A Golden Fury is all about one girl's ambition to prove her mettle as an alchemist by creating the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Thea Hope has been working closely with her famous alchemist mother to create the Stone and just as their dreams are about to be reached, Thea's mother destroys it while falling to its curse of madness. But with the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford to live with her father, who doesn't know she exists, for her safety. Turns out, he's an alchemist too, and despite her warnings -- he and everyone else around him want to use her knowledge without heeding her advice. It's a race for Thea to create the Stone and break its curse so she can save the people she loves. And the book is very much plot-driven and singularly focused on Thea's journey to create the Stone. So while the pacing was there and the conflict was compelling, the characters were unfortunately lacking. Not nearly enough time was spent exploring the complicated relationships she had with each of her parents, or the "love interest" (note the deliberate quotes I used). I felt we were getting told a lot of things that happened in the past without having a chance to see those dynamics for ourselves in the present to feel invested. I think the nature of the story makes you want to root for Thea to succeed but I wish she, and her journey, had left more of an impression.

I so wanted to love this book, there just never seem to be enough books featuring alchemy, unfortunately A Golden fury left me feeling disappointed and let down. The worldbuilding was good I really enjoyed the interactions between the main character Thea and her mother, but something was just lacking. I think it might be the alchemy [art I think my expectations of having more of it prevalent ultimately let me down. The romance was okay but nothing to write home about. Overall, A Golden Fury is a nice addition to the young adult historical fantasy, but don’t expect anything combustible to happen

It’s been a few days, I’ve been able to sit with this book in my mind for a little while and I think I finally know what to say about it.

I didn’t love it. However, I can’t quite place why I didn’t love it. The wrap-up was necessary. This book is a stand-alone and so, all of the loose ends had to be tied up into a nice neatly presented bow. But… I feel like nothing happened, even though logically I know so much did. I think I might just not be super into stand-alone YA anymore.

At the same time, I did enjoy the premise. I love historical fantasy, alchemy is always a fun subject to explore, and there was a lot of conflict. However, I can’t even remember what happens to certain characters now that I’m a few days removed from the read. It just didn’t leave a lasting impression.

It was quick. It was fun. But, ultimately, it was forgettable.

I was totally blown away by the book. Thea is a fantastic character, fiercely protective and striving for independence and no need to be rescued at every turn (which I hate). Her character growth was strong and in a settle pace.

The plot itself is beautifully written and drags you in deeply couldn't put this books down.

Cohoe's alchemical historical novel starts off really well. The writing is strong, especially for a debut. Historical ya has felt a little stiff lately, but this flowed nicely.

I was excited to see what would happen with Thea and her talent for alchemy. Her mother's illness also gave this one a unique element compared to many historical novels I've read recently. I loved that she and her mother were both working on the creation of the Philosopher's stone and the White Elixir.

I haven't read the Jack the Ripper series yet, but I feel like those like the historical mystery aspect of that will enjoy this one.

This book had a little slower pacing but I think that is the case with a lot of historical books. I however found it fascinating and wanted to continue the journey and see how it ended. I enjoy a touch of magic and mythology to my historical novels and so this was a nice marriage between historical and magical realism.

Books that combine genres are so great cause it opens new genres to people who may want a touch of something different. I would definitely recommend Golden Fury.

Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution in 1792, A Golden Fury follows young alchemist Thea Hope on her quest to create the Philosopher’s Stone. Thea and her mother Meg–both British citizens living in France–have been working together in pursuit of creating the Stone for years, but lately it has become a contentious topic.

On the brink of creating the Philosopher’s Stone, Thea’s mother goes mad, smashing the still-forming Stone against the wall, and attempts to hurt (dare I say kill?) Thea in the process. Thea flees for England in search of her father, a man she’s never met and knows very little about. All she knows is he’s a professor at Oxford and a noted alchemist also working on the Philosopher’s Stone. Here she finds they’ve almost cracked the code of the Stone she and her mother deciphered months before, and inserts herself into their laboratory. The madness seems to follow her here, though, infecting her father’s alchemy partner and forcing her to flee yet again.

Thea is a strong character who will stop at nothing to save her mother’s life–even though her mother is not what one would consider motherly. She willingly endures the madness of the Stone to save her mother and her friends. Though she is absolutely blind to the flaws and failings of a young man she loves, Thea isn’t distracted from her mission. She is steadfast and persistent in her goal to create the Philosopher’s Stone to cure those she loves. I found that immensely refreshing!

A Golden Fury hooked me from its opening lines to the final chapter. I read this book in two days–that’s not happened in many, many months! If you liked Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller or All That Glitters (previously Enchantée) by Gita Trelease, you will love A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe. Magic, alchemy, the French Revolution, brave girls fighting for what they believe is right = an enjoyable book you’re sure to love!

Thank you to Macmillan / Wednesday Books for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabbed me by the sleeves and never let me go!! It was a wonderful, thrilling adventure and I was sad when I finished it.

I enjoyed the exploration of alchemy, but found the story and the characters to fall a bit flat. Thea was not my favorite protagonist and Will was a horrendous love interest. For the majority of the book, the characters irritated me. I did find the author's angle of madness and possession to be good.

The premise of this book is what immediately grabbed my attention. I was really intrigued by the idea of the philosopher's stone and I just felt like this book was a fantastic journey into Europe during the 18th century. It was a truly atmospheric and intoxicating story and OMG the magic system was incredible. Thea is a protagonist that you can really relate to and root for and I absolutely loved this book! It kept me turning the pages long into the night! Highly recommend!

A HUGE thank you to Wednesday Books, Samantha Cohoe, and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Can we start by appreciating that gorgeous cover?

This book started off so strong, I loved the character introduction and the world building was interesting. But, it was a tad slow for me and I found myself growing bored at times. The writing was strong though, so I did enjoy that, it was just a little slow for what I wanted right now.

There are also some trigger warnings that should be more apparent.

TWs: mental illness, suicide, verbal abuse, mentioned and implied torture

When I requested a review copy of A Golden Fury through NetGalley, I really didn't know much about it, nor was I some alchemy fan, but I thought it was an interesting enough concept to pique my interest. And it was such a good decision on my part, because I loved Thea and her mindset.

A Golden Fury follows Theosebia, the daughter of a famous and harsh alchemist, who's working with her daughter to create the Philosopher's Stone, which makes it's owner wealthy and immortal. Just as they succeed, Thea's mother destroys their work in a fit of madness, leaving her no choice but to travel from France to England, to live with a father who doesn't know she exists. Thea knows she has to recreate the stone to save her mother, but as she goes through her notes, she finds out about the Stone's curse, that makes it's creator lose their mind. Soon she unintentionally has a line of people trying to get her to make the stone for them and therefore sacrifice her mind, and if she doesn't, she'll lose the people she loves.

I fell in love with Thea's logical thought process and vicious need to prove herself immediately, especially after I saw how she was trying to survive and grow away from her mother's choke hold. She was smart and didn't want to deal with anyone's idiocy, and I'm such a sucker for logical main characters, especially because of how their thought process changes the plot. It also made it so much more interesting to watch how the Stone's curse worked, watching someone so sensible fall apart was quite fascinating and wouldn't have hit as hard if she wasn't. While I loved Thea, there were really only two other characters in the story that I liked, Valentin, and eventually Vellacott. Valentin lowkey reminded me of Matthias from Six of Crows, which was a fun surprise, albeit a bit of an emotional one.

Plot wise, I did feel like the first half was a bit slower than I'd have liked, but once Cohoe got past setting the story up, I was completely hooked. I do wish we had gotten to know Dominic a little better beforehand, so stakes were a little higher, but overall I think we got the main gist of his personality pretty well. The story had a nice flow to it's reveals, and I loved the ending to Thea's story, especially since I hadn't seen it coming.

A Golden Fury was an excellent debut, the historical and fantasy aspects were beautifully blended together, with little twists along the way to keep things interesting until it ended with a bang. If you're a fan of fantasy, historical or both, definitely pick this up, it's such an adventurous standalone!

Is losing yourself worth the price of power and everything you’ve ever wished for? If so, be careful what it is you wish for! Although a science fiction novel, so many elements of right v wrong, societal inequalities and longing to be a part of things is evident throughout. The plot was engaging with characters and events that kept the story flowing seamlessly and me on the edge of my seat. The climax could not have unfolded any differently, yet it was unexpected at the same time. Such a well written, exciting journey!

Philosopher stone, Oxford, Talented Female alchemist. These points instantly caught my attention. Thea Hope is assistant of her famous alchemist mother. Her Mother-Marguerite Hope- kicked her out of the laboratory when she found out her interest in Will. Philosopher stone comes with a price, which her mother had to pay by her sanity. Thea doesn't have any option except her father who doesn't know about her. Thea has to go to England and save her mother.

I liked the first half of the story, the world setting and the overall theme was quite intriguing. Thea's and her experience in Oxford was also quite interesting to read. But with time story started to get dull. I couldn't relate to Will, and Thea and Will's relationship was so bland and boring to me. Things started to get muddy and kind of senseless. Many things were introduced in the second half which wasn't able to catch my attention. The story was running in a circle and I lost my interest and started to skim read it. The ending was unexpected and abrupt.

This book was a little bit slow for my liking, but overall it was a good read. I found it to be a refreshing change from most of the YA titles I am used to reading and I really enjoyed that. Golden Fury begins in France during the revolution. Thea has been training to be an alchemist with her horrid mother but danger is rising and she leaves to London to help a friend. She must, of course, prove herself in the alchemy world, as it is dominated by men and she proves to be quite a strong character in the end. I did enjoy the book in the end, as the twists did keep me reading.

A female alchemist, The Philosophers Stone and the cover had me sold. I felt that this fell a bit flat.

It was hard for me to connect to the characters, but I think it was meant to be that way since Thea and her mother were both scientists and their main focus was completing the stone. Thea's mother was cold toward her, her attention was on the stone and nothing else. Thea's mother went mad from creating the stone and tried killing Thea in the process.

Thea in turn travels to Oxford to meet the father she never knew, who is both shocked and a bit cold toward Thea since her mother never told him about her even existing. Along with meeting her father for the first time, Thea meets Dominic who is her father's assistant. Dominic helps Thea with trying to create the stone again in her father's lab, but once again the madness shows up and Thea's life is once again in jeopardy and this time someone does die.

Thea and Dominic run to London to turn to Will, who was an assistant to Thea's mother and a love interest of Thea's. When they reach London Thea does manage to find Will, but his health is not the best, and once again Thea is pulled into making the Philosophers Stone for a wealthy benefactor that Will owes a debt too.

Thea has a blind love and devotion toward Will despite her mother forcing him out of his apprenticeship once she found out about the relationship between the two. Thea discovers that Will had been hiding a secret from her and she is still willing to make deals with his benefactor to save him after she makes the Philosophers Stone.

It felt that the last this of the book was rushed. The author was trying to find a quick way to wrap it up after Thea was able to make the stone and couldn't really find a way to end it. I understand that this is a debut novel, but I'd be willing to give the author another chance on any future books she writes.

Picked this title to add to my list of "witchy" reads for October. It felt very teeny-boppery and juvenile to me. Then again, I am typically not a fan of teen fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. It was compelling and heart-wrenching. I loved watching Thea grow as a person. Her journey and is amazing. Also, I really enjoyed the characters in this book and how they helped or hindered Thea. This was a different book from what I'm used to reading. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Honest Review:
I truly enjoy books that delve into the wondrous mystery that is alchemy. Much like I appreciated all the academic pursuits of Deb Harkness's A Discovery of Witches series for all of its historical and scientific bits, A Golden Fury also plunges into science and mythos with the fresh take on The Philosopher's Stone.

The pacing is a tad slow for my tastes, and I felt like the primary conflict needed more drama, but overall if you are a fan of ADOW of Stalking Jack the Ripper (on my TBR!) then you will certainly enjoy this debut! 4/5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

From Goodreads: Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.

While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.

But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.

A book about alchemists and the magic of the philosopher's stone looked like it’d be an interesting read. The first half was pretty good and I enjoyed it but then the story tanked for me. I was very disappointed in the main character and her manner of thinking.
I wanted her to stand up and be strong and to have integrity but that was not the case. She kept disappointing me with her choices and her helplessness in the face of the hurdles in her way.
I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t for me.