A review by bookworm4tea
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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

4.5

In this story we follow two character Margaret Welty, a sharpshooting young woman who lives alone in a manor since her mom up and left to research alchemy and Weston Winters, who is a student of alchemy who keeps failing all of his apprenticeships. His last hope is going to the Welty manor and becoming Margaret's mother's apprentice but her mother isn't home. He ends up staying with her and one thing leads to the famous Halfmoon Hunt and Margarets need for a partner to prove herself to her mother and Wes' need to support his family with the winning pot of money. So they both agree to work together to kill the legendary hala in the hunt. 

Allison Saft writing seems to submerge me so deeply into her world filled with magic that it takes awhile to ground myself after I have to pause the audiobook to get back to the reality. The world she created is so fascinating and all consuming that I couldn't read any other books like I usually do to keep reading interesting. I loved the grumpy and sunshine trope we are given with the icy and serious Margaret and the flirty and energetic Weston. It was so fun to see their opposite dynamics work together as they both fight to save their families by winning the hunt that is famous in her town. I found the slow burn romance between them to be adorable and perfect as the author slowly developed the trust between them before sparking into love. I love the alchemy elements and fantasy creatures the author builds on in this story and I felt like she could write even more about the different magic that was being used. 

I loved the loving dynamic that Wes' family displays throughout the story and the way they accept Margaret into their crazy group. I don't usually enjoy religious or political centric books but this one really focuses on the loneliness and fear that comes from not belonging to the group whose power is in control at the moment. The author perfectly describes both character's anxieties and feeling of despair when their faith is brought up. I loved the building tension and the action packed scenes that filled the story from the very beginning when we meet the main characters to the very end. I enjoyed being totally immersed in this world that Allison Saft built and I can't wait to read whatever she creates next. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for the digital audiobook copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

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