A Far Wilder Magic is an atmospheric and fun adventure. I couldn't be happier to have read this in October during the fall, and most importantly during the month of Halloween. We mainly follow the story of Margaret and Wes who are set to enter a hunt in order to entice Margaret's mom to come back home as both parties need her.

Something about the setting felt magical and haunting. The characters had me instantly in love with them as I saw aspects of their own personalities in myself: being so independent to the point of lonesomeness and fearing asking others for help, as well as some sense of nihilistic optimism driven by goals and not wanting to disappoint the people you love.

As the story progressed, I felt more and more pulled into the world and drawn by all the characters we meet. Allison Saft delicate and spellbinding touch to her words made this book so easy to get absorbed in.

Definitely will be picking this back up again when it gets released. I can't say no to getting a chance to read about these wonderful characters again!

Overall I enjoyed this. It was very unique and I liked that it had a 1920’s vibe. The hunting aspect was less appealing to me. I loved the alchemy and the characters had good chemistry. The pacing was uneven at parts and I wish the bad guy characters had just a bit more depth.

This book was the treatiest (not a word) of treats and I am so happy to have gotten my hands on a review copy! So rarely do I get a book that gives me the same fondness I felt while reading The Scorpio Races (this is going to be strange, but hear me out) because the way I fell in love with Maggie Steifvater's book is the same way I fell in love with this one. We have two different people, one a loner and the other barely scraping by with a family that needs him. Both know the only way to solve their problems is to enter a dangerous contest and in between all that, find each other.

I love it.

I love slow-burn romances and deadly games and high stakes. If you love all that too, keep reading!

Margaret is no stranger to the hermit life. She lives in a big manor and spends her days practicing her sharpshooting and hanging out with her dog, Trouble. Her brother died and her mother disappeared looking for a way to bring him back. She feels entering the Halfmoon Hunt and killing the legendary hala will earn her the thing she needs to bring her mother home. The only problem is, the context requires two people and one must be an alchemist.

Small note: I absolutely love girls like Margaret in literature. Although she may present herself as unflinching and cold, she cares deeply about those she has in her life. Love, love, LOVE.

Enter the charming, naive Weston Winter. He's also no stranger to being an outcast and bets all his coin to come to Welty Manor in order to train under Margaret's mother. He believes this is his last chance for an apprenticeship and his future as a politician depends on it. But what he finds at the manor is not Evelyn Welty, but her scowling daughter (a girl after my own heart) living her best hermit life. Together, they hatch a plan to enter the contest together. They both realize how much of a risk they're both taking and that the road to success is not an easy one, but their bond grows into full-blown love (kids these days), but can it withstand the hala and those who wish to see them fail?

Another side note: Weston is a fantastic male character. He's a charmer with good looks and a personality to match. He and Margaret don't immediately hit it off, but his progression into seeing her for more than her outer appearance was so romantic. He's dealt with the same bigotry in his life, and I think their connection grew from that moment where he saw how alike they truly were.

The first thing I should have told you is that this is not an action-packed book. I would say it's more of a slow-burn with lots and lots of introspection from both povs. Like the aforementioned book, the story focuses mainly on the characters rather than the hunt itself. But I don't mind books like this. They take me on a journey of self-discovery and I forget I'm even in a fantasy world.

A FAR WILDER MAGIC is a magical exploration of love and hope masterfully written by an author I will follow until the end of the earth. A stunning sophomore novel that I cannot wait to hold in my hands.

A Far Wilder Magic was extremely slow for me. Normally, I am very into this type of book but for some reason, this one just didn’t suck me in. I do think some of my students would enjoy it so when it comes out in March, I will purchase a copy for my classroom.
All opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Prett for providing me with an e-Arc of this book!

cws/tws: coded antisemitism, xenophobia, PTSD, parental abuse, mention of parental death, animal death, gore

If I had to describe A Far Wilder Magic in one word, it would be cozy. It feels like snuggling up on a rainy day to read. Don’t let this description fool you, though. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. A Far Wilder Magic also deals with a lot of serious themes, but the way they’re dealt with, and how the book ends, leaves you feeling satisfied and ultimately hopeful. The book feels like a big hug after a long, long day that almost makes it all worth it.

The way that the fantasy weaved in real life issues was so intelligent - you could see how they mirrored things that happen in our world but it didn’t feel out of place at all in the fantasy world either. The discrimination that the mcs face starkly hark back to nationalism and xenophobia in the Western world. A Far Wilder Magic explores what it really means to find success, and to find your own way in the world with marginalized identities.

Then, of course, the centerpiece is the characters of Wes and Maggie. These two characters captured my heart from the very beginning. While Wes and Maggie start off clashing because of their external differences, we soon discover that inside, they’re not so different at all - which is further shown through the genius of Saft’s writing. They begin to sympathize with each other over their collective desires to be loved - and later, to be loved by each other. Allison Saft developed their voices incredibly - overall, the writing in this book was so beautiful and flowery in the best way. That definitely added to the cozy atmosphere, I would wager.

Now, I know using Taylor Swift songs is probably not the best way to give a review, but 1) it helps give context with no spoilers and 2) I’m fairly sure that if you’re a Swiftie, you’ll enjoy this book, so I would say that the relationship between Wes and Maggie can best be described as this is me trying gf and New Year’s Day bf, or vice versa. In other words, they struggle with letting each other in and being vulnerable, but the other person is always there to help them, even when things get ugly.

I will say, the plot outside of Wes and Maggie’s developing relationship was not particularly interesting to me, so if that’s something you look for in a book this may not be for you, but if you don’t mind forsaking that for an extremely fleshed out character-based story, then you’ll love A Far Wilder Magic!

4.25/5!

I've been looking for a spiritual successor to The Scorpio Races for years. People always promise it but they never quite get there. This one absolutely does.

Saft is very talented at creating atmospheric and deep imagery that really put you into a world she wants you to be in. This is more of a tale of Fabulism than her debut novel and feels just grounded enough in reality to be plausible. Its the 1920s but we hunt God Foxes now, we will not be explaining this further and you will go along willingly.

The book felt cold and windy and you can taste the salt. The pine boughs brush you as you walk through a too quiet forest. The sun sets in that magically way it can only do in autumn. I loved the setting of this story.

I also love our leads, the self proclaimed Sunshine/Grump pairing of Weston and Maggie. I love that both are confident where they deserve to be but clearly have traumas and insecurities to work on AND that they don't necessarily use the other to overcome them but rather become better alone and together. It'll make sense if you read it, promise.
Its very much a story of trauma, both of a personal nature and the trauma that only someone who has felt ostracized for their beliefs can feel. These two really go trough a lot of fantastical junk but the true villain is the intolerant world they live in. The ending is so bitter sweet because of what the two are allowed to do and celebrate and I think Saft does a good job of capturing that in a believable way.

Read if you enjoy immaculate vibes, capable and smart sharp-shooting women, and flirts who actually wouldn't know the first thing about begin with a girl and obviously, for fans of The Scorpio Races.

I wanted to like this a lot, but this kind of book just isn't for me. However, I know plenty of readers who will love a story like this and am looking forward to recommending it to them!

"There's nothing but darkness past the windblown tangle of her hair. Nothing but the whispering of the leaves overhead, louder and louder. And then she sees it"

Margaret Welty is a lone wolf, and town outcast. Good with a gun and determined to keep her home a home for her mother's return she goes about business- until she spots the mythical hala and knows that the magical Halfmoon Hunt, is among them, and that winning it might be the only thing that keeps her mother with her for good.

Wes wants desperately to be an alchemist, kicked out of every apprenticeship possible and desperate, he approaches Welty Manor as a last ditch effort to learn from famed alchemist Evelyn Welty, only to find she isn't home, but her daughter Maggie is. She lets him stay on one condition, that he join the hunt for the hala with her. Wes and Maggie are the unlikeliest of teams, polar opposites in most way, but forcing themselves to work together brings them closer than either of them would've thought.
Weggie (that's my name for Wes and Maggie) will be the death of me! Their relationship was beautifully written and was the perfect grump x sunshine, small town girl meets big city boy- both different on surface but the insides matching up perfectly. I loved how they weren't instalove, but rather built upon gradual and mutual trust, blossoming into partnership and then lovers.

I also enjoyed how Saft seamlessly blends together a world where fantasy rises from a contemporary base world, allowing the reader to stand firm in their knowledge of the world when being introduced into fantastical elements that weave the magic into the stories.

Set in the small town of Wickdon, Saft integrates small town characteristics, showing the duality of everyone knows everyone with how prejudices in influential people can influence others. I found it interesting how differing religions of characters played roles in treatment and overall lifestyle for characters.
With standalone novels the issue that I usually see occur is that something might have to give. Having to incorporate plot, fantasy, romance, and character development is time consuming and standalone novels don't have nearly the amount of space and time that series or even duologies do. While I felt that the romance was wonderfully done, I found myself wishing for more background and in-depth exploration of the hunt that in other novels with series might have explored. That being said- I do believe that in the timeframe of the novel itself, the hunt and preparation of the hunt, was given it's due.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book, I didn't have any expectations going in, but leaving it my heart was filled with whimsy and wonder and magic. Allison Saft yet again creates a beautiful world filled with hope, love, and understanding. I would recommend this to anyone, and overall rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars.


Content Warnings
animal death and injury (the dog lives!)
antisemitism
nationalism and xenophobia
PTSD
neglect and emotional abuse by a parent
mentions of parental death
graphic descriptions of blood and wounds


Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book captures the autumn atmosphere EXACTLY. I, a self proclaimed expert on autumn, relished the beautiful descriptions of the autumn setting and deem them PERFECT.

Also, can we give a moment to the most excellent cover??

AFWM is a romance fantasy—which is to say, in the end, the romance outranks the fantasy. For my own tastes, I could personally do without any/all romance in books but still enjoyed AFWM especially because the romance is slow burn. Naturally, I would have preferred the fantasy to outrank all other aspects, BUT because the autumn-ness was so prevalent and beautiful, I'm not that bothered.

The MCs are both well written and interesting—I liked them both immensely, but LOVED Margaret in all her grumpy frownyness. (But, Wes made me chuckle throughout the story.) Truly, both are great, fleshed out characters people will love and root for.

My favourite bits:
mythical fox/the hunt (would have liked MORE of this aspect)
the exploration of differences and similarities of religion(s)
memorable characters
the autumn setting!
the pacing (deliciously paced!)
mixture of magic/alchemy/religion

Read this book if you like:

coastal autumn goodness
slow burn romance
commentaries on real world prejudices
mom issues
character > plot
romance

A Far Wilder Magic is the perfect atmospheric fall read. Wes and Maggie are both incredibly realistic, finely-drawn, deeply-lovable characters, and watching them work together (and fall in love) while taking on their town's greatest challenge is an incredibly compelling story. Saft always does a beautiful job of sketching character arcs that depict healing from deep wounds while still writing a page-turning, romantic story. A new favorite!

Margaret, daughter of famed alchemist Evelyn Welty, spends her days alone ensuring the upkeep of Welty Manor while her mother is away on business. One day she spots a rare magical creature, known as the Hala, and knows the Half-moon Hunt will soon begin in her sleepy little town. Anyone who kills the creature will earn fortune and fame but for Margaret it's the one thing that could bring her mother back to her for good. Only teams of two can enter the tournament and although she is an excellent sharpshooter she will need to find an alchemist to register for the hunt.
Weston Winters, despite his natural talent at alchemy, has been kicked out of every apprenticeship he has acquired. Convincing Evelyn Welty to take him on is his last chance to save his family and secure his future. When he arrives, he finds an unwelcoming Margaret in her stead. Margaret allows him to stay in hopes that she can convince him to join the hunt.

A Far Wilder Magic is a fantastic tale of two outcasts who form an unlikely bond when they decide to change their fate and join a dangerous hunt for a magical creature. The novel introduces two flawed characters, both outcasts, who wish their lives were different. Maggie yearns for a mother who no longer seems to acknowledge her after the death of her brother and father’s abandonment. Wes wishes to change his social status by becoming an alchemist so he can secure a future for his mother and sisters who struggle with poverty. I really enjoyed the dynamic between these two characters as well as the magical elements throughout the novel. The hunt may appear to be the primary plot but the novel addresses many important themes (death, poverty, social status, culture, self-worth etc.) which are relevant to present day. The characters both had depth that is slowly revealed as the story continues allowing the reader to acknowledge their development along the way. A Far Wilder Magic is a must read for 2022!

4.25 stars

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me an early copy of this book for review!

I loved loved loved this book. A Far Wilder Magic is the first YA fantasy in a while to suck me in and grip my attention the whole way through.

We follow a reclusive girl who lives in the shadow of her mother's abandonment, and an idealistic boy fighting for his dream of becoming an alchemist. A tentative team, they enter the Half-moon Hunt, a competition where whichever pair kills the malicious fox-spirit hala wins a huge sum of money and a heroic reputation.

This standalone fantasy is completely transportive and engrossing, and one of my favorite books I read this year. It examines family, religion, trust, and love. Most of all, I appreciated the exploration of - I don’t want to say toxic parenting, because no parent is perfect, but - a repeated pattern of harmful parenting behavior that Margaret’s mother never takes responsibility for. It’s easy for me as the reader to see the neglect and emotional abuse. But I know it’s different when it’s your parent. I’m grateful we’re getting to see this representation in books (Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko explored this too). I think it’s great that teens get examples of imperfect, but overall good and loving family dynamics, like in Jenny Han’s To All the Boys We Love Before trilogy, as well as examples of parents who do not do their part in protecting and valuing their children.

Filled with alchemy, mythology, and a legendary hunting competition, this story reminded me a little of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe. The slow-burn relationship between the two main characters drove me nearly to the point of madness. I can't wait to have a finished copy on my bookshelf.

Highly recommend this one for any fan of folklore or fantasy who likes a dose of romance!

Upper YA in terms of content, and trigger warnings for: antisemitism, bigotry, panic attacks, parental neglect and emotional abuse, xenophobia, light gore and animal deaths (fairly graphic).

Having read and enjoyed Allison Saft's previous book, "Down Comes the Night", I was very excited to get "A Far Wilder Magic" from NetGalley and the publisher.

The book tells the story of Margaret and Wes - her, the daughter of an alchemist (in a world where alchemy is pretty much science with a magic twist), him, an aspiring alchemist who wants to study with Margaret's mother. They seem to initially not be fond of each other and have to start learning to get along, especially after a mythical creature, a demigod called the hala, reappears, which marks the beginning of a great traditional hunt, the winners of which would get a lot of money and fame, and must be a sharpshooter and an alchemist, just what our characters are.

Unfortunately, however, I did not like "A Far Wilder Magic" as much as I did "Down Comes the Night" - both had wildly creative worlds, creatures, forms of magic and plots, but "A Far Wilder Magic" was simply too drawn-out and uneventful for my taste.

*** Spoilers up ahead ***

A main point in the book is the fact that religion plays a role in the social status of world ( a world, which to me seemed like alternative 1920s' or 1930s') - the Katharists are the "ruling" class - read Protestants here, whereas the Sumic people, especially the Banvish, (i.e. the Catholics, especially the Irish) are looked down upon, and the Yu'adir (Jews) are downright despised. As the main characters are representatives of those frowned-upon religions, this makes them outcasts in their societies, which is an important topic throughout the book. Now, my issue with this whole thing is that I felt these changes of names were not particularly needed. Imagine this: same book, except without the fancy names - an alternate world to ours, where the same socioeconomic problems exist, however, the people also have alchemy in a way that it doesn't exist in our world. Would I have liked that? Most definitely. In fact, it would have been very exciting, because the issues of the characters would have immediately spoken to the readers. Instead, I spent 30% of the book trying to figure out why it matters that Margaret is Yu'adir or that Wes is Sumic, since I didn't know what those were supposed to represent, so they were just random words without inherent meaning. That's not to say that I don't like creative world-building, just that this book is too closely using real-life examples, so I didn't see even a point to change them at all - like having an alternate reality were the traffic light colors are changed. We know it's a traffic light, it cannot be read as anything but a traffic light, however, we need time to figure out which new color corresponds to which real-life color.

I guess the reason most people would like this book is actually the romance, and well... I just didn't feel it. There are books where I openly hate the characters - this is NOT one of those. I just didn't care all that much for the two main characters or their eternal pining. Margaret was a recluse in her family's mansion, trying to avoid people's hatred by avoiding people in general, and Wes was an attention seeker, which he admits himself, whose heart was in the right place, but whose attitude and scatteredness were too much sometimes. They liked each other basically from the first moment (although both thought that the other one hated them) and it took them entirely too much time to get together, considering nothing was ever actually keeping them apart.

I liked the setting of the book, very autumnal - dark woods, an old-timey small town, a spooky mansion. I think this would have really worked for me if it was a shorter story/novella, minus a lot of the pining that Wes and Margaret shared, and with just a pinch more of the actual hunt going on.

I really loved the slow burn romance of the main characters in this novel. The plot was very fascinating - I enjoyed the tension the author created around religious and cultural biases in this world of alchemists. The world building was a bit confusing, especially in terms of era - for the first half it felt as though this was not a modern society, but then towards the end there were details thrown in that made it seem so. The pacing was slow to start but picked up the last quarter of the book. The main characters were well developed and had great growth by the end. Overall, it is a sweet, mildly romantic YA novel that left me yearning for a bit more magic.

5/5 stars.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an earc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

honestly, i don't think i could dislike an allison saft book if i tried. perhaps this is too much praise, considering i've only read two, but honestly i'd read her grocery store receipts. i truly adored down comes the night, and so i have to admit that when i started a far wilder magic i was slightly nervous that it wouldn't live up to it's predecessor — but no, it was just as incredible.

a far wilder magic follows margaret welty, a sharpshooter living alone on the outskirts of a rural town, and wes winters, an aspiring alchemist from the city, as they partake in a competition known as the halfmoon hunt. the halfmoon hunt involves killing a mystical creature, known as a hala, and results in the winner earning fame and riches along with the discovery of an ancient magical secret, so, naturally, they're not the only people who want to win...

the wordbuilding in a far wilder magic is lush and immersive, and i was pulled into the setting saft created – a 1920s-inspired fantasy world – right from the start, and was hooked on the plot and the characters within chapters. both margaret and wes are interesting and relatable characters, and i loved how different they both were; they really balanced each other out well because of it. truly they both deserve the world. along with this, the side characters in this book really shone too (i'm looking at you guys, wes' sisters) and i was extremely invested the relationships crafted between various people in the novel.

all in all, i loved a far wilder magic, and i think if you liked down come the night, complex characters and tender romances, or are simply a fantasy enjoyer, you would too. i couldn't encourage you more to pick it up, honestly there's something in it for everyone!

content warnings (provided by the author): animal death and injury (the dog lives!), antisemitism, nationalism and xenophobia, ptsd, neglect and emotional abuse by a parent, mentions of parental death, graphic descriptions of blood and wounds.

Enemies to lovers??? BOOM! Grumpy x Sunshine?? SLAPS!!!!! SLOWBURN ROMANCE?? POW! MASTERPIECE!!

First things first, thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love pretty book covers, and I was thinking about it when I started to read A Far Wilder Magic. But this book became one of my favorites YA fantasies of this year. I wasn't expecting it and what a beautiful surprise! I'm completely in love with Wes, Maggie, Trouble, and the whole world building of this book. The atmosphere makes you feel inside the book, the town, Maggie's house, the inn! it's surreal, so much cozy and stunning.

I need to admit that I have a nerd past, and when I read that Wes was -almost- an alchemist, my Fullmetal Alchemist inner fangirl child cried with delight. He's so funny, the sun, if it was a person! hard worker, flirts even with doors and cares mostly about his family: his mom and four sisters who are suffering so much after their father's death. Wes has a great sense of justice and wants to become a senator, and the only way he can achieve his goals is becoming an alchemist, but almost all of the alchemists of his town gave up on having him as a student claiming he's a lazy boy with no perspectives. None of this is the truth, of course. He suffers a lot trying to focus and read, but he is so hard worker and believes so much he can change his and his family's reality that he never gives up on his dreams, and they take him to his last hope: Maggie's mother.

Margaret -Maggie- Welty, unlike Wes, would be the moon if it was a person. She lives alone in a big manor with her hound Trouble. When Maggie loses her brother, her mother becomes obsessed with the demiurges and the creation of the philosopher's stone. She left her daughter alone to dedicate herself to research, and then Maggie learns to take care of herself alone, but a big part of her hopes her mother one day will come back to her and they'll live like a family again. Maggie also suffers prejudice from citizens because of her descent. She is bullied by other kids in the town for being half Yu'adir, and this makes her more and more reclusive at home, just waiting for her mother to come back and things can be as they were before.

Maggie and Wes' relationship is one of the best parts of the book. The way they learn to trust each other and face their fears - even if they are VERY stubborn - is beautiful. Both suffer prejudice for their religions in a city that doesn't want people like them, and amidst so many fights and the desire to grab each other by the neck, they see in the hunt a way to prove themselves: Maggie for her mother, and Wes for his apprenticeship. What they both didn't expect was that they would learn from each other's polarities and build a trust that becomes a beautiful romance. It's an extremely well written and developed relationship.

'The hala is only one danger in these woods, and humans are far worse.'

I loved this book from the first chapter until the last one. Despite being a fantasy, we see that the discrimination that Wes and Maggie suffer by their religions is still a present issue in the world and the author manages to perfectly criticize how toxic prejudice is and how it can affect people. It is an intense, necessary and extremely beautiful book. I would read it a thousand times if I could!

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but little did I know that it was going to be one of my favorite reads this year! This novel was truly magical and I could not put it down. I finished it in one day and you will too if you pick it up! Go, Run, Don't Walk, To the Nearest Book Store to buy this book!

Margaret and Wes IMMEDIATELY captured my heart in the this book that I read in a single sitting. I was in awe of the magic, captivated by the pining and grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and found myself worried for the characters. The beginning of the novel was a little slow as it set the scene, BUT it was entirely worth it to push through for this incredible story. The conclusion of the novel was nothing short of perfect and I’m entirely grateful that it wasn’t rushed at the end. I loved the style of writing and the character dynamic between Margaret and Weston.

I read Down Comes the Night and loved it, so I was really excited to read another book by Allison Saft. I really enjoyed A Far Wilder Magic as well. It was very atmospheric--I felt like I was in the woods with the characters. Also, found the main characters relatable and found myself rooting for them (and recently I've been getting frustrated with many of the novels I start because I get really annoyed by the main characters). Overall, I found A Far Wilder Magic another great read and am looking forward to the author's next book.

I loved Down Comes the Night, so I had high expectations for Allison Saft's second novel. Those expectations were certainly surpassed in A Far Wilder Magic. It's a romance above everything, and I was fully invested in Wes and Maggie's relationship, but it's a romance infused with magic and set against a fantastical background of alchemy and mythical beasts and moonlight among the redwoods. Atmospheric, romantic, enchanting, from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!