A review by r1vana
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

“Besides, dreams don't always have to be practical. That’s why they are dreams.  And now ours live and die together.”


Contains spoiler:

-beautiful cover but the sorry meh. Disappointing.
-I should have dnf’ed it but since I don’t like to do that, I finished it.
-the story goes in the end of 1800s and beginning of 1900s (I think)
-I hate the romance in this book. I hate when ML’s flirt with other women/girls and even kiss one of them.
-i don’t care if male leads don’t find the woman lead attractive at first. But this guy straight up said that Margaret was not beautiful. He got me flabbergasted. He not only said it once. But two/three times!
-the romance is all about sexual haze/tension. I really taught we would get to see a romance growth since it’s a fantasy…. 
-Wes was not charming and delightful character
-I wished Margaret had a backbone. She never stood up for herself whenever bullies torment or insult her. 
-the magic world was really lacking. Since the story has too much filler… it got boring at the end. 
-waiting for the plot(killing the hala) was practically non existent(like 7% of the story)


Margaret is living in a home where only her and her dog Trouble lives there. Her mother frequently goes on trips for new research discoveries… so one day when she decides to participate in the hunting game of the Hala, Wes appears on her doorstep. 
At first, she doesn’t want to do anything with him. But the more he lives in her home, the more she realizes how lonely and live less her life has been. She somewhat convinces Wes into participating with her. {reward money and glory and respect which she will gladly give all to him.} Her only reason to participate in the competition is to bring her mom home so she wouldn’t feel lonely.
Margaret hates alchemist because she has seen how it has changes her mother for the worse. 
The more both ML’s gets close the more Margaret pushes him away because she doesn’t want to get hurt when he will leave:
“They've seen each other at their most vulnerable, and now the must hear each other’s burdens.”

Wes is from the city and is born into a poor family(4 sisters and him) where his father is a deathbeat. Which push his mother on becoming the breadwinner. 
However, Wes had always had different passion and goals for his future. 
Once he heard that once you become an alchemy, you can easily get a place as a politician aka in order to overthrow New Albion's fascist government. 
He is shown flitirious guy with a lot of charm aka a virgin womanizer.He knows how to sweet talk his ways through the women. 
One day, he decides to seek out Maggie's mother as a last resort. Why? Because he got fired from all of his previous apprenticeships due to his origin and it seems to also be due to his dyslexia.

Wes sole motivation to become an alchemy is his family’s financial. Being the only son, he is stuck in this situation where he doesn’t give a F about his older sister and mother who are the breadwinner of the family and he doesn’t want to be doing any kind of manual labour that doesn’t involve alchemy… (eye rolls… I understood why his sister was so mad at him…) the double standards when this guy always pushes Margaret to not do house works and relax aka do not do stuff for him. But with his sisters??? He doesn’t say anything.


Their romance/chemistry is so stressful but sometimes:
 “She hasn't let go of his arm, but he finds he doesn't want here. The pressure of her hand anchors him in the chaos.


Love is not the sharp-edged thing she's always believed it to be. It's not like the sea, liable to sip through her fingers if she holds on too tight. It's not a currency, something to be earned or denied or bartered for. Love canbe steadfast. It can be certain and safe, or as wild as an open flame.
I's a slice of buttered bread at a dinner table. It's a grudge born of worry: It's broken skin pulled over swelling knuckles.


Tw: loss of family member(s); blood; gun violence; bullying ; anti-semantic 


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