I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy, so when I read the synopsis for A Golden Fury, I was immediately interested. 17 year old Thea wants to become a better, more famously known alchemist than her abusive mother. To do that, Thea must create the legendary Philosopher's Stone. However, Thea's mother is overcome with madness and destroys the stone. Thea must flee to her father, a man who doesn't even know she exists. Unfortunately, Thea's father cannot save Thea from the madness nor from the other alchemist who also hunger for the Stone. Thea must decide between the people she loves, and her own hunger for the Philosopher's Stone.

That description feels so unworthy to the details of Samantha Cohoe's novel, but I don't wish to give away spoilers. Unfortunately, there are a few issues I had with the novel. The main character Thea is the biggest one. At first, I liked her and her attitude. It was easy to be drawn in and to relate to her on certain levels. The want to be better than her parent, the desire to be accomplished, and the desire to be loved. However, it was the middle that made me begin to despise her. It was as if all the logic and reason I had read was gone. By the end, she was back to being the Thea that I understood, and liked. However, the middle was such a long length of pages that I almost stopped reading.

Another issue I had was Dominic. I really expected his character to shine more. I was unhappy with the flatness and casual support of him. I really felt that Thea was better when Dominic was in the scene, and yet he wasn't utilized in the ways that I felt he could have been. There was a potential there that was lost. I really hope Samantha Cohoe writes a novel following this character. I would like to see and know more about him.

The ending, overall, was what I expected for/from Thea. I really don't see how people felt the novel could have ended any other way. None of the characters (with the exception of Thea and her father) really had a character growth. The pages gave so many hints as to what the reader should have expected that I wasn't disappointed. There is one character that I know other readers have a problem with, and I agree with them. However, Samantha stuck true to his character that, again, I felt it should have be expected.

Overall, I was indifferent to the novel. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. I feel as a debut novel I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars, and that this is a wonderful example of the author's potential. I hope she takes all of these reviews into consideration, because I will continue to follow her. I fully believe that Samantha Cohoe will write a magnificent novel and I cannot wait to put down

I was really looking forward to this one since I first heard of it because of it being centered around alchemists. I’m a sucker for them. The thing is, this book had a lot of promise at the beginning but by the end it just wasn’t making any sense.

One thing the author does well is write. I enjoyed the writing and only had one issue where the from here to there didn’t make sense since there was no break and boom! they were already at a different location. Besides that, I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

The characters I didn’t connect with on any level but I liked the plot enough to continue through. It was interesting because again, alchemists and the Philosopher’s Stone. Some of the choices the characters were made were questionable and by the end had me wondering why they would ever trust some of them again.

The plot was really good at the beginning. We are kind thrown into the world with not much to go off besides them talking politics and Thea’s mother is a big dillweed. She is straight up mean! There were some exciting moments that left me wondering what would happen next. But, those moments just weren’t enough to save this book for me.

I don’t really have a lot to say on this one because it just didn’t stick with me. It was an okay read and hopefully the next book from this author will be much better.

This cover is absolutely stunning and I wanted to love it - but was ultimately very let down. The characters weren't developed well and generally weren't likable. The book was pretty hard to get into, but had a lot of promise. I just wish things were fleshed out a little more.

Given the beautiful cover and the promising synopsis I was expecting a lot from this book. Maybe too much. I wanted there to be more alchemy in this book. The characters were also very lacking in depth and feeling. I really didn't like the characters and that made it really hard for me to get into the book.

I enjoyed this book so much! Despite the fact that the villain is woven into the story from the beginning, it still manages to be a twist when we learn the reality of who it is. I also loved that it isn’t a standard YA romance formula. This book kept me reading from the moment I started it. I highly recommend it!

I really liked this book even if it was different than many other historical books that I have read I was very engaged in the story from start to finish. I really liked the characters especially Thea she was such a well written character a very strong mostly set in her ways female lead. There was so much more to her she mostly just wanted to save those she loved along the way she ended a lie and found a Father and a very good friend and maybe hope for her relationship with her mother. I really liked the plot it pretty much started with a bang with her mother going mad and Thea having to flee to a Father who did not even know she existed. The story moves along at a pretty good pace Thea finds some not so great things out along the way and she goes above a beyond to save those she cares about and I really love her character so much. So overall I really enjoyed this book for sure I would read more by this author.

It's Normandy in 1792. Theas mother is trying to create the white elixir to turn all metals into silver. I liked reading about the work in the lab. I liked Thea but lost interest in the events

CW/TW: bad mother-daughter relationship, self-harm, attempted suicide, torture, cheating, references to “madness”

I think, to be fair, this is a 3.5 star read for me but I do feel like there are so many people who would LOVE this book. It’s really well-written and actually pretty concise. It took a minute for me to get into the book initially bc it was written in first-person and I didn’t know why I was supposed to care about a certain person.

It is a stand-alone but there are points where things happened too fast and others where things were dragging. But I think, overall, the pacing wasn’t too bad.

I liked our main character for the most part, she was interesting and smart, but also naive. Thea definitely did get on my nerves at some points, but overall I felt positively toward her. She has to deal with quite a bit in this story.

I’ll try to wrap this up with no spoilers. I think the ending was disappointing to me. I know that a lot of my issues are probably just a me thing. I don’t think this book is bad by any means, which is why a 3.5 star (rounded to a 4 star on goodreads). I think if you love YA fantasy, this is probably one that you’ll love.

DNF @ 30%

This just wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for any of the characters, for they were very flat, and the plot just wasn’t compelling enough to make me want to continue.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

DNF 48%

The pacing seemed very slow and it just didn't hold my interest enough for me to continue. I wanted to see the effects of the stone, not just hear about it secondhand. Also, besides Thea, every other character seemed awful or I didn't care enough about them to want to know what happened to them. Definitely unfortunate as I was looking forward to this book.

A GOLDEN FURY is definitely the darkest YA novel I've read in quite a while. The story follows Thea on her journey to attempt to make the Philosopher's Stone in the hopes that it can save her mother and the boy she loves, Will. All of the alchemists who have tried to create the Philosopher's Stone, including Thea's mother, have descended into madness.

It was really interesting to read a book entirely based on alchemy, which was a topic I found fascinating as a kid. The writing was easy to get lost in and I loved seeing 18th century Europe through the lens of alchemy and revolutions. Throughout the course of the story, Thea struck me as both relatable and frustrating. She isn't a strictly "good" protagonist but her struggle figure out how far she was willing to go in pursuit of her goal made for a compelling internal plot arc. The external conflict got a bit repetitive at times but moved quickly enough that the book never felt boring.

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of female characters in A GOLDEN FURY. There are a handful besides Thea but, for the most part, they don't have a large role in the story and are all pretty unlikeable. The men surrounding Thea aren't perfect either but they loom much larger in the plot. The lack of female characters does serve the purpose of emphasizing how trapped Thea is by societal expectations and her lack of power due to her gender so I can see the point of the author's choice.

This was a dark, captivating read about how far ordinary people are willing to go in the pursuit of extraordinary power. If you're looking for a spooky fall read, pick up a copy of A GOLDEN FURY when it comes out in October!

this book was a good read but i wanted a more happy ending. Maybe that is my problem but i all ways want a romance to have an HEA, especially after all the dramas and betrayals that the main characters went through.

Serving as her mother’s apprentice in the study of alchemy, Theosebia Hope has learned several languages and is drawn to findings of Europe in her studies. Particularly to the Philosopher’s Stone. Legend has it that the final step in the smelting process can be the alchemist’s undoing. Choosing its own master, the stone destroys anyone unworthy of it. Her mother attempts the process and ends up almost killing Theosobia. Surviving the attempt, Theosebia sets out to find her father who does not know she exists. When she finds him, she discovers that he too is seeking the philosopher’s stone. Will her father suffer the same fate? Will Theosobia be the chosen one? The attention to detail in this story is well-done. The plot and characters are complex and engaging. The period is well-depicted and believable for the reader. People who enjoy fantasy, adventure, and mystery will enjoy reading this book.
Please note: This was a complementary review copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

Reading A Golden Fury unlocked some deep, hidden love within me for intelligent and unapologetically ambitious YA protagonists. Like I've always loved these types of main characters but been unable to figure out what I liked so much about them until A Golden Fury.

Watching Thea go around, knowing her worth and ability, and asserting to everyone who would listen – no, actually I AM the best person to do this and I am the only person – was such an unexpected joy of this novel. Think Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Tessa Gray – but more cutthroat and willing to cast off those who do not recognize her worth...

...with a very large exception who I will not delve into too much for spoilers. Thea seems the most a seventeen-year-old girl in this particular blind-spot, and while I had a funny feeling about this character from early on, I was delighted to see Samantha Cohoe twist our initial emotions towards characters over and over again, masterfully. You will hate characters from their first appearance and grow to understand them, if not like them.

This is Cohoe's debut, and while I did notice some strange pacing at points in the novel (particularly towards the end), I was transfixed by this tale of alchemy, ambition, and family; curses, revenge, and friendship. I cannot wait to see what Cohoe creates next!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

As a long-time fan of the Alchemist series by Michael Scott, I'm always interested in a story of alchemy and international adventure. Add in a female alchemist, the echoes of the French Revolution, and an Oxford setting, and I was hooked - unfortunately, despite how the trappings of this genre called to me, the inability of the novel to move beyond said trappings left me with a feeling that something was missing.

The story begins as Thea, the daughter of a famous alchemist, escapes from France to live with her estranged father at Oxford. Thea begins as an intelligent, bold, charismatic character, but as the novel continues, she becomes a shell of herself once her love interest, Will, reenters the plot. What ensues is a madcap adventure of kidnapping and espionage that left me feeling less excited and more... bewildered by the sudden change in pacing and plot, especially given how much I liked the first half of the novel.

In the end, I found myself disappointed. After entering a world of women alchemists, magical realism, and the curse of power in the form of the Philosopher's Stone, I was rudely yanked into a one-note romance that devalued our female protagonist and her agency. Thea's blind love for Will bordered on melodramatic, and the end of the story was tasteless and illogical. Roughly averaging my 4 star and 1 star ratings (for the first and second halves respectfully), I would give this book 3 stars - disappointing, given how much I enjoyed the premise and how desperately I wanted to love this one.

I found this story fascinating. Theosebeia, called Thea by most, is a 17 year-old girl in the 1790s, during the French Revolution. She lives with her mother, a noted alchemist (a truly unusual accomplishment for a woman in that time), who has raised Thea to follow in her footsteps. Like many alchemists of both her time and times past, Thea's mother, Marguerite, seeks to create the Philosopher's Stone, the culmination of alchemical work, which will cure all illnesses and transmute all metals to gold. However, as Marguerite follows the directions of an ancient alchemist, her mind begins to slip into insanity, as the ancient text warns. Thea now must choose between staying with her mother and trying to complete her work, so that the Stone can heal her, or leaving revolutionary France to return to an England she doesn't remember and a father she's never met, and who is unaware of her existence. Whichever choice she makes between her parents, she must also decide if she will attempt to complete her mother's work, risking the same insanity that now grips her mother.

With notes of steampunk, although missing the fantastical creations that often characterize that genre, A Golden Fury is a wonderful romp through history with realistic descriptions of alchemical processes, and interwoven characters who either approve or disapprove of Thea's choices, each urging her to follow their preferences for their own individual reasons. Enjoyable for a wide variety of readers.

A smart and beautifully written debut novel.

A historical setting around the time of the French Revolution and centered around the mysteries of alchemy. Sign me up! This was an intriguing page-turner throughout. There were definite moments where I did not want to put this book down. The plot had me hooked. This story was refreshing and unique. It stands out and stands on it's own as something fresh in the YA novel world.

I am a fan of the author's gorgeous prose and I will be looking forward to future work from her.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it; I just think it's really not for me, writing-wise and plot-wise (I think I need to stop trying alchemy-centered books). I also don't feel like I'll ever be emotionally invested in the characters or the plot, which is why I decided to call it only 20% through. However, this is my personal opinion! Please don’t let this affect your reading experience, as you may like the book even though I didn’t.

This one was just not it for me. The plot was wildly all over the place, the pacing was off, and the characters felt flat. I felt jerked around in the last 3rd or so and felt completely unmoored from the story. I'm sure this will work for others, but it was just not for me.

DNF. I had heard a lot about this book and was originally intrigued by the plot. Sadly, this book was not for me. I found the main character to be pretentious and I quickly grew tired of her. Overall I found myself bored with this book and was not able to finish reading it. I read a few spoilers online to see how it ended and I am fine with my decision to not keep reading.