A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe (review)

Cohoe, Samantha A Golden Fury. Wednesday/St. Martin's, 2020 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250220400 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250220417 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-10

In 1792, Thea's mother is the greatest alchemist in France, but her attempt to fashion the Philosopher's Stone costs her her sanity, and seventeen-year-old Thea finds herself on her way to England to find a father she has never met. He's not particularly interested in her existence, but, as an alchemist himself, he's quite interested in her notes about the Stone. After a violent attack Thea must flee again, though, this time to her childhood love, but he too turns out to be a cad, forcing her to create the Stone to pay off his debts. Thea is determined to pursue the Stone for her own reasons, and she's willing to risk the madness that her mother suffered. Cohoe situates the supernatural among the historical, referencing the French Revolution and the Enlightenment (and the many classist and sexist hypocrisies within) while nonetheless keeping a sense of urgency as Thea struggles with the magical, demonic pull of the Stone. Thea is ambitious and analytical, narrating even her descent into madness with an inquisitive tone of scientific observation (except when her lucidity lapses); her calm, collected descriptions of the black figure that begins to nightly haunt her rooms make those scenes even more chilling. It's obvious, though, that Thea will not fall prey to the Stone's manipulation, and a satisfying ending sees her setting off to pursue her own scientific interests.