I loved Maggie. It was nice to see a strong female character that has a fully rounded personality with many sides to her. Not just strength.
I liked that characters all had unique personalities that shine through even when their part in the story is small.
The author paints a rich, beautiful world without being overly verbose or distracting from the plot.

The second half was really good and I'm glad I pushed through because it was completely worth it. I didn't expect the romance to be as good as it was so that was a happy surprise! On the flip side, the fantasy aspects weren't sharp and I never quite captured the world or magic as I would like to in the genre.
It could very well be that the narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, isn't a favorite of mine for this genre for why it took me longer to be invested. I think her voice is soothing and I would rather have a little more force behind the voice that is capturing my attention.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the alc. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this audiobook.

This is a title that I've tried the audibook three different times and for some reason I just cannot conntect with the setting, the characters, or the plot. I think it is one that I just need to try and sit down with a physical copy to read but the audiobook was not for me. Just an unsual thing to happen. I won't be reviewing on goodreads since I DNF at 30%

I was on the edge of my seat while reading this one. Between the drama of the hunt and the family dramas, something was always going on. I loved these characters. The audio was great and easy to listen to. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

My review for this is coming quite late, but I still wanted to share my thoughts.

I previously read Allison Saft's debut and I was intrgued enough to pick up another one of her works. I just think her writing is so beautiful and poetic; it kept me listening to this book, Plus, the fantasy elements were pretty easy to understand: it wasn't overly complicated.

Both Margaret and Wes were well developed characters. I thought they were incredibly flawed but realitisc--like eventhough they didn't make the best choices, I understood their reasoning and motivations. However, I think I could've done without their romance. It was too melodramatic for me personally; I got more friendship vibes from them anyway.

Overall, this was a pretty great fantasy, I would highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at Chapter 16 (about 50%)

I was trying so hard to stick with this despite it being sooooooo boring and such a slow moving plot, but once the MMC calls the romance novel Margaret is reading trash, that put the nails in its coffin.

I listened to an audiobook arc of this title and I thought that the narrator did a wonderful job! They did amazing at doing different voices for each character and definitely got the subtle magic, dark forest atmosphere vibes down perfectly. I’d recommend going the audiobook route if you can!

As for the story, I loved the beginning of this novel. We’re set in an isolated mansion with a grumpy female main character and a full-of-hope, charming and flirty boy who shows up at her door wanting to be an apprentice alchemist to her mother.. but her mother isn’t there. There’s a magical competition to hunt a magical fox, alchemy and guns, action and angst, so much flirting and tension! Honestly, this has it all.

I was really enjoying it at the beginning like I said but it started to go flat towards the middle. I thought the magical competition aspect would come into play way earlier but it didn’t until almost the end so there was a lot of buildup and bits of nothing for awhile. Allison’s writing and prose is gorgeous so I was definitely still engaged in the story, it just didn’t end up being a top favourite for me.

I still highly recommend this one though! I know this slower built style of story is a lot of people’s cup of tea.

3.5/5⭐️

Margaret is the daughter of a well known alchemist and when a boy comes to her doorstep to ask for her mother to teach him and refuses to leave she gives up and lets him stay even though her mother isn't there and hasn't been for months. This story takes place in the early 1900's or late 1800's and many people practice alchemy and many politicians have to master alchemy to do their job. The boy, Weston, wishes to become one of these politicians even though he's poor and has failed out of numerous alchemy apprenticeships. He and Margaret are like a cat and a dog. They don't really get along but become friends over time. They come together to join the traiditional town hunt for the mystical hala. Weston, Margaret and most of the town are each a different religion and the town is prejudice against both Weston and Margaret's religion. Their religion isn't necessarily part of them but they are still judged for it. They find solidarity in this even though they hide it from each other for a while.

I didn't love this story and I didn't hate it either. It had a lot of elements that made it too busy. I also didn't find the characters very believable. I just wasn't terribly interested in it. It helps that I read the audiobook so I could passively finish it. The narrator did a good job and it was nice that she used a thick accent for Weston, which was confusing at first because there was no description about it but as his background was revealed it made sense.

A Far Wilder Magic is the tale of a girl, Margaret, whose mother is a very powerful mage that spends all of her time travelling in search of the magic that eludes her.

Margaret is sure that if she is successful in the Halfmoon Hunt, her mother will be forced to return home to her. Her mother has made her suspicious and distrustful of everyone, and Margaret lives in isolation on an estate that is a distance from the local village. To enter the hunt, Margaret needs a mage to partner with her as the shooter that will kill the hunted hala. Enter Weston, a mage hopeful who plans to beg Margaret's mother to take him on as an apprentice since every other school has tossed him out.

I loved that Wes did not give up his optimism, no matter how hostile and grumpy Margaret was and that there were kind people in the village who noticed the neglect of her mother and tried to take her under their wing. The character development was wonderful, complete with the meat-head town bully, and I really enjoyed this story.

Jesse Vilinsky is becoming one of my favorite narrators and she did a superb job here.

4.5/5 Stars

Margaret Welty is an outcast, awaiting her alchemist mother's return to their manor. One day, she spots the Hala, a legendary beast with great powers. Spotting the Hala means that the Halfmoon Hunt will commence, a competition to kill off the last remaining mythical being. In the hopes of making her mother return from her quest to find the Hala, Margaret wishes to join in the hunt as a sharp shooter. Unfortunately, only teams can enter, and one must be an alchemist. Her dreams are answered when Weston Winters shows up on her doorstep, requesting an apprenticeship with her mother. Both enter for different reasons, but are determined to win.

Although a pretty slow paced book, I thoroughly enjoyed this character-driven story. The setting of this book was so atmospheric, it felt like the 1920's, but with magic and alchemy thrown in. I found learning about the Halfmoon Hunt so interesting, even tough the actual hunt didn't take place until closer to the end of the book. I loved the slow burn romance between Wes and Margaret, I loved watching them butt heads in the beginning, but grow closer together as the story progressed. I was also a big fan of the complex family dynamics, not only between Margaret and her mother, but Wes and his big family as well. The Winters sister's were all wonderfully written, and I loved getting to know each of them. I definitely think this would be considered the grumpy x sunshine trope, which I always end up adoring. I listened to this on audio, and personally think the narrator did an amazing job with both of these characters. I love how we got dual POVs from both Wes and Magie, I think it really enhanced the story telling and emotions explored. Wes was definitely my favourite character, such a precious cinnamon roll full of charm. I really loved how Wes had dyslexia, and how sweet Margaret was when she found out. I loved how strong she became in the end, and how she spent a vast majority of the book learning her own self-worth. I loved the exploration of her mother's abuse and neglect, and how far she came by the end of the book. Also, big fan of Trouble, Maggie's hound, and her horse Shimmer I do love me some animal companions.

I really hope that we get another book featuring these characters one day, because I truly love them.

Probably around a 3.5 for me.

This is a nice blend of fantasy and our real world, which is what I tend to gravitate towards in fantasy stories. This book is not our world, but there's enough of our world that bleeds through to make it feel like a familiar setting. Using this setting made for an interesting conversation about heterogenous groups and outsiders, though I feel like Saft could have been more explicit about it and not made the characters both white presenting - at least on the cover.

Wes kind drove me crazy - and honestly I hated the narrators voice for him - he was a little too trusting and he was pretty selfish in the beginning, even if he felt he was doing it for valiant reasons. Margaret was also a little annoying at first, but it's understandable for the situations she's in.

A Far Wilder Magic is a YA fantasy romance following Margaret and Weston on the hunt for the last living mythical creature. The romance tropes are opposites attract and slow burn. This is the perfect standalone for anyone looking for a fantasy romance. The narrator did a great job. Thank to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this read in exchange for a review.

Allison Saft is just so good. She writes books that swallow the reader whole, wrings them dry, and spits them out, eternally grateful for the experience. This is such a beautiful story.
Full review to come on YouTube.

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Margaret is living alone in her family’s old manor house a few miles out of town. Her mother also lives there but travels often for work leaving Margaret to fend for herself. Margaret dutifully cares for the home and waits patiently for her mother to return. Margaret has no friends, job, or life outside of caring for the home and waiting for her mother.

Wes is an aspiring alchemist. He needs an apprenticeship to be able to study and eventually qualify to work in that field. He’s gotten several apprenticeships but has been kicked out shortly after beginning each one. His last chance is to show up uninvited to the last alchemist in the country and beg for a spot. This happens to be Margaret’s mother and she is away. He shows up and pleads for Margaret to let him stay until her mother returns.

It also happens to be right before the legendary fox hunt season begins. It’s not an ordinary fox. It’s a magical, mythical beast that terrorizes the inhabitants of the area. Margaret believes the only way to get her mother to stop traveling is to be the one to capture it. She and Wes embark on a long shot quest to compete in the hunt. The country is rife with social injustice making their quest even harder.

I liked this book. I rooted for Margaret and Wes through their struggles to be their best selves and prepare for this hunt. The magical world of haunted forests, old manor houses, and omnipresent monsters is a little spooky and very entertaining.

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for a copy of this book!

This book had great promise and the synopsis sounded interesting. I love stories on the hunt. Unfortunately this story did a lot of telling and not enough showing. It was very heavy in descriptions which weighed the story down and didn’t let it flow.

I wanted to love this book. The cover is stunning and the description captivating. The narrator did an excellent job and did draw the listener in. I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars

A Far Wilder Magic was a fun read. It took a while to get into, but I enjoyed this one a lot, even if I was a little confused by the magic system at times. I decided to just go with it and was not disappointed. The narrator was great and brought the characters and their personalities to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

This story is an old trope but done in a new way. In a different world similar to ours prejudice still exists as does alchemy. Margret and Weston must work together, reluctantly to hunt down the mythical Hala. A complete disregard for one another turns into something much stronger as they train and prepare, both facing bigotry and hatred from the outside for their beliefs and background.

Don’t be tricked into thinking this is the story of the hunt, because it’s not. The hunt itself only takes up one chapter. This is the story about its characters, their internal And external demons (both literal and figurative) and the love that blooms between them.

I thought the story itself was interesting if frustrating at times. The Characters make some questionable choices that have you scratching your head or shaking your fist. But I genuinely loved the devotion they developed towards each other despite starting from apathy.

The narrator however…the setting was a fictional country with a fictional city and a fictional small town outside it…and for some reason the narrator decided and extremely strong New England accent crossed at times with New Jersey, was the way to go for one of the main characters. Especially the one who’s supposed to be so debonair and charming…it would not have been my first choice. It was incredibly grating and distracting for the first half of the book until you meet more characters with it. By then you just kind of resigned to the fact that it’s there.

Fortunately the story was decent despite this but j think I may have enjoyed it more just reading it to myself.

Evelyn Welty, Margaret's mother, left Margaret alone while on an alchemist research trip, leaving no information of where she was or when she will be back. Meanwhile, Weston Winters is looking for an alchemist to apprentice under. Fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret originally asks him to leave as her mother is not home and is not looking for an apprentice. When she spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist. Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist--yet, but he has some knowledge. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I am glad I picked this book up. I enjoyed the world-building, with its political system built on alchemy, the persecution of certain races, and the structure based on wealth. The tradition of The Hunt for the "hala" whenever it appears was fascinating. How Wes planned to use alchemy to make Margaret's weapons lethal to the beast made for very interesting and tense reading. I felt for Margaret e as she gradually reveals her past to Wes. She is so strong, yet all she wants is to please her mother. The way some of the townspeople treat both Maggie and Wes was terrible, but it is nothing new and happens in real life as well. The story is told told in third-person narration but with alternating POVs between Margaret and Wes. It allows us to see what is happening through both their eyes and their views are very different. As Wes and Margaret got to know each other better, it was touching to see their feelings change toward one another and become caring instead of just needing one another. If you are looking for an atmospheric and character is-driven fantasy with a touch of love, friendship and romance, then A Far Wilder Magic is a book I recommend you pick up. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky. I enjoyed her expression, tone, pacing and emotion, but her voices left much to be desired. Having said that, I still very much enjoyed this audiobook, once I got used to the voices so I knew who was speaking.

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft is one of my favorite books this year. This 1920s-like world is written is such beautiful prose, I found myself unable to put it down. This was really unlike any other fantasy I have read before. Instead of magic, alchemy is presented as a science. The setting has such commonalities between the major religions of our world and the prejudice presented shows that everyone can bear the burden of being disliked for their beliefs. The slow-burn romance of Wes and Margaret depicted a beautiful first-love and the story ended on a wonderful note with enough hope for the future of Margaret and Wes.
The narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, has such a wonderful way with expressions and character voices that I find myself wanting to listen to her other works. Overall, this was a fantastic change to the typical YA fantasy novels and a beautifully written story of hope.