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city_girl_writer's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Gore, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Grief, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Sexism
neni's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Racism, Death, Abandonment, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child abuse, and Violence
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
3.5
This book reminded me a lot of Full Metal Alchemist, but I didn't like this as much as FMA. the main FMA similarity outside of alchemy, is the fact that Margaret's mom wanted to bring back Margs dead brother with the philosopher stone like how Ed and Al tried bringing back their mom . I thought this book was quite slow and I was waiting for the hunt to begin. I expected more action along with the romance that also grew. When the hunt actually started, everything went by too quick with the conflict with Jaime and the take down of the hala. I did enjoy the romance side of it since I did like Wes, Margaret, and Wes' family. And I liked how Margaret grew as a character although I'm not the biggest fan of "a dude's love is the thing that you needed to fix/save you" all the time.
I'm also not a fan of white, raised Christian people writing about marginalized people when they haven't had those experiences. I know the author is LGBT+ and probably has faced prejudice because of it, but the discrimination and oppression one experiences based on religion and race/ethnicity is quite different. I don't like white authors saying that racial and religious minorities need to take the high road to be better than their oppressors like what has been illustrated in this book.
I'm also not a fan of white, raised Christian people writing about marginalized people when they haven't had those experiences. I know the author is LGBT+ and probably has faced prejudice because of it, but the discrimination and oppression one experiences based on religion and race/ethnicity is quite different. I don't like white authors saying that racial and religious minorities need to take the high road to be better than their oppressors like what has been illustrated in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Classism, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
valiiidus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Racism, Death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Grief
sunlit_music's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
I feel so lucky to have read this beautiful book. It really is one of the best books I have read this year, and well worth checking if you love historical fantasy or romance.
Themes of racism and classism: Allison Saft examines the harm done by racism and classism with thoughtfulness and empathy, through Wes' and Margaret's eyes. Wes experiences racism for being a Banvishman, and Margaret has suffered racism for being Yuadir, and lives a solitary life for her own safety, to avoid harassment and violence.
Wes has also suffered classism for being working class, and this is handled well, with realism and compassion.
Disability representation: The author also writes about Wes's struggles in finding work due to his dyslexia with tact and understanding. Reading those passages moved me to tears (in a good way).
The romance: Wes' and Margaret's romance is beautifully touching and sweet, and makes a lot of sense. They complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and help each other become braver, kinder, better people. The more Wes comes to understand Margaret, the more he finds her beautiful on the outside and the inside, which also rang true to me.
The plot: The plot makes sense and is unique and interesting enough to hold my attention. Wes and Margaret enter a hunting competition to find the last mythical and magical fox, the Hala - to stop it from destroying crops and killing people and animals. The prize money for winning the hunt will be enough to help Wes achieve his dreams of becoming a politician so he can make things better for poor people and his own family. Margaret wants to win the hunt in order to bring her mother home. Together, Wes and Margaret team up to help each other - and end up falling in love.
Pacing: the plot moves at a medium pace. The parts on the hunt are fast paced, and the action definitely speeds up a lot near the end. Pacing never feels too slow or too rushed, I always felt so invested in the story I didn't notice how much time had passed, and that is how you know you're reading an excellent book. When I listened to the audiobook, I always look forward to it, and never lost attention or focus.
Prose: the prose is gorgeous and magnetic, and reads like poetry. I mean that in the best possible way. Prose in the book makes the setting come to life, and the forest feels like a living, breathing entity, while the Hala fox feels like a monster out of a nightmare. The descriptions where Wes and Margaret slowly come to realise they love each other are so touching and achingly lovely, they feel like real people.
Characterisation: All characters in the book are realistic, and Wes and Margaret experience so much character growth - especially Wes! Wes grows more mature and understanding as the book goes on, and Margaret learns to open up emotionally and to trust people. I was so happy when Margaret found acceptance and familial platonic love with Wes's family, along with romantic love with Wes.
Ending: The ending is optimistic, and feels hard earned and uplifting.
I definitely recommend this book, and look forward to reading more books from the author. :)
Themes of racism and classism: Allison Saft examines the harm done by racism and classism with thoughtfulness and empathy, through Wes' and Margaret's eyes. Wes experiences racism for being a Banvishman, and Margaret has suffered racism for being Yuadir, and lives a solitary life for her own safety, to avoid harassment and violence.
Wes has also suffered classism for being working class, and this is handled well, with realism and compassion.
Disability representation: The author also writes about Wes's struggles in finding work due to his dyslexia with tact and understanding. Reading those passages moved me to tears (in a good way).
The romance: Wes' and Margaret's romance is beautifully touching and sweet, and makes a lot of sense. They complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and help each other become braver, kinder, better people. The more Wes comes to understand Margaret, the more he finds her beautiful on the outside and the inside, which also rang true to me.
The plot: The plot makes sense and is unique and interesting enough to hold my attention. Wes and Margaret enter a hunting competition to find the last mythical and magical fox, the Hala - to stop it from destroying crops and killing people and animals. The prize money for winning the hunt will be enough to help Wes achieve his dreams of becoming a politician so he can make things better for poor people and his own family. Margaret wants to win the hunt in order to bring her mother home. Together, Wes and Margaret team up to help each other - and end up falling in love.
Pacing: the plot moves at a medium pace. The parts on the hunt are fast paced, and the action definitely speeds up a lot near the end. Pacing never feels too slow or too rushed, I always felt so invested in the story I didn't notice how much time had passed, and that is how you know you're reading an excellent book. When I listened to the audiobook, I always look forward to it, and never lost attention or focus.
Prose: the prose is gorgeous and magnetic, and reads like poetry. I mean that in the best possible way. Prose in the book makes the setting come to life, and the forest feels like a living, breathing entity, while the Hala fox feels like a monster out of a nightmare. The descriptions where Wes and Margaret slowly come to realise they love each other are so touching and achingly lovely, they feel like real people.
Characterisation: All characters in the book are realistic, and Wes and Margaret experience so much character growth - especially Wes! Wes grows more mature and understanding as the book goes on, and Margaret learns to open up emotionally and to trust people. I was so happy when Margaret found acceptance and familial platonic love with Wes's family, along with romantic love with Wes.
Ending: The ending is optimistic, and feels hard earned and uplifting.
I definitely recommend this book, and look forward to reading more books from the author. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Classism
sallenreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved Allison Saft's debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, and was hoping this would be just as good. Fortunately, it was, and I adored absolutely everything about this book.
Saft wove together so many different elements in this book, and they all worked so well together. Like her other book, this one has a romance between two outcasts at the heart of it, with a setting that could be its own character, and high stakes driving the plot forward. But it also grapples with topics like religion, xenophobia, and abuse. None of the aforementioned elements detracted from the others, or felt unnecessary; it all blended together very effectively to tell a complete story.
And speaking of our main characters, they each had their own traumas to work through, and helped each other while maintaining their independence. I also appreciated Wes for his excellent neurodivergent representation -- he read as having ADHD, and maybe dyslexia. As someone with ADHD, I felt it was handled very authentically, and my heart ached for him because I've gone through many of the emotions (failure, inadequacy, etc.) that he did.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Saft wove together so many different elements in this book, and they all worked so well together. Like her other book, this one has a romance between two outcasts at the heart of it, with a setting that could be its own character, and high stakes driving the plot forward. But it also grapples with topics like religion, xenophobia, and abuse. None of the aforementioned elements detracted from the others, or felt unnecessary; it all blended together very effectively to tell a complete story.
And speaking of our main characters, they each had their own traumas to work through, and helped each other while maintaining their independence. I also appreciated Wes for his excellent neurodivergent representation -- he read as having ADHD, and maybe dyslexia. As someone with ADHD, I felt it was handled very authentically, and my heart ached for him because I've gone through many of the emotions (failure, inadequacy, etc.) that he did.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Antisemitism
Minor: Alcohol, Hate crime, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Child death, and Cursing
maliap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Abandonment, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Child death
Minor: War
Anti-Irish sentiments expressed.taynicole2698's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Allison Saft has yet to disappoint. If you want beautuful imagery and characters you can see yourself in, her books are for you. A Far Wilder Magic had me wrapt from page one. The dual pov was one of the best-executed that I’ve ever read. Not to mention the immaculate slow burn. She toes the line between riveting and cozy perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Violence, Classism, and Gaslighting