3.5/5✨

Cave Maledictionem Alchemistae. Beware the alchemist’s curse.

I’m starting this off by saying I’m OBSESSED with this cover! The combination of turquoise and copper foiling is SO eye catching that I would have shamelessly bought it for the cover alone. Even though I adored the cover though, the synopsis is what pulled me in, a story about a alchemist and the philosopher’s stone?! I was intrigued to say the least!

Once I started A Golden Fury, I was immediately entranced by the story and by Thea, our main character. This story pulled me right in and I just couldn’t put it down which leads me to why it received 3.5 stars instead of 5, I feel like this story lost itself somewhere around the middle. It felt like it just kept going around in circles to me and was a bit dragged out but there were a few small plot twists that gave the story new life for me.

Thea, our main character, goes through a lot in this story and I really appreciated her character growth, even though her desperation sometimes had me internally rolling my eyes lol but overall, I loved who she was by the end of this story. I also really really enjoyed Dominic, even though I wanted to see more of him, he was such a sincere and genuine character and I couldn’t help but love him.

A Golden Fury is Samantha Cohoe’s debut novel and I’m truly so excited to see what she does next! Her writing style was beautiful and easy to devour. For lovers of alchemy and always having to pay the price, I highly recommend picking up A Golden Fury!

A lot of people on Goodreads thought the first half of A Golden Fury was stronger than the second half and I definitely agree, but I’d simultaneously say that the chaos of the second half was pretty much reflective of the insanity of the plot itself. It surrounds this unavoidable descent into a madness that’s hard to come back from and I think the fast-paced writing really reflects that well.

It's common knowledge that I don't tend to enjoy books that are pure romance, so I really liked that relationships were a mere undercurrent to the overarching plot. Even though they were important to the plot, they weren't over-the-top or in-your-face type relationships. The bonds that were important were the bonds between family, both blood family and found family.

I didn't love Thea's father, even though he was given what was meant to be character development. I don't really think that aspect was done too well, as his 'development' was just a lot of apologising and not a lot of actions. I would have liked more moments where they could bond and get to know each other's personalities rather than constantly being at war with one another.

Thea was a great protagonist for me. She took control in situations where others were constantly fighting for attention and praise, always one step ahead of everybody else. I'd love to see more characters like Thea grace the page!

It felt a little at times like there was some kind of Stockholm syndrome type element to the story, which I wasn't a huge fan of. The plot, however, wouldn't have worked entirely without that aspect, so I have a love-hate relationship with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I do worry whenever I see the words 'philosopher's stone' in a synopsis as it has been overdone in terms of concept. Nonetheless, A Golden Fury was incredibly well-written, especially as far as debuts go. I'll definitely be reading Cohoe's next project!

Thank you to Wednesday Books, Samantha Cohoe and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I want to start off by saying I am in love with this cover, it is what drew me to the book. Then I read the synopsis and it hooked me even more. Once I started reading I could hardly put it down but I do have to say that the main character Thea Hope was a little too arrogant for me. She did grow on me through out the book along with the others. I was fine with the pacing for the book and it kept me entertained, and it was easy to keep up with what was going on. Towards the end it started to feel a little rushed but it didn't take away much from the story. I just wish there was more, That is why I only gave it three stars, I will be picking up more from this author. I will also be recommending this to my friends cause it wasn't a bad book. It was very entertaining and it was a fun read.

A Golden Fury is a YA historical fantasy following young alchemist Theosebeia (Thee-ah-see-bya) Hope, or Thea, as she finds herself caught in a race to create the infamous Philosopher’s Stone. Set in 1792 Normandy, Thea’s mother – a renowned and ruthless alchemist – has discovered the secret to creating the Philosopher’s Stone. The stone is said to perform great wonders and grant its wielder enormous power. But producing it comes with the risk of the Alchemist’s Curse – a curse which drives the unlucky alchemist into a madness beyond one’s worst nightmares.

There is so much to love in A Golden Fury, I’m at a loss where to start. Thea is competent and witty, but also human. Cohoe allows her protagonist to feel. When tragedy strikes, the author doesn’t bury or disguise Thea’s grief, because her feelings don’t weaken her as a character. Too often, I think we forget heroes can show emotions and still be tough. Thea also has strained relationships with both her parents, and it was refreshing to read about parents who are so gut-wrenchingly flawed. As a young adult, we start to see the cracks in the perfect image we’ve crafted of our parents. Thea’s mother is controlling and cruel, despite what her intentions may be, and her father has his own set of issues.

In fact, all of Cohoe’s characters are shockingly real and flawed, and continue to be throughout the story – but this is what makes you attach to them. There are no good or bad sides. Everyone has a reason for their actions, and my feelings were constantly torn about almost everyone. One minute I sympathized, the next I gritted my teeth.

Through it all, we always root for Thea. Writing feminist characters while balancing a historical tone can sometimes be tricky – not because those ideas didn’t exist back then, but because there can be a temptation to voice them in modern terms. The author did a brilliant job of exploring women in science while keeping the novel grounded in the eighteenth century setting. The historical setting felt wonderfully real – down to the food, the attire, the dialogue. Sometimes historical backdrops feel flimsy and thrown in without any concrete research, but I was relieved to find that was not the case here! Cohoe’s writing is also full of clever observations and witticisms, usually shown through Thea’s inner monologue.

I will say: this book does not hold back. I legitimately had no idea what was going to happen next the whole novel. I can’t remember the last time a book made me feel that way – like anything could happen. Some scenes were surprisingly scary, particularly when it came to the description of the “madness” of the Alchemist’s Curse. Maybe I’m just sensitive to horror, but the unerring visions and acts of violence chilled me to the bone. Please read the content warnings at the end of this review, because some scenes may be triggering for readers.

My favorite character aside from Thea was Dominic, her father’s "lower-class" alchemist apprentice. Like Thea, I wavered in my trust toward nearly everyone – except Dominic. He was the only accomplice I trusted completely. Cohoe does such a good job of crafting his character, because his honesty is implicit, and through him, we see Thea confronting her perceptions of the “lower” classes. Initially we hear a lot about her relationship with Will, but I immediately latched onto the friendship she developed with Dominic. It felt so real. He was caring and awkward, stilted in a way that felt very true to life. In regard to the madness, we learn about Dominic’s catholic beliefs, and his value of repentance and forgiveness. There was no religious sway at all to Cohoe’s writing – it was simply a part of Dominic’s character that I found interesting to learn about.

While romantic tension is definitely a present part of the novel, readers who love or dislike romance will equally enjoy this book. What I appreciated most is that A Golden Fury was anything but formulaic. Seemingly “stock” characters broke the mold and the plot was brilliantly unpredictable, and even shocking at times. I loved this book more than I ever expected, and I hope you do too.

As part of the official blog tour, my review for A Golden Fury will be published on my blog and other social accounts on October 15, 2020.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (3.5 stars)

A Golden Fury is a YA historical fantasy that tells the story of Thea Hope – the 17-year-old daughter of the famed alchemist Marguerite Hope – in her attempt to create the ultimate alchemical creation, the Philosopher’s Stone in an attempt to cure her mother’s madness. Set during the French Revolution, Thea finds herself in a precarious position when her mother goes mad in the middle of her attempt to create the Philosopher’s Stone.

With tensions rising between France and England, and her mother’s failing sanity, her mother’s benefactor decides to send Thea back to England – a place she hasn’t been since she was very little – to stay with her estranged father, a man Thea did not know about until the moment she was told she must leave. It turns out Thea’s father hadn’t known about her existence either, and isn’t exactly welcoming to the intrusion on his orderly life as a professor of alchemy at Oxford. The sole silver lining for Thea is that her most dear friend – and long-time crush – Will is living in London, and if Thea has the chance to get away from her father, she’ll be able to reunite with him.

The book was much darker than I anticipated when I first picked it up! Most the characters, with very few exceptions, were conniving, cruel and selfish. Many of them motivated by whatever means necessary to achieve their wants and desired. They prized self serving methods above all else, no matter who they harmed along the way. Because of this it was very hard to care for them, or grow attached.

However, since so many of the characters were so irredeemable, the few who weren’t so undeniably selfish and did things not just for the good of their self interests, but for the good of those around them, stood above the rest so clearly and incontestably that it was hard not to root for them.

This book was very interesting and incredibly unique. The way it demonstrated how the will of those seeking only fame and fortune would crumble in the face of true adversary, but if one’s will was true, and they sought out knowledge and betterment, they would eventually be rewarded, was thought-provoking. And how in the end, it showed there were truly no shortcuts (or magic cures) to finding fulfillment and creating a better world.

The ending was very ambiguous and open-ended, but I think that worked well for this novel. This story is one where I found I gained the most from it when I sat and mulled it all over after finishing it. It’s not a quick and easy read, but if you’re in the mood for a creative, unique and thought-provoking tale, this may just be the one for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books & St. Martin’s Press, for inviting me to participate in this blog tour and providing me with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

I wanted to love this one a lot more than I did and I'm sad about it. The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis sounded so wonderful. I would say the first half of the book I did enjoy, but the second half really fell flat for me. I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary "drama" towards the end that was a little weird for me. I also wanted a bit more from the characters and maybe some more alchemy instead of the same basic things repeated.

When I started A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe, I’m not sure what I was expecting. A historical fantasy? A romance? Intrigue? I got all of those things and more! I’m not one to usually compare books because that usually leads to disappointment, however if you enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper you will devour this book. Set in the Victorian period, A Golden Fury takes the reader on a high stakes quest for the Philosopher’s Stone, alchemy’s highest prize.

Thea Hope is the star of this book! Told entirely from her POV, I found myself hooked to her immediately. She is not like your typical heroine of the time period. She isn’t in need of a man to save her. On the contrary, Thea plans to do the saving. She’s smart, distrusting, and slightly desperate. After her mother succumbs to the alchemist’s curse in her attempts to create the stone, Thea is forced out of a revolutionary France into the countryside of England and the home of her unknown father. To say she is happy about any of this is laughable. Thea is angry and wants nothing more than to return to her mother and save her. She knows that she is the only one that has cracked her mother’s code and can create the stone to save her from the curse. But nothing is ever that easy.

Desperate to prove herself among the men, Thea shows her father her mother’s notes. This becomes the catalyst that leaves her and her father’s apprentice, Dominic, on the run. The plot of this one is fast moving. I had a hard time sitting it down once I started. I had to know what would happen. I love the bits of science and alchemy the author throws in with the danger of what Thea must do. It’s all believable, making what occurs that much more interesting. Thea faces a mad scientist, heartbreak, and a gang of Prussians in her quest, and yet that doesn’t stop her.

Overall I really enjoyed A Golden Fury. I liked how science is interwoven with fiction, how the history of the time period affects what happens to the characters, and the bits of romance the author teases us with. I’m not going to lie, I wanted more romance, but it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment without it. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, adventure, and fantasy thrown in, I highly recommend you grab a copy of A Golden Fury today!

4 STARS


We all know the Philosopher's Stone.


The legendary high point of alchemy, the ultimate act of creation, the mythical object with power over life and death, not to mention wealth. For us, it's a fable. For Thea Hope, it's a dream and a last chance in equal measure. Surrounded by danger on all sides in A Golden Fury, Thea must find a way to succeed where no alchemist ever has before, despite the lifetimes of research and alchemical practice that have come before her. If she fails, the lives of her friends and family hang in the balance, not to mention her own sanity.

But the real question remains: is the Philosopher's Stone worth the costs?


A Golden Fury is a book brimming with ambition at its sharpest.


Any alchemist worth their salt will be ambitious, of course. With the Philosopher's Stone ever out of reach, promising limitless health, wealth, and power, the practice is cutthroat at best, and full of skeptic disregard at worst. To succeed as an alchemist requires demonstration of the impossible.

And this is what made me love Thea Hope.

Raised by the most famous female alchemist in Europe, only to suddenly be excluded from her mother's pending triumphs, Thea is a relentlessly focused protagonist. She makes little secret of her skill as an alchemist, and while there are some altruistic motives driving her quest for the Stone, Thea first and foremost wants the credit. She wants to surpass the mother who froze her out, defy the society that disparages her on account of both her gender and her field of study. She wants, plain and simple, and I found it incredibly refreshing. As much as I love a good reluctant hero still uncertain of their desires, there's enormous power in a protagonist who's already made up their mind.

Set against a supporting cast that seems to waffle in their desires (or disguise them altogether), Thea stands out sharply. Even though A Golden Fury is a stand-alone, I would love to read more about her!


"Power to do harm is still power. That power in your hands becomes the power to do good. To do anything."


Ultimately, this is what A Golden Fury is all about: power. The quest for it and the use of it alike permeate every page of the book. Who deserves to wield power like the Stone's, and what will that power cost?

For the most part, I enjoyed the way A Golden Fury interrogated power, especially since it confronted abuses of power not directly related to the Stone's legendary gifts. However, this was also the part I felt was most lacking. Often, the book fails to answer why someone deserves to wield power or knowledge. This is most glaring during the final stretches of Thea's attempt to make the Stone, and has been on my mind since. The thematic questions regarding power start strong, but remain incomplete.


A Golden Fury is a perfect fit for stand-alone historical fantasy lovers.


Clever and sharp, with a well-formed cast in the space of a single book, A Golden Fury is likely to please anyone who likes their historical YA with a splash of magic and a full complement of willful characters. It's also hitting shelves tomorrow, October 13th, leaving you just a little time to squeeze in a pre-order if that's your thing!

Think you'll be worthy of the knowledge of the Stone?


CW: violence, alcoholism, loss of a loved one, graphic injury, gore, torture, suicide, self-harm

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 12pm EST on 10/12/20 as part of the Wednesday Books blog tour.]

Seventeen year old Thea Hope is sick of her narcissistic and harsh mother, both talented alchemists on the verge of creating the infamous philosopher's stone. But then a manic episode leads her mother to lose control, break the stone, which leads Thea to travel to Oxford to her professor father (who never knew of her existence). New adventure strikes up there as more people in contact with the stone is getting cursed of madness, and Thea finds herself in the midst of a tough dilemma - make the stone, lose all sanity or watch people close to her die.

To say that the plot sounds very interesting would be an understatement. Honestly, I feel it is a very unique plotline and had lots of potential. I loved the beginning first part of the story. It was strong, Thea had a strong voice and determination. I loved the alchemical elements in the book, the whole mystery behind the curse. It was very interesting.

Then Thea meets her father and I honestly despised him so much. Dominic, the very loyal assistant, quickly befriends Thea and both flee when disaster strikes.

However, it is the third part of the book where I lose my interest. I slowly started hating the characters, despising their childish choices. Thea became insufferable, overpowered by her blind love 🙄 Will was - I won't even✌️And the last few chapters were so melodramatic, so haphazardly done, so illogical that I just didn't know what to think, what to feel. The climax legit happened and finished in one chapter 🙂 the characters were simply very poorly done, developed.

With such a beautiful cover and an interesting blurb, I was hoping for more. The whole idea of alchemy was intriguing in fantasy, topped with science. While the writing was very good and flowy, I think there was a whole lot potential to develop the plot as well as the characters. So yeah, I did enjoy the beginning, and the idea of the story - unique, I feel. But otherwise, there wasn't much that could hold my attention.

©2020 All Rights Reserved Lynne Perednia

A Golden Fury
By Samantha Cohoe
YA Fantasy
Wednesday Books

As the French Revolution looms, Theosebia Hope enjoys talking politics and ideas, philosophy and alchemy. Although only 17, she is the valued assistant of her mother, a renowned alchemist who has had some success. They are close to creating the famed Philosopher's Stone, which would grant limitless power.

But that work comes with a heavy price. Her mother descends into madness pursuing her craft. Thea is sent to her father in Oxford, a professor who does not know she exists. Although Dominic, her father's assistant is kind, she knows she is not wanted. Her only hope is to find Will, the boy who was studying alchemy with her mother, the boy her mother sent away.

Soon they are all at the mercy of another rich man, one who is owed a great debt by Will. All three young people feel compelled to take that last step, that of creating the Philosopher's Stone, even if it makes them insane. They each find themselves wondering if they can take the chance, if they can save other people at the cost of their own reason.

But this is not a YA romance. A Golden Fury is a story about power -- the fabled unlimited power of the stone created through alchemy, power that Thea's mother came close to creating before it drove her mad. There is another powerful thread running through the story -- that of Thea's place in the world. Women in the 18th century were not free to carve out their own future. The ideas of proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, are woven into the choices Thea must make.

Cohoe has crafted together many elements in a fast-paced novel that melds together fantasy, horror and historical fiction to tell the story of a gifted young woman who wants to live a full, complete life.

I was thrilled when the folks over at Wednesday Books reached out to me about reading A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe – it was immediately clear that this book was unlike anything I had read before. Alchemy is a topic you don’t see often in YA fiction, so needless to say, I was excited to dive right into it. Also, not that you should ever judge a book by its cover, but oh my god this cover is stunning - kudos to whoever the designer was.

The only issue I had with this book was the pacing – the first half of the book was a bit too slow for me. There was a lot of world building that had to happen in the first half, but it seemed to come at the expense of significant plot events. The second half really picked up speed and kept me more glued to the pages. That being said, Samantha Cohoe certainly built an immersive atmosphere – within the first couple of pages I could practically see Normandy in the spring. Also, she is great at writing tension – there were scenes where my heart was racing at the thought that a glass might shatter – not something I normally get excited about.

Thea was a great character – she was a strong, independent young woman who was self-reliant and incredibly intelligent. From the first pages her ambition is clear – as too is her yearning for her mother’s praise. When everything goes awry, she becomes a fish out of water and quickly proves just how much of a scrappy survivor she is. Even through hardships, she was a bad ass, take-crap-from-no-one type of character – my favorite. Throughout the course of the book her character evolved and developed – she went from seeking the praise of her mother to someone wise and self-sacrificing for the greater good. I thoroughly enjoyed her character arc and hope I get to read about her in a future book.

A Golden Fury is filled with mystery, is atmospheric, and tackles the fascinating topic of alchemy. I loved how well it set the scene, and how immersive it was – there were scenes that had my heart racing even though they weren’t necessarily action scenes. I’ve never read a book about alchemy before, and after A Golden Fury I hope to read more. I can’t wait to read whatever Samantha Cohoe writes next. 4/5

I had a hard time deciding how to rate this book. I'm not sure if it's the historical fiction aspect, which I tend to struggle through anyway, or the plot. The novel was fine, although a bit bland. I also thought Thea is a very 2D character throughout and didn't connect with her at all. The concept itself is promising and I did like it, I just didn't love it. I found it hard to become invested into and by the time it was over, I forgot most of what even happened. I think this is just a case of not being the right audience or the right time.

Huge thank you and shout out to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to be apart of this amazing blog tour and have nearly access to Samantha Cohoe’s debut book, A Golden Fury. Set in 1792 Normandy, France young alchemist, Thea Hope and her infamous alchemist mother, Marguerite Hope are on the brink of completing what many have deemed an impossible task, creating the “White Elixir” aka the Philosopher’s Stone rumored to grant any wish and turn metal into gold.

Right away readers can detect the profound tension rolling off of Thea; her frustration with her mother suddenly shutting her out during the final stages and her anxiety when it come to responding to a letter of the boy she can’t seem to forget. While only seventeen, Thea is presented as a full 3D character with depths of emotions and a wonder character development. During the course of the novel Thea goes from jaded, tired of living under her mother’s shadow to creating a path of her own. One of the things I love that the author did was have consistency throughout the book with Thea’s character; when it comes to ensuring that a character, already established as witty, intelligent, and a fiery spirit, that character has to present those same qualities throughout the entire novel. While some books I’ve read before failed to execute this literary device, thus leaving me irritated and disinterested in the story. That was not the case with A Golden Fury; it far exceeded my expectations.

As Thea soon comes to realize, the process in making the Philosopher's Stone come at a terrible price—one’s sanity. Left feral and full of rage, Thea’s mother succumbs to the alchemist’s curse, and with war brewing on the horizon between France and England, Thea is left with no choice but to flea in search of her father who she’s never met. Now it’s a race against time. With word out that Thea is in possessions of her mother’s notes for creating the Philosopher's Stone, enemies from dark corners swarm to get either become the first to create it or to possess it.

The course of events that Thea goes through are immediate, there’s no time to come up for air, each chapter is packed with action, trust is tested to its limit and Thea is caught in the center with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Cohoe did an amazing job crafting dynamic characters of Will, Dominic, and others to give the story a realistic feel that when an all powerful substance can grant any wish, people’s true colors are bound to show. I was completely captivated by this novel and read through it in one sitting. I highly recommend this novel, which hits shelves on October 13, 2020, to anyone who loves fast passed action, a fiery tempered, sassy, highly intelligent heroine, and several twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

A Golden Fury is a YA historical fantasy about alchemy, set in 18th century France and England. Thea Hope is an alchemist apprentice to her mother, who is very close to creating the elusive Philosopher's Stone. Her mother is very close to the ultimate alchemist goal, but it appears that creating the stone causes her to lose her sanity before completion. Thea is forced to flee from France to England, where she hopes to finish the work her mother started, even if it means she may suffer the same fate as her mother.

I like the premise of the book. The first part was very promising but I didn't love the second half. The story about alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone had the potential to go somewhere a lot more interesting than what happened in the end. Most of the characters' motivations were either petty or not very clear. Still, it was enjoyable and a quick read. A Golden Fury is a solid debut and I am interested to see what the author can do with her next book.

If you'd told me this was a debut before I began reading, I would say you were crazy! A Golden Fury is a very strong debut novel from Samantha Cohoe. This is a firmly upper-YA novel that carries the weight of it's narrative and features superb writing! Immediately, the reader is introduced to our main character, Thea. It's a bit trope-y, but Thea has worked in her famous mother's shadow for a long time and is thrust into an odd situation after her mother suffers from a breakdown. Thea is sent to her father, who, of course, has no idea he is her father, and many things ensue!

While some new releases this year have very strongly relied on the YA tropes of old, I felt like this novel took a used trope and successfully built a narrative that I became wrapped up in, almost from the beginning. Thea is incredibly well-written and well-developed, even in the first few pages, I found myself wanting to know everything about her and the strange art of alchemy! She has quirks and nuances, which are revealed in ways that absolutely worked for me! My only quibble with Thea is that she put a lot of faith and trust in people, which may not have always been the best idea in this story. That's a minor thing, though. Truly, I enjoyed Thea. I did notice in a few other reviews that others felt that some of the character traits weren't quite suited to the narrative, but I think that may have been more of a deliberate action on the part of the author, given the time period. As a fan of historical fiction, which this is loosely historical fiction, I really liked that!

Certainly, the romance between Will and Thea is strained at times (that trust thing again), which became a bit grating at some point, but I don't think it ultimately detracted from the narrative. I felt that their romance kept the plot going, but wasn't overly intrusive. Being less of a romance fan, I also appreciated this fact. The setting was incredible and Thea accomplishes much with the hand she is dealt through the story. Being a longtime fan of spooky season and also a fan of anti-heroes, I felt this book was what I was looking for right now. This isn't a typical YA novel and certainly not a typical YA debut. I enjoyed the gloomy setting, dire consequences, and potential failure that linger with the reader throughout the narrative.

Once again, this was a book that was just right for me! I would encourage any fans of historical fiction, YA fantasy, alchemy, or a non-traditional YA novel to read this! This is also perfect for fans of other Wednesday imprint authors like Adrienne Young, Emma Lord, Allison Saft, Romina Garber, among others.

My thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc!

The premise of AGF was fascinating- alchemy in a French Revolution setting. The writing was beautiful and vibrant, and I felt truly immersed in the setting. The flow made the book very difficult to put down, especially near the middle.

Thea was a very fascinating main character and I loved following her story in her point of view. While we only see her mother Meg for a few scenes, their relationship was very nuanced.

One major issue I had with this book was Thea’s motivations towards the second half of the book- her blind trust in Will was a little frustrating at times and definitely turned me off from the story.

Overall, a decent debut and a quick read once you get down to the task. The designers for this book also deserve a raise, the cover is so gorgeous 😍

3.40 out of 5 Stars

Honestly, this review is going to be a little hard to write, just because there's a giant boulder of something I didn't like sitting in the middle of a beautiful setting full of everything this book did wonderfully, and I'm not sure how to handle it. As a whole, A Golden Fury was an excellently written, original take on a concept that I personally haven't come across since my baby Harry Potter days. With a backdrop of late eighteenth century revolution, we follow Thea as she studies alchemy and the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. The story starts in France but quickly moves to mostly take place in England after Thea's mother goes mad from the Stone's curse.

I loved the writing. I was fine with the historical backdrop really just being a backdrop and nothing more. I really enjoyed the alchemy and the development of the Stone. My biggest, biggest issue was with Thea herself, which is unfortunate. She was, for lack of a better description, a weak character. And not in development, but truly in her character. And without getting into too much detail so I don't spoil anything at this point, it was doubly frustrating because there is a great opportunity for contrast between strong-as-in-independent and strong-as-in-arrogant-and-overbearing, but the opportunity was missed.

PLOT

As far as fantasies go, I really really loved this plot! At first, I was a little hesitant with the whole "Philosopher's Stone" thing, but it ended up being really refreshing. I think my main concern was that the story would be a typical quest for eternal life, but it really was about intellectual achievement, which made the story all the more refreshing. Even better was the twisted turn the story took with how the madness was a result of the Stone feeding off the minds of the other alchemists. It was so cool in a sort of creepy way how the Stone was a sentient being, parasitical in nature. It was so interesting, I wish he had more depth of that portion of the plot. Very quickly, we move from Thea finding out the Stone is consuming the minds of Dominic and her mother (along with all the others) to Thea willing to drown and die so that the Stone is killed as well. I would've loved to see more of that, not just because I think it would have drawn out the ending more, but because it was just so, so interesting.

CHARACTERS

So, A Golden Fury was... good. But here's the thing, I pretty much only had issues with the main character, and while that might seem like a pretty good position for a review, books in this situation are the most frustrating and borderline-infuriating thing ever. Like, it's so close to being excellent. It's just the main character of the story is maddening and that's kind of a big ******* deal. And while Thea was only slightly annoying in the beginning (her pining after Will did not make sense to me), she was distractedly annoying by the end of the book. As I thought about it -- because I typically try to give a lot of leeway to allow characters to grow over the course of their book -- I realized I was so annoyed because Thea is just as unhealthily dependent on outside emotional attachment at the end of the book as she is in the beginning. Let's delve into this a bit deeper:

I'm not saying she should be like her mother because let's be real, her mother is wack. A great character, but her disdain for any compassion, sympathy, empathy... emotion in general... is bad for any person. But while Thea shouldn't be like her mother, I thought she was trying to cling too tightly to the idea of acceptance by someone else as opposed to accepting herself by herself. Thea is a brilliant alchemist, achieves the greatest scientific feat of all time, etc., but so often, she is so passive, reaching for approval or support from the men around her. It does make sense to some degree. Growing up, she was surrounded, really, by only her robotic mother, which means she's probably starved for attention and affection. However, I don't believe becoming the stark opposite of her mother is the solution, but this is the development portrayed in the book. I would have rather seen Thea learn to find a balance between learning how to have relationships with the people around her and knowing her own value and worth herself outside of what other people can give her. Even at the end, the only plan we see her form is to follow her father back to Oxford. And it's him that's spitballing potential studies for her while she just sort of sits there and agrees with him. *sigh*

Outside of Thea, I thought the characters were pretty good. They weren't extraordinary, but they weren't completely flat either. There was just enough depth to each of them to balance the story on the edge between basic simple storytelling and heart-gripping engagement. Could they have been deeper and more complex? Yes. Did they have to be to improve the story? Eh? I don't really think so.

Also, last random note on characters- I loved Valentin. I know he's like, "one of the bad guys," but is he really? He was one of the most interesting and in-depth characters of the entire book I thought. I was so curious about his background, his morals, his actions and motivations. At one point, I was lowkey rooting for him and Thea to be a thing, but there wasn't really much romance in the book at all besides Thea's pining for Will.

WRITING

The writing was also really impressive. Even though the book was over 300 pages, I completely flew through it. It was captivating and just descriptive enough to give me a full picture of the world of the story without stopping the pacing or slowing it down. With that, if you're looking for a fully engrossing fantasy, this would not be the book for you. If you're looking for a quick dip into a fantastical, magical realism world, this book is spot on.

A Golden Fury: a good first book. For me, one of the best things about reading this was that while I was annoyed with Thea, I really enjoyed the novelty of the plot and the way the author writes, so I'm looking forward to her futures works because I think as her complexity and skills as a writer grow, her characters and depth will grow as well. And the writing style is already there, so huge win on that front!

Thanks for reading!

I would like to thank Wednesday Books for allowing me to partake in the blog tour for A Golden Fury and allowing me a copy of it on NetGalley.
A Golden Fury intrigues me because there is apparently a love interest between Will and Thea, but I failed to see it. I am a hopeless (and helpless) romantic so when people told me that Thea and Will were a love interest I was willing to jump in with both feet and not question it. However, all the men Thea met were starting to sound like love interests and I did not fully believe that she and Will were a thing. Yes, Thea tells us all the time that she is in love with Will but when it gets time to showing it she does a poor job of it.
I loved Dominic and Valentin and wanted more of them in the book because they felt perfect in the book. They did not care about what others thought of them and only sought to do what they viewed as the right thing. I wished there were more characters like that in the book.
Normally, I don't mind if characters stay the same, but there had to have been some kind of arc where they are different from themselves before reverting back, but Thea's mother never did.
I loved the worldbuilding when Thea goes into her fit of madness because it was deliciously horrifying and dark. It is everything I was hoping for throughout the book and I would gladly reread that section of the book over and over again.
The conversation with the Stone and the things Thea does is delightful although I am curious as to why the Stone changed its mind. I wished there were more details on the Stone, but since no one has ever made one until then it would be a mystery regardless of how many languages Thea knew.
3.5 out of 5 stars. (It could have been higher, but it did not fulfill my romantic side). Thank you again for Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this book for the blog tour.
I am keeping this review way shorter than what it was on my blog, but if you want to read the whole thing here is the link: https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-golden-fury-by-samantha-cohoe.html

Since I've been reading more fantasy lately, I've developed an interest in books that talk about alchemy. This book caught my eye because of it's storyline based on alchemy and curses.

It took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I started, I found a certain element of mystery that left me wanting to know more and more. I did find the dynamics between Thea and her mother hard to take at times. Sadly, the focus of Thea being lovesick over her first love seemed to overshadow what was supposed to be finding a way to recreate the Philosopher's Stone and help her mother. I did love the historical feeling and aspects of the story. I found the book lacking a bit but a great debut for Ms. Cohoe to use as she develops her writing in the future.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this blog tour.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once Thea got to England, everything was full speed ahead. I flew through it! Alchemy is such a fascinating topic, and it really lends itself well to the historical fantasy genre. After reading this, I'm kind of surprised that I haven't found many more books about alchemists!

The downside of this book being so fast-paced was that we didn't stay in any particular place for too long (both literally and figuratively). There were so many things I wanted to read more about! But the pace did make it very exciting.

My favorite part of this book besides the cool alchemy stuff was Dominic. He's such a great character, and his relationships with Thea and her father were so interesting! I wish he had a bigger part in the book - he's largely off-page for big chunks of it because of spoiler-y reasons - but I loved the sections he was in.

If you like fast-paced stories and/or historical fantasy, I'd definitely recommend this!

CW: off-page torture, threat of rape, serious illness, violent physical assault, discussions of suicide attempt & self-harm