Really cool world building and the magic system was also really neat. But it was also soooooo boring to me. I like a slow paced book as much as the next person, but it at least has to be interesting. This was meh at best, which is tragic because, conceptually, a lot of the content was really good. Execution, though, just didn't cut it for me.

Excellent world building and atmospheric tones. The author does a great job building the different layers of the story, with the historical, social, and fantastical elements coming into play. I really enjoyed both of our main characters and their growth throughout the book.

I had some high hopes for this book but I'm so sad to say i was so disappointed by it. I don't think there was anything I truly enjoyed about my experience reading this book. The prose is very pretty and flowery but most times it was over flowery and I couldn't understand what the author wanted to convey. I felt the characters were very much one dimensional and I didn't care about their goals or motivations and I didn't care for the romance either. It felt very insta-lovey but also they hate each other for no reason. I was most excited to read about this mythical hunt that goes on to kill this legendary creature, and while most of the book is the discussions and preparations for this event, the hunt itself takes place over 3 chapters and was severely underwhelming. I thought this was going to be more fantasy book with a hint of romance but it's much more romance with a bit of fantasy, which is not my cup of tea. The setting also felt a bit jarring. It's supposed to take place around the 1920's because there are cars and phones and other early technology however it felt so much older? Maybe it was just specifically the town they live in but I forgot on multiple occasions that this was not supposed to be the 1800's. And the use of 'modern' curse words in some instances just really made the setting incredibly convoluted to me.

I must say this is a total cover read for me. It was so pretty, I just had to know what was inside and boy did Allison Saft not disappoint. She created such a beautiful story filled with magic, suspense, and a slow-burn romance. I loved all the mystical creatures, legends, and alchemy. I wish that the hunt was a longer portion of the book. I highly recommend this book!

“Any alchemist worth their salt considers themselves a scientist, but there’s something inexplicable about alchemy, too. Something magical. At the core of each of us, one of his first teachers said, there is a spark of divine fire.”
Including this lush cover, A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft had me intrigued as soon as I read the blurb. All of my favorite elements of storytelling have been included: fantasy, YA, romance, historical as it’s set in the era of the 1920’s, and it’s even categorized as a “Dark Fantasy”—basically I could not beg for this book hard enough.

I wanted to be immediately pulled into the story itself, but there is so much world building and character backgrounds that needed to be laid out first. All that was told needed to be there, but it did make the beginning overly heavy. Fortunately, it was broken up by the interactions between Margaret and Weston. Like oil and water, or fire and ice, these two characters share similar aspirations—wanting to be better or do better for their families, but unfortunately have fallen short time and time again. Their personalities clash. Margaret is stalwart and steady. She’s stoic, and a bit surly according to the town, and has a routine that she adheres to in her mother’s absence. Weston is a dreamer. There’s always hope on the horizon and even in his failures he perseveres. Where Weston is clumsy and clunky, Margaret is keen and cunning.

“Girls like her don’t get to dream. Girls like her get to survive. Most days, that’s enough. Today, she doesn’t think so.”
While they have different personalities, both characters are outsiders in their own way. Weston is the son of immigrants, which are looked down upon by many of the residents in the area. As an aspiring alchemist, he arrives on Margaret Welty’s doorstep seeking an apprenticeship with her renowned mother, Evelyn Welty. While her mother travels seeking a way to further her own alchemy-based aspirations, Margaret is left in a pinch, but hope shows up in the form of the mystical hala—a demiurge in the form of a fox said to be the last bit of naturally occurring alchemical magic gifted by the gods. With its presence made known, the Halfmoon Hunt begins and teams of hunters and alchemists join together to be the team to take down the magical fox.

It is during the qualification of the teams and then preparing for the Hunt itself where Weston and Margaret begin to put their own prejudices aside and realize that they are truly more similar than they realize. Both Margaret and Weston realize that they are harboring some unresolved hurt and trauma from the hardships that they had experienced in their earlier childhoods. While Margaret is reluctant to share that she has heritage of the Yu’adir, Weston uses his charm in order to offset the reaction many people have when they learn he is of Banvish descent. Both Margaret and Weston make some questionable decisions on their path to trusting each other, but all those things can be chalked up to youthful naïveté as well as relying on skills that have helped them in the past, and not necessarily using their heads or hearts.

“For so long, she has survived. Now, she wants to live.”
A Far Wilder Magic brings religious prejudices as well as anti-immigrant sentiments to the forefront of Weston and Margaret’s story in a truly meaningful way. While both are at an age to start questioning their places in the world, it makes the acknowledgement of casting aside questionable familial traditions, and even generational traumas in the wake of more modern and progressive ways a form of rebirth. Allison Saft wrote Margaret and Weston’s character storylines beautifully, and the ending was truly so satisfying.

I highly recommend reading A Far Wilder Magic. There is something truly special here in this story, and I can guarantee by the end you will have learned something about yourself while you root for Margaret and Weston during the Halfmoon Hunt. A Far Wilder Magic is available now, so don’t wait to get your very own copy!

I discovered Allison Saft a few years ago with her debut novel Down Comes the Night. Since I loved the book and Ms. Saft's writing style, I jumped for joy when I was granted the e-ARC of her sophomore novel A Far Wilder Magic; this story and its characters felt so comfortable that I read it slowly like a delicious warm cup of coffee that you sip a little bit at the time because you don't want it to finish. I loved protagonists Margaret and Wes and their quest to hopefully kill the hala, a mysterious and dangerous magical fox. I also loved the "Temptation" and the "Evil" characters (not mentioning any names so I don't spoil it). It was a smart book for a YA, full of love and kindness. Simply delectable!

This story was a mix of a love story , mythology (Hala mythical creature), adventure (a lonely outcast superb sharpshooter joins a mythical hunt), and then a mix of religion and woe is me insecurities from the outcasts.

A Far Wilder Magic was a cute love story in a very beautifully crafted fantasy world. While YA isn't my genre as much anymore, it was still an enjoyable read and I can definitely see others liking this a lot more than I did!

This took way too long to get started. I had to really fight to keep my attention on the story.

There was really no action or any forward movement of the story for such a long time.

That seems very strange to me for a fantasy book, where there isn’t a lot of world building.

I couldn’t connect to this one

I found the pacing of this book to be pleasantly slow when compared to a lot of YA fantasy. This gave me time to fall deeply in love with the characters and world. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

This story is one that will absolutely grab you and not let you go! The characters are ones that I have connected to far faster than any I've read about in a while, The PTSD/anxiety and dyslexia representation were both amazing, and they added such a depth to the story and the romance! I loved how strong Margaret was and how sweet and pure Weston is. They are such loveable characters and made me want more and more of their lives.

My biggest complaint was that it did feel a bit slow. I thought that the hunt was going to be the center of the novel, but it came toward the end and that made it feel slower to me. But otherwise I loved the pacing of the romance and the way that this is a story of acceptance, both of the self and of others. It was so refreshing to watch such a story of healing and the beauty of love.

I also wanted to mention that for a YA book, I thought there was a bit too much description of the sexual scenes before the fade to black occurred. It caught me a bit off guard how much description there was and left me a bit uncomfortable.

I loved the world that they were in and how alchemy played into the story. It added such a layer to the atmosphere of the hunt and the way that it touches on such deep topics. The book pulls you into the hunt and won't let you go!

If you're looking for a wild ride that will leave you wanting more from the book and from your life, this is the story for you!

Atmospheric perfection! I can’t remember the last time a novel swept me away like this one did!

The world building is fantastic, just unique enough to take you into a fantasy but not overly complicated.

Wes & Maggie were fantastic characters and I didn’t want to say goodbye at the end. The way they start off on the wrong foot led perfectly into their journey to… well more! The progression was natural and chemistry was fab!

I want more but in the best way!

A very charming and romantic YA fantasy. The comps to Erin Craig and Margaret Rogerson feel fairly accurate; I think Saft is my preferred author of the three based on what I’ve read so far though! (I also loved her debut, Down Comes the Night.)
Netgalley provided an ebook arc for review purposes.

I gave A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft a three out of five stars. I enjoyed reading it and finding out what was going to happen but I didn't love it. I did like the two main characters and I guessed in who/what the Hallow is. When reading about the Hallow it made me think of The Originals TV show. There were quite a few characters that I didn't like as well.

The love story in this young adult fantasy was too YA for me and I just didn’t connect with the characters. The plot felt somewhat original but also somewhat conceptionally overdone (I think I’m just tired of the competition storyline in a lot of YA fantasies) and near the end, I skimmed. Some elements of the story could be interpreted to represent religions of today, but I didn’t give it enough thought to analyze this aspect. There were some parts of the story that, to me, felt icky because the characters were young. This may be a good fall read for those still chasing the high of Hunger Games.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted ecopy. All views expressed are my own.

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Did I actually read this book in time for its pub date? No. Did I start reading it in July and finally finish it in January? Yes. Did I like it?
I. LOVED. IT.
A Far Wilder Magic is a 1920s-inspired high fantasy romance standalone--and I honestly would pitch it as a romance with a fantasy-driven plot. While the main plot points revolve around the Hunt for the hala, the story is much more focused on the relationship that builds between Margaret and Wes. They have different motivations for joining the hunt and working together, but they do push each other to do better and achieve what seemed to be impossible. For Margaret, that is looking beyond the practical survival and upkeep of the manor to see the love that others hold for her; for Wes, that is better understanding his ambitions and choosing to not play the political game, but to change and break it.
If I were to be picky, I'd probably mention the few loose threads that never feel fully resolved (Perhaps an epilogue with a time skip would have helped?), or talk about how I wanted the alchemy to be explained a bit further... but I honestly was way too wrapped up in the story that was actually written to care all that much or give it less than 5 stars. Call me generous, but if I'm kicking my feet and squealing at every flirty comment from the two idiots who not-so-secretly pine after each other for 300 pages? It deserves all the stars. I'm a romantic!
Other aspects of the story: I loved the writing! It contained some beautiful prose ("The next two days pass like honey drizzled from the tip of a spoon"), but also some stupidly funny comments ("after he showers off his failures" and "he glumly spoons porridge into his mouth" were some of my immediate favorites), and interesting parallels. Also, yes the title basically appears in the book at one point--as well as a bunch of comments about the characters looking 'wild', which I found kind of hilarious. I liked how the side characters still felt like their own people with dreams and ambitions, but clearly were helping to move the story along rather than take attention away from the main characters. People like Annette and Jaime served as antagonists of a sort--they were made to conflict with and create tension between Margaret and Wes, which tested their relationship beyond the confines of Welty Manor.
I only took this long to finish A Far Wilder Magic because I was dealing with personal life chaos, but once I picked it back up, I breezed through the second half in a few hours. I love the dynamics of each character, the tension surrounding the multiple conflicts, and the ultimate struggles of the main relationship. I was genuinely so excited to read on and find out how so-and-so reacted, or how so-and-so accomplished their goals, or if this-or-that actually worked. In my opinion, that utter absorption into the plot and world is what makes a book worth it. 5 stars.

I always love Alison's writing; it's so accessible but still really rich. I think the same about her fantasy worlds: they're both easy to step into and understand while also feeling incredibly inventive. This along with Saft's characters always written with wonderful vulnerability and acute human-ness, makes everything she writes an autobuy for me.

Allison Saft is amazing with descriptions. I was horrified by the hala, appropriately so, and drawn in so deeply at times. This book was hard for me to pick up because of personal life stuff. But I was easily able to fall into the narrative every time I read, no matter if it was for ten minutes or an hour. I picked up the voice and was able to engross myself every time.

I am fascinated by this alternate history and look forward to more! I loved the queer vibes of the background characters, Wes’s sisters and several couples in town. The alternate history that mirrors our own world, prejudices included in many ways, was fascinating. I would love a book on just the history of this world, an appendix with all the information laid out.

The ending came on a bit quick and didn’t linger. The final drama happened within the last ten percent of the book and resolved well enough, just extremely fast paced. Everything lead up to this moment, both romantically and main plot, and was resolved so fast. I saw the percentage rise, getting so close to the end of the book, and wondered if there would be enough time for everything to resolve.

Fans of Maggie Stiefvater will enjoy this book, as well as fans of Lyndall Clipstone, Susan Dennard, and Francesca May. That dark fantasy aspect will appeal to many, I’m sure. This was my first book of Saft’s and I will most definitely be backtracking through her publishing history to read what there is so far. I eagerly await future novels!

Margaret is the daughter of a renowned Alcemist and Wes is a flawed alchemist in training. Wes has been through several teachers only to not be good a enough alchemist to retain any of them. So when he come on search of Margaret's mother, he meets Margaret and feelings begin to fly.

Margaret is an outcast in her town. No one is kind to her. She is used to being alone and she absolutely hates Wes when she first meets him.

I didn't like Wes at first. I saw him how Margaret viewed him and he was just a bit annoying. But, like Margaret, I warmed up to him and really enjoyed his role in the story.

I also enjoyed the vulnerability of both of our main characters. They start off a bit guarded and both become more personal and intimate as time goes on.

To me the ending was the best part about this. It has a Darkness to it and I loved where the story takes us.

This book had a tournament and hate to love. It had alchemy and some elements of mystery.

Initially, I had thought to rate this 5 stars. It was super enjoyable and I really love the way it was written and the cast of characters, but as time has gone on, I remember very little about it. The most prominent portion of the story was the hate to love romance and the alchemy tournament. I definitely recommend this!

I absolutely adored Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft. A Far Wilder Magic is a young adult fantasy romance that has a mix of modern day luxuries and yet the feel of the era that studied alchemy.

I loved the slow building romance between the two main characters, Margaret and Wes. Margaret is an interesting and at times naive character with questionable choices. Wes hides behind charisma and pushes his study of alchemy against dyslexic boundaries.

The magic system is mostly based in alchemy but the Hala was a high point for me. I wanted more of that in the book. I also enjoyed the well tied in themes of bullying, racial prejudices and fighting for your goals and dreams and not giving into the demands of parental expectations.

There is repetitive monologue that bogged scenes down and drew focus away. I think less of that would've made it even more phenomenal.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.