A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft - Spoiler-Free Review

 Welcome to my first book review on The Booklore Fairy.

Short Description

When the legendary hala is spotted, the Halfmoon Hunt begins. Margaret Welty lives every day with no other goals than hunting, selling her catches, and trying to make it till her mother returns from her seemingly endless travels. When she is the first to spot the mythical beast in the woods, she yearns to be the one who slays it. Participation in the Halfmoon hunt requires one thing, a team of two, a sharpshooter, and an alchemist. Margaret is a magnificent sharpshooter but she is missing a partner. Weston Winters arrives at Welty Manor hoping to apprentice under Margaret's mother and become a full-fledged alchemist. Tempers rise, emotions flare, but a makeshift team is formed. With dark secrets at every turn, the two must overcome their differences (and attraction) as well as outside obstacles to win the hunt.

(Click here to read the official synopsis on Amazon or Goodreads)

Review

A recent read that I won't be forgetting any time soon. 

Before I start, let me just say that I adore this cover! It's a great fit for such an atmosphere-heavy story. 

A Far Wilder Magic was an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions and exhilaration. Set in a small town nestled among the woods, this is not a whimsical tale at all. Instead, it is dark and gritty, encompassing themes like grief, trauma, discrimination, religion, ostracization, and horror.

Despite these heavy themes, A Far Wilder Magic is, at its heart, the story of two individuals from very different walks of life who are brought together for a chance to achieve their dreams. I loved both Margaret and Wes, such troubled souls with their own flaws but also with their own strengths. Not to mention Margaret's shooting skills, She leaves everyone in the dust!

We follow Margaret who lives each day hunting, selling her catches, and maintaining her empty manor. She is strong, confident, and stubborn. She has no other desires for her life other than waiting for her mother to return, that is, until she spots the mythical hala. Wes on the other hand, is all dreams. A lively, compassionate, pleasant, flirty (sometimes overtly so), and troubled young man who needs to become an alchemist to achieve his dreams. Margaret and Wes don't start very pleasantly (at all), but through the course of this book, they are drawn to each other. 

I loved both characters so much (I can't say it enough!), they were the grumpy x sunshine trope personified. The juxtaposition of their dreams was fascinating, Margaret was lost in her yearning for the past, while Wes had his eyes set on a brighter future for himself and his family.

Speaking of families, the characters' relationship with their respective families is a major theme in this book. It gives you an insight into the power of just being able to communicate properly. I could write a whole paragraph about Margaret's mother, Evelyn, but that would lead us into spoiler territory, which I am trying my hardest to avoid in this review (and probably failing). However, you should just know that there are some unspeakably horrific themes in this book. 

For similar reasons, I won't speak too much about the Hunt itself, but the writing is so atmospheric that you feel like you are in the midst of all its chaos and excitement. The way Margaret and Wes put their heads together to find answers to the different issues that arose while preparing for the hunt was honestly inspiring.

The way the two grew closer to each other was a pleasure to read about, even I found their relationship swoon-worthy, and I definitely wouldn't call myself a romantic soul (although that seems to be changing even as I type this line). Trouble, an adorable bloodhound also needs to be mentioned, there were so many endearing scenes even for a cat lady like me.

This was a great slow-burn romance where ideals were challenged and changed. The way Allison Saft was able to write a cozy yet unsettling story deserves admiration. Especially the regal yet chilling way she depicted the hala. I absolutely loved how the book ended too (though I obviously won't be elaborating in this review).

The only downside was that there were a few explicit/spicy scenes that took away from my experience. I skipped these because I don't read explicit scenes. However, if that doesn't bother you you'll probably love this book even more. 

Another thing, although the main focus of the characters is on the hunt, most of the book details their preparation for the hunt rather than the event itself. So, if you were expecting to read chapter after chapter detailing an action-packed hunt, you might not get what you want. Though it didn't bother me at all, the hunt began much later on in the book than I expected, but it was still exhilarating and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. 

There was also a time when the book got a little too depressing for me, as I'm used to lighter reads, and I had to step away for a day or so, but when I picked up the story again I couldn't put it down!

Overall, it was a great experience. Especially watching Margaret and Wes discover their strengths in their quest to kill the hala and win the Halfmoon Hunt. If you like darker themes and deep, compelling, and flawed characters, this is the book for you. This is also a standalone book so if you need a break from long series, give it a go.

Rating: 4.5/5 🌟

Emoji Depiction: 💎🌲🐺

See you in my next post for our second Webtoon Wednesday, where I'll talk about a webtoon I'm reading for the first time! The Strongest Florist (as mentioned in my previous post).

The next book review you can expect to see on The Booklore Fairy is for Eva Evergreen - Semi Magical Witch by Julie Abe (and you'll read it as soon as I finish reading the book).

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