Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the beautiful cover?! I am beyond amazed at the details woven into the cover photo.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read for me! I am a sucker for historical fiction and as a chemist by trade, this book just spoke to me! Based in historical Europe and focused on a 17 year old alchemist, this story gripped me from the very first words. The intrigue of the stone and the rumored powers it possesses kept me latched to the characters as the story progressed. The stone and its powers, in this novel, are a different take than the normal eternal life, which was a nice surprise. Thea and her strained relationship with her mother, and how that affects Thea mentally, were eye-opening. The whole cast of characters was great entertainment from how they each interacted with one another but they all had the same goal in mind. How each person thought and worked in order to achieve greatness, showed a depth of character relations and attitudes. The character development for a few of the characters was really planned out and the others just didn't go far. They stayed stagnated and did not change throughout the events in the book. I do have to say, the first half of the book was way more action packed and entertaining than the second half of the book. The second half had a weird mystery element that insinuated rape/abuse, plus a lot of self-inflicted harm via the process of making the stone. It just did not jive well with the first half. It seemed to be a whole other book. I think this would have done better if the first half was given more length and time, The author could have even had two separate books out of this! However, no matter how much I did not enjoy the second half, the action and plot was still there for me. Overall, this book gets 4/5 stars!

I went into A Golden Fury not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised in every way. Samantha Cohoe’s debut begins in France and takes you to England, in a thrilling tale set in the backdrop of the French revolution. Thea and her mother, the latter a celebrated alchemist, are so close to creating the Philosopher’s Stone, except her mother goes mad and destroys the stone and attempts to kill Thea. Thea is whisked away to England, but her misfortunes don’t end there, as she struggles to keep the secrets of the stone away from opportunistic and greedy hands, while attempting to save herself from the Alchemist’s Curse that has wiped away her mother’s sanity.

A Golden Fury has strong ties to its historical background, with the French revolution affecting and shaping every one of Thea’s actions and her fate. It’s a very realistic portrayal of how a war or revolution intersects with everyday life, even if you are not thrust into the very middle of it. The book also questions and examines a lot of wrongs of the society at that time – the way Thea’s mother had to harden and become so ruthless in order to be successful as a woman alchemist, how European alchemists hesitate to learn non European languages or refer to Asian/Islamic texts because they consider it beneath them, and the prejudice against religion and class within the learned society in Europe. I like how the book did not shy away from these aspects and was very conscious of Thea’s privilege even when it seemed like the whole world is against her sometimes.

Speaking of, poor Thea goes through a LOT in this book. She is constantly attacked for her views, betrayed, overlooked, but she remains so resilient and strong. I also loved how ambitious she was, and while there was a thread of ruthless ambition and determination in her, she was also extremely kind and humane. Unfortunately, not a lot of secondary characters made me feel the same, except Dominic, who was a sweetheart and deserved all the good things.

The book is fast paced, very much plot driven and a surprisingly quick read. It’s also one of those rare stand alone historical fantasy books, and I would recommend it to fans of historical fantasy YA books – especially of the likes of All That Glitters by Gita Trelease, Susan Dennard’s Something Strange and Deadly trilogy, and the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. I would give trigger warnings for attempted murder/physical attacks, and implications of torture.

I loved how this book combines alchemy and history. I've never read anything similiar. It was inovative, amazing and whimsical. And dark at the same time. I loved how the characters were portrated and I loved how unique and distinctive voice they had. I would recommend this book to anyone who would love a little bit of magic in their life right now.

This was a gripping story set in historical Europe, following a mother daughter duo who are alchemists. The touches of fantasy, with the legend of the Philosopher’s Stone makes this a tale like no other told! It’s like stepping back in time, but in an alternate reality. The characters are well written and the plot line moves along quickly. The reader becomes lost in the writing, escaping reality and following the storyline of Thea as she learns to navigate life towing a fine line between good and evil, and doing her best to save everyone from the curse her mother tried so hard to prevent coming to fruition. Set during the French Revolution, this book is great for anyone who loves historical fiction and fantasy as it combines the best of both worlds!

I received an e-arc of this book from Wednesday Books, Samantha Cohoe, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was full of twist and turns that kept me wanting to read more. Cohoe did an excellent job of writing Thea's story. The world building in this book was amazing and there are events in the book that you don't expect to happen. When alchemy is involved, you know something terribly wrong will happen. I was sad when the book ended, but I can't wait to read what Cohoe comes out with next. If you are a fan of YA historical fiction and alchemy, then this is the book for you.

Are you interested in alchemy? I love books that touch on alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone. I find them absolutely fascinating and A Golden Fury did not disappoint.

Set in late 18th century France on the the eve of revolution, Thea and her mother are alchemists living with their nobleman patron. But when Thea's mother grows close to making the stone, she becomes mad and almost kills her daughter. Thea is then sent to her father in England, who is unaware of her existence. While in Oxford, Thea's alchemist father uses her knowledge for his own gain and she flees to her former lover Will in London. But Will is already in trouble, he owes a German nobleman a stone and Thea must successfully produce it or Will's life is forfeit.

The intrigue, secrets, and protection of knowledge throughout this story captured my attention as did the scientific and scholarly studies associated with the craft of alchemy. The romance between Thea and Will felt a little too dramatic near the end of the book but there is a brilliant plot twist that you will never see coming that makes up for it. I have never encountered a story with this particular take on alchemy, it's unique.

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.