Weyward is a beautiful, tough, and engaging story about three generations of women and the pressure society places on them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This is an absolutely beautiful book that I was unable to put down. It was about a long line of women tied strongly to the natural world, who possess a strange ability to command insects and animals. The story follows three Weyward women across time periods over centuries (1600s, 1940s, modern time) as they navigate life with abusive men, and deal with deep mistrust and suspicion of their unique powers. The author described the natural world so lovingly, bringing it to life..as well as shining a light on the cruelties and injustices forced on strong women throughout the ages. Highly recommend this brilliant debut.

4.5 stars. I enjoyed the alternating view points of the three Weyward women - Kate, Altha, and Violet - as they each dealt with their own struggles as well as how the choice of one woman was connected to another. There was a great sense of symmetry between the women and their lives. Overall, very engrossing and interesting story!

This one was a little difficult to follow overall as it's not told in a linear manner at all, it has three different timelines and points of view which a first made it very confusing. Once I got settled into it and found my footing with each of the characters, it got much easier to follow and over all I loved this story. It was very different and will be one I think back to for years to come.

At first I was a little confused with story being told thru three different generations, but it grew on me. Slow starting, but developed into a good read during the last 1/4 of the story. I enjoyed the character development and was rooting for each of the characters to have a positive outcome after the troubles that they went thru in life.

Weyward by Emilia Hart was published in March 2023 and I cannot believe it took me a year to read it! I loved this book!

Weyward is told in 3 timelines/3 POVs: Altha tells her story in 1619, Violet’s story is set in 1942, and Kate’s story is set in 2019. Each woman has been abused by the men around them. And they each come of age in a very traumatic way. Yet they all emerge victorious from their struggles. Altha writes her story down and kicks it up so subsequent generations can have her wisdom.

I liked all of the storylines, some more than others. And what I also liked was that though each women is abused my the men in their lives, not all of the men are bad. Through their hurts, they also receive care from the men who surround them. And they find strength within themselves.

There is an element of naturalism that is handled so skillfully that it enhances my enjoyment of the book.

I will definitely look for more from Emilia Hart.

If you love historical fiction with a touch of magical realism, grab Weyward. You will not regret it!

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy of #weyward.

I am sick to my teeth of women only being empowered after they’ve been abused. This book took me months to read because the abuse simply carried on and on and on. Every man was the worst man you’ve ever met. I honestly dreaded picking this book up.

BUT. Once I got past how the writing tenses changed with every POV, the writing was compelling enough to make me want to see how the story ended.

I can’t say I’d necessarily recommend this to anyone, though.

I really thought I would love this one, but the many trigger warnings of abuse, rape, abortion, etc were just so much to take. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and the whole thing just left me feeling sad, really.

This book truly made me so angry I couldn't enjoy it. However, for a book with so much buzz and accolades I didn't enjoy it as much as I wish I had. The stories were compelling and I liked how they tied together. This book is super intense and heavy so definitely look up triggers/content warnings before going into it.

This was a wonderful book detailing the lives of three women across time points. All women from the same family who hold the same powers. At first, it took me a bit to get into the story, but as soon as it took off I was hooked. I loved watching the characters grow and bounce back from the various tragedies that befell them, whether it was domestic violence, a witch trial, or an innocence lost. All three women found their power and rose from their ashes.

Had me at Weyward (Pun on Wayward)

Aren’t we all rebels at heart? Name origins typically are associated with a place, trade or person’s character. What a perfect surname for a lineage of ‘wise women’ that spans multiple generations in this totally engaging triple-timeline novel of beguiling witchy women, “Weyward,” by Emilia Hart.

“…The Weyward Sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go, about, about, Thrice to thine, thrice to mine, And thrice again to make up nine. Peace, the charm’s wound up…”
From ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare

AUTHOR NOTE: “Weyward” is used in the First Folio edition of Macbeth, In later versions, “Weyward” was replaced by “Weird.” (The Weyward Sisters Vs. The Weird Sisters)

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Emilia Hart, and Publisher St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, fantasy, or magical realism, and who is interested in stories about witchcraft, nature, and female empowerment.
I think this book is a worthy addition to the genre and a remarkable debut by the author.

Went in expecting the typical persecuted witches (across a couple generations) story. And while Weyward is that, at its core, it’s also distinctly different and has some great twists on the idea. For a debut novel, Emilia Hart has done an incredible job of making sure you are drawn into the story, compelled to flip the page, and rooting for our three leading ladies.
A tough part for me, and likely won't bother too many others, is that there are a few too many bugs in this. I have a huge bugs-phobia. That said it wasn't so bad I couldn't skim the text or get over it. A couple scenes gave me some good goosebumps and the creepy crawly feeling. Thankfully I was able to get past them quick enough and didn't have to give up on the book. That said, I loved the crows!!! And I feel like if this was to become a movie, or a huge fan series, everyone would covet a crow feather (like we do the Mockingjay pin).
Overall this is a great generational trauma story. I love that our witches are clever, herbalist women, and that it really perpetuates that even today it's possible to be brought down by one powerful man; just like it was hundreds of years ago. I especially look forward to what Hart will bring us in the future. If she improves from this debut then it should be stunning!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Weyward is a historical fiction with a touch of fantasy. We follow three different Weyward women in three different time periods; Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942, and Kate in 2019. This is one book where I enjoyed each perspective equally. And I loved they ways they tied together in the end. There is a lot of (realistic) brutality in this book; please look up content/trigger warnings if you need to because these characters go through a lot.

This book didn't go the way I thought it would, but overall, it is a good book. Weyward explores the stories of 3 women of different generations and their connection to nature. The book is well-written and the story kept me intrigued from start to finish.
*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

The basic takeaway from this book? Men are terrible. This covers a lot of really difficult and heavy topics like sexual assault and domestic violence and was hard to read at times, so I'd recommend looking up content warnings beforehand if you feel like you might be triggered.

Like most historical fiction books with multiple timelines, I enjoyed the past ones a little more, but I found all three womens stories to be engaging and interesting overall. I liked all the little details that crossed over into all three stories, kind of like little easter eggs for the reader to find.

Overall, really enjoyed this one and thought it was a great debut. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Emilia Hart’s Weyward won the Goodreads Choice Award in both the historical fiction and debut novel categories in 2023, a significant feat. Over 84,000+ readers have already rated it at Goodreads. While it doesn’t especially need more attention, it had been in my NetGalley queue since last winter, and the holiday break was a good time to read it at last.

With its multiple-narrative structure, theme of female empowerment, and witchy focus, it hits multiple trends. The writing is clear, the pacing brisk, and the scenes illustrating three women’s hereditary abilities to commune with the natural world of remote Cumbria, England, are the book’s strongest aspect.

In the present day, Kate Ayres flees London and her abusive boyfriend for Weyward Cottage, which she inherited from a long-forgotten great aunt. During the WWII years, teenaged Violet Ayres, never permitted to leave the grounds of her titled father’s estate or learn anything about her late mother, takes comfort in exploring local plants and wildlife, which she has an affinity for. It’s a unique touch to have Violet take notice of the delicate beauty of bees and damselflies; she’s far from a typical young woman. And in the early 17th century, motherless Altha Weyward sits on trial, having been accused of bewitching a herd of cows into stampeding over a neighboring farmer – her former friend’s husband.

As the plot explores its three protagonists’ struggle to flex their underlying strength and wield it against the forces (men) oppressing them, it becomes a classic account of good vs. evil, presented along gender lines. Each woman endures horrific circumstances, which kept my attention in hoping they’d escape and find some measure of contentment. But over time, I became so used to assuming the male characters would be heinous that it came as a surprise when one turned out to be compassionate or heroic.

Recommended for readers who enjoy some magical gothic atmosphere with their feminist historical fiction; I just wish the nuance used to depict the Cumbrian countryside and women’s powers could have been invoked in the novel’s gender relations.

Such a gorgeous debut. This author spins three interconnected tales of women of the same bloodline but hundreds of years apart. Each section of each woman's story continually sheds light on the stories of the others as we, the reader, and the present-day MC uncover deeply buried secrets about the women in her family.

I love an intergenerational saga and this one was no different. Add in forest magic and I was all there. This is a story of three women coming into their own and exercising the inherent power they each have to protect themselves and those they love.

The author's prose is lyrical and thoughtful with the stories appearing in short bursts of light. The end was so full of hope and love. I can't wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my ARC!

Weyward ended up being one of my favorite books of 2023. I loved this book and the three different perspectives you received down the family line. This book is told with a touch of magic and family ties.

Told from alternating story lines you are immersed into the worlds of Altha from the 1600's who is being prosecuted for being a witch, Altha in the 1940's growing up in the time of war and present day as Kate flees her partner. If you like historical fiction and are interested in reading about kick butt women in a family line you will enjoy this book.

A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this. While the beginning of this title was very compelling, I felt a little bit overwhelmed by the content the further I progressed through the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. And to Libro FM for the ALC. All opinions are my own.