Publishers Weekly
02/07/2022
Employing a fittingly whirlwind pace, Cohoe (A Golden Fury) retells The Tempest with glints of The Great Gatsby. Eighteen-year-old Mae has lived all her life in the private island mansion of the magician Lord Prosper, who has bound spirits with “shimmering, translucent bodies” to serve his glamorous family. Though she’s found friendship with two of Lord Prosper’s grandchildren—devil-may-care Coco and crush-worthy, brooding Miles—Mae’s presence (her late father was the mansion’s steward) is otherwise barely tolerated; she’s referred to as “Mousy Mae.” When the family (human characters read as white) gathers for First Night, the yearly commemoration of Lord Prosper’s harnessing the island’s magic, Mae’s dreams of the perfect evening turn into a maelstrom of betrayals and horrors, leaving her torn between the magic she’s always coveted and the realization of its cost. Epiphanies come fast and furious—the main action unfolds in 24 hours via Mae’s melodramatic, self-serious narration—in a novel whose sumptuous setting alongside the careless, magical rich proffers undeniable pleasures. Ages 13–up. Agent: Bridget Smith, Jabberwocky Literary. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
BOOKRIOT, "Ultimate Guide to New Winter YA Books 2022"
BUZZFEED, "New Young Adult Books Releasing Winter 2022"
GOODREADS, "The 68 Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2022"
THE NERD DAILY, "72 Upcoming YA Book Releases To Add To Your TBR"
POP SUGAR, "Best New YA Books 2022 So Far"
FROLIC, "Top YA Reads for February 2022"
"Cohoe’s sophomore novel...is filled with magic, romance, secrets, and lies." - Booklist
"[A] smashing Shakespearean historical fantasy." - Buzzfeed
"A novel whose sumptuous setting alongside the careless, magical rich proffers undeniable pleasures." - Publishers Weekly
"Cohoe's prose moves at a clip through a night packed with intrigue...Fans of Shakespeare’s The Tempest will find much to enjoy, as will readers eager for a luxurious 1920s period piece...An intriguing story about the rot that lies beneath splendor." - Kirkus Reviews
"Bright Ruined Things is a more insightful novel than readers might expect, while also devoting a fair amount of its pages to considering what it means to be a person of integrity who chooses to stand up to the ugliness of power at all costs. I’ll take some Gatsby with my Shakespeare any day, as long as Cohoe is the one doing the writing." - Locus Magazine
"Cohoe ably combines a postcolonial reading of The Tempest with the literary tradition of edgy, electric aristocrats and outsiders in London’s 1920s social scene (à la Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh). This will appeal to a broad audience, from fans of Shakespeare to Lockhart’s We Were Liars to Cooper’s Montmaray Diaries series." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This dizzying struggle over power, magic, and dreams will sink readers into this fantasy’s web of ambition and family tension. A strong choice for libraries serving teens." - School Library Journal
"I was utterly captivated by the world Samantha Cohoe conjured on this mysterious island, where magic and power rule hand-in-hand with intrigue and desire. A wealthy family, a web of secrets about the past, and a cast of glittering characters who feel like they just stepped out from one of The Great Gatsby's legendary parties—what's not to love? I was swept right along with Mae as she digs in to uncover the truth behind the magic wielded by the Prosper family and wrestles with her own desire to grasp hold of power she's long been denied." —Lisa DeSelm, author of The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice
"A deftly-plotted tale about ambition and belonging, Bright Ruined Things takes Shakespeare’s The Tempest and brilliantly reimagines its themes of family and love. Cohoe writes with a magic that dazzles and cuts right to the core." - Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
Praise for A GOLDEN FURY
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GOODREADS, "October's Most Anticipated YA Reads"
THE MARY SUE BOOK CLUB, "October 2020: Spooky Season Is Out in Full Force"
THE NERD DAILY, "20 SFF YA Debuts To Watch Out For In 2020"
POPSUGAR, "Best New YA Books of October 2020"
"An engaging concoction of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction." - Booklist
"Cohoe situates the supernatural among the historical, referencing the French Revolution and the Enlightenment while...keeping a sense of urgency as Thea struggles with the magical, demonic pull of the Stone." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"If you liked Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller or All That Glitters (previously Enchantée) by Gita Trelease, you will love A Golden Fury." - NerdSpan
"The attention to detail in the story is excellent. ...Thea herself is a confident lead with a strong voice. A solid fantasy to flesh out the world of alchemy that most readers know only from 'Harry Potter.'" - School Library Journal
“Sharply written with a crackling, compassionately determined heroine, A Golden Fury is a vivid ride through eighteenth century Europe with darkness and dread creeping at its corners. Utterly enchanting.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints
"Cohoe transmutes the legend of the Philosopher's Stone into a dark, intoxicating tale of ambition, obsession, and sacrifice. Prepare for a magic that will consume you." - Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire
"Steeped in mystery and magic, Samantha Cohoe’s A GOLDEN FURY immerses readers in beautifully rendered world where magic and science mix, and where the intoxication of power can be deadly. Whip-smart Thea is a heroine readers will root for." - Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician
"A Golden Fury is beguiling and unpredictable. Cohoe weaves an international adventure set against a rich historical backdrop, and alchemist Thea faces adversaries both human and magical with wit and grit. A compelling debut from a writer to watch." - Hannah Capin, author of Foul is Fair and The Dead Queens Club
"Alchemists used many methods to hide their secrets, but Cohoe has deciphered their riddles — and uncovered a truth far darker and more complex than a miraculous rock. She lures you in with a promise of gold, then delivers something far more valuable: an intricate tale of ambition and sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal, the quest for knowledge and the wisdom to use it correctly." - Marie Brennan, author of The Memoirs of Lady Trent
"I adore Thea - her fierce ambition, her intelligence, and the warmth she so desperately wants to share with someone worthy. This is an alchemical wonder of a book. It takes all the elements of a good story - mystery, magic, devastating stakes, compelling relationships and impossible choices - and weaves them into pure gold." - Catherine Egan, author of Julia Unbound
“A GOLDEN FURY invites you into a world of intrigue, magic and ambition. Set against the backdrop of the French revolution, it follows a talented, driven heroine, raised by her famous and overbearing mother to pursue alchemy’s ultimate dream—the Philosopher’s Stone—in a time when women had little rights of their own. Cohoe’s prose is flush with clever dialogue and flawed-yet-sympathetic characters, so realistic they leap off the page. First loves, family secrets and shocking betrayals abound as our heroine pits her intellect against a curse of madness in this impossible-to-put-down debut.” - Ellen Goodlett, author of Rule
"Full of rich historical detail, clever world-building, and tumultuous relationships, A Golden Fury transformed me. Cohoe's debut proves we are in the hands of a deft and dangerous creator. I sat up half the night thinking about it, and the other half longing to see her next book." - Tracy Townsend, author of Thieves of Fate series
"I fell for this thrilling tale of madness and murder, alchemy and obsession— and the fiercely determined Theosebeia Hope who will stop at nothing to get her heart’s desire. I could not turn the pages fast enough!" - Gita Trelease, author of Enchantee
School Library Journal
08/01/2021
Gr 9 Up—Known as the obedient, orphaned steward's daughter, Mae has dreamed all her life of training as a magician on the Prospers' island, center of all aether magic and home of docile spirits who serve the Prosper family. Readers will grip onto the thread of mystery 18-year-old Mae discovers after witnessing a dying spirit and the turbulent revelations about the influential Prosper family, their magic, and the price of Mae's own dreams. The narrative, set in a sparkling Roaring Twenties aesthetic, takes place over a day and a night, leaving readers with much family drama to absorb as they follow Mae into the darkness behind the Prospers's prestige. Personal ambitions define every character in this fast-paced, dialogue-heavy fantasy, but readers' understanding of the backstories—and seemingly precipitous consequences—of these desires are limited by Mae's first-person narration. Declarations, rather than explorations, of character, emerge from Mae's conversations and internal thoughts, as she waffles among her longing to belong, be free, or feel worthy, depending on the person with whom she interacts. Romance and tests of friendship emerge amid themes of free will, colonization, power, and self-knowledge, an unbalanced meld that weighs on the characters' decisions and thrilling conclusion. VERDICT This dizzying struggle over power, magic, and dreams will sink readers into this fantasy's web of ambition and family tension. A strong choice for libraries serving teens.—Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ
Kirkus Reviews
2021-11-30
On Lord Prosper’s island the very air pulsates with magic.
His beautiful, ruthless descendants are provided for by the grace of a magical substance known as aether. But their servants, the island’s captive spirits, are beginning to mysteriously sicken and die off. “Mousy Mae” Wilson stands as an outsider. The orphaned daughter of Prosper’s old friend who will be in exile on her 18th birthday, Mae loves, fears, and desires the family and the land she’s always called home and is anxious about leaving it. That is, until the legendary once-a-year party known as First Night, during which outsiders arrive on the island. Mae is suddenly thrust into a surprise engagement to strange, sullen Ivo, Prosper’s grandson and the heir to his magic. Cohoe’s prose moves at a clip through a night packed with intrigue. Mae’s shifting stance in relation to the family as their confidant, enemy, and friend develops alongside the intricate, fascinating system of dangerous magic. The real mystery is who Mae herself will become as she climbs the social ladder into the glorious world of power and secrets she’s long observed from a distance. Will she grow to be an intrepid schemer who is the equal of any Prosper? Fans of Shakespeare’s The Tempestwill find much to enjoy, as will readers eager for a luxurious—but not escapist—1920s period piece. Characters read as White.
An intriguing story about the rot that lies beneath splendor. (family tree) (Fantasy. 13-18)
