Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - A Far Wilder Magic

Such an enchanting, cozy fantasy. A creepy house, alchemy, a competition AND a slow burn romance with a golden retriever boy. Like what more could you want?!?!

*There are major conversations about parental neglect/abuse and racism/antisemitism so people know that going in.*

This story was a bit on the slower side but I loved sipping on every single beautiful detail of the world and our main characters. I WISH there was more of the hung but I really enjoyed this author’s writing style.

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starrystarryeyed's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

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chronicacademia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

This was a highly anticipated read for me. I went into it knowing only what I’d heard on Instagram—two neurodivergent protagonists (FMC has PTSD and MMC has ADHD and/or dyslexia), a discussion of antisemitism from the perspective of a Jewish author, and a fox hunt. The premise immediately sold me. (I am ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish on my dad’s side, I have PTSD, ADHD, and dyslexia, and I competed in fox hunts as a teenager—what more could I want in a book?)

I assumed from everything I knew that this book was historical fiction. And as I closed the book, I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t historical fiction.

The world building was needlessly confusing because it was thinly veiled enough for the reader to know that it was thinly veiled portrayals of real religions, ethnicities, and places. But it relied heavily on the reader knowing exactly what the author thinly veiled that anyone who doesn’t have a great grasp on American history will be scrambling to understand what exactly it is that’s happening. I’ll confess I still don’t completely know what time period this book took place in. But I figured out that New Albion is New York, Yu’adir is Jewish faith/people, Katharist is Protestantism/protestants (it took me 100 pages to figure this out; I initially thought it was Catholicism and it threw me for a loop), Sumic is Catholic/catholicism (it was the mention of rosaries and the Catholic prayer that tipped me off 100 pages in; I originally thought Sumic was an ethnicity), and Banvishman was Irish(?) (I’m honestly still not 100% sure about that last one). The first 150 pages had me flailing to translate the world building—and it left me wondering why the author didn’t just write a loose historical fantasy with a secret society. It took me so much longer to understand and find my feet in this book than the average fantasy, and it detracted from my enjoyment and my ability to get into the book.

The plot was slow. I’d expected a days/weeks long fox hunt that took up most of the story. Instead, there are weeks between when the fox shows up in the first chapter and when the hunt begins in the last 50(ish). And the hunt only takes up a measly few chapters at the end of the book. Most of the book was spent with two characters who were hopelessly pining after each other, but too stubborn to admit it while the fox destroys farmland and tries to kill people and no one tries to stop it. It left me wondering why the hunt took so long to commence; if the fox was so destructive, why wait to hunt it?

And if the characters weren’t so easy to love, this probably wouldn’t be a 5 star review. But damnit; I loved every minute of rooting for them to get together. This book is really a romance disguised as a fantasy, and I’m not sad about it. Wes and Margaret came alive on the pages. There was something so real about them and their struggles, their hesitancy to love. I loved the way the dynamics with Wes’s family were written. His sisters reminded me of my own and endeared me all the more to him. And Margaret’s character arc had me sobbing. These two characters, who were beautifully and perfectly written, shine brighter than any issue I took with the plot or the world building. On more than one instance, I felt myself getting teary eyed over both of them.

I personally felt the ADHD/dyslexia and PTSD were handled sensitively. I should also say—the fox hunt portion was well researched; it made my heart happy to read it in a fantasy world.

Was this a great fantasy book? No. But it’s an excellent romance with top tier character development and an ending that will make you shed all the happy tears. I don’t often reread books, but I know I’ll return to the pages of this one time and time again. I will be screaming my praise of this book to strangers in bookstores for many years to come.

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discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I will die on the hill that says a 3-star rating is a good rating. I liked this book! I enjoyed the Jewish folklore element (if you liked The Wolf and the Woodsman, you’ll love this book), I thought the plot was unique and the romance was sweet.

I didn’t know much about it going in, and it threw me for a bit of a loop when the world was far more “modern” than I was expecting (they drive cars and use phones). I thought it was going to be a full-blown fantasy story with like horses and swords for some reason, so it confused me for a second before I got my bearings.

I found it especially moving to witness the protagonist, Margaret, journey towards healing the toxic views of love she has based on her relationship with her emotionally abusive mother:

“Love is not the sharp-edged thing [Margaret] 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…”

The only reason it didn’t get a higher rating from me was because the pacing for the middle 1/3 of the book was a bit slow for my taste. It kind of lagged a little bit, but found it’s stride eventually. I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow me away.

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sa_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I picked A Far Wilder Magic for my first read of the year because I though it would be easy — a cute fantasy romance. But it was so much more.

I don’t know if I can describe how much I adored this story. It was such a cozy and comforting read, even during the tense moments.

Saft has done such an incredible job with both character and world building. Within the first couple of pages, everything she writes comes to life and absorbs you into the story. While I’m neither Jewish or Irish-Catholic, the way she has incorporated religions inspired by them, and how Wes and Margaret deal with being different and ‘other’ in a world that wants to push them out was something I deeply related to as a Muslim.

I also loved the relationship between Maggie and Wes! It was so soft, so intimate. Though it is a slow burn, it was purposeful — not dragging it out for the sake of it but going at the characters’ pace. I also love how she explored different familial relationships, especially between Margaret and her mother. It filled me with rage and sorrow, and you truly feel for Maggie and want all the best for her.

While I do wish there was more focus on the actual hunt rather than just the build up, I am still very happy with this incredible book. I highly recommend it and I am definitely reading more of Allison Saft’s books in the future.

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city_girl_writer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

This was a joy to read despite the dark vibes and content. Not an all-time favorite, but I will definitely remember this book as Roy x Riza fanfic. Nonetheless, this book stands on its own. Despite not enjoying romance, I liked seeing the dual POVs so that I can feel them pining for each other. I would like to thank Hannah from A Clockwork Reader for recommending this book in one of her videos.

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andromeda_1998's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

A far wilder magic is a story about finding your worth and accepting that family can be found in different places. The book is a fantasy standalone that seems to fit in autumn. I really enjoyed it.

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neni's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The thing I liked the most about this book was the writing and the imagery. The autumn woods and mysterious sea side town vibes were great, and the writing was quite beautiful and evocative, especially when the author described environments. The character's were okay, I didn't love them, but I didn't hate them, they were a bit cliché in their tropes, but I enjoyed the development of the main character's response to her family trauma, namely in the way she finally recognized her toxic relationship with her mother. Wes was very sweet as a love interest.
I loved Trouble the hound, especially because my own dear dog is of the same breed so I kept picturing her in the book :)
The pacing was a bit all over the place. The first third of the book felt slow and like nothing was happening, the middle was satisfying in that we finally had some progress in both the plot and the relationship between the main character's, but then the ending, while entertaining, was a bit rushed and left quite a few issues that had been brought up either unresolved or fixed so quickly it didn't feel believable.
I must say as well: the fact that the whole character's main thing was being a huntress and loving it, didn't sit quite well with me as I don't agree with hunting for sport. The descriptions of fox killing as a sport (both the magical/mythical type and the plain normal animal) bothered me.
Overall, this was an okay read, especially vibesy for autumn and with some good romance and pining in the middle but not particularly strong either in plot or character complexity.

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