This is my favorite book of the year so far. I know we’re only in March, so that doesn’t mean a lot yet, BUT I had high hopes for this one and was not let down in the slightest.

Margaret and Wes are my new favorite couple. The strangers (sort-of enemies) to friends to lovers pipeline is portrayed SO WONDERFULLY IN THIS BOOK! The plot felt perfectly paced, because it had just enough slow burn and backstory and buildup to the hunt that it didn’t feel like they just magically were 100% prepared to participate in it.

The Winters family is so sweet and I loved how all of them had their own unique personality, even if we only saw them for a few moments at a time (Mama Winters is a queen and I will lay down my life for her).

Also, SORT OF SPOILER but just in case anyone is worried: the dog lives!! I was stressed the entire book.

100% will be recommending this to everyone I know and picking up every future Allison Saft novel that comes out. PLEASE GIVE THIS BOOK THE HYPE IT DESERVES!

(Also, for Fullmetal Alchemist fans… this is essentially Roy and Riza as teenagers and I know I shouldn’t draw comparisons BUT it made me insanely happy to think about.)

A FAR WILDER MAGIC was a book that I loved everything about. A star-crossed romance, a hunt for a mythical fox, it all is just so amazing. My favorite thing about Saft's writing is how perfect her mastery of atmosphere in the worlds that she builds. I savored the atmosphere of the sleepy seaside village of Wickdon and how cozy it all felt to me. It's the perfect book to sit down with curled in a blanket and with some warm tea. I also really loved both Margaret and Wes. They are such wonderfully multifaceted characters and the romance between them had me swooning. Margaret I could relate to as I am someone who is also cautious in nature whenn approaching others, and Wes and his witty banter had me completely in love with them. There is a grumpy girl/sunshine boy dynamic with these two was something that really just sealed the deal of my love of them as an OTP. Both Margaret and Wes face discrimination and hatred for who they are, and they are really both super compelling characters. Saft's witing, just as it was with DCTN, is absolutely superb and really sets a magical and haunting tone for the entire novel and it was something I couldn't get enough of. I was also super intrigued with the alchemy and the lore of the hunt of the hala. I was really fortunate to listen to the audiobook ARC as I read along with the eARC and I thought the narrator did a really good job. A FAR WILDER MAGIC is a story about alchemy, power and love, and it is yet another fantastic novel on Saft's part!

I happened to have read A Far Wilder Magic in October as an ebook, however, I am a big enthusiast for audiobooks and always tend to prefer absorbing books through that medium. This read was just as atmospheric and fun as I remember it.

Margaret and Wes have such good chemistry and the audiobook definitely enhanced that aspect to be. The delicateness and warmth of their love were narrated so lovingly, and the narrator did fantastic at capturing the vibe of the story. Will definitely this up again once it has its official release.

Wes is looking to train as an alchemist with Master Welty. When he shows up at Welty Manor, he doesn't find Master Welty but her unwelcoming daughter, Margaret. Margaret doesn't know when her mother will be back, and encourages Wes to leave. However, Margaret learns she needs Wes as her partner in the hunt for the mythical creature known as the hala. She wants to win the hunt because she hopes she'll win her mother back with it.

I really loved this book. In Wes and Margaret, Saft creatures such in-depth and relatable characters. Wes with his willingness to do anything for his family and Margaret with her desire to be loved. The world she creates in A Far Wilder Magic is so lush and believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Jesse Vilinsky was an amazing narrator. Her voices were awesome and she breathed life into each of the characters but especially Wes. I cannot recommend this audiobook enough!

“Down Comes the Night” was an unexpected “Best of 2021” for me, so I was extremely excited to read Allison Saft’s next novel. As expected, the writing is top notch and the characters are well developed with nuances that bring them to life. The cover blurb for “A Far Wilder Magic” promises magic, alchemy, a hunt and a rich fantasy world. The delivered plot, however, falls vastly short of these promises. The magic/alchemy is discussed but rarely seen and the rich fantasy world is actually a coastal town adjacent to a busy city in what could easily be 1918 Western Europe. There are cars, telephones, cities, common paper money, universities, and smog. At the 50% mark I was highly satisfied with the character development and ready for the plot to move forward (we are promised a hunt for a mythical creature and dark magic), by the 85% mark I was starting to get nervous because we are still hanging out with our characters around the fireplace. At the 95% mark, the hunt begins and 5 minutes later… it ends. Hmm.

To be completely honest, I prefer a character-driven story. This story is very much character driven and I read it in two sittings, so clearly it was engaging. However, I was left wanting to go on an adventure with these characters I just spent the last 10 hours with. I feel like the adventure that was promised was never delivered. I kept hoping when I turned the next page, they would be compelled to combine their strengths to accomplish a major feat. Nonetheless, it would be a disservice to not compliment the character work accomplished by “Wilder Magic”. Both Margaret and Wes felt like “real” people, their interactions were full of flaws, fumbles, and earnest sincerity that kept me reading for hours.

I’ll continue to stay tuned for Saft’s next novel. I hope the next one will keep up the great character work while developing a stronger plot beat.

You may now refer to me as an Allison Saft simp.

The Halfmoon hunt occurs once a year throughout the region, and the proceedings begin whenever the legendary hala is spotted. A vicious and magical beast, it is the very last of its kind. Sharpshooter Margaret Welty is the first to see it, and she enters the hunt with Weston Winters, the boy who showed up at her doorstep hoping to apprentice with her alchemist mother. Both have their own reasons for entering, but as they get to know each other and the world teams up against them, their priorities begin to shift.

After falling head over heels in love with Down Comes the Night, I truly didn't think it possible for Allison to top it. What a fool I was to doubt her. A Far Wilder Magic is a stunning story from start to finish. It is downright magical, romantic, evocative and oh so compelling. I found it next to impossible to put down. Her writing is such a joy to read. To me, it feels like coming home. Warm and familiar, but then she throws out an effortless line of imagery that just takes your breath away. The family dynamics in this are incredible and so realistic, with a big, loving family falling on hard times and a family of two that can't figure out how to love in a healthy way. But where the true magic lies for this book is in its main characters.

Margaret is a bit of a recluse and very much a serious individual. Her mother is one of the greatest alchemists alive, but she leaves Margaret alone in a rickety old house for months on end in her quest to create the philosopher's stone, which she intends to use to resurrect Margaret's long dead brother. Lots to unpack there. All Margaret has for company is a hound named Trouble. I love girls like this. The ones who feel like they have no one to care about but in turn care so deeply for the people they do have in their lives. She is desperate to kill the Hala because to give the magical beast to her mother will be all thats needed to create the stone and she can love Margaret again. Her character development was phenomenal, and watching how she shifted in her relationship with Wes was exactly as tender as the synopsis promises. She is jewish-coded, and how she chooses to navigate the bigotry levelled at her is so heartbreaking.

Wes is a witty charmer and an incorrigible flirt, but it's all a front to hide what he really feels. After losing his dad a few years ago, his large family needs him to support them, but he has to leave in order to help the way he wants. If he can become an alchemist, he can go to the fancy schools, get into politics, and make true change for his family and people like them. Like Margaret, he is part of an ostracized community and deserves none of the hate he gets. He is such an endearing character, who feels so much yet can't quite seem to say it when it counts. He is dyslexic, which causes him problems with reading and absorbing the information he needs to succeed in at least one apprenticeship. His determination is so admirable, and I couldn't be happier with how he and Margaret were able to help each other out.

Alchemy and religion play very interesting roles in this story. While the core of the story is built around Margaret, Wes, and the lead-up to the Halfmoon Hunt, there are a lot of influences on the periphery that develop their characters. The hunts for these magical beasts is a heritage the people of New Albion lay claim to, and as Yu'adir and Sumic respectively, Margaret and Wes threaten the pure sanctity of the event. It feels very white conservatives getting up in arms about Black people entering "their" spaces. Utterly ridiculous but a true threat to the safety of those deemed as "other."

The hunt itself doesn't take place until the last 10%, but there's a lot of preparation alchemy-wise that occurs beforehand. Alchemically-enhanced items are the only way the hala will be killed, and it's so cool how alchemy is applied to everyday things. Ways to make bullets incendiary, threads in saddle blankets to make the weight of a person more bearable on a horse, and so on. The hala itself is actually quite terrifying and something of a conundrum. A monstrous, all-white fox, it is the last of its kind and a horribly vicious thing. Once spotted, its powers grow over the next month. It destroys entire crops and livestock herd before eventually turning on humans. On the one hand, you want it to be left alone, but also it really needs to be stopped. I never knew how this was going to go but I will admit that I am satisfied.

It goes without saying that I will read anything Allison writes. Anything. I can't believe I got to read this as early as I did but that's okay, because by the time it releases I will be itching to reread it.