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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.saturners's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Hate crime, and Antisemitism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A FAR WILDER MAGIC is a deliciously slow burn fantasy romance, getting well past the halfway point before the first longing touch; full of indecision, regret, and hope. Maggie needs Wes's help in order to enter the Halfmoon Hunt and bring down the hala, an immortal creature that some religions say is part of god, and others say is a gift from the divine.
The narration is split between Wes and Maggie, and the balance is good. I like them both as narrators. This is definitely a place where the audiobook shines, as the audiobook narrator gives them distinct voices which fit the way their tone is described by the text.
Maggie's relationship with her (currently absent) mother looms large. The reasons for her mother's absence and obsession with alchemy is gradually unfurled as Maggie gets to know Wes and begins to fall for him. Wes's relationships with his sisters and mother are also very important to the story, but as a mostly positive influence. I like Wes's family, they're pretty great and I enjoyed his rapport with them. Maggie's mother is an excellent character and a pretty frustrating person. It takes Maggie a very long time to be able to recognize her mother's treatment of her as neglect and emotional abuse, with Wes calling it out long before Maggie is ready to deal with it on those terms.
The romance is a very slow burn. I've read slower, but only in books longer than this one. Maggie and Wes are great together, but first they have to get out of their own way about a lot of things. Maggie's anxiety felt realistic, and the romance isn't treated as a cure for it.
The worldbuilding is gradual in terms of character backgrounds, but pretty immediate for the town of Wickdon and the manor where Maggie lives. Maggie's background is definitely meant to be that she's this universe's version of half-Jewish, something that's more shown through the particularities of the bigotry against her more than its shown through any cultural or religious practices that I picked up on. She mentions a few things about her father, and most of the cultural touchstones I could recognize happened when she's thinking about him or talking about something he taught her. Wes is some version of Catholic, as best as I can tell, and the bigotry against him echoes the bits of anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry that I'm aware of as someone who isn't Irish, Catholic, nor Jewish. A major part of Wes's storyline is about figuring out how to navigate the sea of local bigotry which Maggie has grown up in, informed by how he's used to handling it back home. It's very much about him and Maggie figuring out to exist together and what to do about their feelings for each other, but having to deal with bigots is a huge part of the narrative. I'm not in a position to say whether it was done well on a larger level, but I like how it worked in the story and I'm very pleased with how things turn out.
The narration is chock-full of metaphors, usually but not always similes. I didn't mind it, but by the end I was wondering if the characters were going to run out of ways that the color of each other's eyes could be like an entirely different substance, usually a pleasing food or drink. It's done well, I think, but I was starting to notice it each time as I got closer to finishing the story.
I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing. It's several weeks before the hunt begins, and the hunt itself plays out over several weeks because of various ceremonial and preparatory stages. I like the plot and I love the ending.
The narration is split between Wes and Maggie, and the balance is good. I like them both as narrators. This is definitely a place where the audiobook shines, as the audiobook narrator gives them distinct voices which fit the way their tone is described by the text.
Maggie's relationship with her (currently absent) mother looms large. The reasons for her mother's absence and obsession with alchemy is gradually unfurled as Maggie gets to know Wes and begins to fall for him. Wes's relationships with his sisters and mother are also very important to the story, but as a mostly positive influence. I like Wes's family, they're pretty great and I enjoyed his rapport with them. Maggie's mother is an excellent character and a pretty frustrating person. It takes Maggie a very long time to be able to recognize her mother's treatment of her as neglect and emotional abuse, with Wes calling it out long before Maggie is ready to deal with it on those terms.
The romance is a very slow burn. I've read slower, but only in books longer than this one. Maggie and Wes are great together, but first they have to get out of their own way about a lot of things. Maggie's anxiety felt realistic, and the romance isn't treated as a cure for it.
The worldbuilding is gradual in terms of character backgrounds, but pretty immediate for the town of Wickdon and the manor where Maggie lives. Maggie's background is definitely meant to be that she's this universe's version of half-Jewish, something that's more shown through the particularities of the bigotry against her more than its shown through any cultural or religious practices that I picked up on. She mentions a few things about her father, and most of the cultural touchstones I could recognize happened when she's thinking about him or talking about something he taught her. Wes is some version of Catholic, as best as I can tell, and the bigotry against him echoes the bits of anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry that I'm aware of as someone who isn't Irish, Catholic, nor Jewish. A major part of Wes's storyline is about figuring out how to navigate the sea of local bigotry which Maggie has grown up in, informed by how he's used to handling it back home. It's very much about him and Maggie figuring out to exist together and what to do about their feelings for each other, but having to deal with bigots is a huge part of the narrative. I'm not in a position to say whether it was done well on a larger level, but I like how it worked in the story and I'm very pleased with how things turn out.
The narration is chock-full of metaphors, usually but not always similes. I didn't mind it, but by the end I was wondering if the characters were going to run out of ways that the color of each other's eyes could be like an entirely different substance, usually a pleasing food or drink. It's done well, I think, but I was starting to notice it each time as I got closer to finishing the story.
I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing. It's several weeks before the hunt begins, and the hunt itself plays out over several weeks because of various ceremonial and preparatory stages. I like the plot and I love the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Antisemitism, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, Death, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
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
alite428's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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 death, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
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
sj_54's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Summary: A decent YA fantasy with a nice romance, but with an odd amount of Irish Catholic trauma??
Pros: The use of the magic system was well-developed and blended into the storyline nicely. The characters had a lot of depth which is always nice to see in YA, with a good amount of slow burn romance.
The family trauma was heart-rending and really well-written.
Cons: What was with the world-building?? The countries and world are made-up, but the religious systems are just Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism renamed?? Like I get it, the Protestants were terrible to Jewish and Catholic Irish immigrants and and you have a bone to pick about that. But this would have been the exact same story if you kept the anti-immigration sentiment, but removed the random references to the pope and Shabbos. It impacted the story in NO way at all, and felt like it was thrown in just to make a 'STATEMENT' about it.
If you wanted to write a book about 1920s immigration issues but with alchemy... Why did you rename everything to make it a different world setting??
If you wanted to write about a fantasy world with alchemy and political issues... Why did you copy paste our religious systems and add 'oh and everyone believes in magical foxes'?
Also how come when Trouble gets half-eaten by the hala do MARGARET AND WES HAVE A PAGES-LONG CONVERSATION INSTEAD OF STITCHING HIM UP FIRST.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC.
Pros: The use of the magic system was well-developed and blended into the storyline nicely. The characters had a lot of depth which is always nice to see in YA, with a good amount of slow burn romance.
The family trauma was heart-rending and really well-written.
Cons: What was with the world-building?? The countries and world are made-up, but the religious systems are just Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism renamed?? Like I get it, the Protestants were terrible to Jewish and Catholic Irish immigrants and and you have a bone to pick about that. But this would have been the exact same story if you kept the anti-immigration sentiment, but removed the random references to the pope and Shabbos. It impacted the story in NO way at all, and felt like it was thrown in just to make a 'STATEMENT' about it.
If you wanted to write a book about 1920s immigration issues but with alchemy... Why did you rename everything to make it a different world setting??
If you wanted to write about a fantasy world with alchemy and political issues... Why did you copy paste our religious systems and add 'oh and everyone believes in magical foxes'?
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Gore, Animal death, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual content
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