This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.

I really liked this book. I've read a previous title by the author and I really enjoy how they meld the romantic pairs in their books. The spiciness is definitely there, but It's tastefully handled, in my opinion. My only complaint is I wish the created heritage for the MCs we're more fleshed out. I kept getting them confused and I was a bit confused why the racism for them existed. A little more world building would've been nice, but still a nice read if you enjoy romance and a bit of alchemic fantasy.

Rating: 4/5

A Far Wilder Magic was a surprisingly soft, atmospheric read, and I was surprised by how much I fell in love with this book. The prose was direct and captivating, the worldbuilding was nuanced and fascinating to follow, and the characters were ultimately its heart.

The book follows Margaret and Weston, two outsiders who join the Halfmoon Hunt to kill the last surviving hala, a mythical creature. Despite this tournament plot, the story is less action-filled and more character-driven, exploring Margaret and Wes’s isolation in a world that looks down on them. Both were interesting characters that held up on their own from the moment they were introduced as we see them coping and navigating their respective ostracism. The way the characters move towards not just surviving but thriving was incredibly touching and well done.

The development of Wes and Maggie’s relationship was also amazing. It was sweet and entertaining, while full of depth as they gave each other a sense of belonging and pushed each other. I loved the sense of it being them against the world, and the overall protectiveness and compassion they grow to have for each other.

Worldbuilding was also done with a lot of care. It was complex yet did not shy away from this complexity. It was definitely inspired by early-1900s U.S. history, considering the immigration patterns and religious groups and their interactions, and the author did a wonderful job of capturing those tensions. I think the one place where the book fell short, though, is that it presented this settler-colonial state, but the indigenous population was not present at all. The settler colonialism was emphasized, yet this was not really examined. I get that it might have been outside the scope of the book considering which conflicts it was focused on, but I still wonder if that could have been incorporated somehow.

Overall, A Far Wilder Magic was a beautiful journey about discovering your worth in a hostile world, and I would definitely recommend it for those of you who love atmospheric fantasy and a soft romance.

This book was magical, and compelling, and completely fascinating. The story was captivating from start to finish.

A Far Wilder Magic follows Margaret and Wes, who must learn to work together to hunt a mythical creature. Margaret is a great sharpshooter and her mother is a famous alchemist, one who Wes hoped to learn from until he learns she's off traveling. Margaret allows Wes to stay and wait for her mother's return, but Wes must agree to help Margaret catch the creature in return.

Overall this was a good book, but it wasn't what I expected. It was slow and dragged a little at times, and the hunt was barely a part of the story. I expected more of the hunt but it only happened at the very end and was over very quickly. Instead the book is more about Margaret and Wes, and their growing feelings for each other. I did like how their relationship progressed, but I had expected more action. The world building was good, and it was interesting to see how the world was similar to ours in certain ways but with magic. The writing was very good and I will definitely read more from Allison Saft.

I really enjoyed this book! It captivated me from the very beginning. Maggie and this whole book will absolutely hold a special place in my heart for years to come, and I’ve already bought a couple copies as gifts for friends!

I loved Allison Saft's debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, and was hoping this would be just as good. Fortunately, it was, and I adored absolutely everything about this book.

Saft wove together so many different elements in this book, and they all worked so well together. Like her other book, this one has a romance between two outcasts at the heart of it, with a setting that could be its own character, and high stakes driving the plot forward. But it also grapples with topics like religion, xenophobia, and abuse. None of the aforementioned elements detracted from the others, or felt unnecessary; it all blended together very effectively to tell a complete story.

And speaking of our main characters, they each had their own traumas to work through, and helped each other while maintaining their independence. I also appreciated Wes for his excellent neurodivergent representation -- he read as having ADHD, and maybe dyslexia. As someone with ADHD, I felt it was handled very authentically, and my heart ached for him because I've gone through many of the emotions (failure, inadequacy, etc.) that he did.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn’t read anything by Allison Saft, but the cover and title had me intrigued so I gave A Far Wilder Magic a try. It’s beautifully written and engaging, and by the second chapter I was hooked. Maggie is strong, capable, deeply flawed and incredibly lovable. Wes is charming, passionate, and full of improbable dreams. If you enjoy character driven stories with some fantasy and slow-burn romance, I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

I absolutely loved this. Between this book and Down Comes the Night I have determined that Allison Saft is just really, really great at setting tense and gothic feeling scenes. Margaret is a very strong main character. She lives alone in the middle of the woods in a quiet town by the sea. Her mother has pretty much abandoned her in her quest to create the philosophers stone. Enter Wes, my lovely sarcastic cinnamon roll. His greatest dream is to become an alchemist, get into politics and change the very bigoted country they live in. To achieve this he needs to apprentice with Margaret's mother, this is not what happens. I don't want to spoil anything but the rest is magical and tension, so much tension.

I think what I loved most about this book is the relationship between Wes and Margaret. They really helped each heal and grow throughout the story. Also that slow burn just about killed me! The pacing of the story was perfect, and nothing felt unnecessary to the story. Allison Saft has definitely become a favorite author for me.

I’d like to express my enormous thanks to the publisher, Wednesday Books, as well as NetGalley and author Allison Saft for the electronic ARC I received of A Far Wilder Magic. Below is my honest review!

The story follows Margaret and Wes, each with their own heavy burdens and desperate desires to change not only their own lives, but the lives of their families. The key to achieving their goals: succeed in hunting a magical creature, the last of its kind, and one no one has managed to kill. Both outcasts in their own ways, they are begrudgingly forced to rely on each other in order to enter the hunt. Much stands in their way, and they are faced with working through distrust, resentment, and hurt as it becomes clear they are all each other have.

In short, I absolutely adored this book. The prose is exquisite and imaginative, perfectly crafting both scenes and characters in vivid detail. The plight of both Margaret and Wes are incredibly compelling; it’s very interesting too to see how their individual goals both diverge and intersect throughout the story, and how things shift as they grow closer to each other. I was struck by the raw vulnerability and tenderness of the eventual romance as well. In true slow-burn fashion, the buildup of chemistry was intentional and authentic, making the relationship one that grips your heart and makes you root for them above everything else. Another thing I really appreciated was the depiction of Margaret’s trauma and her journey of healing. These aspects of the story and the romance stood out to me; it was heart achingly beautiful to watch Wes want to take care of Margaret and show her what love can actually be like.

The complexity of the hunt itself was phenomenal, particularly the emotions and implications tied up in it for both Wes and Margaret. The hunt is more than killing a beast; the mere decision to pursue this goal exacts a heavy toll from them. From preparation of skills and materials to the hunt itself, the journey is exhilarating, moving, and satisfying.

I highly recommend this book, having already begged several friends and family members to read it! This was the first book I read by Allison Saft, and she is now definitely on my list of authors to take note of when they have new books coming out.

This is the first book I've read from Allison Saft and I'm definitely going to be reading more of her works after this one. The premise of this one is what initially drew me to it...I mean, a hunt for a mythical fox? I'm in. And this did not disappoint. This book was beautifully written and the prose just added to the story. I adored Margaret and Wes as main characters. Their journeys, their struggles, their effort in this hunt...amazing. This book wrapped up so well and even though I'd love more, it was beautiful how it ended.

This was everything! I read this in the worst reading slump I’ve had in awhile and every time I picked it up, I just wanted to savor every word and scene. The world is atmospheric. The premise of the hunt for the hala, a demiurge that is mystical and godly, was eerie. The moments the hala appeared were chilling. The little town is quiet and a bit grim but in a way that sucks you in. And the characters are well developed and feel so real.

Characters
I loved the characters in this book so much. Margaret, with her cold exterior, is holding a lot of deep loneliness, pain, and trauma. She’s in survival mode, but seeing her open up her heart to Wes and others made me want to cry. Not only is she isolated physically from the rest of town, but also in her family as her mother has become obsessed with her alchemical research and has spiraled deeper into mental illness. And yet, Margaret simply want to be loved and be seen. And despite all her emotional baggage, she was fierce, strong, and smart. She’s loyal to a fault but I loved her for that. Her well of love runs very deep.

Okok moving on to Wes. I love Wes with all my heart. He’s ambitious, stubborn, idealistic, but also kind and gentle hearted. Wes is scrappy and lovable. Wes is from the city where his family lives in on the poorer side. With his father gone and as one of the oldest children, Wes wants to make the world a better place for families like his by being a politician, most of whom are alchemists and wealthy - and not Banvishman (Irish Catholic). It’s also hinted at that Wes possibly has reading difficulties. And I’ll say that Wes is a much better person than I am because I wanted Jamie to be put in his place, and by that I mean six feet underground. God I hated Jamie and the vile things he spewed at Margaret and Wes all while thinking he’s righteous and doing his country some kind of service. Aaahhh! He makes me so furious.

Social Issues
Margaret is severely discriminated against and hated by many in town for being Yu’adir (Jewish). I was angry on her behalf. Wes is a banvishman (Irish Catholic). Banvishmen are immigrants who face discrimination. They are looked down on and seen as lesser people.

On a related but side note, the discrimination against both Yu’adir and Banvishmen made this feel like the time period was inspired by 1920s US, but the world in this story is its own.

Some of the things the townspeople would say is truly disturbing and hard to read so I recommend being in the right headspace. The author doesn’t hold back in depicting how cruel and unjust the stereotypes and prejudice towards banvishmen and yu’adirnis can be. I also liked how the author also showed how hurtful it is when you simply standby and let others spew hatred. It’s not enough to say “Im not like that. I dont do that.” By not saying anything, you are complicit in perpetuating hate. I felt it was done in a way that natural and flowed with the story.

Romance
The slow burn romance between Margaret and Jamie was sweet. I love how Margaret took things slow. She has a lot of healing to do and this resulted in several moments of doubt when it came to trusting her feeling for Wes and about Wes’ feelings for her. She has a ton of abandonment issues so I thought the romantic progression felt realistic. This was peak grump and sunshine. Wes livened her up. She steadies him. They both found anchors in the other. And I just love them so much. ㅠㅠ

As a reader commitment-phobe, I love fantasy standalones and this was excellent. Everything just worked for me. I can’t wait to read more from the author!

** Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc to review.

A beautiful, moving story of two young people looking to prove themselves and ending up finding themsevles and each other along the way. Magic and gothic, I was captivated from the start. Margaret is a loner and all around bad*ss herione who can take care of herself, but she's missing one thing she needs to win the Hala hunt - an alchemist. Enter Weston. This unlikely pair is drawn to each other as they figure out the mythical mysteries around them. Perfect for teen and adult fantasy readers alike!

This was a DNF for me. I had a really difficult time getting through this one, as it didn't hold my attention.
I still very much appreciate the chance to read and review this novel.

Allison Saft’s writing is beautiful and descriptive. It creates a gothic atmosphere, especially the descriptions of Welty Manor. The tone is dark and morose. It evokes sympathy for the main characters and the difficult lives they lead, and, just as importantly, it helps maintain this sympathy throughout the book.

Margaret lives a solitary life. She clings to the hope that her mother will return. The longing she had to be loved by her mother made me want to enfold her in a hug, to let her know she was enough. Her lonely existence is interrupted when Wes arrives at her doorsteps, seeking to become her mother’s apprentice. Wes was not my favorite romantic lead. I was often as irritated with him as Margaret was; however, like Margaret, I gradually warmed to him. Like Margaret, he has a complicated relationship with his family, and they have greatly impacted his decisions. They are similar in ways and have faced similar struggles. They also challenge one another, and this was extremely conducive to building romantic tension.

Just as I hoped for romance, I equally hoped for fantastical and magical elements. Both were lacking, and I was disappointed. Additionally, the legend of the hala fascinated me, but I didn’t quite understand the role of the hala and its greater purpose in the story. Adding to my disappointment was the pace of the book. Despite the beautiful descriptions and the romance, the slow pace made this a difficult book to finish. It felt a lot longer than its nearly 400 pages. While there may have been many things I liked about it, the slow pace made a lasting impression, which affected my rating of the book.

1920s fantasy thats beautifully written.
This has both Jewish and Irish Catholic reps and the story woven together is seamless. Though the love story is sweet and lovely there are deeper messages about inequality and immigration throughout that take this book to another level for me. Really enjoyable

The main reason I picked up this book was because I ended up really enjoying Saft’s previous novel. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it was extremely atmospheric, and I felt myself almost swallowed whole by it while I was listening to it.

To an extent, the same happened here. Saft is honestly fantastic at setting the scene and making the reader feel as if they were actually there. I felt the pressing isolation of Margaret, trapped in her too large house that was falling to pieces around her. I felt the press of crowds at the various events surrounding the fox hunt, and how they felt differently depending on if we were reading from Wes’s point of view or Margaret’s. Even during the fox hunt, enough time was spent on description, that you could feel the branches of the forest scratching your face as Wes and Margaret raced after the fox.

This book is honestly heavily character focused, and this may not work for everyone. I found myself feeling for Margaret quickly, even though it took her a long time to become less barbed to Wes and others around her that didn’t deserve her ire. Wes took a bit longer to grow on me, solely because I was sometimes put off by his flirting (mainly with others who weren’t Margaret). Overall, while I did end up liking their relationship, I do wish a bit less time had been spent on Wes x this other side character, because it was time he could’ve spent talking with and growing a bond with Margaret. It was just tough to read, because it never felt like a love triangle (it never really felt like this other girl was a final option), but it did actively take time away from the things I did enjoy about the book nevertheless. I understand its role, especially to lead to certain things happening, but I still wasn’t a fan.

This book is also heavy-handed when it comes to religion, and I could’ve used a bit less of it. It didn’t really actively bug me, but I’m just not a religious person and don’t really enjoy it in fiction (unless it deals with many deities). Luckily, it was mainly focused on the clash between them and how it resulted in the marginalization of Wes and Margaret in specific ways. I did enjoy seeing this facet of religion and how it was used there, with the two finding some comfort in each other through their shared pain.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this about as much as Saft’s other book, which was both great and a little disappointing. I had hoped the book overall would’ve had me love it entirely, but some things just didn’t entirely work for me. In the end, though, I did enjoy my time with the book, and will be keeping an eye out for future releases by Saft!

What a cute lil magical story!

I’m so tired of giving formal summaries of books so let me sum it up like this: Margaret misses her alchemist mom who abandoned her to search for the last Hala, a mythical creature of great power and destruction. Enter: Wes. An absolute golden retriever of a human who is on his last chance to seek out an alchemical apprenticeship with none other than Margaret’s mother. The Hala ends up finding its way to their neck of the woods, allowing them to team up and hunt it down in a lovely not-quite-enemies-to-lovers adventure.

This book was just so nice. I loved the grumpy/ray of sunshine trope, especially since the girl was the grumpy one this time which I feel like you don’t see as much? Usually it’s good sunny girl/brooding bad boy with tragic backstory. Regardless, Wes is a little puppy dog and I loved him soooo much. Saft did a great job building up both character’s backstories and making them super human. They had layers, which I haven’t seen in a fantasy book in a while.

The Hala was an interesting myth and magic system, although I didn’t find it as compelling as the characters. It might have been because some of the alchemy was complex, or because the characters were so fleshed out that the world paled in comparison. Either way it wasn’t bad, just not what I felt the real highlight of the story was. I did appreciate the fact that the hunt was set against a non medieval historical backdrop, just for a change of pace. It was a nice midway point between reeeaaaally old historical fantasy and super modern fantasy.

As character driven novels often are for me, this one felt a little slow. Not boring slow, just like you were meandering along with the protagonists. Again, not a bad thing. As I’m more generally drawn to plot driven novels, I think that might be what left me wanting a little bit more here. Despite thoroughly enjoying the banter of Wes/Maggie/Wes’s family members.

This was a bit of a short review, but I think I’ve said all there is. If you want a cute character-driven grumpy romance novel with a decent magic system, go ahead and give this one a read!

Rating: 4/5
Pacing: slow-medium
Intended audience: YA
Content warnings: abandonment, emotional abuse, death of a family member, PTSD

This is such a beautiful book. I am not sure it is exactly original as it feels like most YA fantasy romances but it is well done and any book in this genre does not stay on the library shelves long. I highly recommend this book to libraries!

A Far Wilder Magic has layers of religious and magical worldbuilding on top of what appears to be an interesting setting with very cool details. I actually really loved the setting and I was interested in knowing more about the hunt and seeing all of that unfold but I DNFed this about 20% in. The story meandered all over the place, plodding its way to the moment the main characters would get on the same page and do something to forward the plot, and I completely lost interest. The setting and the promise of the hunt couldn't save it. I also found the magic system a little too unwieldy. I couldn't follow all the details and steps and wound up forgetting how anything worked so it all became a tangled mess. The main characters didn't stand out enough to save the story.

I'm sorry I couldn't like this more.