Reading A Far Wilder Magic, I smelled the gunpowder and felt the fog creeping between the redwoods as fall brought the Halfmoon Hunt to New Albion. Saft’s second novel is a captivating story of family, alchemy, and love centered around two marginalized characters who dare to compete for their dreams in a world that has never given them a chance. The romance and the hunt kept my heart racing from beginning to end. Absolutely riveting.” —Audrey Coulthurst, author of Of Ice and Shadows

Margaret can join the hunt with her excellent shooting skills but she cannot get too far with an accomplice who must be an alchemist! When Weston Winters shows up on her doorstop, Margaret Welty is home alone and has been for quite some time. Wes’ honest talk about his family situation warms her heart and she finally let him wait for her mother’s return but as soon as she realizes he has enough talent to help her join the hunt, she finally asks for his help. Innovative, romantic, and intoxicating. A Far Wilder Magic is a diamond of the YA fantasy genre, with a fresh and artfully layered world and extraordinary characters to match. This is dual narrative at its finest.” — Amanda Foody, New York Times bestselling author of Ace of Shades and All Of Us Villains A branch snaps at the tree line, loud as gunfire. Margaret whirls toward the sound, maul raised and teeth bared.An utterly transportive read, unfolding into a world of crumbling manors and ancient forests. Allison Saft crafts a deliberate, intricate romance that will have you as unmoored as the characters." — Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

Margaret is a Jewish-coded character, called Yu’adir in the book. Wes and his family are Banvish immigrants (kind of a fantasy version of Irish Catholic). Both experience racism and prejudice. however, the narrative commits one of my biggest pet peeves and it just kinda ruined my reading experience. this story has no idea what time period or place it is set in and the world-building is in absolute shambles because of it. theres a map at the beginning of the book that displays a made up land, which is great for fantasy. however, this is an urban fantasy. it takes place in the modern word with cars and phones, so how can it be a made up fantasy land? if there are cars and phones, then this cant be any earlier than the late 1880s. the clothing mentioned, societal norms, and the fact they say 25¢ is enough to buy groceries, also makes me think this is late 1880s to early 1900s. BUT! then we get mention of paramedics (thats what they call them) which isnt a term that is used until the 1950s. then it mentions a modern metallic condom wrapper, which design wasnt used until the late 1990s. so the setting is all over the place and it bugged the crap out of me. as you can tell. lol. Much like Shadow and Bone, A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft features a land consumed by anti-immigration and antisemitic thought. At its core is a tradition: a hunt for a magical beast. For anyone wanting a romantic fantasy storyline, this one is between a sharpshooter and an alchemist.” — Buzzfeed It strikes her then how out of practice they both are—and how much she misses the thrill of the hunt. Mrs. Wreford is right, in her way. There is more to life than preserving this crumbling manor, more to waste her seventeenth year on than surviving. But what Mrs. Wreford will never understand is that she’s not keeping this house for herself; it’s for Evelyn.Over time, Wes and Maggie became more drawn to each another and I loved seeing their relationship develop. From Maggie helping Wes to read, to him teasing her about the smutty books she reads, their friendship blossomed into the sweetest slow burn romance, and it felt perfect to me. Also bonus points for the “he falls first and is infatuated” trope too!

rant aside, i do think this story is a good bit of fun. readers who arent as sensitive as i am when it comes to continuity issues should enjoy this. Besides, there’s only one surefire way to kill a demiurge that she knows of. The alchemy it requires … She’d sooner die than see someone try it again.Drama abounds as the event nears and I had no idea where it was going or what was going to happen. I was completely head over heels for this team by that point though, I was ready to cut down the competition myself! Additionally, I was impressed with the different layers woven into this story. For example, there was quite a bit of commentary on discrimination against ethnic minorities and immigrants. It never felt forced, which I appreciated. It felt like a completely natural aspect of this story. This character-driven story alternates between Margaret and Wes’ POV. It’s an easy fantasy to immerse oneself in. There’s a bit of info-dumping in the beginning, but after that, it’s fairly straightforward.