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lillianreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Blood, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Child abuse
luckykosmos's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
romance is real...............
My main qualm is that the fantastic parallels for Judaism and Irish Catholicism felt underwhelming. At times, it felt like the names for regions and religions could have stayed as their real-world counterparts and nothing would have change, since the translation was so on the nose.
That being said, the way the dynamic between Margaret and Wes grew was delicious. Them slowly opening up to each other, in terms of general personality as well as being each other's main source of support in the face of bigotry. They balanced each other beautifully, and the romance between them felt so tender because of it. i die !
My main qualm is that the fantastic parallels for Judaism and Irish Catholicism felt underwhelming. At times, it felt like the names for regions and religions could have stayed as their real-world counterparts and nothing would have change, since the translation was so on the nose.
That being said, the way the dynamic between Margaret and Wes grew was delicious. Them slowly opening up to each other, in terms of general personality as well as being each other's main source of support in the face of bigotry. They balanced each other beautifully, and the romance between them felt so tender because of it. i die !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and Animal death
Moderate: Gore and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
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
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Antisemitism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
bookstarbri's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
Three words to describe this: magical, haunting, romantic. It reminds me of those old romance novels that took place in creepy victorian homes flooded with ghosts. This is such an interesting story and, as I was reading it, I kept getting this gothic feeling reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera or something like that. Needless to say, the tone of this way very clear from the beginning. The setting and the eerie coldness of it all was wonderful and only further developed by the lovely writing and stunning characters. Wes was amazing and he reminded me of myself many times. However, it was Margaret who was the standout for me. She was my favorite character in this by far and I loved having her as the heroine. She's gone through so much but she's such a strong character yet also desperately needs to be taken care of herself sometimes. The balance between these two characters and their love was nothing short of amazing.
The plot of the story was really amazing too, though I would say this leaned slightly more to character driven than plot-driven (emphasis on slightly). The plot is pretty simple: there's a hunt and they have to kill this ancient creature using both Margaret and Wes's talents. I think what prevented me from giving this a full 5 stars is that we didn't really get enough of this side of things. The love between these characters was gorgeous, but the plot was also super interesting so I just wanted more on the history of the hala and maybe a firmer resolution with it how it all ended. It was a great ending overall, I think I just wanted it to be drawn out a bit more since we were leading up to the hunt for the whole book only for it to end in like 2-3 chapters. Overall though, this is a minor gripe and I really enjoyed this book! It's the first I've read from Allison Saft and I'm really excited to read her other novel as well!
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The plot of the story was really amazing too, though I would say this leaned slightly more to character driven than plot-driven (emphasis on slightly). The plot is pretty simple: there's a hunt and they have to kill this ancient creature using both Margaret and Wes's talents. I think what prevented me from giving this a full 5 stars is that we didn't really get enough of this side of things. The love between these characters was gorgeous, but the plot was also super interesting so I just wanted more on the history of the hala and maybe a firmer resolution with it how it all ended. It was a great ending overall, I think I just wanted it to be drawn out a bit more since we were leading up to the hunt for the whole book only for it to end in like 2-3 chapters. Overall though, this is a minor gripe and I really enjoyed this book! It's the first I've read from Allison Saft and I'm really excited to read her other novel as well!
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, Blood, and Animal death
Minor: Hate crime and Religious bigotry
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
“Besides, dreams don’t always have to be practical. That’s why they’re dreams. And now ours live and die together.”
“It’s you and me against the world, Margaret.”
Firstly, it needs to be said that that cover is so incredibly beautiful and captures the atmosphere of this book perfectly! (The perfect autumnal book to read with a blanket and cup of tea!)
A Far Wilder Magic follows the life-weary, headstrong Margaret and the flirtatiously optimistic Wes in their quest to win the mythical half-moon hunt as begrudgingly allies for her to win the favour of her mother and for him to gain the magical training he needs to make a difference in the world.
This ya stand-alone fantasy romance is such an effortless intricately crafted book from it’s gorgeous writing style and bewitching world building.
The scientific-based magic system, Jewish and Irish myth influence, and alternative 1920s America setting of this book is one that feels fresh and unique, a flawless blend of dark academia, whimsy and heart that I haven’t felt since Sorcery of Thorns.
The slow-burn grumpy x sunshine romance won me over straight away, the pining, character development and I-definitely-still-hate-your-face-even-if-I’m-staring vibes! Ahhh!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Antisemitism, Bullying, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
rvmajuliette's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content and Child death
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this book.
Maggie wants nothing more than to live a safe and simple life with her alchemist mother--who is never home. Wes dreams of becoming an alchemist politician to make the world a better place, and to do that, he needs to become Maggie's mother's apprentice. But since her mother isn't home, Maggie and Wes concoct a plan to catch a magical creature during the Halfmoon Hunt to impress Evelyn.
This book is a little bit The Scorpio Races, a little bit Shadow & Bone. I really liked the plot and found the world building and magic systems very interesting. I was not a big fan of the characters or relationship. I had issues with some of the things that happened in the romance between Maggie and Wes. Nothing so bad it would ruin the book but definitely knocked it down a peg in my mind. Characters are really important to me in a story, so even though I loved this plot, the lack-luster character building hurt this for my rating.
Maggie wants nothing more than to live a safe and simple life with her alchemist mother--who is never home. Wes dreams of becoming an alchemist politician to make the world a better place, and to do that, he needs to become Maggie's mother's apprentice. But since her mother isn't home, Maggie and Wes concoct a plan to catch a magical creature during the Halfmoon Hunt to impress Evelyn.
This book is a little bit The Scorpio Races, a little bit Shadow & Bone. I really liked the plot and found the world building and magic systems very interesting. I was not a big fan of the characters or relationship. I had issues with some of the things that happened in the romance between Maggie and Wes. Nothing so bad it would ruin the book but definitely knocked it down a peg in my mind. Characters are really important to me in a story, so even though I loved this plot, the lack-luster character building hurt this for my rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual content
beforeviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
CW: animal death, death of father (past), death of brother (past), parental abandonment, sexual content (onscreen, not graphic), blood, trauma, emotionally abusive parent, religious bigotry, PTSD, alcohol consumption, hate crime, anti-semitism, death, gore
Thank you to Wednesday books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Built upon a rich tapestry of religiopolitical metaphor, and steeped in a charged atmosphere that will fill your senses, A Far Wilder Magic paints a romance between two characters that you just can't help but fall for.
Allison's Saft's writing is nothing less than golden.
If you like:
-slow burn
-grumpy girl/sunshine boy
-dorks helplessly in love
-casual queer side characters
-bigots getting punched in the face
-jewish rep
then you should get your hands on this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent
hownovelofher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
I’d like to start by saying how torn I have been on rating this. I quarreled with myself back and forth on whether to rate it higher or lower but finally settled on 3.5 being fair. While I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this book, it fell short in enough ways that I couldn’t ignore the pang of dissatisfaction I had when it came to its conclusion.
Margaret Welty lives alone in a decaying countryside manor on the edge of the town of Wickdon. Abandoned by her mother after the loss of her brother, and the fleeing of her father, she lives a quiet and sheltered life…much preferring the company of her hound Trouble to the company of…well, anyone else.
When the arrival of the much feared, and equally exalted hala throws the town into a frenzy, Margaret is even more aghast when a prospective alchemical apprentice shows up at her door in search of her mother’s tutelage. Enter Weston Winters.
Together, Margaret and Weston make an unlikely pair, and eventually team up in hopes of slaying the powerful and destructive hala in hopes of winning something they each need desperately. For Weston, this is money and notoriety; for Margaret, her mother’s approval and love.
The time period seems to settle around the 1920s-1940s and leans heavily on elements of magical realism and religious reverence.
Speaking of, the religious elements are part of what drove me to rate this book lower than I initially thought I would. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded about both Margaret and Wes’s heritage/religion and how most of New Albian is both xenophobic and religiously bigoted.
I used context clues to assume what real-world religions and ethnic backgrounds Saft was drawing inspiration from but, truly it wasn’t hard. She makes it painfully obvious what she’s borrowed from. I had the keen feeling that perhaps she just couldn’t commit to calling a real-world religion by its name so as not to offend…but it would have been better, in my opinion, if she had done so…or simply created her own religion from scratch.
Instead, we’re left with clumsily monikered substitutes such as Katharist peoples (interpreted as Christian, to me) + Wes and his Banvish (Irish) heritage and Sumic (Catholic) religion. Meanwhile, Margaret is Yu’adir (Jewish). There are many a reference to real-world religious practices that help you draw these conclusions. At one point the author even uses the term Shabbos for an assumed Yu’adir (Jewish) religious observance. For those who don’t know, Shabbat is an actual Jewish observance.
In short, it was off-putting and distracting from the plot of the story. I could have done with a less intensely religious overtone, along with less frequent reminders of their inferiority in the eyes of others.
Parental neglect also has a very large and very bright spotlight on it in this book. It’s a theme that is repeated through the book over and over and truthfully was a bit of a bummer. Not to say that books can’t be sad and difficult to read, it’s just not what I was expecting. And when coupled with the other harsh elements of the book, made it heavier than its description promised.
Aside from that, I had a lot of unanswered questions towards the end, and a few frustrations with the characters. Some of the issues were resolved too easily and some not easily enough. For instance, the Halfmoon Hunt was a major plot point, but literally lasted like less than 20 pages which was a really big wtf moment in terms of built-up anticipation.
But let me end on a good note: I saw some people saying that Wes is obnoxious/sleazy and Maggie is unlikeable…and I’ll agree that they aren’t a likable pair at first…but they did grow on me. I enjoyed the contrast of a sunshine boy and a grumpy girl instead of the other way around which is sort of the norm in lit these days. They both had a decent amount of character development, and it wasn’t like they were suddenly perfect…they were just subtly a little bit freer than before. A little less broken.
The slow, torturous burn of their love for each other and their sweetness once it fully bloomed was pleasantly unexpected. It felt a bit more realistic because Maggie’s love truly had to be earned by Wes, and she made a besotted man out of him, which is always cute. I love that she scared him shitless and he loved her the more for it.
Mental illness and vulnerability were also two unexpected elements that I appreciated. As someone who suffers from panic attacks, it was comforting to see them portrayed in a way that wasn’t stigmatized, but honest and fair.
All in all, I did actually enjoy this book very much. Yes, I had my qualms with it, but at the end of the day I see what the author was trying to do, and I admire her writing and her approach to a great many difficult subjects. I think maybe she pulled too many into one single book, but I’m still very much glad I decided to read A Far Wilder Magic.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I’d like to start by saying how torn I have been on rating this. I quarreled with myself back and forth on whether to rate it higher or lower but finally settled on 3.5 being fair. While I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this book, it fell short in enough ways that I couldn’t ignore the pang of dissatisfaction I had when it came to its conclusion.
Margaret Welty lives alone in a decaying countryside manor on the edge of the town of Wickdon. Abandoned by her mother after the loss of her brother, and the fleeing of her father, she lives a quiet and sheltered life…much preferring the company of her hound Trouble to the company of…well, anyone else.
When the arrival of the much feared, and equally exalted hala throws the town into a frenzy, Margaret is even more aghast when a prospective alchemical apprentice shows up at her door in search of her mother’s tutelage. Enter Weston Winters.
Together, Margaret and Weston make an unlikely pair, and eventually team up in hopes of slaying the powerful and destructive hala in hopes of winning something they each need desperately. For Weston, this is money and notoriety; for Margaret, her mother’s approval and love.
The time period seems to settle around the 1920s-1940s and leans heavily on elements of magical realism and religious reverence.
Speaking of, the religious elements are part of what drove me to rate this book lower than I initially thought I would. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded about both Margaret and Wes’s heritage/religion and how most of New Albian is both xenophobic and religiously bigoted.
I used context clues to assume what real-world religions and ethnic backgrounds Saft was drawing inspiration from but, truly it wasn’t hard. She makes it painfully obvious what she’s borrowed from. I had the keen feeling that perhaps she just couldn’t commit to calling a real-world religion by its name so as not to offend…but it would have been better, in my opinion, if she had done so…or simply created her own religion from scratch.
Instead, we’re left with clumsily monikered substitutes such as Katharist peoples (interpreted as Christian, to me) + Wes and his Banvish (Irish) heritage and Sumic (Catholic) religion. Meanwhile, Margaret is Yu’adir (Jewish). There are many a reference to real-world religious practices that help you draw these conclusions. At one point the author even uses the term Shabbos for an assumed Yu’adir (Jewish) religious observance. For those who don’t know, Shabbat is an actual Jewish observance.
In short, it was off-putting and distracting from the plot of the story. I could have done with a less intensely religious overtone, along with less frequent reminders of their inferiority in the eyes of others.
Parental neglect also has a very large and very bright spotlight on it in this book. It’s a theme that is repeated through the book over and over and truthfully was a bit of a bummer. Not to say that books can’t be sad and difficult to read, it’s just not what I was expecting. And when coupled with the other harsh elements of the book, made it heavier than its description promised.
Aside from that, I had a lot of unanswered questions towards the end, and a few frustrations with the characters. Some of the issues were resolved too easily and some not easily enough. For instance, the Halfmoon Hunt was a major plot point, but literally lasted like less than 20 pages which was a really big wtf moment in terms of built-up anticipation.
But let me end on a good note: I saw some people saying that Wes is obnoxious/sleazy and Maggie is unlikeable…and I’ll agree that they aren’t a likable pair at first…but they did grow on me. I enjoyed the contrast of a sunshine boy and a grumpy girl instead of the other way around which is sort of the norm in lit these days. They both had a decent amount of character development, and it wasn’t like they were suddenly perfect…they were just subtly a little bit freer than before. A little less broken.
The slow, torturous burn of their love for each other and their sweetness once it fully bloomed was pleasantly unexpected. It felt a bit more realistic because Maggie’s love truly had to be earned by Wes, and she made a besotted man out of him, which is always cute. I love that she scared him shitless and he loved her the more for it.
Mental illness and vulnerability were also two unexpected elements that I appreciated. As someone who suffers from panic attacks, it was comforting to see them portrayed in a way that wasn’t stigmatized, but honest and fair.
All in all, I did actually enjoy this book very much. Yes, I had my qualms with it, but at the end of the day I see what the author was trying to do, and I admire her writing and her approach to a great many difficult subjects. I think maybe she pulled too many into one single book, but I’m still very much glad I decided to read A Far Wilder Magic.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail