seems to change moods in a second and can be really evasive.
Miles actually had me feeling for her characters, whether it was sympathy, fear, or frustration.
The way Miles wove the story was enthralling. I absolutely loved the mystery surrounding the three strange girls (Ty, Meg, and Ali), and their red flowers. I found it very cool that there were different techniques they used to achieve their goals for each main character.

The constant little hints that indicate there's something off are perfect. All the creepy things just build up, never overwhelming; never failing to spook. I love how it's written in that I got sucked into the regular, dramatic lives of the characters for a while and then out of nowhere comes another spine-chilling episode that reminds me that this is no average teen drama story.

I began to worry a bit a while in because it felt like it was starting to slow down but since Miles is such a fantastic writer, around two-thirds of the way in the story gets extremely intense! I got really jumpy when reading it and my heart was pounding!

This was an amazing read and the cliffhanger epilogue makes me so excited to read the second book!
Without a doubt,
5 Stars!