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A review by hownovelofher
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
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