A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
This was a different and unique story full of fantasy elements mixed with a grittiness that highlights its gothic undertones. What I’m basically saying is that this book had just a little bit of everything that you would want from YA.
The setting is probably the most impactful element in this story. It really enhances the plot and the characters are simply mirrors reflecting the desperation and gloom that surrounds them. There is a constant fog and mist that seems to hover over Wickdon. The constant attention paid to the description of the environment plays right into the challenges the characters face. The storms that roll in, the colors of the sky at dawn and dusk, the chill in the air, the water lapping at the beach, and unforgiveness of the 5 miles of forest that separates the Welty manor from the town.
Saft uses the powerful imagery to create the environment where her characters will thrive. Margaret Welty, abandoned by her mother to fend for herself, has lived a very secluded and private life having learned how to provide for herself and how to trust no one. She has been judged and treated poorly for the beliefs that are associated with where her family is from and to top it off she has seen only the negative sides of alchemy at the hands of her mother.
Enter Weston Winters, a determined young man who only wants one last chance to try to achieve his dreams of becoming an alchemist so that he can make changes in the world; however, he comes from the wrong side of the tracks per se and suffers the judgements and prejudices of being an immigrant. He is viewed as less than those native to the country and who follow the beliefs of the majority, the Katharist Church.
I loved these characters. They have been beat down and have seen the hardships and challenges of being judged and mistreated and poor. But, through it all they are also overlooked and for that, they are able to come from seemingly nowhere and challenge the status quo. They thrust themselves into the limelight as the Halfmoon Hunt comes to Wickdon.
The magical aspects of this book center around the alchemy but also around this mythical white fox called the Hala. For longer than the characters have been alive the Halfmoon Hunt comes long only when the Hala shows itself in the weeks leading up to the halfmoon. The Hala can only be killed on the half moon through weapons enhanced with alchemy. People enter the hunt in pairs and pay an entrance fee, but the reward money is enough to change lives. Wes sees the money as a way to save his family - his mother and sister, Margaret sees it as a way to try to win her mother’s love.
The pair includes a hunter (Margaret) and an alchemist (Wes, even though he is not a trained alchemist at the time). Other pairs are made up of people who don’t want to see unworthy immigrants and people of lesser bloodlines win, so leading up to the hunt We and Margaret have much to face, plus the strain of a very slow burn romance.
But this whole plot is perfectly set in this gritty, cold and dark world of Wickdon. The plot wouldn’t be as tense if it was set anywhere else. The oppression and grit mirrors the gloom and the isolation of the Welty Manor. The side characters only add to the power of it all. The triangulation of these three literary elements are the perfect storm.
Jamie, Annette, Evelyn, Mrs. Wreford and even Wes’s family are all critical pieces to the puzzle. They all impact Wes and Margaret’s development. Wes projects himself as confident, selfish and oftentimes arrogant, however, he is so much more like Margaret who is full of self doubt, fear and disappointment. As the plot progresses, they face those internal issues and learn how to rely on each other to become who they truly are. They learn to beat the odds, prove themselves worthy to themselves, learn to trust, and learn the value of being vulnerable.
What I loved:
World Building
Slow Burn Romance
Multiple POVs (Wes and Margaret)
Strong female lead
Beautiful and warm writing style (even though there is a constant coldness, the writing makes you feel like you are wrapped up in a cozy blanket)
Where does this book land on my shelf?
Top shelf! I loved this book! I think that it was the perfect mix of fantasy and young adult fiction. The themes are clear and powerful and relatable to everyone. Once again, we have a story with an animal that I absolutely love - Trouble, Margaret’s hunting dog. He too is an underdog in the hunt, being older than many of the others. The magical aspects were subtle as this wasn’t a story of witches or fae. That subtlety spread throughout the entire book which created a world, an event that I really didn’t want to end. The only negative thing for me was that there was so much build up to the hunt, that once it started it was over in just a couple pages. I wish that it was just a little more drawn out and built just a little more tension and suspense.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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