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A review by monetp
A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe
4.0
GOODREADS GIVEAWAY REVIEW
"I arrived in Portsmouth late, the night before I was to meet Will on the docks. The salt air hung so heavy that I tasted it when I licked my cracked lips. I walked down the dock and stared at the ships in the enormous port, my eyes glassy from the sharp sea wind. The church bells tolled the late hour, and a ship in the harbor fired its guns in agreement. Will was here, somewhere. And the Stone." ~ [b:A Golden Fury|41187447|A Golden Fury|Samantha Cohoe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579719744l/41187447._SY75_.jpg|64368970]
This novel was a wonderfully unique and sensational journey. Thea is a heroine that all young women can look up to. I love the two dual aspects of her personality: her logical, scientific brain, and her loving, loyal nature. It's rare to find a female character depicted with such depth and complexity. Usually what bothers me about female characters in novels is that they always do something unexplainably stupid or out of character, but Thea is a constant, steadfast character that I can stand by. Her actions never confused me as the reader. It's very clear throughout the book that this is Thea's story to tell.
Something extraordinary that this novel does is play with fantasy tropes and toss away the ones that don't work and I loved that! Thea isn't pitted against her strong-willed mother or the female villain in the story. Like I really thought this book was going to be multiple women competing for Will's affections and I'm so glad it didn't turn into that!
My favorite aspect of this story is Thea's and Rahel's strained conversations. The beginning and end of the book are great, but my favorite scenes take place in Rahel's family home. The introduction of such a sophisticated, yet scary female character on the opposite side of Thea is so fascinating. Thea and Rahel's dealings had me dying to turn the page every time! I would've loved a chapter from Rahel's point of view. I wish we would've seen more of Rahel consistently throughout the book, but I appreciated the challenge she presented to Thea.
What I really appreciate that [a:Samantha Cohoe|18313531|Samantha Cohoe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1536025611p2/18313531.jpg] did by creating Rahel's character was showing how women can fight amongst themselves and how debilitating this animosity can be. I totally understand things from Rahel's POV: she feels her sister has been betrayed and she wants revenge. Thea even acknowledges this later. What I don't like is that Rahel feels the need to tease Thea for having feelings and acting with compassion towards men. Rahel acts like she is superior just because she's not in love. It's truly ironic the scene where Thea finds Rahel reading [b:A Vindication of the Rights of Woman|224387|A Vindication of the Rights of Woman|Mary Wollstonecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388191273l/224387._SY75_.jpg|1938850], an important feminist work, and then Rahel goes into a whole speech about how disappointed she is in Thea for being in love, which in Rahel's eyes is viewed as a loss of independence.
Overall I loved the chilly atmosphere of this novel, the dynamic character relationships, and the original take on the philosopher's stone legend. This is an ideal October read for when you want to curl up with blankets and read excitedly for hours on end. This book kept me in a trance until the very last page!
"I arrived in Portsmouth late, the night before I was to meet Will on the docks. The salt air hung so heavy that I tasted it when I licked my cracked lips. I walked down the dock and stared at the ships in the enormous port, my eyes glassy from the sharp sea wind. The church bells tolled the late hour, and a ship in the harbor fired its guns in agreement. Will was here, somewhere. And the Stone." ~ [b:A Golden Fury|41187447|A Golden Fury|Samantha Cohoe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579719744l/41187447._SY75_.jpg|64368970]
This novel was a wonderfully unique and sensational journey. Thea is a heroine that all young women can look up to. I love the two dual aspects of her personality: her logical, scientific brain, and her loving, loyal nature. It's rare to find a female character depicted with such depth and complexity. Usually what bothers me about female characters in novels is that they always do something unexplainably stupid or out of character, but Thea is a constant, steadfast character that I can stand by. Her actions never confused me as the reader. It's very clear throughout the book that this is Thea's story to tell.
Something extraordinary that this novel does is play with fantasy tropes and toss away the ones that don't work and I loved that! Thea isn't pitted against her strong-willed mother or the female villain in the story. Like I really thought this book was going to be multiple women competing for Will's affections and I'm so glad it didn't turn into that!
My favorite aspect of this story is Thea's and Rahel's strained conversations. The beginning and end of the book are great, but my favorite scenes take place in Rahel's family home. The introduction of such a sophisticated, yet scary female character on the opposite side of Thea is so fascinating. Thea and Rahel's dealings had me dying to turn the page every time! I would've loved a chapter from Rahel's point of view. I wish we would've seen more of Rahel consistently throughout the book, but I appreciated the challenge she presented to Thea.
What I really appreciate that [a:Samantha Cohoe|18313531|Samantha Cohoe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1536025611p2/18313531.jpg] did by creating Rahel's character was showing how women can fight amongst themselves and how debilitating this animosity can be. I totally understand things from Rahel's POV: she feels her sister has been betrayed and she wants revenge. Thea even acknowledges this later. What I don't like is that Rahel feels the need to tease Thea for having feelings and acting with compassion towards men. Rahel acts like she is superior just because she's not in love. It's truly ironic the scene where Thea finds Rahel reading [b:A Vindication of the Rights of Woman|224387|A Vindication of the Rights of Woman|Mary Wollstonecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388191273l/224387._SY75_.jpg|1938850], an important feminist work, and then Rahel goes into a whole speech about how disappointed she is in Thea for being in love, which in Rahel's eyes is viewed as a loss of independence.
Overall I loved the chilly atmosphere of this novel, the dynamic character relationships, and the original take on the philosopher's stone legend. This is an ideal October read for when you want to curl up with blankets and read excitedly for hours on end. This book kept me in a trance until the very last page!