A really fun, wild, and plot driven historical YA novel!
Thea was such a good protagonist - super interesting and well-rounded, incredibly smart, and a little bit mad.
I felt like while reading this, I didn’t know what to expect - honestly anything could have happened! Plot twists galore!
Also, SO MANY VILLAINS! Thea was really the only character that wasn’t a bit of a bad guy (or at least the only trustworthy character sometimes!)
All in all, a really enjoyable novel with an amazing plot and fantastic protagonist.

A Golden Fury is author Samantha Cole's debut historical fantasy novel set in the 18th century France and Oxford where a young alchemist must save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher's Stone. The year is 1792, France is in the middle of a revolution which started in 1789 and will end in 1799. The revolution overthrew the monarchy; established a republic; catalyzed violent periods of political turmoil; and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon, who brought many of the revolution's principles to areas he conquered in Western Europe and beyond.

But let's focus on the story itself. Thea is a young alchemist working with her famous mother, (Marguerite made her reputation by creating alchemical armor for the French King), when she's shut out of the lab. Thea knows that they were close to making the philosopher's stone and is certain her mother wants all the glory of the accomplishment herself even though she has put as much blood, sweat, and tears into the work, as her mother. The Philosopher Stone is alleged to be able to turn any metal into gold and heal any illness. It's every alchemist's dream. But it’s also said to be cursed.

“The Stone chooses the last alchemist. But woe to whom it does not accept.”

But when her mother goes mad and smashes the almost complete stone, Thea takes her mother’s notes with her, and ends up in Oxford where her father, Professor Vellacott, is teaching Chemistry, but wants to expand to alchemy. Vellacott never knew Thea existed until her arrival. Vellacott and others like Dominic are way too interested in finishing the Philosopher's Stone. A stone that apparently makes everyone who attempts to finalize the last step, go crazy. Thea eventually comes to realize that the Philosopher's Stone is a living thing, that will creep into your mind and drives you mad, takes your mind for its own after you nearly kill yourself, and lose yourself, to create it. And if you're brave enough to fight back, it will haunt you even if it's gone.

Thea finds herself in a bad situation when she discovers that her former beau, Will Percy, is dying of consumption. It also appears that after he was told to leave by Thea's mother, he wronged a very powerful family that wants their pound of flesh, and if Thea can't figure out how to survive the making of the Stone, she will be forever lost as will her new friend Dominic who is suddenly thrown into the middle of something he has no idea what is happening. When science meets magic, with a little touch of love and danger, it gave an amazing adventure through the French and English roads.

Thea is an interesting character. Theo is an educated woman who is more than just an ornamental piece. Her mother may be tough and unlikable, but she made sure to raise a young woman who knows her worth to society. She’s intelligent, brave, stubborn, and often naive. She wades her way through a cascade of events and characters like Valentin Wolff who has his own agenda, but never once treats Thea as anything but a human being. Her father is something of a conundrum seeing as how he didn't know she existed, then tries to betray her for the secrets of the Stone, only to rush in and try to save her from those like Wolff who want Thea to create the same magic her mother did for the French monarchy.

Overall: A Golden Fury is a decent debut. Even though Thea could be a lot to deal with at times, that authors provides her with a compelling narrative and a story that will keep reader intrigued right to the end. Overall Rating: 3.5

THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW.

REVIEW:

We start the story following Thea in Springtime at her current home in Normandy France. She with her mother a few weeks before were on the verge of a huge break through with their profession of alchemy. Then suddenly after doing everything together Thea's mother abruptly stops her from going into her labratory and carries on working on their work without her. After this in the following weeks her mother starts to act strangely and Thea finds out that she had been near to completing the Philosophers stone.

Unfortunately this comes at the same time as issues arise in the French government and growing tension between France and England force Thea to flee to Oxford, England in hopes of finding her father who does not know she exists. During this time she is hoping to finish her mothers work. With this comes the dangers of maybe knowing how to make an item the world of Alchemy has been looking to achieve for centuries.

While I personally loved the premise of the book and it was a nice easy read, I felt that the character building on the main villain could have been more thoroughly explored. And while having multiple locations is interesting it also can be distracting and take away from the main plot when made as fast as it was in this book.

I like that the magic system was completely different from any other book I have read and that it had consequences. I feel that it is important to create a more realistic effect. It was written into the story very well in this case.

All in all the book was and enjoyable all be it a slightly predictable. My rating would be 3.75 stars.

I want to Thank St.Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the Advance Readers Copy of this book for review.

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was different, dark and gritty. The main character was extremely refreshing and I loved reading from her view. I did think the overall story got a bit confusing and the plot had some things that I felt didn't flow naturally. Overall I think this book would do really well to have a sequel to smooth over the few plot points that didn't lead anywhere. One of my favorite parts of this book were the characters!

So, this book had a LOT of promise. With that cover, plus a pretty intriguing premise, I was very much looking forward to this one. However, I have to admit that this book fell pretty flat for me. It was a solid three-star read—not the worst, but not the best, either.

From the beginning, I was pretty interested in the story. The pacing was a bit off for me, but otherwise, it seemed like it was going to be good. I liked the main character Thea from the start and the imperfect life she had with her mother. Really, I loved the idea of her being in France at the time of the Revolution and that playing a part in the story.

Plus, the alchemy in this story was unique and exciting. It reminded me of Fullmetal Alchemist, if I’m being completely honest. A darker science, though not quite as much “magic.” Really, this book had a strong “vibe” going for it. Kinda-sorta Fullmetal Alchemist meets Stalking Jack the Ripper.

While I was a little thrown when Thea so quickly went from France to England, I was still very invested in the story. She arrived in Oxford and meets her father and his assistant Dominic, both very promising elements. The downside, however, is that it didn’t take long for things to start falling apart.

Everything is solid until about the halfway point. When Thea and Dominic run away and find Will, there was a lot going on, but none of it felt strong enough. Thea’s relationship with Will is a huge plot point/conflict in this story, but it was weak and I had trouble “believing” it to a point because I was just kind of told that they have history. I didn’t get to see it for myself.

Then the whole part with the Prussians… I don’t know. I just felt like things were going one way and then I was pulled in a completely different direction. (Valentin, right?) By the end, I was just kind of glad the story was over.

Overall, I was really looking forward to this, so it was a pretty big disappointment. It had such a strong beginning, only to fall flat halfway through. I think Cohoe has some talent, though. Her take on alchemy and lyrical writing style were both fun to read. I am curious to see what she does next.

I LOVED the first half of this book! It was so interesting and engaging and I loved all the characters. The ending was somewhat satisfying, but I wanted more Dominic! Overall I really enjoyed this debut and I will definitely pick up any more books the author writes! This was such a fresh take on the Philosopher Stone filled with madness and unique magic/science!

Coverage for Frolic can be found here: https://frolic.media/perfect-pairings-books-and-horror-movies/
(It is a Halloween inspired post that pairs novels with popular Halloween films!)

Thank you for sending over a copy!

A Golden Fury tells the story of alchemists in their pursuit of creating the mythical Philosopher's Stone. Thea Hope is an alchemist working alongside her mother until she kept her out of the project.. Then, her mother also lost herself and got drawn to madness, as a bad effect of creating the Stone.

So, Thea is sent to London, to a father who doesn't know she exists. There, she gets into a few mishaps and discovers people who want her to recreate the Stone -- even if it means her risking her life to madness. as well.

This book is a true adventure. I have to say, I admire how unpursued the main theme of this book is in YA fantasy. (Or maybe I just didn't know where to look.) It is definitely well-written, but the story takes some to pick up and some plot twists got me lost along the way.

For some reason, it was hard to connect with the main character, on my end. She was quite devoid of emotion. Perhaps, because of her 'chosen one' vibes.

The best part about this book is smashing the patriarchy! I love the girl power this story exuded and the feminism blatantly expressed in its pages.

Aside from that, I will always be partial at how beautiful the cover is.. It called on me to get my hands on the ARC.. And now, in conclusion, I don't regret that any bit, because this is one story that gave me a good experience overall.

I think this is a fascinating and highly entertaining story, well written and plotted.
The world building and the character development are excellent and the story kept me hooked.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was not what I was expecting when I picked it up, but it was still very enjoyable. The pacing was strange. Not bad or anything but just switch drastically from fast and intense to long and drawn out scientific writing. But it was written so beautifully it didn't distract from the story. I just felt I wanted more from the story. More character development and more angst.

This book was an interesting read but slow paced for my liking. I haven't read an alchemy story before so I like the mentioned of Philosopher's Stone because it made me think of Harry Potter. I liked that the main character has a sharp tongue and can think and make decisions on her own. I like reading and came upon info that occurred in other books I read like the revolution going on in France.


This book started in Normandy, France, 1792 following Bee/Thea/Theosebea, 17, told in the first person point of view. There's the revolutionary going on in France and her mom wanted her to leave the country for safety. She has been training to be an Alchemist from her mom and they are near completion to creating the White Elixir. Thea didn't want to leave her mom but something happened to her mom and she had to leave at the last minute. She went to seek her father who also happened to be aiming to conquer the same thing as her mom. Unexpected event happened and she traveled to London to help a friend. The elixir has the power that no one was prepared for.


A Golden Fury was well written, just not for me. A true historical story with fussy fashion and aristocracy. So many situations called for Thea to be angry like her mom kicked her out of their laboratory, her dad's unwelcome attitudes, problems in London, etc and along the way I lose interest. It's good that she can rely on the guys she met but I prefer at least one family member support her without hesitation. I do like how her mom trained Thea so that she would have a talent to survive on her own.

xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

Many thanks to Wednesday Books for inviting me to host a blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

I enjoyed this story!

The author's writing was descriptive and the action scenes were wonderfully written. Thea was a great character who is willing to fight for what she wants. I wish there was a bit more romance but that is just my preference.

I believe this story is a standalone but I would be interested to learn more about Thea after the story ends. Overall, this is a quick and enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend for a fall/witchy season.

YA Fantasy can be very hit or miss, this one is a hit. Slow starting but a great storyline, especially if you enjoy historical fiction/fantasy. Thea is an alchemist, following in the footsteps of her well known and well sought after mother, who is trying to create the Philosophers Stone, said to have magical powers of healing and possibly immortality. The problem…anyone who sets out to try and create the stone goes mad. When Thea’s mother succumbs to this madness she has no choice but to go off to England to a father she never met and doesn’t know she exists. From there, more adventure and some danger follow our young heroine. Smart and headstrong we watch Thea in her journey to create the stone and hopefully cure her mother. I ended this story and after a slow start it had plenty of action, along with heartbreak, betrayal, and a touch of romance. While this is a YA story, adults will enjoy it as well, it doesn’t read to “young”. A great debut, this is an author I will keep on my need to read list for future releases.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy and including me on this tour. 4/5 stars

I’m a sucker for historical fantasy so I knew I HAD to read this one. Throw in alchemy and the quest for the philosophers stone?

I’m sold.

The character of Thea was raised more as an assistant than a daughter. You can see from the very beginning that the love her mother has for is flawed, and that Thea is more a means to an end than a daughter she should love and cherish.

When her mother needs her less and less, her only hope is the letters she receives from Will, her mother’s former apprentice whom she’s in love with. But when her mothers making of the Stone goes awry, she descends into madness and it’s up to Thea to save her.

I was very up and down with my feelings on Thea. She’s a very naive person, and often ignores the advice of good people because they go against what her mother has taught her. I didn’t always like her, but she was SO well written. Although it’s not explicitly stated, I believe Thea did experience mental abuse from her mother, and it shows in the way she cowers to her mothers teachings and ways of thinking.

Thea was also very dismissive of her father and his ideas, and it times it broke my heart, but it really did help round out why Thea was the way she was.

But the heart of this story is the Stone. The stone that can only be made by “the last alchemist”, the stone that is driving mad all those that try and make it.

I love the way the stone and the quest for the stone changes Thea’s relationship with her parents, Will, Valentin, and Dominic. Each person, both with good and bad intentions, help shape Thea and the person she is to come.

Overall this was a very well written story. It was very plot oriented, and although I wanted a little more magic (or I guess alchemy), it was still brilliant.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, fun fantasy read!

I really had no expectations going into this book outside of the fact that I’m just a fan of historical fantasy. I was immediately intrigued because this setting is post-French revolution, and I thought it would be more involved with this actual time period, but that wasn’t the case (yes, I know the synopsis says Thea goes to Oxford, England but still). To be honest, I thought you could set this book in any similar Western setting and nothing much would change.

You have the main character, Thea, who is an alchemist, along with her mother, who apparently made some really great armor for the king and that is her one claim to flame. Apparently, Thea’s mother doesn’t like that she has someone to compete with (against?), and to be honest, I struggled to understand Thea’s love for her mother because it didn’t seem to be something based on actual love but almost… obligation. Like, hey, this person raised me and taught me everything I know but she’s also a horrible person. So…yeah. Her father tried to be a little better, but you can tell he’s working through the fact that he has a daughter whom he knew nothing about until she arrived on his doorstep. Don’t get me wrong, Thea is determined and ambitious, especially in a world that doesn’t hold much value to women (thanks, time period).

If the author tried to make her readers feel the romance between Will and Thea, it really isn’t there. The whole story about him how he came to be in his present situation doesn’t seem believable, and even Thea questioned it. It makes me wonder if Will even cared for Thea in the first place because as the story progressed, I don’t think that’s even the case. He becomes (is?) a selfish person who seemed to take advantage of people for his own personal gain. I’m not sure what to make fo Dominic either. There’s nothing really that commends all of three of these characters. Thea acted the way she did because she thought she was saving people, but when she discovered the Stone isn’t exactly what everyone thought it would be… Well… Meh. The only person I sort of cared for is Valentin and it’s only because I thought his whole connection with Will/Thea and the events were rather heartbreaking.

The ending also makes it seem like there could be a sequel, but it’s not something I would be interested in reading. I think I mainly wanted a lot more of the historical aspect of this book, while the fantasy part was just okay.

Thea is a young lady (16 years old) who aspires to become a great alchemist like her mother. Only her mother has banned her from the lab in what Thea takes as a power grab to have the claim to fame as the alchemist who forms the Philosopher's Stone.

But, she soon learns that her mother has gone quite mad, to the point of violence, from the quest. Thea is then sent to the father who doesn't even know she exists.

Taking with her some of her mother's notes on the process, she soon discovers that the quest is one that will rob you of your life.

While I find the idea of alchemy interesting (and have training in chemistry), I must admit there were times I really did not like the main character. Yes, she is naive. But, her attitude towards others grated me the wrong way. This meant it took me a lot longer to finish the title than planned as I had to trudge through it.

The ending was good. But, getting there was sometimes torturous.

First, I want to say a big thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours as well as Wednesday Books for having me on this tour and providing me with a free copy of A Golden Fury. This is a book that had been on my radar for over a year and I'd been dying to read it since I first saw it floating around all the way back in 2019. I was thrilled to finally have this book in my hands.

From the very first page, I knew I was going to like Thea as a main character. I really liked her character voice and how strong and passionate she was. She was a very interesting character to read about throughout the entire book and I was really invested in her journey.

This book isn't super explosive or large. I quite liked how it was contained to a very small portion of the world rather than being a story about "I have to do this in order save the world." While the stakes are high for our individual characters, this was a refreshingly contained.

The plot was a bit slow at times, but other times moved quickly. I thought the events of the book were really easy to follow and I was very invested. I wasn't ever really shocked or surprised, but that's okay. At this point in my life, I'm very stressed and busy so having that didn't jerk me around and wasn't hard to follow was a breath of fresh air. This is also a standalone book, so knowing that the entire story was going to be wrapped up in one fell swoop was also a nice change of pace for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fun and magical and I'm glad that I got the chance to read it. It's such a good, solid YA fantasy and I think that a lot of YA readers will enjoy it!

A Golden Fury is one of those debuts that is equally enchanting as it is powerful. It’s a story that captivated me from page one until the end. The story is filled with exceptional character development, engaging storyline, and charming historical settings. I enjoyed the aspects of magic and science and I learned a great deal about alchemy from Thea, a brilliant teenage alchemist.

“The mind has power over the body that no one fully understands.”
The setting in A Golden Fury stole my breath away. It’s beautifully described and depicted wonderfully. I felt like I was right there in France and then in England. The historical setting was just everything in this book, and I was blown away by it all. Cohoe fills this story with captivating descriptions of the setting and also the characters. Samantha Cohoe’s writing is strong and filled with lush prose. Cohoe knows how to describe a scene in a way that keeps the reader glued to the page. I was loving her descriptions of the plot and characters and how she filled the pages with thoughts of magic and science and alchemy.

“I would not need to change myself to suit the world. I would change the world to suit me.”

Thea, I felt, was a relatable and reliable main character. She’s strong in her own way and fights to prove her worth. She needs to prove, not just to herself but her mother and the other alchemists, that nothing good can come from creating the Philosopher’s Stone. Thea wants to change history as a teenage alchemist. She knows her strengths and she knows she deserves the credit for the work she’s doing. I was here for all her character development, which is a big part of the story. The story focuses more on the plot and Thea than romance, which I surprisingly enjoyed (I’m usually a huge romance fan, but this book held it’s own without a strong romance element).

Overall, A Golden Fury is a unique story with an enchanting historical setting and well-developed characters. It’s a solid debut from a new and promising author, and I look forward to Samatha Cohoe’s next novel.

I am so glad I was able to read this book. I haven’t read many books that deal with alchemy and even fewer taking place in a historical setting (18th century). It was hard to believe this was a debut novel. I found Cohoe’s writing to be engaging and I wasn’t able to put the book down until I was finished.

I found Thea to be a really well written and interesting character. She was smart and witty – definitely different from women of her time period. She wanted to make a name for herself in her profession, alchemy, but was also aware of some of the limitations of being a women in that field. Even when she trailed from this sense, how she acted with her love interest still made sense. She was a self-sacrificing character that would do anything in her power to help those she found kinship with. It was interesting that she trusted so few males in her field, but one character she was more than willing to share information with – despite his lack of trustworthiness.

Cohoe’s other characters were interesting as well. While I was reading the story, everyone’s actions made perfect sense. They all had their reasons for doing what they were doing. However, looking back, the two male “love interests” did some acts where t didn’t line up exactly (although there were moments where I wasn’t even sure if that was their purpose – love or friendship).

This book had a lot of self-sacrificing, both by the main character and others, but there was also a lot of selfishness. It seemed like everyone had selfish reasons for doing something – although the main character didn’t have many, and if she did she didn’t always act on them. The characters felt realistic, but still served a purpose in the end.

The plot was interesting and had constant twists and turns. There were many points where I wasn’t sure where the story was going – or at least how it would get there. Everything did end up wrapping up nicely, and relatively neatly, not fully what I was hoping for – but still not unsatisfying. The weakest point of the book – which still wasn’t truly a weakness – was the logic. There were just points in the story where it felt like Cohoe wanted the book to go to this point, but wasn’t fully 100% sure on how to get there. Sometimes the route to getting to that point didn’t fully make sense to me. But really, that is a minor nitpicky point on my part. While reading it, everything made sense and I wasn’t questioning anything – it wasn’t until writing this review that I realized there were point where things didn’t add up entirely (and honestly, that may be because some time has passed between reading and writing this review).

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and will be keeping an eye out for more that Cohoe writes. I loved the alchemy element in the story and the strongly written characters.

Lately I've really been enjoying stories that take place quite some time ago and A Golden Fury fit that perfectly taking place in the late 18th century. Even though this was a fantasy, I really enjoyed the little pieces of history that are in this story. It's something that really interests me and a nice added touch.

Our main character Thea is a strong main character and very smart. Her mother is an alchemist and has been trying to figure out how to create the philosopher's stone. Things don't go as planned and she's determined to do it herself. I really enjoyed Thea as a character. She has to overcome a lot of obstacles, especially as a woman, in this setting, but she doesn't let that stop her at all! It's clear she wasn't planning on sitting around and act like how society thought women should act. And why should she?!? She was very smart and should use her knowledge.

A Golden Fury is pretty fast-paced and I loved the adventure and magic we get in this book. It's a darker story and has elements I wasn't always expecting. The cast of characters is actually quite interesting and I enjoyed seeing the development throughout the story! If I'm honest, I could've done a bit without the romance element in this story, but all in all, I highly recommend this debut fantasy. Samantha Cohoe is an author to keep an eye on!

A Golden Fury takes place in France in 1792. For some reason I have never liked a book I've read set in France... until now! A lot of the book actually doesn't take place in France as our characters dash around Victorian Europe for various reasons, but I actually really enjoyed this one. I felt like the first half of the book was a little stronger than the second half, but I can still easily give it 4 stars.

What I liked a lot:
I can't tell you why without giving spoilers, but this books has one of the most satisfying resolutions of a complicated relationship I've ever read. The main character falls for a boy who is her Alchemist mother's apprentice who is then sent away when they are discovered. They write each other letters and are eventually reunited, building to possibly my favorite relationship twist and resolution I've read in a while. I also felt like the Alchemy was a good balance of information. We as the reader were given enough info to make it scientific and interesting, but not so much to make it dull.

What I liked less:
The second half of the book just didn't feel quite as developed as the first and there were a few places where I felt like the pacing was a little odd, but neither of those things were a large deal.

Soundtrack:
For this blog tour I was tasked with creating a soundtrack for the book! I won't give any explanations for why I've chosen these books to prevent spoilers, but if you've read it and want to ask, shoot me a message!
Do You Hear the People Sing- Les Mis
Gold- Imagine Dragons
You're Somebody Else- Flora Cash
Runaway- Yea Yea Yeas
I'm Going Slightly Mad- Queen
Set Fire to the Rain- Adele
Dancing After Death- Matt Maeson
Come Out and Play- Billie Eilish

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review