In an isolated manor on the edge of town, sharpshooter Margaret Welty lives alone and yearns for the day her mother will return. When she spots the legendary Hala in the woods one evening, she knows that the annual Halfmoon Hunt is about to commence. Last in a line of mythical beings, whosoever kills the Hala will unlock its power, giving way to riches and knowledge unimaginable. Despite the fact that her mother is long gone, winning the hunt may be exactly what Margaret needs to bring her home. The only problem: she appears to be short a partner and only teams of two can register. What she needs is an alchemist. Her wish is granted when Weston Winters appears on her doorstep, requesting an apprenticeship with her absent mother. Although they appear an unlikely pairing and he came there for different reasons, Wes is the answer Margaret has been looking for. As the hunt looms closer, the walls begin to close in, and catching the Hala may not be a matter of their intellectual prowess, but their own survival.
A Far Wilder Magic is a heart-pounding and visceral exploration of belonging and loneliness, amidst a search for the answers inside one’s heart. Following the hit that was Saft’s debut novel Down Comes The Night, I had no doubt in my mind that her sophomore novel would deliver just as much tenderness and longing as before. Full of words that drown you in their depths and an evocative fantasy atmosphere, Allison Saft has ruined me for life. This book has it all: a mysterious manor on the edge of town, conversations in a moonlit wood, and a hunt for an ancient being of great power. Few books have I ever read that felt so comforting and familiar all at once without reading very far in, as this one did. Saft’s capacity for storytelling is truly unlike anything I have ever known, seemingly effortless, yet intimate and magical at its heart. She crafts scenes that peer deep into the soul, teeming with all the yearning required to leave me an emotional wreck. The elusive Halfmoon Hunt anchored in the story suspends like a thread above the heads of the characters for a majority of the novel creating a relationship-driven internal journey, unlike anything that I was expecting. As the plot unveils, the most heartwarming romance between Margaret and Wes is brought into focus. Both outsiders in their own way, the two become closer as the hunt goes on and they are called to lean on one another more than they ever expected. The individual struggles were incredibly poignant, with Wes wanting to live and not just exist, and Margaret trying to escape the loneliness and entrapment of her family’s past. The added slow burn between them was simply exquisite and their all-encompassing love threatened to ruin me completely. Full of alchemy, myth, desperation, and sheer romance Allison Saft has created an uplifting novel that remakes the soul. Cemented in belonging, love, and the creation of a life you never thought possible.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.
Trigger Warning: blood, gore, emotional abuse, neglect, antisemitism, xenophobia, nationalism, animal death and injury, ableism, parental death (mentioned), PTSD
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