Welcome to A Golden Fury Blog Tour hosted by Wednesday Books. Thank you to Meghan Harrington for inviting me to be part of this amazing tour. I'm really excited about being part of it. Is it me, or this is my first blog tour of the year? Anyway, today I bring you my review of this tale of a sinister curse and treacherous alchemists.
Title: A Golden Fury
Author: Samantha Cohoe
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: 13th October 2020
Published: 13th October 2020
Pages: 352 [Hardcover]
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.
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.
In A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohen, every alchemist is after the Philosopher's Stone, hoping to be the first to unveil its secrets. Nevertheless, only one girl knows how to create it. Everyone wants her knowledge for themselves, and they do not care what they must do to get it. Will Thea Hope survive in this dangerous world of alchemy? Did this short introduction spark your interest? If so, here are five reasons why you should read A Golden Fury.
The Philosopher's stone myth. A Golden Fury has as its premise the myth of the Philosopher's Stone. Every alchemist is trying to create this mythical stone, which is said to cure every illness and turn metal into gold. But power never comes free, and a terrible curse befalls upon everyone who attempts to create this legendary stone. Through a new take on the myth of the Philosopher's Stone, Samantha Cohen wove a plot of intrigue, treason, and madness. No matter how dangerous the process to achieve the Philosopher's stone is, every alchemist wants to become the first one to succeed doing it -- even if it means lying, deceiving, or losing your mind.
Women alchemists. I will forever and always stan women that defy the conventions of their time. Although, the most powerful female alchemist in France can be a total *insert ugly word* to her only daughter.
Good-hearted Thea. Thea is perceptive. She is loyal. She pursues her dreams fiercely. Her love for alchemy is inspiring -- even after all her mother attempts to make her feel talentless, Thea shows how brilliant she is in the great art of alchemy. Even with the stone's looming curse, Thea decides to use her talent to create it. She puts her sanity on the line -- she sacrifices her own well-being -- to save those she cares about the most and those who have treated her badly. I cannot remember the last time I came across a character as good-hearted and altruistic as Thea.
Historical tiny-bits. This novel is set in England and France in the period of the French Revolution. Thea lives with her mother and her mother's patron, who is worried about what might happen now that the king has been overthrown -- in other others, he worries if more heads will roll and what might happen to his English guests. After an almost-deadly event, Thea travels to Oxford, where her father teaches, and I must say that I understood her fascination with its university. I enjoyed the historical details, which brought another layer to the story -- these details made the unbelievable believable.
Dubious characters. Don't you love to be suspicious of a character's words and intentions? Don't you love to wonder about what their next step might be and if it will hurt the strong-willed heroine?
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Cohoe writes historically-inspired young adult fantasy. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood of beach trips, omnivorous reading, and writing stories brimming with adverbs. She currently lives in Denver with her family and divides her time among teaching Latin, mothering, writing, reading, and deleting adverbs. A Golden Fury is her debut novel.
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This book looks so good! I've definitely had my eye on it so I'm excited to see that you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI don't normally read fantasy, but this will work for me.
ReplyDeleteLove the way you reviewed it. Wonderful!