Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book is fascinating to me - I don't know if I can adequately explain what this book is about or any of the layers that this book contains. It follows two young adults as they work together to join the hunt to kill the last mythical beast in existence using alchemy. I knew that there was Jewish mythology in this book, and that it overlayed some of the commentary in this book (along with Catholic commentary), and I was so excited once it clicked enough for me to pick up on. As a Jewish person, with a partner who was raised Catholic, I could pick up on some of the comments and be able to relate them to our life/what we have experienced. However, some of it also was just a bit....confusing. This book seemed to exist outside time or space, like I couldn't clearly determine where or when this was, and it brought me out of the story at times. This is definitively a darker book - not a lighthearted romance here if that is what you are looking for. I struggled to read this book but in a weird way - I couldn't get myself to pick it up to read because it felt so difficult to read at times, but then I couldn't put it down once I did start reading it (as long as I wasn't interrupted because then the cycle would start again). I am excited to read more from Allison, because this was a very unique book and it was good, but it was also hard to read for me, but I am thinking that is more the writing style than anything else. Definitely check it out but know it isn't for the faint of heart.

I like Alison Saft's books a lot and primarily because they are such a welcome respite from the fantasy YA novels that make up what feels like 10000% of the market these days. It's nice to read something that's sweeter, gentler, and just more into the fantasy everything working out but in a way that just feels like a hug. These types of books are needed for readers, and it's so nice to have them!

What a gorgeous fantasy novel! The writing, the descriptions...it was all incredibly atmospheric. Can't wait for Allison Saft's next release!

Thank you so much for this arc!

Heart bounding and a sweet slow burn romance that painted such a vivid colour. Descriptive yet, very cozy low stakes fantasy.

I adore how atmospheric the novel was, but I did find the pacing a little wonky here and there.

First of all, I adore Allison Saft's writing, so I was thrilled as soon as this book was announced. Her way of building characters makes me deeply care about about them almost instantly and her plots sweep me away into a new world.

A Far Wilder Magic brings together the small town huntress who has been abandoned by her mother and withstood hatred and bigotry from her fellow townsfolk with the charming want-to-be-alchemist city boy who has dealt with his own fair share of bullying, poverty, and hardship. They must work together despite not thinking very highly of one another (to say the least).

A fun, easy read. Somehow even though a very different storyline and themes from her first book, still gives you the same vibes, and I recommend both of them.

I really enjoyed A Far Wilder magic, I would recommend this to anyone wanting a low fantasy with a bit of romance.

A very well thought out and excited story. The characters keep you intrigued and the plot is very original so you won’t get bored. The cover is a 10/10 I think it’s a great fall read. I hope more books will come out of this story universe.

The world-building and characters in tis novel was done really well. The romance was also done well and had good pacing. I feel like at this point there are so many review that were done well so I don't need to go into a ton of details. Bottom line is would recommend this book.

Amazing. Wonderful. Fantastic! Saft is a weaver of words and worlds. I loved it and would highly recommend!

I was very excited to receive an early copy of A Far Wilder Magic since I LOVED the author’s debut novel. This one is fairly different - it’s told from the perspective of both the heroine and the hero - but it features the same beautiful and descriptive settings, slow burn romance, and strong female protagonist that I loved so much in Down Comes the Night.

I really admire the main character Margaret. She’s incredibly self-sufficient and independent as a result of her mother abandoning her in favor of her work. Her closest companions are her dog Trouble and her horse. She’s great with a gun (for hunting and pointing at boys she’s wary will break their promises) and she loves romance novels. When she meets Wes, she doesn’t understand his optimism because she believes she’s destined to forever be alone in a big house and that her life will be loveless. They begin to work together in preparation for the hala hunt for different reasons: Wes because he needs the prize money and Margaret because she thinks it will bring her mother back. As they spend time together, they understand each other more and start crushing on one another. Wes can’t believe he thought Margaret was all work no play, and Margaret pretends to hate Wes’s constant chattering.

I love the way the romantic relationship between Margaret and Wes developed. Wes doesn’t have much to offer her. He’s like one of six kids or something in a low-income family, but he has big dreams of becoming a politician to make things better for families like his. He shows Margaret that it’s okay to want a better life and dream of a brighter future. But Margaret needs a lot of convincing since it’s in her DNA essentially to believe she doesn’t deserve good things. I’m so glad that by the end of the book, they’re on their way to happiness.

There was a scene between a secondary character, a young woman that Wes was briefly interested in, that I think was just fantastic. Wes and Margaret are discriminated against throughout the novel for the religions that their families practice. In one scene, this girl says she doesn’t think they deserve the hate but that she can’t do anything about it. Wes calls her out, basically saying she’s an active participant in the hate and discrimination because she doesn’t do anything about it. Really great messaging about being brutally honest with your racist friends tbh.

Finally, the way things ended between Margaret and her mother was really validating for young people (like me) who have had to cut out toxic and abusive family members.

Overall, such a special book - I will continue to read and love Allison Saft’s work.

This was written in a way that has still stuck with me. A very good and interesting read! A magical setting.

I definitely liked this book more than the author’s debut, Down Comes the Night (but I did enjoy that one as well). There was something I liked about these characters more than the other book’s characters. This story is atmospheric and I loved the writing but I found the romance to be a bit lacking. I loved the grumpy / sunshine element but the grumpy character came around on the sunshine one almost too easily? And the transition of those feeling was really fast. One chapter she basically thinks he’s useless and the next, they’re in love and she’s not grumpy anymore. But, I liked the magic, the lore, and the story in this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5-4*

A Far Wilder Magic really gripped me from the blurb, but I found that it was a slower burning book than I anticipated. I have always loved the idea of alchemy and I think that Saft played very well with the magical world she built. She also builds strong characters that are diverse and relatable in Maggie and Wes.

Perhaps the reason I struggled so much with the book was that it couldn't quite commit to a time/place and this left it unmoored. With a bit more conscious effort to ground the novel into an identifiable era would have made it a far more enjoyable read.

I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a twist on the fantasy genre.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

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!