A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft - Sheaf & Ink

“Richly imagined and vividly atmospheric, A Far Wilder Magic pulls on your senses. Where you taste the brine of salt on your lips, smell the pungent scent of sulfuric alchemy, and feel every prickle of unease while swathed in the burn and hunger of an epic romance.”
Sheaf & Ink

The Story

From the Publisher:

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 tht long.

My Review: A Far Wilder Magic

A Far Wilder Magic is a book that will hold you captivate. It will take you into the deep dark forest you’ve imagined from childhood and sprinkle in the magic of alchemy and a fantastical hunt like powdered sugar to an eloquently baked cake.

Completely atmospheric, Saft creates a world that feels like a third character. Where we step into a landscape and feel its crisp breath whisper across our skin, our name on its invisible lips, feeling the icy chill seep into our skin, and experience the haunting eeriness surrounding the hunt in a wild wood as memorable as the enchanted forest in Hansel and Gretel.

Further, the characters themselves are brilliantly crafted. I couldn’t decide if I was more frustrated or charmed by Margaret and Wes as it became so apparent these two were two halves of the same puzzle. Where chapter after chapter, the pieces began to slowly connect and become a much bigger and lovelier whole.

What I thoroughly enjoy about a good story is how the author paints the backstory of a characters life and brings those shades of color into the forefront. Because life is messy. It’s not a perfect image or reflection. There are jagged parts that leave scars, shallow, but often deep like fissures that we can’t sometimes see. But it’s the journey of confronting those locked up pieces we hide from view that makes this story both intimate and tender.

A Few Last Thoughts

My only concern with the book was not clearly knowing the time period. I wasn’t sure what era this was all taking place. There were elements of it being similar to the 1950’s, but felt more like the early 1900’s. But know, this doesn’t deter or derail from the enjoyment of the book.

A love story readers will be besotted over, A Far Wilder Magic is a Spring 2022 novel you should definitely keep on your radar.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

RATING: – Exceptionally Inked