Name: A Far Wilder Magic
Author: Allison Saft
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Date published: March 2022
Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance
Pages: 375
Rating: 4/5
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. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. 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. Fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.
Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it's like to be an outsider. 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.
- From Goodreads.
The story felt something like a Studio Ghibli movie, whimsical, creative and adventurous, with a bit of a darker more intense side too.
It had a unique, inventive world with a lot of details that made it feel full of depth and like a real world we were being immersed into. The way the magic worked and the history, it was all fascinating to learn about.
I would warn anyone who might be upset by it that there is animal hunting in the story. Of course I went in knowing that they were hunting the mythical fox but there is an element of normal fox hunting too. It is not a flaw of the book of course, just a part of the setting, but it is just something to be aware of.
I did enjoy the plot, although I did wonder if there was more of a twist coming and that did not end up happening, but it still ended in a satisfying way and all of the story's questions were answered by the end. I found towards the end I had a similar feeling that I did when I read Down Comes the Night, in that there was a bit of back and forth in the characters' decision making, especially with Margaret this time. It seemed like she had already come to her big revelation and the culmination of her character arc, but because the climax of the story had not happened yet she went back a step and doubted the decision she had already made until she made the decision again. It was a little frustrating to read but it was not too drawn out and it resolved well so it did not really ruin the enjoyment of the story too much for me.
I liked that Margaret and Wes had quite strong journeys of personal discovery over the course of the book. You begin thinking the story is about the hunt but it becomes about so much more than that. It also showed that they were a good fit together because they helped each other face the difficult things and brought out the best in each other. I really liked how their romance was written and how they slowly came to understand and care for each other.
This was another good book by Allison Saft and it makes me excited to read more of her work and see what other creative story ideas she comes up with.
