This story follows Margaret and Weston, two outsiders hoping at a chance for victory. In Wickdon, the greatest glory is winning the Halfmoon Hunt by slaying the hala, a mythical fox who has the power to unlock an ancient secret. Margaret and her hound want to join the hunt and have a fighting chance at glory, all she’s missing is an alchemist. Weston is a immigrant, city boy who keeps failing his alchemy apprenticeships. The story begins when they team up and decide to take on the hala.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Note that the hunt doesn’t actually start until 90%. Until then, it reminded me of the Goblet of Fire (a few trials, hustling and bustling, small town drama, etc.) I loved both characters, the slow burn romance, and the complex family relationships at play.

I absolutely love the cover of this book and was very intrigued by the concept. I didn't dislike it, but I'm very busy so I only finish a book if I really fall in love and this one just didn't capture me as much as I'd hoped. I think I was just not feeling terribly invested in either of the main characters...especially the male lead. I found him to be unlikeable. I will only be putting my review here and not on my social media accounts since I only like to post positive reviews. I hope this is helpful.

A Far Wilder Magic is a story that is unique and wholly magical. On that note, Allison Saft’s brilliant character work and atmospheric prose remind me of all the best parts of The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Steifvater. Both authors create complex characters and develop them in the most beautiful, brilliant ways. Also, this cover is absolutely jaw-dropping.

Margaret (or Maggie) Welty is a practical, clever, and all-around incredible girl. She would do anything to earn her mother’s love, and so when she first meets Weston, she hates him. I loved getting to see her slowly become vulnerable, and begin to heal from the emotional abuse wrought upon her by her mother. Also, can we just appreciate that Maggie is a great shot with a gun? AND SHE HAS AN ADORABLE DOG NAMED TROUBLE. AND A HORSE NAMED SHIMMER. I want to be friends with her so badly.

Weston Winters has his sights set on becoming a great alchemist and changing the world…once he doesn’t fail out of an apprenticeship. He’s the only boy in a chaotic family of girls, and he’s effortlessly charming. His sunshiney contrast to Maggie’s grumpiness was everything to me. Gosh, I love him.

Okay, but can we talk about the setting for a moment? The majority of this story takes place in a 1920s sort of time period, complete with a seaside village and lush forest. When the whole “magical foxhunt” thing starts, you’re already deeply entrenched in the atmosphere of this book. And oh my gosh! If Down Comes The Night feels like winter, A Far Wilder Magic somehow manages to capture the very soul of autumn. This world is so rich and real in my mind. How can a person be so talented someone please explain.

“The water is rough tonight, frothing itself into a mist so thick she can scarcely see the moon beyond a veil of silver.”

and now: the best part.

The romance is so slowburn and beautiful and perfect. In a world tinged by magic, Weston and Maggie’s connection feels so intricately human. So infinitely real. The amount of pining, longing, and sheer want is so entrancing. But you also know to let their relationship run its course because as wonderful as the love story is, the character development that comes of it is chef’s kiss. As far as the plot goes, there’s very little action and high-stakes excitement. Where the real heart of the story lies is in the characters and their relationships. And that’s why I say it reminds me of The Raven Cycle.

“All her life, love had been a scarce and precious resource, something earned or denied, something she starved for every day. But with Wes, love is different. It is reckless and inexhaustible. It is freely given. It simply is.”

And oh, it isn’t just the romantic relationships! I love the Winters family and their loving chaos. There are so many well-developed characters in this book SEND HELP. I can’t just keep screaming about the same stuff this entire review but Allison Saft does character so well! I also loved how Weston was dyslexic, and how there was a running theme of religion and how people harbor such prejudice over those who are different. I appreciated how you can take the basic theme of the atrocities of nationalism and warped biases, and apply it to Jews and African-Americans and countless other minority groups who have suffered because of how much irrational hate some people have. In fact, Margaret specifically is Jewish, and she faces so much prejudice. I’m not Jewish myself but I’ve heard from other reviewers who are that the representation is fantastic!

To be perfectly honest, this book did everything right. The writing, the characters, the romance…I loved every wondrous second of it. Obviously, this is 5/5 stars for me. Thank you so much Wednesday Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

~ Thank you to Macmillan and Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review! (Any quotes in this review are subject to change, as this is an ARC.) RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2022 ~

"But if lust is so perverse, why would God make girls like Margaret?"

Buckle up everyone, if you're looking for a fantasy romance that's actually a romance, this one's for you. It took me a little bit to get into this story, but only because it was slightly different than I was expecting. I thought it would focus on the hunt, and then have aspects of the romance and emotional arcs of the characters. It's kind of the opposite, but that is totally not a bad thing. So, if you're going into this book, expect a deep exploration into the emotional arcs of Margaret and Wes and the slow-burn conversion of them from strangers to lovers. They both bring a LOT of baggage to the table, especially Margaret, but that makes it all the more satisfying by the end.

I love so many elements of this story. The fall, forest setting in a seaside town was exquisite--I literally highlighted so many of the descriptions. I also loved how Saft handled Margaret's relationship with her mother. Was it frustrating to read at times? Of course, but again, it made it all the more satisfying at the end. I don't like when books portray an emotionally abusive parent and end with the message "but I still loved her because she's family," and luckily this book most certainly did not do that. Yes, Margaret still struggled with the idea, but in the end, she stands up for herself.

Wes was also really funny. I don't think I was quite as attached to his emotional arc, but I still loved him as a love interest. I loved the scenes with his family, especially when Margaret interacted with them as well.

Allison Saft really poured her heart out on the page, and that was evident in the soul of this story. It's touching, funny, and overall exciting. A fabulous sophomore novel, and I will continue to be excited about her forthcoming works!

People say alchemy is many things.

The hala is a magical beast that means different things to different religions but every year there is a hunt to kill it, for over a century the last remaining hala has avoided death. When Margaret Welty sees the white fox in the woods, she knows the hunt is coming to her village and envisions it as an opportunity to get her mother to finally stay home with her. It's been three months since her alchemist mother has returned home on her search for the hala, her mother thinks if she kills the hala and burns it, she will be able to create a philosophers stone, that will then give her the power to bring Margaret's dead brother back.

What would it mean for a Sumic kid from the Fifth Ward and a Yu’adir girl from the countryside to win? It would mean nothing, and it would mean everything. It would—at least for one night, at least in this one nowhere town—force New Albion to reconsider what its heroes look like. To acknowledge its heritage, its identity, is not and was never homogenous.

Weston Winters comes from the poorer fifth ward in the city and after his father dies, he's trying to step-up and provide for his mother and sisters. He wants to become a politician but as the child of immigrant parents, many avenues are shut to him, so he's trying to become an alchemist, as they can become politicians. However, he's been dismissed by alchemists, that will even take a boy of his religion, all over the city and his last hope is Evelyn Welty in the countryside. When her daughter is less than welcoming, he fights to change her mind as he sees this as his last hope. When she comes to him with the idea to enter the hala hunt together, he agrees as this could be the last chance for either of them to achieve their dreams.

Clouds pass over the sun the moment she meets his gaze, the gold draining from her eyes as they narrow. Like this, she looks more wolf than girl— like some magic far wilder than alchemy runs through her.

A Far Wilder Magic was a magical realism story told in third person present tense that heavily used allegory to explore religious and immigration tensions. Margaret and Weston are shunned, bullied, and disadvantaged because of their respective religions. Margaret tends to keep her head down and try not to garner the main perpetrator, the local rich boy Jamie, attention while Weston loses his temper more and wants to talk back. Margaret just wants her mother to come home and grasp some of the happy home she used to have while her brother was alive and before her father left and Weston wants to enter politics to make a difference in the world and change societal views and structure towards immigrants. They're both seventeen, why this is tagged as young adult, and their emotional struggles show that at times but any age group could pick this up and enjoy the messaging and world.

Why should we let people like Jaime say what is and isn’t for us?

The story gets told both from Margaret and Weston's point-of-view but the third person present tense takes a little getting used to. It gives it an introspective and daydreaming quality that fits the messaging and fantasy side of the story but the icing of style the author takes with descriptions, The next two days pass like honey drizzled from the tip of a spoon.,that can fit in fantasy, bogged me down in its continual usage as the momentum of the story dragged in the second half. The synopsis made me think that the hala hunt was going to play a bigger part in the story but while it's the catalyst to get Margaret and Weston together, the event doesn't actually happen until the very back-end of the book, 90%. I thought Margaret and Weston swirled around with their thoughts and feelings repetitively too many times, their angst is understandable but around the 60% mark, I needed the pace to pick-up and the hala hunt to start.

Girls like her don’t get to dream. Girls like her get to survive. Most days, that’s enough. Today, she doesn’t think it is.

The surrounding characters and world, the setting seems to be a magical realism 1920-ish, added to the richness of the messaging and world. There were characters that young adults could easily identify, the bully, the ally, the enabler, and they came with shades of gray to make them, at times empathetic but also challenging. Weston's family, his mother and sisters, helped to provide some of the heart of the story and also worked as a mirror for Margaret to hold up to her own relationship with her mother; what unconditional love and trust is really about. I thought, even though she is only seventeen, Margaret held onto the idea that giving her mother the hala would make her show her love and stay with her, for a little too long, another kind of dragged out thread that hurt the pace in the second half for me.

All is One and One is All. At their core, they are all the same, all of them trying to survive.

Margaret and Weston's romance was a slow burn with a sweet payoff and I thought their future, with the best coonhound Trouble, was believable. There were some pacing problems for me in the second half and while the overly descriptive style fit the fantasy vibes, it started to feed into the bogged down feel. The messaging with religious and immigration intolerance, along with power not being corrupt but who is wielding it, was ingrained into the story with thought and the character struggles with unconditional love and trust infused the emotion. The hala brought a sprinkling of horror/suspense chills, the world setting provided magical realism and fantasy, and Margaret and Weston gave us the angst and love.

A Far Wilder Magic ticks all the boxes -- fiercely independent protagonist, magic duels, slow-burn romance, and life-changing decisions! AFWM sets the reader up to become instantly obsessed with Maggie and Weston -- is Maggie setting herself up for heartbreak?; what secrets are being hidden?; can Weson finally make good on a promise?; why does the Hala keep showing up in the woods near Welty Mannor?! So. Many. Questions! AFWM is emotionally engaging and doesn't shy away from the tough topics like abandonment, disappointment, guilt and being "othered" -- readers will definitely appreciate the detail and growth written into the AFWM world, but also the characters.

In all honesty, it’s an interesting premise, but I feel like it failed in delivery. As other reviewers have noted, the world building was lacking and what there was seemed to be thinly veiled attempts at using the very real socioeconomic status of people from differing religions in the early 1900s such as Catholics, Jews, and Protestants. The villain seemed to be a villain just for the heck of it and the whole hala, demiurges and Gods wasn’t explained enough. Because of these things, I couldn’t figure out why I should care about the two main characters and I never did care for either of them.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; I’m reviewing it voluntarily.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC if this book and I enjoyed this story! Margaret and Westin are such strong and interesting characters and the dynamics of their families, their pasts, their inner struggles, and their respective places in the world made for such a compelling story with a unique science based magic system. I liked Saft’s blend of the mystical with the reality, the sense of history and religion and spirituality and morality all mixed together. Just lovely.

4.5/5 stars

A Far Wilder Magic follows Margaret and Wes as they enter a hunt to kill a legendary hala. However, the duo are outsiders duo to there heritages and the other contestants will do everything to stop the outsiders from succeeding. But neither can back down.

I really enjoyed this. The world was very intriguing and Was described well. The characters were really well developed and seemed very realistic. I also thought the the book brought in a lot of very poignant themes, that were handled well in my opinion.

As a dyslexic reviewer, it’s always a joy to see dyslexic characters in books. I though Wes was great representation. I liked that the book highlighted that he could struggle in traditional academic environments but was still able to succeed and even thrive with just the smallest accommodations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Far Wilder Magic tells the story of Margaret and Weston, who come from two different backgrounds and are trying to find a place in a world where neither of them are wanted. The only way to do that is to join the hunt and kill the legendary Hala. A source of power and respect for whoever can catch it.
While there is a twisted love story intertwined into a magical realism background, I felt this story more told the tale of religion and the bigotry that can come with it.

Great standalone romance. I liked the simplicity of the story and the uniqueness of the characters. It never felt slow and I think it was overall a very good read. I definitely recommend!

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft is an entertaining YA Romance Fantasy. about a hunt for a magical creature called a hala. Maggie Welty is a young hunter who was abandoned by her mother and isolated in her town because of her heritage. Weston Winters is an aspiring alchemist who has been fired from every apprenticeship he has been in. They join together in an unlikely team to try to join the nationwide hunt for the creature and to make a name for themselves.

Allison Saft is a good writer and made me care about the characters. The religions she describes are thinly veiled representations of our religions, so that was a little jarring. Still, I thought the story was good and I enjoyed reading it.

I was immediately sucked into this dark, imaginative world. I loved the contrasts between Margaret and Wes and how they came together (with much reluctance) to win the hunt and protect their land, themselves, and each other. Saft writes such vivid, beautiful prose with a masterful plot that will stay with me for a long time.

I am absolutely in love with the style. Just enough description to imagine being in it but not too much that you're drowning. I will be purchasing another copy when it's released simply to reread and annotate it. Beautiful.

(I was given an arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

Overall Rating:
-Characters: 4.5/5
-Plot:4/5
-Setting: 5/5
-Romance: 5/5
-Description:5/5
-Enjoyment: 4.5/5
-Likely to Read Again: 85% Chance

This book honestly blew me and all of my expectations away (in a good way). The description and attention detail combined with Saft's writing style immediately immersed me in the setting and novel. I felt like I was in Wickdon watching the hunt take place, walking on the beach, and exploring the manor with the characters. There were so many conflicts, deeper motives, and complex relationships tied underneath, what I thought to be a whimsical competition, and it only made the book more interesting. I found myself holding my breath in multiple places. The development of the relationships and characters were satisfying and did not feel rushed at all which is rare in some books.

The only thing that kept this book from being a five was that I felt some of the parts of the story could have been a bit more developed. I wanted to know more of Margaret's mother and her past. The hala kept me on edge the whole book, and I wish its magic and feelings had been explored more. The last thing that threw off the rating was the end, up until the very end of the hunt the whole thing felt rushed. For such an amount of importance being placed on their flight and ranking, the effects of their wins felt kind of downplayed when it came to the big moment. The competition was present in the earlier trials and tasks but when it came to the hunt it felt like it was obvious who the winner would be.

Overall, my favorite part of the book was the creepy woodsy manor setting and the interesting and deeply developed characters which kept me hooked. I found myself rooting, either very strongly, for or against them. If a slowburn romance filled with tense and soft scenes is your dream then this book is perfect for you.

I have now read both of Allison Saft’s books, with this one solidifying my love for this author! I love Saft’s writing. Her characters she creates are so vivid and intrinsic.

In A Far Wilder Magic, we get this deep look into the lonely life of a girl who is trying to hold it all together and put on a brave face for the mother that she wishes would love her in the way she needs to be loved. In the small town where she has grown up, Margaret is an outsider because of her father’s religion. Her mother is an alchemist who is never around, always off with her obsession with her work. Her father has left them and she is alone, caring for a crumbling estate, and awaiting her mother’s return.

When Wes shows up on her doorstep hoping for nothing more that to become the renowned alchemist’s apprentice, he meets Margaret and they immediately garner a distaste for one another. Besides, with her mother not around, he has no alchemist to apprentice for.

Roaming the woods is a majestic and mythical creature, the hala, that kills and torments. With the arrival of the hala, Margaret knows the Halfmoon Hunt is sure to follow. Wealth and fame will be bestowed upon the ones who kill the hala, and while Margaret is an excellent shooter, a team of two is required to enter. Forming a very unlikely alliance, she and Wes team up. She needs the glory to bring her mother home to her and he needs the glory because he also knows what it is like to be an outsider, even with his big family in the city.

This book is about magic and love, finding alliances where you never expected to, and fighting back against oppression and bigotry. How I loved this book and all of the simultaneous messages it was delivering and for the beautiful bond that grows between Margaret and Wes. I love how truly in awe of her he becomes when he sees how strong and capable she is. This book was just really magical and I cannot wait to see what Allison Saft brings us next!

4/5 stars! This was such a cute magical romantic-fantasy story! I found it to be a great read.

So, we follow alternating POVs of Maggie Welty and Wes Winters. Maggie is a 17-year old who is neglected by her mother and lives a lonely life, waiting for her to come back. Wes wants to become an alchemist and yet after failing from many, many apprenticeships, he comes to Welty Manor to learn from Maggie’s mother, Evelyn. When he reaches, there’s no Evelyn and the legendary Halfmoon Hunt starts.

Now, Maggie believes if she kills the Hala in the hunt then her mother will have to come back. Wes just needs the money and fame to provide for his mother and sisters. With Wes as the trainee alchemist and Maggie as the best sharpshooter in town, they make an unlikely team. But together they go on this journey of self-discovery and slowly fall into love.

This was a slow burn romance, but it wasn’t the main focus of the novel. It’s mainly about the Halfmoon Hunt, how our characters prepare for it and along the way discover aspects of themselves. The author gives a lot of great detail about the world, the culture, the hunt, religions, etc. It felt so immersive. The way it’s written is also just beautiful!

It has a predictable ending and plot wise, I could guess what would happen next, but I really liked the character development and the slow nature of Maggie and Wes’ relationship/friendship. The novel was a great break from those long fantasy books and it's a standalone!

Overall I found it enjoyable and a quick read! Check it out if you’re interested in slow burn romantic fantasy with a great emphasis on character development!

"Any alchemist worth their salt considers themselves a scientist, but there's something inexplicable about alchemy, too. Something magical."

Maggie is a headstrong, talented hunter who lives a solitary life. Her quiet world is upended when Wes, seeking an alchemy apprenticeship with her mother, storms into her life. Both of these characters have something to prove to the world, and are both fighting against stereotypes.

I loved the magical elements of the story, especially the alchemy and hunt for the hala. I loved the tension and eventual romance between Maggie and Wes. I wish there had been more explanation about the religions that were mentioned, as I felt I did not fully understand that important element of the book. The setting was also slightly confusing to me, and I almost felt taken out of the world when taxis or phones were mentioned.

I feel that there are many readers who will enjoy this story, especially because of the relationship between Maggie and Wes.

Allison Saft remains the Queen of Atmosphere and no, I will not be taking questions at this time.

I loved her debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT last year. But if DCTN was "gothic winter" embodied, then A FAR WILDER MAGIC is a dream of "dark fantasy autumn." It has a more historical tone than its predecessor, with a setting that reminded me of the 1920's or 30's ... minus the alchemy and hunt for a magical monster, of course.

Margaret and Wes are perfect. They are grumpy and flirty personified, clever and sad and just crackling with so much chemistry. I loved getting both of their perspectives, and I loved how Saft twisted their different experiences to pose some genuinely interesting ethical questions - both about the Hunt itself and other ultimatums that surfaced throughout the book. I loved the world and the magic system. I loved how much I hated the antagonists. And I loved how the pace never flagged, despite the Hunt only taking place in the very last chunk of the book.

This is a masterclass in character and worldbuilding, and basically, I'll just be sitting here until Saft writes her summer/spring books (PLEASE).

A Far Wilder Magic is a charming story about similar souls that at first, they do not realize. It's a Dual POV and is a character-driven story, is more about inner development than an action story, still, things happen, I like the magic system, it is not very heavy but interesting.

Wes is a dreamer, he dreams to be an alchemist, his last hope is a prestigious alchemist in a nearby town, but when he arrives to become her apprentice, she is on a trip without a return date, in her place is her daughter, Margaret.

Margaret is a social outcast, she doesn't have friends in town, because she is different, she wants to participate in the annual hunt, but she needs an alchemist.

When Wes and Margaret meet at first they don't get along, it seems that they have nothing in common, especially since Margaret has barriers, (like a porcupine) but little by little, they will get to know each other, make friends, and something else.

Also, this is a romance-focused story, very slow burn and sweet. It was a lovely story, beautifully written style, and felt atmospheric and cozy. It's about two lonely people who find their place in the world and someone to share it with. Both have familiar issues and scars, want someone to love, and want to belong somewhere.

I liked seeing the growth of both, despite looking different at first and having grown up in different environments, deep down they are similar and they both want the same thing.

I found alchemy interesting and I would like to know more about it and the magic system, also about the world, it felt like a mix between 19th century America but with a bit of modern technology, without being steampunk.

Read it if you like: Slow burn romance, character-driven stories, pretty written style.