I’ve seen SO MANY amazing reviews for Weyward. And then it was a finalist for BOTM BOTY. I’ve given it several tries but it’s just not for me. I think I’m just not a magical element girlie. It’s me, not you. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If there were ever a book to label spell-binding, this would be the one! Mystery meets magic in this story highlighting resiliency, introspection, and adventure between three women across four centuries. I thought Emilia did a great job with world building, especially considering the fact that this is a debut novel. Kate, Violet and Altha must all face their inner demons while deeply immersed in nature, which I is a message we can all get behind - go on a walk, go touch grass, you'll feel better I promise! The feminist undertones will also get you, offering Weyward cottage as a safe haven from overbearing men. This is a place where women are safe to explore girlhood! Also, the cover art is STUNNING!!!! (I bought a physical copy of this book because I simply had to have it on my shelf!)

Hard subject. The conjugal violence. Sometimes I felt like I was choking sometimes with the characters. The multiple years appart, the love, the hate, the magical power. I love it to much that could stop myself from buying the book. I think that the choice of word, the ambiance and the period chosen made the story more reflective.

The conjugal violence was sometimes a bit much. I had some major flashback. I knew it wasn't my situation, but when she was in the attic... I got chills all over again. Her baby, her life...

This was great! It had elements of Alice Hoffman, with the focus shifting between 3 generations of woman who are witches and how each find their voice and strength to live their life on their own terms.

So this book is told from 3 points of view. 3 different generations dealing with basically horrible men. They have a magically ability that is hard to understand that is used in some way to save them all. It wasn't a bad book just boring. I did enjoy the writing and the narrator was very good. The story was just very predictable and felt to long.

I love a book told from different points of view and also from different time periods. I loved Violet's story the best and was happy that was the main focus. The narrator did a great job and I would have given it 5 starts except for the end. I really did not like the attic scene and felt the ending of that storyline was rushed.

Wow. Wow wow wow. I rarely give 5 stars, but this one was just that good. I could not put this one down. The three storylines centered on witchery and the strength of maternal blood lines was so well-done. One of my fav reads this year.

3.75 stars, rounded up.

I really enjoyed this one! This was an enjoyable witchy, gothic, historical fiction with just a touch of magic. It was the perfect October read, giving some Halloween vibes.

I loved the multiple time lines and multiple POVs. I thought all of the main characters were developed well, I was rooting for all three of them!

I'm really glad I listened to the audiobook, the narrators did a great job! I was kind of surprised the three main characters didn't have their own narrators (there was one female and one male narrator), but the narrator did a great job distinguishing between the three.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. I’ve always enjoyed books with witches. I especially am interested in witches that went through trials.

I liked the characters and their storylines. I liked the way the author brought everything together in the end. A very enjoyable read!

I really liked the narrators. They emoted well and brought the characters to life.

Weyward by Emilia Hart is a very strong debut – a wonderful mix of historical fiction and magical realism.

Written about three women from three different time periods, Weyward threads together the lives of Violet, Altha, and Kate in an immersive and compelling way. These women are endearing characters who all experience upheaval due to ingrained patriarchal values. All three are easy characters to root for, and their resilience works to ensure their survival.

Weyward cottage offers the perfect setting which links these women across centuries. Hart’s writing style was atmospheric, captivating, and suspenseful. Weyward is an excellent witchy and gothic read. I am very excited to follow Hart’s career in the future!

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for this ARC of Weyward.

Weyward is a story about three Weyward women in different eras. Altha, in 1619, a young woman accused of witchcraft. Violet, in 1942, a young woman on the verge of adulthood. Kate, in 2019, a married, pregnant twenty-something fleeing from an abusive marriage. Though they don't personally interact, they are aware of each other's stories and find strength from the previous generation.

Weyward women have a deep connection to the natural world when they accept and embrace it. I found each story fascinating in its own right. There are heavy themes of abuse, but they find strength in their lineage. The different generations of women learn to come into their power through their travails. It was a little hard to connect with each character, but the writing was beautiful and the stories intriguing. Each perspective was perfectly narrated by Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow.

Thank you to the publishers for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Three women in different time periods who like nature are treated horribly by men. That's it, that's the book. Also, a lot of triggering content coming at readers from all sides: sexual assault, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, suicidal ideation and a lot of uncomfortable situations and I couldn't see how exactly they played into the story.

I received the audiobook version of Weyward and thought it was incredible. What makes or breaks an audiobook for me are the narrators. These narrators, one for each of the women in the different timelines, were perfect and allowed you to get pulled into the story. The narrators were Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow.

Weyward is told from the viewpoints of three women, hundreds of years apart from the same bloodline. We have Kate in 2019 fleeing from an abusive relationship to a cottage she inherited from her great-aunt Violet whom she barely knew. Violet's story is told against the backdrop of WWII in 1942. Violet wants nothing more than to have the educational opportunities and freedom that he brother enjoys but that she cannot have simply by being a woman. Their ancestor, Altha, was put on trial for the murder of a man in 1619. Sonn accusations of witchcraft are being made and Altha has to fight for her freedom.

What ties these women together is not just familial DNA, but their resilience in the face of adversity. That and a little magic. Not the kind of magic that is flashy, but the kind that comes from deep in the earth - the trees, birds, plants, and insects all playing their part in these women's lives.

In short, I loved it and I ended up buying a hard copy when it came out to keep in my permanent library.

3.75 stars

How apt to read a book about witches as autumn begins and Halloween approaches. What made this atmospheric contemporary women’s fiction shine was its historical accuracy and seamless storytelling. Add in a dash of magical realism and it was a winner for me. However, a warning should be noted as there is graphic violence that might trigger some readers.

Three timelines and three women who share one secret. 1619 - Altha Weyward is on trial for witchcraft after a farmer is trampled by his herd of cows. 1942 - Violet Ayres is 16 years old and lives an isolated life at her father’s estate. She pines for the mother who died when she was a young child and never knew. 2019 - Kate lives a small and terrifying life caught in a violent relationship she can’t escape until she inherits a cottage from the eccentric Aunt Violet she barely knew.

Each of these characters are oppressed by men and societal norms. They each are exposed to violence at some level. The timelines weave together nicely to tell the stories of each of these women and their shared family secret. There was a gothic feel to the writing and storytelling that drew me in.

I loved the magical realism aspect but wished for more. I also could have used more depth and complexity in the plot, particularly in the history of the Weywards and their ties with nature. However, there was a satisfying conclusion that merged the three characters with a healthy dose of “girl power.” The audiobook performance was gripping with the narrators playing each character to perfection and adding layers of tension and atmosphere to the overall story.

A gracious thank you to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for an audio copy of #Weyward in exchange for an honest review.

Weyward, a debut novel by Emilia Hart, is a gothic, witchy, mysterious, atmospheric tale that had me addicted to every word and not wanting the story to end.

This book has deeply buried family secrets; an old, secluded, crumbling cottage in the countryside surrounded by forest; multiple timelines; endearing, believable and root-worthy female main characters; hidden locks, doors, and diaries; entrancing tension and foreboding atmosphere; and the healing power of nature.

I've seen some pretty mixed reviews on this one. I'm still not sure where I fall.

In some regards I liked it and in others I didn't.

The narrator did a great job and I think that is why I ended up enjoying it. The timelines were much easier to follow when I had someone reading it to me, felt way easier to track.

I liked the perspectives and timelines - which I saw was a drawback for some.

Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit!

I wanted to like this book. So many of my friend's liked it. But the multiple timelines was very confusing for me. Maybe it was because I listened to it and I have a harder time keeping track of timelines in audiobooks. I may pick up this book again but in print or ebook format to try again.

This book was a wild ride. I have discovered in recent years that I love multi-generational books, especially those that follow strong, "odd duck" women. Boy, did this book deliver!

Historical fiction? CHECK!
Family/small town with dark secrets? CHECK!
Putting crappy men in their place? CHECK!
Loosely defined magic with unclear rules? CHECK!!!

This book really checks all the boxes for what I'm looking for in a "woman discovers who she really is" novel. I will ABSOLUTELY recommend this.

I enjoyed reading from all 3 women's perspectives and the switching between them was done really well. I can't say I enjoyed this book while reading it though. I did really like the writing style and the narrator did a great job telling the story from the different POV's.

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGally for a copy of this audiobook.

I absolutely LOVED Weyward. It's a story about three generations of women who must fight through the obstacles before them and find their true selves while also stepping into a special gift that connects them with nature. I listened to the Audiobook and thought the narrators did a phenomenal job of encapsulating their characters and giving them distinct voices so it was easy to understand when the story shifted.

TW: Abuse, Sexual Assault
While this book deals with heavy topics, I thought the author, Emilia Hart, did a great job at not writing the topics of abuse and sexual assault in an exploitive way. It can be hard to find books that handle these topics in a sensitive manner that doesn't just victimize the female characters for the sake of shock. However, in Weyward the women are able to create for themselves lives of peace at one with nature and their power despite the abuse they were subjected to. It's a wonderful story of empowerment that focuses on the great depth of character for each woman and her strength that helps her survive and thrive. I loved the three story lines because it helped demonstrate not only the generational trauma but how each generation carved their own path and escaped the toxic environments they were in. My favorite character was Violet and I wish that there was a spin off book that focused solely on her and her time in college and in her field of work.

This story does move rather slowly so if you're someone who doesn't mind a slow burn then this book is for you. The beginning of Weyward finds Altha on trial and Kate running from her abusive husband, however, it quickly halts once Kate arrives to the cottage. From there, we read about the fallout of Altha and Kate's timelines while Violet's begins to ramp up. I think the author tried to stagger the stories in order to keep it fast paced, but it didn't work. Ultimately, it was 80% into the book when the plot picks up and Kate must have a final "showdown" with her husband, Violet must decide her fate at the cottage, and Altha tries to save a friend. All that to say, it's not a bad book for being slow it's just not as fast paced as some readers may be looking for.

This is a book that I wish didn't end because I had grown to love the characters so much. I'll definitely be revisiting this one for a second time!