I had to think long and hard about this review, and I've come to the conclusion that A Golden Fury was a perfectly average book. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it certainly wasn't bad. It could also just be me. I read a lot of fantasy, so finding ones that stand out has become hard.

A Golden Fury follows Thea, a very determined alchemist who needs to create the philosopher's stone to save her mother. This takes her on a trip to Oxford, and eventually London. There isn't a lot of action in this book, and it feels like we keep waiting for the story to start.

There's a lot of travelling and a lot of talking, neither of which are my favourite. The audiobook narrator did a very good job of keeping me engaged. I think if I had to read the physical copy I would have been a little bored.

Overall the writing and the side characters weren't bad. Thea's father annoyed me to no end (seriously the only thing he was capable of saying was "Thea" over and over again). Dominic was by far my favourite, and Will can just go to hell.

I think this is a great fantasy standalone for beginners or for someone who just wants a fun, easy read.

*Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I honestly thought I could power through this book. Sadly, I had to DNF this book at 20%. I did not connect with theain character. The whole premise of alchemy and a girl trying to make a name for herself in a male dominated field was what drew me in. However, the MC fell a bit flat. Despite her adamant decrees of not wanting to be like her mother (who always looked down on people not of "her status" whatnot) she does exactly that! She meets a young man and immediately comments on his accent and how it's "surely of the lower class"......ummm okay who died and made you Queen? And as someone who was bullied by the way I spoke English when I was younger...that was just to hard for me too swallow. I was hoping to power through this and that's why it took so long for the review but I don't think I'll be picking this book back up.

Thea and her mother have found the secret to creating the Philosopher's Stone, but when her mother is driven mad Thea is sent away to Oxford to meet a father, who doesn't know she exists, but events unfold and others are on the hunt for the secret she holds and so begins a wild alchemical ride that readers will never forget.

Wow! I forgot how much I loved books with alchemy or scientific related plots. To be pulled into a debut novel so quickly is such a rush and Thea's story once it began didn't slow down until the final page. Although A Golden Fury is standalone, I feel like there are some doors left open for more books within this world. I would love to read the journeys of some of the side characters like Dominic.

A Golden Fury was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to read more books from Samantha Cohoe.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it just fell flat for me. It maybe a great read for someone else, but not me

Thea, the main protagonist, is a very interesting character. Her strength, tenacity and heart made her a great lead. I love historical fantasy and there was a lot of conflict that kept me interested and made it hard to put the book down.

Thea, the main protagonist, is a very interesting character. Her strength, tenacity and heart made her a great lead. Unfortunately though, I didn't fall in love with everything in the book. I found myself struggling with some of the relationships (Thea and her parents) and the pace of the story, which I had some trouble keeping up with at times. It must be said though that I did enjoy the premise. I love historical fantasy and there was a lot of conflict that kept me interested. However, once I was finished reading I didn't really give it much of a second thought, it just didn’t leave a lasting impression.

This was a really fun read! I'm late to the party to get into this story, but I'm glad I did. I would recommend this to my book group to read for sure.

Not really for me. It felt rushed at times and I honestly just could not get into it. Overall, eh. The characters were one dimensional and the story just did not live up to its potential

Can we just take a moment to appreciate that stunning cover? I love the colors on it and honestly it made me want to read this book even more than the premise!

This is one of those books that you devour in a day.

This book totally started out strong. You meet Thea and automatically know she is not happy with her mother. Her mother comes off as horrendous and cruel right from the start and you are rooting for Thea to get away from her. I mean, she is keeping Thea away from the only person who has every encouraged and cherished her the way she deserves... he just happened to be the apprentice of her alchemist mother. They have been writing letters back and forth and she knows she will see him again.

But Thea is more mad about the fact she and her mother were so close to creating the legendary Philosopher's Stone when her mother locked her out of the laboratory! She did this to take all the credit for herself when she KNOWS she was a key player in the creating of it as well! Little does Theta know that creating such a whispered-about item takes more than just smarts, but it also might take your sanity.

I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of Thea. She is strong, worried about herself and doesn't take no for an answer. She makes some pretty questionable decisions. As I mentioned before, the story started out super strong, but then it started to linger. The romance felt a little forced to me, and towards the end you find out why but the journey there wasn't for me. She felt a little love-struck with Will and I all I felt between them was her worry and desperation to be with him.

Dominic on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air. I loved that he kept trying to get Thea to see the bright side of things, even when there was basically nothing bright to see. Thea just... she just got on my nerves in a few parts. Which, she is a flawed character so that is to be expected, you know?

The writing was absolutely lyrical. I am not usually a big fan of historical fiction, but Cohoe makes me want to try more with her descriptions and the way she weaves sentences together

This is my first book read of this author so I’m not familiar with her writing style. I totally fell into her written prose for it’s truly magical lit storytelling. Unfortunately some of the elements of the book I couldn’t really connect with: the love triangle and the rape. I think the romances took away the beautiful backdrop and the main storyline. It’s still a great read for definitely with check out the authors other novel.

This book provides a fresh perspective on the Philosopher's Stone and alchemy, with a beautiful, lyrical narrative. I particularly appreciated Thea's strong main character perspective. It was an interesting read with a well balanced combination of historical reality and fantasy intrigue. It is certainly an exciting book with some good characters.

I did feel like after the first half of the book the dynamic changed and it felt a little slower in terms of pace, but it was still a very enjoyable read. There are some fantastic subplots running through the book with lots of family drama, betrayal, and that's without the curse of insanity should anyone try to make the Philosopher's Stone!

I wanted to like this story a lot more than I did! It was interesting at times but ultimately just not for me.

This book was really good. It exceeded my expectations. I loved the character development we saw and definitely think it deserves more hype

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of A Golden Fury by, Samantha Cohoe. I gave this book a 3/5 stars. I overall really enjoyed the story, it was quickly paced and the magic system was unique. For a while I personally have been feeling estranged from YA fantasy, and thats why this is a middle of the road book for me. It has all the same trops that all YA fantasy have, but the core of the story was quite fun! It was a quick read and I will continue to read more from this author.

This is one that I was so so excited for! The historical fantasy aspect was great, there was definitely a lot of atmosphere in this. But....the writing. It didn't feel like it had much depth? It read kind of young, which is fine, but wasn't what I was looking for. The characters too, didn't feel all that real. It was ok, but not a favorite.

This was a lovely book.

I dont mean that to sound light, but it was very basic. It was lovely in that way. I think it would be great for lower YA readers as an introduction to the YA fantasy genre, but to someone who has been reading YA for a few years this may feel repetitive.

That aside, I think it will appeal to anyone who admires steampunk and steampunk adjacent storylines, it just has that vibe. It's also contains strong themes of girl power and navigating your own strength.

Its a fine addition to any fan of historical feeling fantasy.

Oh, whoops, I read this back in December and never reviewed it here. Sorry! I was waiting to see if our teen librarian would be ordering it (orders cut down due to Interesting Times) Um, let's see, I do remember enjoying it. Thank you very much for the ARC, and apologies again!

This was not at all what I was expecting!

A Golden Fury is a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of magical realism in a historical setting. We follow Theosebeia, a brave young alchemist who gets tangled in a huge mess regarding her mother who goes mad, her father who doesn't know she exists, her lover and the Philosopher's Stone.
The conflict was fascinating and brilliantly resolved, I must say I was very worried the ending would be unsatisfactory, but it was truly perfect.
The only criticism that I have is that the pacing could have been faster, it took me a while to get into the story and there were some more hiccups along the way where I just felt like nothing was happening.

I recommend this to everybody who likes new twists on old tropes and a historical setting!

I thought A Golden Fury was beautifully written and engaging throughout. I loved the alchemy plotline, and the action-oriented nature of the novel stood out most to me, as someone who prefers character-driven novels. There are some surprising twists and turns as well. Overall, Thea is a great character, and I enjoyed living in her world for a few days. I hope to see more YA books with a focus on alchemy in the future!

Unfortunately, I was unable to review A Golden Fury officially as I usually would, but I wanted to make sure I submitted feedback nonetheless.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love learning about alchemy and this book was stuffed full of alchemical details and musings and so, it was right up my alley. The historical setting was well done, as far as I can tell, and the main character was compelling. Unfortunately, something kept this one from becoming a new favorite but if you are looking for a tale of alchemy with a ton of twists, I definitely recommend this one!