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.

Or did you always love the memory of him more than you loved the reality of me?

Beautiful quote for a boring book. Adding this to my “The plot sounded fun until I started reading” list.

A Far Wilder Magic was a weird one. First of all, nothing happens for the entirety of the book. The story revolves around a hunting contest but WE DON’T SEE ANYONE HUNT ANYTHING UNTIL 90% INTO THE BOOK. I hate when books do this. The summary lures you with the promise of action and interesting stuff happening but then the book is the complete opposite of that. The pacing was so frustratingly slow. The plot was pretty much all over the place. I went into it expecting fierce competition and high stakes and spooky vibes. Instead I got a slow burn romance that fell incredibly flat and which essentially felt like every generic YA couple mashed into one with the competition as a backdrop.

Maggie’s character is quite boring. At first she comes of as very stuck up and prude, which I know was the intention, except the impression never really wears off over time. I know she has mommy issues but her arc is overall not interesting in the slightest. I guess you could call her the grumpy one in her grumpy x sunshine pairing, Wes being the sunshine. Speaking of Wes, I did enjoy reading about him a bit more, but one passable character isn’t enough to redeem the whole book. He reminds me a lot of Will Herondale, except less angsty and more goofy.

The one thing that kept bugging me was the world building. First of all, it was very vague and sloppy. Apparently this book is inspired by Jewish culture, but I was under the impression that it was set in the real world, like a historical fantasy. But obviously it’s not, because there is no city called Wickdon. Also they have phones and cars. I am confusion. I didn’t hate the writing, but it doesn’t do a particularly good job at drawing you in. There are a few scenes where Wes does alchemy. I have absolutely no idea what alchemy is. I’m assuming it’s science but with magic. But again, the author did such a poor job at building her world that I didn’t feel like reading a whole chapter describing Wes drawing runes and mixing stuff and doing incantations or whatever it is that he does.

There is honestly nothing special about this book. At times it was boring, other times it was slightly more enjoyable. It’s very mid.

Magic. Alchemy. Love.

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft is a YA book for lovers of fantasy.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I almost DNFed at 40%, but I really wanted to finish because of my reading goal. It was very dull in the beginning. Lots of descriptions, strange writing style and changing POVs made it hard to read. On top of that, I just found it really hard to get into the story- just not that interesting to me even though the synopsis sounded great.

What did I like about it? The eventual ending is good, I enjoyed the parts where Wes is with his family (seemed to have a better writing style there). I thought the changes in Margaret were good, even though I would still call her character underdeveloped.

All in all, I would read more from this author, but I wouldn’t go back and read this again.

I had really high hopes for this story, which was probably my mistake. Honestly, I can see why some people will love this story, but for me, it kept missing the mark in places and I found myself wishing for more. I will say that I quite enjoyed the alchemy, as I have always found alchemy a fascinating subject, and I enjoyed how the different religions of this story were explored and played a role in the hunt for the Beast.
I also really love Wes and Maggie. I found them to be dynamic, driven characters who were good leaders, had depth to them, and I wanted to see where their stories would lead me. I like how I could see their development over the course of the story.
All that being said, I don't like how I could never tell WHEN this story was taking place. Was it the past? The future? Medieval? Some steampunk world? I don't like not being able to visualize a time period, even if the world is completely made up and doesn't follow the same timeline as human history; I like to know WHEN I am. There were a few other plot issues I kept running into, but nothing major.
Above all, this was a fun, interesting read that I think many will enjoy and fall in love with.

I adored this book, it's become one of my comfort reads. It's the perfect blend of fantasy/ historical fiction.