Thank you to Emelia Hart, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy of WEYWARD.

Weyward is a story about three generations of women, the earlier two of which must contend with accusations of whichcraft. The most modern, Violet, has married a very abusive man and finds herself pregnant with his child. She wants to prevent new life from coming into his family, so she's always prevented her pregnancy. But now that she's pregnant, she's looking for a way out, and soon finds help from a very old and unexpected place.

This book's has good basic characters, and a good, if basic plot. The form is quite beautiful...but I had problems with it.

I'm a giant fan of experimental form, especially one that plays around with time. I thought that the concept for this book was ambitious, but a little clumsy. I really struggled to follow in places--mostly because the story kept wrenching free of progressive time--but the plot ultimately was still married to it. The reader exists with Violet, in the <i>present</i> Whatever safety that offers the reader from the story stakes, it also raises them--there is no escape into the past. It's a clever but still clumsy construction.

I had to backtrack several times in my reading because I felt a rickety ladder beneath me, and Hart just above, cobbling it together fast and loose. When I finished, I wondered why I didn't care about any of these characters? It was for the same reason I kept having to backtrack and reread when one section would switch to the next. Nothing was connecting for me.

Rating 🧪🧪.5 / 5 weird potions
Recommend? Meh🤷‍♀️
Read this book if you like:
🧙‍♀️ Witches
🌿 Herbalism
👥️ Multiple perspectives
⌚️ Alternating time lines
🗣 Domestic thrillers

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I switched back and forth from the audio version and written version of this book.
This book is absolutely amazing. I could not stop listening or put it down. Finished it in less than two days.
The author did a great job developing the three main women in this book and their history. I liked all of the main female characters and of course disliked the men.
The ending with Kate was perfect.
Awesome book. Look forward to more from this author.

#Weyward# by: Emilia Hart
Review by: Librarian

Weyward is the generational story of a line of women with unique powers beginning in the 1600's with a young woman arrested for suspected witchcraft. The women have power over the insect, and fowl (birds) world, summoning these powers to change events in their lives and in the lives of others. The different women in the different time periods find themselves in abusive and destructive relationships forcing them to delve into their somewhat dormant powers to right wrongs in their lives and sometimes in the lives of others they care about. Often the power is used for revenge. This breed of women is basically antisocial and prefers living alone with their bugs and birds. The story is more fantasy than mystery. I confess I found the book tiring but struggled to read to the end since I elected to give it an honest review. The ending was predictable.

This novel follows three Weyward women from different generations: Altha, on trial for witchcraft in 1619, Violet, growing up motherless in 1942, and Kate, facing an uncertain future in 2019. Alternating between the women, Hart crafts three compelling stories of three women connected through time by genes and an uncanny affinity for nature. All three women face the evils of men and rely on a special gift to overcome.

I found all three storylines compelling and enjoyable which in itself is a great feat of writing. I loved the suspense created by interweaving the storylines. I found the magical component surprising and welcome.

The writing was great, I found myself lost in the story with characters that felt real and human. I think this will be a favorite for many readers in 2023.

A story of the power of three women told in alternating timelines of 2019, 1619 and 1942.

Kate flees an abusive marriage in London for a ramshackle cottage in the country that she recently inherited from a great aunt she barely knew. The cottage leads to more secrets about her ancestors. Althea is awaiting trial for witchcraft after a local farmer is stampeded. Her knowledge of the natural world, taught to her by her mother, leads the citizens to believe she’s a witch. During World War II, Violet is trapped by societal expectations in her family’s crumbling estate. Hoping to learn more about her deceased mother, she begins with the locket handed down from her with the letter W.

Emilia Hart’s Weyward connects history, science and the resilience of strong women in a beautiful story spanning centuries. Part historical fiction, part nature and part magic equals a story to lose yourself in. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!! The story of a line of women, hundreds of years spanned. I loved finding the connections between them and their abilities and seeing them all come to their own realizations. I especially loved how the relationship between Violet and Graham took shape. Would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in empowering women's fiction, historical fiction and a hint of witchcraft!

I loved everything about this book, from the cover to the name to the story itself. Weyward… a name or a description. The book tells three stories simultaneously of three extraordinary women from the same family. Altha is being tried as a witch in 1619. Violet is a nobleman’s daughter harbors her own secret. Kate, in present time, flees an abusive partner with a secret of her own. The women are all connected through blood, through history. Weyward is the cottage Kate runs to. Weyward is the name and locket Violet clings to. Weyward is the name Altha wears with pride and fear.

Such an amazing story of female strength and resilience. I could read it again and again, imagining the ethereal cottage and gardens, the beauty in the fierceness these women possess.

This book is a reminder that the choices we make send out waves and ripples that will become part of the psyche of future generations. The Weyward women are strong, fiercely independent, and do not fit society’s standards and expectations. Through the stories of three of these women, across hundreds of years, we see and are reminded of the battle we face daily to retain our identity in a world that tells us our magic, whatever that might be, is a threat to people who hold power.

I really enjoyed this spooky, charming story. It's not really a mystery or a thriller, but a multi-layered domestic suspense with a hint of magical realism and a trio of interlocking narratives. I found Altha's timeline the most riveting, but enjoyed Violet and Kate's stories, too. All in all a lovely read. And that cover! 😍

Emilia Hart weaves three women’s stories from different periods of time together in a heartwarming way in which these women help each other overcome obstacles. I absolutely LOVED this book. It had witches and magic but also very real life struggles.

I felt that all the strings were tied up nicely by the end. I think I felt every emotion possible during this book but was left with a warm fuzzy feeling by the end.

I absolutely would recommend this to all of my friends and this book makes the exclusive list of books I’ve read and immediately knew I needed to send a copy to my grandma for her to read too. (Or pre-order for her in this case.)

Weyward. A GORGEOUS story of three women, their connection to the natural world and eachother.

Hart beautifully depicts magic and life in a tale that weaves the lives of these 3 incredible women together. The characters are so well written, they are dynamic and profound. There is intricate symbolism, imagery and world building and they are all tied together effortlessly. 3 stories interwoven seamlessly, no small feat.

Thank you NetGalley for this stunning ARC, I can’t wait to see what else Emilia Hart writes in the future.

In 2019 Kate Beck escapes an abusive relationship and flees to the English countryside. She arrives at a cottage that she inherited from her great-aunt Violet. At Weyward cottage Kate discovers a long held secret about the women in her family. A secret that begin in 1619 when Kate’s ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft.

Weyward tells the story of the three Weyward women that spans across five centuries. The story alternates between Kate’s, Violet’s, and Altha’s points of view in alternating timelines.

Weyward is a slow build character driven story. It Is a blend of women’s fiction, historical fiction, and magical realism. The beginning introduces us to each of the three women and the pace quickens as the story progresses. It took me a bit to get into this one but once I did, I could not put it down. I found each of the three women and their backstories to be absolutely captivating.

Weyward tells of how historically (and in modern times) women have had little control over their bodies, decisions, and lives. The story epitomizes the inner strength that we as women have and how resilient we are during impossible times. Emilia Hart did an excellent job crafting her debut novel and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her!

An interesting but of knowledge that I learned in the forward of this book is that the term “weyward” was used in the first folio edition of Macbeth. In later versions, “weyward” was replaces by “weird.”

Weyward will be available on March 7, 2023. Many thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really love a story with multiple narrators and multiple timelines. Emilia Hart weaves a tale of the Weyward’s and their fight to truly be themselves, in a world that wants the opposite.

Weyward by Emilia Hart is the story of three women connected over time. In particular the series focuses on the 1600s, 1940s and present day.

Each woman is fully fleshed out and much detail is put into establishing their thoughts, beliefs and who they are deep down. They are connected by nature and by life experiences although it is fully explored over the pages and slowly revealed. The story could be a bit slow but I enjoyed all the details.

My main issue with the story is the trial and wording of the 1600s time frame doesn’t seem accurate, and that took me out of the action because it was too current sounding.

But otherwise I highly recommend this lovely book!

A very spellbound novel about a family of witches told by three women in the Weyward family. I loved how the three characters felt like real people and had fascinating stories to tell. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of how when one of the characters' stories was getting really interesting the next chapter would switch characters. For me, that made it a little harder to follow along but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Maritn's Press for this ARC.

This is a fascinating story told from three different points of view at different times in history. It blends together the stories and family secrets of the Weyward women who were healers, nature lovers, and sometimes called witches. Weyward had me spellbound from the very first page. Thanks to author Emilia Hart, St. Martin's Press, and Net Galley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Weyward is a novel told through the timeline of three different women in the Weyward family. It is historical fiction and magical realism at its finest. It touches on the ideas of the overbearing patriarchy as well as the oppression of women, beginning in the 1600s all the way up until modern times. This was definitely a perfect fall book as it includes witchcraft and just has fall vibes to it. The cover was gorgeous and what initially drew me to this book before reading the synopsis. It was an excellent read.

The Weyward woman have not had easy lives. In the 1600s, Altha Weyward is accused of being a witch. In the 1940s, Violet is basically hidden away because of some secret about her mother. When a man starts to pay her attention…well, it doesn’t end well. And in the present day, Kate is escaping an abusive relationship.

But they all have a gift: they can connect with the natural world. While that gift makes them outcasts (and gets them in trouble), it also makes them stronger.

When Kate inherits her great aunt Violet’s cottage, she starts to learn secrets about the women who came before her and starts plotting a path to her own future.

I liked the balance struck in this book: Yes, these women had gifts, but those gifts did not make up their entire identities. The gifts only enhanced who they were.

The flow of the storytelling was lovely and I was interested in all three characters. I also appreciated that Altha, Violet, and Kate weren’t from three successive generations. Instead, we saw how some things don’t fully change (the treatment of women) even 400 years later.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

I’m a fan of witchy books, and elemental magic is the core of this one. (“Weyward” meaning “weird.”) The book starts in 1619 with a witch trial and ends in 2019 with a character uncovering the history of some of the women in her family. Witchy books have become popular in the last few years. But this one was not, to me, the most surprising or unique book in this genre. Some of the family secrets uncovered by the contemporary character are obvious and advertised a little too heavily early on; the author could use a little more subtlety. The historical plots were also much more interesting; I may have preferred an entire book just about them without the contemporary plot.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. This was a very fun read! Great mix of magical realism and historic.

5 stars.