Scan barcode
cloodnook's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The world-building was lovely and the fantasy too. The romance did not work for me at all, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
erinreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I liked the character-focused storyline of this book—I found both main characters very compelling and I like that the reader is given a lot of time with them to truly know them before they fall for each other, which makes their happy ending all the more believable and rewarding . Some of the worldbuilding is a little vague (the different religious sects, the rules/history behind the hunt, etc.) which was a bit distracting at times but didn’t detract hugely from my enjoyment and investment in the story.
Read if you like satisfying, emotional, character-based romance.
Read if you like satisfying, emotional, character-based romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
naomidanae's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
There's a lot to love about this book. The world building is well rounded—an economy built around alchemy, religious points of view on alchemy's consequences, and a built history around a cultural hunt. There are plenty of real-world analogues to the religions, which does prove to be an interesting discussion point. There's a clear connection between the Yu'adir and Judaism, the Sumic religion and Catholicism, and Katharists and Protestants. It offers a timely discussion of antisemitism. The romance felt believable and slowly developed through the course of the book.
I think my only issue with this book is how unclear the time period of the book is. There are phones and cars and all, but then 25 cents is apparently a lot of money. And the rifle has a magazine? Otherwise, this is a great book.
A few quotes:
"Love is not the sharp-edged thing she’s always believed it to be. It’s not like the sea, liable to slip through her fingers if she holds on too tight. It’s not a currency, something to be earned or denied or bartered for. Love can be steadfast. It can be certain and safe, or as wild as an open flame. It’s a slice of buttered bread at a dinner table. It’s a grudge born of worry. It’s broken skin pulled over swelling knuckles."
"All I know for sure is that if God or the truth or whatever you want to call it is out there and we can reach it, we’re not going to find it in that box. We’ll find it in other people.”
“Loneliness is a terrible thing. Maybe the most terrible thing.”
I think my only issue with this book is how unclear the time period of the book is. There are phones and cars and all, but then 25 cents is apparently a lot of money. And the rifle has a magazine? Otherwise, this is a great book.
A few quotes:
"Love is not the sharp-edged thing she’s always believed it to be. It’s not like the sea, liable to slip through her fingers if she holds on too tight. It’s not a currency, something to be earned or denied or bartered for. Love can be steadfast. It can be certain and safe, or as wild as an open flame. It’s a slice of buttered bread at a dinner table. It’s a grudge born of worry. It’s broken skin pulled over swelling knuckles."
"All I know for sure is that if God or the truth or whatever you want to call it is out there and we can reach it, we’re not going to find it in that box. We’ll find it in other people.”
“Loneliness is a terrible thing. Maybe the most terrible thing.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
jessereadsthings's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, and Grief
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Abandonment
books_of_tara's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A fun read! I enjoyed the world it was set it, and thought it was beautifully written. It was a super breezy read and I got through it very quickly.
The characters were full of life, and I enjoyed the author didn't shy away from allowing them to have their flaws as well as their strengths. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic and thought the romance was very fun, if maybe a little quick to develop?
Overall a super satisfying read!
Finished: 1/1
The characters were full of life, and I enjoyed the author didn't shy away from allowing them to have their flaws as well as their strengths. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic and thought the romance was very fun, if maybe a little quick to develop?
Overall a super satisfying read!
Finished: 1/1
Characters: 0.75/1
Plot: 0.75/1
Writing style: 1/1
World building: 0.75/1
Total: 4.25/5
0 = bad
0.25 = eh
0.5 = fine
0.75 = good
1 = amazing
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Xenophobia
rachelditty's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Read this after Hannah (A Clockwork Reader) talked so highly about it. I really wanted this to be a 5-star read for me, but something about it was lacking, I just can't really put my finger on what. Regardless, I thought the story was interesting and the romance was very gripping. Like this a lot!
Some quotes I liked:
"Sometimes, it's hard to believe this house ever held more than one person," (1:33:38).
"Her hand, warm and roughened from work, fits into his like a gramophone needle in the grooves of a record," (8:54:50).
"Or did you always love the memory of him more than you loved the reality of me?" (14:14:54).
"Growing up with you, it felt like starving," (14:15:12).
Some quotes I liked:
"Sometimes, it's hard to believe this house ever held more than one person," (1:33:38).
"Her hand, warm and roughened from work, fits into his like a gramophone needle in the grooves of a record," (8:54:50).
"Or did you always love the memory of him more than you loved the reality of me?" (14:14:54).
"Growing up with you, it felt like starving," (14:15:12).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
owl_eerie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm unsure about this book. I found the characters to be engaging and the storyline both interesting and well-paced. Wes was incredibly frustrating to read at some points, but that made his growth rewarding. Maggie growing past her trauma was well done.
I'm not sure I jive with the author's writing style (a simile or 3 in every paragraph...) but her character work was good. My only real complaint was the lack of grounding in the setting--It was very obviously Jewish/Protestant/Irish Catholic religious strife planted in a post WW1 America, shifted out of plane. Would have enjoyed it to take a firmer step further from known history instead of just... changing names but keeping things like microphones.
Listen to the audiobook; I kind of liked Wes's bad NY/Boston accent.
I'm not sure I jive with the author's writing style (a simile or 3 in every paragraph...) but her character work was good. My only real complaint was the lack of grounding in the setting--It was very obviously Jewish/Protestant/Irish Catholic religious strife planted in a post WW1 America, shifted out of plane. Would have enjoyed it to take a firmer step further from known history instead of just... changing names but keeping things like microphones.
Listen to the audiobook; I kind of liked Wes's bad NY/Boston accent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, and Bullying
Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Gore
Minor: Hate crime
cyntismiles's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had a fun time reading this book! That may be in part because it was an installment of "sister reads" with my sister and we always have a good time.
A HUGE barrier in reading this for me was the audiobook narrator. The New York accents were...subpar (to be nice). The actual text is not written in an accent but in standard English. It is mentioned that Wes has an accent ~1 time and never specifies what that accent is. A character just recognizes that he's "from the city based on his accent". It's not set in NY (we will get to the setting later) but theoretically could be implied based on some religious/time period references but considering the setting is a whole mess, I don't think it was necessary. On top of the unfavorable New York/East Coast accents, the audiobook narrator gave some other characters other below-average accents. I think it's one thing to be able to do an accent for a bit or a 15-minute routine but this was upwards of 6 hours (assuming Wes speaks about 1/2 of the time) of an accent. I don't think they should have done it! It took me so long to get into the book because I would hear Wes say about 3 things, roll my eyes, and turn it off.
Once I got over that (I pushed through for the sister read!), I enjoyed the story! I think my sister had a much better time since she could just read the story. I thought the hunt would feature more heavily but I ended up enjoying the character-driven plot once we figured out some backstory about the characters. I think the character development was good and I ended up really rooting for them (despite my initial reaction of "come on guys!" to their shenanigans). I especially enjoyed watching Margaret's character be unveiled to the reader and her development throughout the book.
The setting of this book was ambiguous at best. I think if you don't need a deeply rooted setting it's fine. If you do, you may want to skip this. It was uniquely a mish-mash of a ton of stuff, especially time period-wise. Stella and I had a great time tracking all the different things mentioned from different time periods. It feels very pre-industrial union but also features things from the late 1900's so that was wild. The setting felt very PNW with the redwood trees coastal descriptions but implied that it was the East Coast with Irish "Catholic-implied" immigrants. There is definitely a sense of place but of what place, who knows! It's definitely a fantasy setting but the amount of real-world items that are from all around the late 1800's-late 1900's made it feel like a wibbly wobbly time.
The hunt is in the background the whole time but really takes backseat. It reminds me of how in _HP and the Goblet of Fire_, the Triwizard Tournament is important but kind of ebbs and flows out of the narrative. The characters still do other stuff and it isn't shaping every waking moment of their lives. The hunt in this book is definitely less present than that but that's what I'm reminded of vs something like the Hunger Games. In _The Hunger Games_, the Games are constantly shaping the narrative and the character's decisions/ability to survive. The hunt is nowhere near that relevant in _A Far Wilder Magic_.
The romance was fine? I definitely enjoyed them getting to know each other and becoming friends the best but that's an opinion I commonly hold. It was really sweet but sometimes the pacing was weird. It may be the whole teenage relationship thing and I am quite done with that area of life. It definitely wasn't bad though. I did end up rooting for them and wanting them to be together by the end if that's any indication!
Lastly, my favorite part of this whole book was the dog, excuse me, hound, Trouble. Literally any time he was mentioned I was ecstatic! He was truly the best and I love him very much! Also, that is somehow the best name for a dog. Who would not love to call "Trouble?" and have a hound run your way? So many good scenarios to say "I'll bring Trouble" or "I'll give you Trouble". What a genius move!
I would recommend this book if you are looking for:
--A Grumpy/Introvert and Sunshine/Extrovert friendship and romance,
--Commentary of religious prejudices (this book specifically deals with religions meant to represent the conflicts between Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism in the US reminiscent of tensions in the early-mid 1900's)
--A character-driven plot and following the story where it goes
I would not recommend this book if:
--Having real-world time markers from all over the place is an issue for you
--You are only interested in the actual hunt
--You would not like to read about the effects of having a neglectful/abusive parent
A HUGE barrier in reading this for me was the audiobook narrator. The New York accents were...subpar (to be nice). The actual text is not written in an accent but in standard English. It is mentioned that Wes has an accent ~1 time and never specifies what that accent is. A character just recognizes that he's "from the city based on his accent". It's not set in NY (we will get to the setting later) but theoretically could be implied based on some religious/time period references but considering the setting is a whole mess, I don't think it was necessary. On top of the unfavorable New York/East Coast accents, the audiobook narrator gave some other characters other below-average accents. I think it's one thing to be able to do an accent for a bit or a 15-minute routine but this was upwards of 6 hours (assuming Wes speaks about 1/2 of the time) of an accent. I don't think they should have done it! It took me so long to get into the book because I would hear Wes say about 3 things, roll my eyes, and turn it off.
Once I got over that (I pushed through for the sister read!), I enjoyed the story! I think my sister had a much better time since she could just read the story. I thought the hunt would feature more heavily but I ended up enjoying the character-driven plot once we figured out some backstory about the characters. I think the character development was good and I ended up really rooting for them (despite my initial reaction of "come on guys!" to their shenanigans). I especially enjoyed watching Margaret's character be unveiled to the reader and her development throughout the book.
The setting of this book was ambiguous at best. I think if you don't need a deeply rooted setting it's fine. If you do, you may want to skip this. It was uniquely a mish-mash of a ton of stuff, especially time period-wise. Stella and I had a great time tracking all the different things mentioned from different time periods. It feels very pre-industrial union but also features things from the late 1900's so that was wild. The setting felt very PNW with the redwood trees coastal descriptions but implied that it was the East Coast with Irish "Catholic-implied" immigrants. There is definitely a sense of place but of what place, who knows! It's definitely a fantasy setting but the amount of real-world items that are from all around the late 1800's-late 1900's made it feel like a wibbly wobbly time.
The hunt is in the background the whole time but really takes backseat. It reminds me of how in _HP and the Goblet of Fire_, the Triwizard Tournament is important but kind of ebbs and flows out of the narrative. The characters still do other stuff and it isn't shaping every waking moment of their lives. The hunt in this book is definitely less present than that but that's what I'm reminded of vs something like the Hunger Games. In _The Hunger Games_, the Games are constantly shaping the narrative and the character's decisions/ability to survive. The hunt is nowhere near that relevant in _A Far Wilder Magic_.
The romance was fine? I definitely enjoyed them getting to know each other and becoming friends the best but that's an opinion I commonly hold. It was really sweet but sometimes the pacing was weird. It may be the whole teenage relationship thing and I am quite done with that area of life. It definitely wasn't bad though. I did end up rooting for them and wanting them to be together by the end if that's any indication!
Lastly, my favorite part of this whole book was the dog, excuse me, hound, Trouble. Literally any time he was mentioned I was ecstatic! He was truly the best and I love him very much! Also, that is somehow the best name for a dog. Who would not love to call "Trouble?" and have a hound run your way? So many good scenarios to say "I'll bring Trouble" or "I'll give you Trouble". What a genius move!
I would recommend this book if you are looking for:
--A Grumpy/Introvert and Sunshine/Extrovert friendship and romance,
--Commentary of religious prejudices (this book specifically deals with religions meant to represent the conflicts between Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism in the US reminiscent of tensions in the early-mid 1900's)
--A character-driven plot and following the story where it goes
I would not recommend this book if:
--Having real-world time markers from all over the place is an issue for you
--You are only interested in the actual hunt
--You would not like to read about the effects of having a neglectful/abusive parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Animal death
maartabarrales's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Animal death
Minor: Child death