Author: Samantha Cohoe
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Description:
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 GOLDEN FURY and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.
Early Praise:
*A Nerd Daily YA Debut to Watch Out for in 2020*
“Sharply written with a crackling, compassionately determined heroine, A Golden Fury is a vivid ride through eighteenth century Europe with darkness and dread creeping at its corners. Utterly enchanting.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints
"An engaging concoction of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction." - Booklist
"Cohoe situates the supernatural among the historical, referencing the French Revolution and the Enlightenment while...keeping a sense of urgency as Thea struggles with the magical, demonic pull of the Stone." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The attention to detail in the story is excellent. Thea herself is a confident lead with a strong voice. A solid fantasy to flesh out the world of alchemy that most readers know only from 'Harry Potter.'" - School Library Journal
“Cohoe transmutes the legend of the Philosopher's Stone into a dark, intoxicating tale of ambition, obsession, and sacrifice. Prepare for a magic that will consume you.” - Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire
“Steeped in mystery and magic, Samantha Cohoe’s A Golden Fury immerses readers in beautifully rendered world where magic and science mix, and where the intoxication of power can be deadly. Whip-smart Thea is a heroine readers will root for.” - Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician
“A Golden Fury is beguiling and unpredictable. Cohoe weaves an international adventure set against a rich historical backdrop, and alchemist Thea faces adversaries both human and magical with wit and grit. A compelling debut from a writer to watch.” -Hannah Capin, author of Foul is Fair and The Dead Queens Club
“Alchemists used many methods to hide their secrets, but Cohoe has deciphered their riddles -- and uncovered a truth far darker and more complex than a miraculous rock. She lures you in with a promise of gold, then delivers something far more valuable: an intricate tale of ambition and sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal, the quest for knowledge and the wisdom to use it correctly.” -Marie Brennan, author of The Memoirs of Lady Trent
“I adore Thea - her fierce ambition, her intelligence, and the warmth she so desperately wants to share with someone worthy. This is an alchemical wonder of a book. It takes all the elements of a good story - mystery, magic, devastating stakes, compelling relationships and impossible choices - and weaves them into pure gold.” -Catherine Egan, author of Julia Unbound
“A Golden Fury invites you into a world of intrigue, magic and ambition. Set against the backdrop of the French revolution, it follows a talented, driven heroine, raised by her famous and overbearing mother to pursue alchemy’s ultimate dream—the Philosopher’s Stone—in a time when women had little rights of their own. Cohoe’s prose is flush with clever dialogue and flawed-yet-sympathetic characters, so realistic they leap off the page. First loves, family secrets and shocking betrayals abound as our heroine pits her intellect against a curse of madness in this impossible-to-put- down debut.” -Ellen Goodlett, author of Rule
“Full of rich historical detail, clever world-building, and tumultuous relationships, A Golden Fury transformed me. Cohoe's debut proves we are in the hands of a deft and dangerous creator. I sat up half the night thinking about it, and the other half longing to see her next book.” -Tracy Townsend, author of Thieves of Fate series
“I fell for this thrilling tale of madness and murder, alchemy and obsession— and the fiercely determined Theosebeia Hope who will stop at nothing to get her heart’s desire. I could not turn the pages fast enough!” -Gita Trelease, author of Enchantee
A Golden Fury is a wonderful new young adult historical fantasy that readers are sure to love. This book had a ton of elements that immediately drew me to it before I even started reading. I'm a huge Francophile, so with the setting being around the French Revolution and partly in France, I was super excited. Add in alchemy and magic - which are major selling points for me - and a kickass heroine, and I knew that I was going to really like this novel. And I'm so incredibly happy to report that I did.
Honestly, I loved basically every aspect of this book and had no issues at all. I already spoke about being a Francophile and having the perfect setting as well as my love of all things magic and alchemy, which I think brings a fresh breath of air to the story. I loved Thea right from the beginning and I was able to connect with her almost immediately. She's an awesome heroine for the story. She's incredibly smart and educated as well as determined to prove herself and to find the truth behind her mother's secrets. She has her flaws like everyone though and we definitely get to see these throughout the book. She's stubborn, strong willed, and has internal issues like not feeling loved by her mother and not being good enough, for example. I found her character to be incredibly realistic and I loved getting to know her throughout the book.
The last thing I want to talk about is the writing style. It's always a huge deal and can literally make or break a book for me. I almost always prefer the first person point of view because I feel like the reader gets to connect on a deeper level with the narrator and other writing styles don't allow this. I'm so glad that the author chose to write the book in the first person from Thea's POV. I felt like I was right beside her throughout the story and I got to really know her by the time the book was over. And the fact that this is the author's debut is ridiculous. I would never have guessed by reading it. I had all the fantastic elements I look for in a great book and shows immense storytelling ability and talent. This is definitely an author I'm going to be keeping an eye on and I can't wait for her next release. I very highly recommend this book for fans of YA, historical fiction, fantasy, historical fantasy, French history, and readers who enjoy reading about alchemy.
Links:
Samantha’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/smcohoe
Samantha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthacohoe/
Wednesday Books Twitter: https://twitter.com/wednesdaybooks
Wednesday Books Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wednesdaybooks/
Buy link for A GOLDEN FURY: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/a-golden-fury/
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