Edition: Wednesday Books e-ARC
Wow, this was one exhilarating and fun book. Right from the go, Thea's story intrigued me and hooked me in - I flew through this book. The premise was so interesting and the mystery and desire surrounding the Philosopher's Stone was so enthralling. I really enjoyed the plot line of this novel and the way themes of desire and power were explored. I also loved the lighter themes of womanhood - particularly because of the time the book is set in; 1792. It brings up discussion surrounding the nature of a woman's 'role' at the time and where women stood in relation to science. Although not extensively explored, I still enjoyed the theme's presence in the different women characters we meet in this novel.
Releasing: 13th October 2020
Series: n/a (standalone!!)
Pages: 352 approx.
Links: Author's Website | Goodreads | Buy the book!
**Huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC (Netgalley) of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
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.
Wow, this was one exhilarating and fun book. Right from the go, Thea's story intrigued me and hooked me in - I flew through this book. The premise was so interesting and the mystery and desire surrounding the Philosopher's Stone was so enthralling. I really enjoyed the plot line of this novel and the way themes of desire and power were explored. I also loved the lighter themes of womanhood - particularly because of the time the book is set in; 1792. It brings up discussion surrounding the nature of a woman's 'role' at the time and where women stood in relation to science. Although not extensively explored, I still enjoyed the theme's presence in the different women characters we meet in this novel.
Thea was a great narrator and I really enjoyed following her on her journey. I forgot how much I love the whole whisked away to another country to meet a mysterious relative type of vibe. We meet a host of different characters in this book and pretty much all of them interested me in one way or another, and each was very different from the next. The characters, the mystery, the plot; pretty much everything enthralled me and made me just want to keep reading on. The only thing I'd maybe have liked more of would be a bit more development with the dad, but it didn't detract from the story. There's also a lovely focus on friendship and finding your place in this novel.
I would really recommend this to readers looking for a super fun, fast-paced adventure novel. The fact it was a standalone made me love it even more because rarely does a standalone enthrall me so much. I would be really interested in future titles from this author now, too. A great read!
I do feel I should point out a trigger warning for self-harm. Although not a major focus, it is still present in this novel at a part. There is also a lot of discussion surrounding madness.
**Come back this Saturday, 10th October for my tour stop on The Golden Fury blog tour! I'll be sharing an excerpt of this fantastic book!!*
4.25 stars to A Golden Fury!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
Post a Comment
YOU ARE BEYOND AMAZING! Thank you for sharing your thoughts/opinions/feels! I'll be replying to your comment (hopefully) very shortly!