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baccou's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, Blood, Antisemitism, and Grief
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.5
This is definitely an atmospheric read, with a sweet relationship and family dynamic that left me feeling pretty cozy. I enjoyed the whole "attractive person suddenly lives with you through a series of circumstances" situation and their relationship in general. I felt like both Wes and Margaret were really complex and fleshed out and I was really rooting for them.
There were a couple of weird plot choices. It was hard to care about the characters' emotional conversations when they were happening while an injured animal was lying on the ground next to them - which somehow happens more than once. The characters' religions and ethnic backgrounds were a weird rebranding of Catholicism and Judaism that were somehow merged with the fantasy setting. I also wish we had gotten a bit more of an explanation of the characters' decisions in the plot finale, I didn't really understand why they killed the hala but still just released the ash, and there wasn't much of an explanation except "feels right."
There were a couple of weird plot choices. It was hard to care about the characters' emotional conversations when they were happening while an injured animal was lying on the ground next to them - which somehow happens more than once. The characters' religions and ethnic backgrounds were a weird rebranding of Catholicism and Judaism that were somehow merged with the fantasy setting. I also wish we had gotten a bit more of an explanation of the characters' decisions in the plot finale,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
froggydanny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
mad_is_rad's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
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: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Hate crime
raptorq's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation
kate_den_herder's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked this up on a whim because the cover was pretty and it sounded like my type of book. I was not disappointed. I love Margaret and Wes. The characters are complex (some more than others) and while the plot was slow to develop, it was nice to just dig into each of the main characters’ heads while they prepare for the hunt. I thought we would get more about the hala- like why it called their names— so I was a bit disappointed there. However I think it makes sense to not explain the hala’s divinity in any way. Overall, a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death
Margaret has some undiagnosed PTSD, so there are some flashbackscyntismiles'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: Animal death and Child abuse
k0n0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
New Albion is a Victorian magical England, the author should have called it England. Race and religion play a huge part in this book and as much as I loved the way the author explored these hard concepts in a YA novel the fantasy names could have been dropped. I think just calling the different religions in the book what they were based off would have been helpful. After reading about halfway through I finally pieced it together Yu'adir=Judaism, Sumic=Catholicism, and Katharism=Protestant. The romance was super cute, supportive, there's some spicy inner monolog and satisfying tidbits towards the end. You really root for Wes and Margaret to be happy, ditch her toxic AF mom and grow together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Self harm
Toxic parent and abandonment of teen child which obviously causes some trauma and a panic disorder. Lots and lots of religious bigotry and racism in this book.