A Dark YA Fantasy with Romance, Alchemy, and Overcoming Prejudices
A Far Wilder Magic
Teen & Young Adult Dark Fantasy
Wednesday Books
March 8, 2022
ebook, hardcover, audiobook
384
A romantic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Erin A. Craig and Margaret Rogerson, about two people who find themselves competing for glory—and each other's hearts—in a magical fox hunt.
When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist—yet. He's been fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, and his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret. She begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.
Although they make an unlikely team, they soon find themselves drawn to each other. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt—if they survive that long.
In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.
“Any alchemist worth their salt considers themselves a scientist, but there’s something inexplicable about alchemy, too. Something magical. At the core of each of us, one of his first teachers said, there is a spark of divine fire.”
Including this lush cover, A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft had me intrigued as soon as I read the blurb. All of my favorite elements of storytelling have been included: fantasy, YA, romance, historical as it’s set in the era of the 1920’s, and it’s even categorized as a “Dark Fantasy”—basically I could not beg for this book hard enough.
I wanted to be immediately pulled into the story itself, but there is so much world building and character backgrounds that needed to be laid out first. All that was told needed to be there, but it did make the beginning overly heavy. Fortunately, it was broken up by the interactions between Margaret and Weston. Like oil and water, or fire and ice, these two characters share similar aspirations—wanting to be better or do better for their families, but unfortunately have fallen short time and time again. Their personalities clash. Margaret is stalwart and steady. She’s stoic, and a bit surly according to the town, and has a routine that she adheres to in her mother’s absence. Weston is a dreamer. There’s always hope on the horizon and even in his failures he perseveres. Where Weston is clumsy and clunky, Margaret is keen and cunning.
“Girls like her don’t get to dream. Girls like her get to survive. Most days, that’s enough. Today, she doesn’t think so.”
While they have different personalities, both characters are outsiders in their own way. Weston is the son of immigrants, which are looked down upon by many of the residents in the area. As an aspiring alchemist, he arrives on Margaret Welty’s doorstep seeking an apprenticeship with her renowned mother, Evelyn Welty. While her mother travels seeking a way to further her own alchemy-based aspirations, Margaret is left in a pinch, but hope shows up in the form of the mystical hala—a demiurge in the form of a fox said to be the last bit of naturally occurring alchemical magic gifted by the gods. With its presence made known, the Halfmoon Hunt begins and teams of hunters and alchemists join together to be the team to take down the magical fox.
It is during the qualification of the teams and then preparing for the Hunt itself where Weston and Margaret begin to put their own prejudices aside and realize that they are truly more similar than they realize. Both Margaret and Weston realize that they are harboring some unresolved hurt and trauma from the hardships that they had experienced in their earlier childhoods. While Margaret is reluctant to share that she has heritage of the Yu’adir, Weston uses his charm in order to offset the reaction many people have when they learn he is of Banvish descent. Both Margaret and Weston make some questionable decisions on their path to trusting each other, but all those things can be chalked up to youthful naïveté as well as relying on skills that have helped them in the past, and not necessarily using their heads or hearts.
“For so long, she has survived. Now, she wants to live.”
A Far Wilder Magic brings religious prejudices as well as anti-immigrant sentiments to the forefront of Weston and Margaret’s story in a truly meaningful way. While both are at an age to start questioning their places in the world, it makes the acknowledgement of casting aside questionable familial traditions, and even generational traumas in the wake of more modern and progressive ways a form of rebirth. Allison Saft wrote Margaret and Weston’s character storylines beautifully, and the ending was truly so satisfying.
I highly recommend reading A Far Wilder Magic. There is something truly special here in this story, and I can guarantee by the end you will have learned something about yourself while you root for Margaret and Weston during the Halfmoon Hunt. A Far Wilder Magic is available now, so don’t wait to get your very own copy!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
