Two new books for teens unleash anger, revenge, and, well, fury of mythological proportions. Both are based on the ancient Greek characters Erinyes, better known as The Furies. These three, Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, embodied anger, jealousy, and vengeance, and, in myth, made sure justice was meted out by whatever means necessary. In Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland, teenager Amelie Ainsworth is near death after being manipulated by a conniving psychiatrist, who also caused the death of the rest of her family. Amelie prays for guidance, when unexpectedly, the Furies answer her call. A few years later, rechristening herself as Cory Graff, she reappears at another high school and with the help of the Furies, plots her revenge on the mad doctor. Handsome Niko, a classmate at her new school, is a calming influence to the fury she feels, but Cory is hard-pressed to explain her otherworldly "assistants" to him. Short chapters and incredible situations fuel this paranormal novel to its shocking conclusion.
Furious, by Jill Wolfson, finds three wronged classmates, Meg, Stephanie, and Alix, under the spell of Ambrosia, a charismatic popular girl who has her own rage issues to contend with. After Ambrosia has convinced the three of their Furies status, the group becomes unstoppable in wreaking havoc and vengeance on those that deserve their comeuppances. Overwhelmed with the power that they now possess, the trio must wrangle with managing both vengeance and justice in equal measure. Their friend Raymond provides grounded counterbalance and hilarious asides to the spiraling intensity of the angry group. Satire, witty humor, and surprisingly well-handled issues of bullying and appropriate retribution make for a winning combination in this contemporary take on classic characters from mythology.