#Review - Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe #YA #Fantasy

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: February 15, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy

Set over the course of a day, a girl realizes her life on a glittering, magical island isn’t what it seems in a 1920s-set fantasy, inspired by The Tempest.

The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. Now that she’s eighteen, Mae knows her time with the Prospers may soon come to an end.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers—including a secret about Mae’s past that she doesn’t remember. As Mae and her friends begin to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

In this YA fantasy, Samantha Cohoe wonderfully mixes magic and an atmospheric historical setting into a fantastically immersive world, with characters you won’t be able to forget.

 

In this YA fantasy, Samantha Cohoe mixes magic and an atmospheric historical setting into a fantastically immersive world. Set over the course of a day, a girl realizes her life on a glittering, magical island isn’t what it seems in a 1920s-set fantasy, inspired by The Tempest. The only life Mae Wilson has ever known is on the island where her father, a loyal servant of Lord Prosper, passed away 6 years ago. Mae has been living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it as well as the incredibly valuable aether. 

She's never been off the island. She is neither family or a servant, she’s merely a charity case that can live on the island until she is 18. Now that she's turning 18, she's terrified that she won't be allowed to stay. This is an island where spirits of all kind roam freely, and one in particular, Aeris, loves to taunt and tease Mousy Mae. The spirits are also used as servants in a variety of ways. Mae wants nothing more than to learn magic with Miles, the unofficial Prosper that she’s been in-love with since childhood.  

Mae longs to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal. To get to that point, she may have to marry the mysterious Ivo. Mae and Ivo were once close friends, but a secret was exposed by mousy Mae, and he's been distant and reclusive ever since. But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted. 

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers. As Mae begins to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on. Mae can be a frustrating character because she's so meek and fearful in how she interacts with people, even if inside she wants to be different.

Thankfully, Mae finds a backbone. The book takes place almost entirely in a single day, with the exception of the epilogue which takes place off island. I have opinions about certain characters. I felt so badly for Ivo. I thought that he got a really bad deal. I ended up hating both Miles and Coco since they both showed their true colors when it came to how they treated Mae. I would have liked to find out who May meets on the final page. I have my guesses, by I hate taking guesses as to what happens next.

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#Review - A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe #YA #Fantasy #Historical

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA / Fantasy / Historical

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.

In her debut novel, Samantha Cohoe weaves a story of magic and danger, where the streets of Oxford and London come to life, and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.

 

A Golden Fury is author Samantha Cole's debut historical fantasy novel set in the 18th century France and Oxford where a young alchemist must save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher's Stone. The year is 1792, France is in the middle of a revolution which started in 1789 and will end in 1799. The revolution overthrew the monarchy; established a republic; catalyzed violent periods of political turmoil; and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon, who brought many of the revolution's principles to areas he conquered in Western Europe and beyond.

But let's focus on the story itself. Thea is a young alchemist working with her famous mother, (Marguerite made her reputation by creating alchemical armor for the French King), when she's shut out of the lab. Thea knows that they were close to making the philosopher's stone and is certain her mother wants all the glory of the accomplishment herself even though she has put as much blood, sweat, and tears into the work, as her mother. The Philosopher Stone is alleged to be able to turn any metal into gold and heal any illness. It's every alchemist's dream. But it’s also said to be cursed.

“The Stone chooses the last alchemist. But woe to whom it does not accept.”

But when her mother goes mad and smashes the almost complete stone, Thea takes her mother’s notes with her, and ends up in Oxford where her father, Professor Vellacott, is teaching Chemistry, but wants to expand to alchemy. Vellacott never knew Thea existed until her arrival. Vellacott and others like Dominic are way too interested in finishing the Philosopher's Stone. A stone that apparently makes everyone who attempts to finalize the last step, go crazy. Thea eventually comes to realize that the Philosopher's Stone is a living thing, that will creep into your mind and drives you mad, takes your mind for its own after you nearly kill yourself, and lose yourself, to create it. And if you're brave enough to fight back, it will haunt you even if it's gone.

Thea finds herself in a bad situation when she discovers that her former beau, Will Percy, is dying of consumption. It also appears that after he was told to leave by Thea's mother, he wronged a very powerful family that wants their pound of flesh, and if Thea can't figure out how to survive the making of the Stone, she will be forever lost as will her new friend Dominic who is suddenly thrown into the middle of something he has no idea what is happening. When science meets magic, with a little touch of love and danger, it gave an amazing adventure through the French and English roads.

Thea is an interesting character. Theo is an educated woman who is more than just an ornamental piece. Her mother may be tough and unlikable, but she made sure to raise a young woman who knows her worth to society. She’s intelligent, brave, stubborn, and often naive. She wades her way through a cascade of events and characters like Valentin Wolff who has his own agenda, but never once treats Thea as anything but a human being. Her father is something of a conundrum seeing as how he didn't know she existed, then tries to betray her for the secrets of the Stone, only to rush in and try to save her from those like Wolff who want Thea to create the same magic her mother did for the French monarchy.

Overall: A Golden Fury is a decent debut. Even though Thea could be a lot to deal with at times, that authors provides her with a compelling narrative and a story that will keep reader intrigued right to the end.

 

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