I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books.

A book about the philosophers stone? Gimme!

The writing is fantastic and the issue of Thea risking her sanity to create the philosophers stone is compelling.
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This one had me on the edge of my seat.

"In her debut novel A Golden Fury, Samantha Cohoe weaves a story of magic and danger, where the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.

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 a revolution looming, Thea is sent to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.

But 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."

You said Philosopher's Stone? I'm in!

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I so enjoyed reading this book for a few reasons. Thea was an amazing protagonist. Although, I struggled with her constant trust in Will, she made up for it in her tenacity and her honesty with her feelings. I loved her struggle and her drive to create the Stone. Dominic also created a soft spot for me. He was so kind and trusting of a girl he barely knew and the alchemy she was trying to accomplish.

I had two things that I struggled with in the novel. First is the relationship between Thea and her parents. I know she needed to be separate from them for the plot to continue, but the way she treated them bothered me. I think it could be because she was so forgiving of others around her, but now her parents. The second thing was the way the story progressed at times. I'm still confused about timing. I couldn't quite understand what happened to Rahel and a few other minor characters.

Overall, a great read for my historical fiction and fantasy lovers!

A Golden Fury is more than alchemy during the last 1700s. It's the ties that bind us. Honor thy mother, even when she attempts to bar you from your life's work. Love thy father, even though he worries for his reputation and refuses to claim you. Chase love, even when there is nothing but heartache. Find friendship in someone willing to speak against their master for you.

A Golden Fury has family ties and duty, clear aspirations, strong women and intriguing characters in the background. Love and Betrayal follow Thea as she races to complete the sought after Philosopher's Stone.

I really did enjoy this read. I really loved the time period of this read and all the talk about alchemy and it was fast pace novel at the start. I really liked all the different setting that was featured in this book. I thought the end of this book has some pacing issues and felt it was very rushed at points. I did really liked the side characters in this read. I also really liked how this book tackled some harder elements like addiction to magic. That is element of books that I really enjoyed. I also really liked Bee as a character and one character i simply adored. If you are looking for heavy romance plot, this may not be the read for you but i have hope for more romance in book 2. A very fun read and one that has several spooky setting perfectly for the fall.

I wasn't sure about where the story was going when I started the book BUT I hung in and it ended up turning out to be not too bad.
Poor Thea is under her mother's wing as a junior alchemist, although her mum is not the kindest of people. When Thea's mother and the Comte decide to send Thea away she decides to take it into her own hands. But things go awfully wrong.

I liked the way the Philosopher's stone played a part in the story. It was its own little entity, and the "Alchemists curse" was such a great little spin. I've always read such interesting things about the Philosopher's stone, but I haven't read anything with this type of idea around the stone.

I liked the characters and the way they grow in such a short time is so great to see.

I gave the book 3/5!

When I saw the word "alchemist" it got me so excited for this. Thought the synopsis was interesting and had me very intrigued to find out what this book was about. Was hoping I would get some FMA: Brotherhood vibes from this (I didn't) but it did have a somewhat of a "heist vibe" with all the running around the characters did.
Reasons I didn't fully like this book were the characters and the pacing of the novel. The characters were mostly flat and not interesting (except for Valentin and Rahel) and felt like the book could've moved over some parts faster and others that needed more time to develop.

I really wanted to like this one... I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous cover. The blurb was fascinating - original and interesting, combining history and magic in a way that I thought was certain to appeal. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed... The book opens like a young adult romance novel, which immediately turned me off a fair bit. From there, things did get more interesting, but I simply never connected with any of the characters enough to feel invested in what was coming - or to be willing to expend the effort to read for more than a short bit at a time. After several rounds of this, I finally had to admit defeat... Everyone was dislikable for a different reason, and no one ever felt fully three-dimensional. The concept remained interesting, but the plot itself never seemed to go anywhere in a way that held my attention. I struggled throughout and ultimately wasn't able to finish. This one just wasn't for me...

I love books related to the Philosopher's Stone, and A Golden Fury certainly exceeded my expectations. At first, it reminded me a lot of The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett, which is similar in a lot of ways, but A Golden Fury goes in an even darker direction, which I loved.
The main character, Thea, is just amazing. I loved reading from such a determined, analytical perspective. Dominic was another favorite character, and although the end of his story didn't go quite in the direction I was expecting, I still really appreciated the way the author handled it, and I definitely prefer it to what I thought was going to happen. Thea''s relationships with her parents are wonderfully complicated, and very realistic as far as I could tell. Thea grew up with an emotionally distant mother, while she never met her father, which made for two very interesting relationships and the struggles that went along with them.
As for the plot, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I never expected the plot twists, and I was so engaged the entire time I was reading.
I absolutely love this book and according to Goodreads, the author is releasing another book next year, and I will definitely be reading it!

This book started out strong. I was excited to read about alchemists and the Philosopher's stone. The characters turned out to be very dislikable for the most part though and even the main character is kind of flat. It was still enjoyable for a while, but the ending was incredibly disappointing. The story was different enough from mosts young adults though that it was still a good read.

“Claim?”
The word escaped, a low hiss through my violently clenched jaw.
“What claim do any of you have on me?”
ARC, subject to change

(Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the review copy)

Content Warning: This book contains talk of madness throughout, a moment of self-harm during madness, and a single implied threat of sexual assault.

First, I do have to give my compliments to the cover designer of this book. It really stuck out to me, and it’s a large reason I decided to read this.

Thea’s mother is a famous alchemist who made imbibed armor for the King of France. Now, as France faces rebellion, English born Thea and her mother must flee just as her mother gets impossibly close to finishing the legendary Philosopher’s stone. Promising to grant health, immortality, and wealth to the one who finishes it, the stone is the end goal for all alchemists. The problem lies in the stone’s curse, unknown to anyone, that drives anyone who gets close to madness unless they prove themselves worthy. Thea’s mother falls into the madness like a stone into water, and Thea must travel to England to visit her (also an alchemist) father and try to finish the stone to save her mother’s life.

Now, this book is one of the most technically impressive debuts I’ve ever read, and I think it’s due largely to how adeptly I think Cohoe sticks to her themes. She clearly has something to say with this book, and it gave a life to sections where I would otherwise have been more frustrated (mainly just the pacing, which is incredibly subjective).

The theme, for me (as all books are subjective), feels to be what it means to have control over yourself, to belong to yourself instead of others. Throughout the book, Thea is claimed and not claimed by people she cares for. Claimed only as her mother’s in regards to her success in training, not claimed as a daughter by her father, claimed for her skills but not her choices, claimed as a means to an ends without thought for her desires. The way she’s pulled to and fro is almost enough to drive anyone mad without the stone’s ill effects.

“Men are always willing to believe in the stupidity of women”

The characters, almost all male, have varying levels of respect for Thea’s person-hood. The purest of them is Dominic, an apprentice of her father’s who only wants to help her be safe. When she helps him in turn his loyalty becomes ferocious, and he’s the only person in this story to not ask something of her. Everyone has a plan for Thea, a use for her, and it’s only when she gains power over them that she gets a single say in the matter.

“She discovered that I wished to belong to myself, instead of her,” I said. “And she found that unacceptable.”

The pacing suffers at times – it is a single day with so much happening without pause at one moment, to a sixteen day period passed in a chapter break (this latter bit is understandable in context, but stands out with how quickly everything with Thea’s father and his lab happens). I bring this up because it DOES exist, but I don’t really hold this against the book or the author as a debut – as I said, this is leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of fantasy debuts just in how cohesive and palatable it is. I would have preferred a little more time with Rahel, perhaps at the end, some closure there would have been nice. Just a small preference.

I really connected to Thea, I liked how much she stood on her own as a character, even in her stupidity. Her internal monologue was strong, served its purpose independent of just remarking on what she saw, and being inside her head was the best part of the book. Her mother also stood out, it would have been easy for a writer to stray too close to stereotypical when writing her, and Cohoe did a good job making her believable instead of cartoonish. The men, save for Valentin, all read as I expected them to – I was the tiniest bit surprised by her father, but it made sense.

“Vellacott wasn’t the first to think that likening me to my mother was the highest compliment he could give me. In fact, it had never occurred to anyone but Will to give me any other kind.”

Mild spoilers but I do really love how romance was handled in this book. I feel any other approach would have detracted from the book’s point, and as much as I am a sucker for an epic and new love story in all of my books, I respect this choice.

All in all, I am grateful to the cover of this book for pulling me to it, and I’m really excited to read this author’s work as it comes out. I preordered my kindle copy for October, and I hope if any of you preorder it entertains you as much as it did me!

<I> I was given an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. </I>

'A Golden Fury' is a unique story that is easy to read. It's genre is kind of historical fiction meets fantasy. Being a student of history and an avid reader of historical fiction there are some pain points regarding accuracy. Overall, the story was interesting and a quick read.

Thea Hope has been her mother's apprentice her entire life. Recently, Thea's skills in alchemy have surpassed those of her mothers. When Thea's mom attempts to create the Philosopher's Stone, an object that allows one the ability to self heal and turns metal in to gold, things take a nefarious turn. Hope is urged by her mom's patron to flee France, which is in the midst of a revolution, to travel to England and a father she has never met. There she hopes she can complete the work she had started on the Stone. While in England Thea meets up with an old friend who is escaping a past of his own.

Can Thea successfully create the Philosopher's Stone without falling victim to it's evil lure?

This story is a stand alone.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. The first part was really hard for me to get into. I think maybe because it started in such a dreary way with the mental abuse from Thea’s mother. Then her mother went mad and things got worse. It seemed like Thea had no one she could count on, and the whole book was about violent madness and betrayal. I may not have been the best audience for this book. It was just emotionally dark for me.
I was able to finish the whole book after I got over the hump of the beginning. The story did pick up speed and interest. But not enough for me to truly enjoy this story.

A fantasy filled, historical fiction, with darkness, alchemy, and drama. Although this book was a little darker than I expected, I was really drawn in by the alchemy in the story. Truthfully, I greedily hoped for more romance in this story, but despite not having a lot of romance, this story is action PACKED, so it doesn't feel lacking.

I've been more and more into historical fiction recently and this novel was definitely fun to read because I haven't picked up too many fantasy and historical fiction novels. Maybe I don't know history well enough, but this novel wasn't incredibly historical feeling? If anything it just provided a setting and had me imagine some vintage outfits, but I didn't mind that at all.

Although I found some plot points really predictable, there were still some twists and turns I didn't see coming. There was one choice, in particular, I couldn't understand, but it's a big spoiler so unfortunately I'll be stuck with my thoughts until others have read this story!

If you're a fan of alchemy, action, tension, with a splash of darkness, be sure to pick this one up!

What an amazing debut for Samantha Cohoe’s #agoldenfury and @wednesdaybooks This YA novel ticks off all the boxes-original premise, likable characters, plenty of action and a great story! I loved that the main character was a girl with family problems, uncertain about her place in the actual world although she knew, or thought she did, what she wanted and was not dependent on a boy for her self-worth but was compassionate enough to help the boy in her life. Thanks to #netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for this to fabulous novel to read and review ahead of publication.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

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.