"A Golden Fury" by Samantha Cohoe presents a captivating tale that immerses readers in an eighteenth-century European setting rife with magic and danger. Cohoe's writing skillfully explores the realm of alchemy, ambition, and obsession, showcasing the potential of the Philosopher's Stone and the darkness it can unleash. The protagonist, Thea Hope, seeks to escape her mother's shadow and unravel the Stone's secrets, but the narrative takes a twisted turn as madness and curses unfold. While the premise is intriguing, the execution occasionally feels uneven, and character development could have been deeper. The novel's exploration of the curse's impact and the tension surrounding alchemical pursuits adds depth to the story. However, pacing issues and some predictability in the plot prevent the story from fully realizing its potential. Cohoe's world-building evokes a sense of eerie enchantment, yet the overall impact falls short of the promised magic. "A Golden Fury" is a decent debut that embraces the allure of alchemical mysteries but doesn't quite transmute it into an unforgettable reading experience.

I loved the alechemy featured in this book. I thought the characters were done well along with the plot and the world. If you like Stalking Jack the Ripper series I think you'd enjoy this one too.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe! After reading the synopsis of this one, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. If you enjoyed the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco, then A Golden Fury is definitely worth reading. It is an entertaining read and a good debut from the author.

"A Golden Fury" by Samantha Cohoe is a historical fantasy novel about a young alchemist named Thea Hope, who sets out to create the Philosopher's Stone after her mother destroys their laboratory. The novel is well-written and engaging, with a strong sense of atmosphere and well-drawn characters, particularly Thea.

Overall, "A Golden Fury" is an enjoyable and well-crafted novel that will appeal to fans of historical fantasy, particularly those interested in alchemy and the search for the Philosopher's Stone.

Couldn’t get into this book unfortunately and DNF’d it about 30% in. I’m sorry about that, but it just didn’t feel like a story I was connecting with.

4.5 stars

I picked up this book to read in October 2020, during what was supposed to be my honeymoon, but due to the wedding being delayed (thanks pandemic), it was just a nice fall vacation instead. Anyway, either way I was going to be reading this book while enjoying the lovely fall weather in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio.

But this historical fantasy just felt like it was going to be one of those nice atmospheric stories that would fit very nicely in the fall, and you know, I was right on that. And honestly, if you are/were a fan of Kerri Maniscalco’s “Stalking Jack the Ripper” series or Allison Saft’s A Far Wilder Magic, then this might also be up your alley.

First off, let me say that I love this cover. It definitely gives off those historical slightly magical vibes, which drew me in.

I loved the alchemy aspect of this story, but I’ll be honest, I wanted more alchemy with this story. It did sort of fall into that teen angst drama romance. Look, I’m not opposed to an angsty romance; I enjoy them every now and again. But I didn’t expect that to become one of the bigger aspects of this story, because there wasn’t even a hint of it in the summary. Based on the summary I expected it to be alchemy and intrigue, with a little drama between Thea and her parents and some drama between Thea and the other alchemists.

This is probably a book I need to read again since it has been a couple years, but based on what I remember from this, I should also check out Samantha Cohoe’s other book, see how I feel about it.

While there wasn't a lot of plot, I felt that there was a fair amount of character growth and development, but that didn't stop me from disliking Thea and especially her mother. I hated Will with every atom of my being when reading this and still do. While the characters certainly are interesting enough, I wasn't drawn to them; they didn't feel realistic or 3-dimensional to me, and that was a huge hindrance to my enjoyment of this book.

Personally, one of the only redeeming qualities of this book was probably the somewhat immersive-ness of the setting. Even though not much truly happened in the book but for the last few chapters, I liked the way the author wrote about and described the people and the places that were involved in the story. While I certainly felt like this book could have been far better, it wasn't completely horrible either.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

I absolutely loved this story. The writing is beautiful, and there is an excellent combination of character development and suspense. There were twists and turns, moral dilemmas, and a good dose of magic. I do wish there was more clarity on the way a certain character behaved near the beginning, but I loved that motivations and intentions were constantly being tested. This author is officially on my must-read list for any new releases.

I can see what people like about this one, but it didn't fully hit home for me. I wanted a bit more or something different than what I got.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

I was so looking forward to this one - a female alchemist? Sign me up. But there was something that stopped me from continuing on my read. It's so disappointing and I don't think it's the author's fault - I just couldn't get into it!

Unfortunately, I really struggled getting into this story, and never really bonded with the characters so ended up DNF'ing at around 20%

A free eARC was provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for a review. I did enjoy this and went on to purchase my own ebook or A Golden Fury. My apologies for a very long wait.

I don't really know how the title connects to the story, unless it refers to the Philosopher's Stone presence/influence on alchemists or it's making involving mustard yellow smoke and madness (which a Fury in Roman and Greek myth may bring about in their vengeance against a murderer)...

Theosebeia Hope is her mother Marguerite Hope's shadow, a famous alchemist she's taught her daughter everything she knows as she's gone from rich patron to rich patron, leaving many sponsors and lovers behind, including There's father - who doesn't know she exists, Professor Edward Vellacott of Oxford.

Yet she must turn to him when her mother goes mad in the making of the Philosopher's Stone. With her she has notes for the making of White Elixir and how to finish the Stone, a hope for the cure for the madness of her mother.

Yet Thea has been disappointed before and Professor Vellacott doesn't take to his new role as a father figure with any promise, his assistant Dominic is more helpful to Thea offering her a room and friendship. When Vallacott doesn't listen and ignores Thea's warning signs of madness in his alchemist partner Bentivoglio it's a fatal mistake and makes Dominic a murder.

Thea must flee to her mother's once apprentice who claims to love her. Will, a man who's fallen into a hell of his own making and who will drag Thea and Dominic into even more danger than the madness that awaits in making the Philosopher's Stone.

In the end I do hope there's a follow up story some day with Rahel and Valentin’s meeting Thea again, or Dominic!

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe is a young adult historical fantasy. I was initially drawn in by the stunning cover art. References to alchemy in the synopsis also intrigued me. This was a solid option in the genre. Ultimately, I did not find it to stand out too much for me. Still, with some unique ideas and beautifully writing, I would definitely recommend this to fantasy fans.

Thea Hope aspires to become an alchemist and is studying under her mother. Together they've been working on creating the Philosopher's Stone when Thea's mother when her mother has a mental breakdown. Thea is sent to live with her father, a professor at Oxford, where Thea learns just how much her mother's notes on their work are worth.

I liked the combination of historical fiction and magical realism in this book. A Golden Fury was much more character driven than plot driven, which often works for me, but unfortunately this one missed the mark. The characters weren't very likeable, which I think made the lack of plot harder to look past.

A great reading experience.....yes, experience. The story revolves around a young woman alchemist adept and her work in the laboratory, first her mother's, then the lab in a London university. Set in the 1790's, the historical facts are close. Samantha Cohoe had to take a few liberties to keep the story moving forward. When our young chemist moves from France to London, her experiences will cause her to doubt her skills and question her mother's achievements. But she will work through these challenges to find her place in history.

I could not get into this book unfortunately. DNF at 27%. It definitely had elements that could work for some, but the writing style did not work for me.

At the time I requested this book it sounded interesting, but I no longer find it as intriguing as I once did. I won't be able to fully review this one. Thank you for the early access though!

Thea Hope is the daughter of an alchemist and an aspiring and talented alchemist in her own right. When her mother goes mad in pursuit of creating the Philosopher's Stone, Thea decides that she will finish what her mother started. But as she begins to feel the effects of madness herself, Thea must decide whether to complete the stone or risk death for those she loves.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I know basically nothing about alchemy so I found this plot to be very exciting and different. Thea herself is also very likable, so I was rooting for her the whole time. Many supporting characters were quite interesting and fun as well. I do think having Dominic basically disappear for the second half of the book is tragic though.

I found myself slightly confused at the ending, parts felt wrapped up and others didn't. I almost expected this to be a series, but I don't think it is. Oh well, bummer for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for the eARC in exchange for my review. So sorry it took a year for me to read it.

A Golden Fury is inventive and bring a unique story to life. Thea is head strong and wants nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps, but the more she digs into her notes on alchemy the more she learns that the tone should not be created by anyone lest the wish to be driven insane. Can she protect the magic to create the stone from those who wish to use it for bad or will she be pushed to destroy herself to save all she loves? Compelling writing. Love it!