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.

This was a really well written historical fiction novel with a successful multiple narrators device. The timelines wove together nicely with a thru theme, it just had too many triggering scenes and content for me. I understand why so many people liked it, just not for me.

Trigger warning: SA. Told from the perspedtive of 3 related women, we learn a family's history with witchcraft. Strong writing, couldn't put the book down.

This a strong debut, but having 3 POVs to keep track of was a bit confusing at times. Kate is running away from her abusive husband, Altha is awaiting trial for witchcraft and Violet wants to be allowed to study like her brother. Each woman has trauma and woes brought on by the men in their lives and are brought together by their family legacy despite centuries between them.

Three women in three different time periods: Altha in 1618, Violet in 1942, and Kate in 2019. Witches. Stong women, who survive the abuses and jealousies of men. Engaging story line and great characters. You can feel Weyward house and the gardens. The plot moves along well between the women's stories.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of Weyward! All opinions in this review are my own.

I have seen so much hype for Weyward that I was excited to read it! While it did take me a little while to get into the story, I ended up really enjoying it. I like the structure of the multiple timelines and how everything came together at the end. I also really like the question of witchcraft that permeated each woman's story.

Weyward would be an excellent book to read this winter and I can't wait to read more from this author!

This is a story of three women over several centuries, "only" tied to each other by being Weywards. You know you're living your life right when men call you a witch, or nowadays, a bitch. (Yes, I *do* say thank you.) This is a very strong debut featuring magical realism. I'm looking forward to seeing this author again. 4.5 stars

4.5 ⭐️s rounded up! The last 20% of this book really solidified it as a favorite read for me. I loved the multiple perspective and timelines. I felt equally connected to each woman and her story. I loved how it all came together at the end ❤️

A very unique story that twists the lives of three different women living at three very different times together.

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.

It was confusing at first, took me a while to notice that 3 of the main characters are from different generation. But it was interesting to watch their life interwoven throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book!!! I can't stop thinking about it! I think this hit a perfect combination of features for me, so I will explain and if you are anything like me, then you might love this too.

First things first, there is a lot of violence against women (including sexual assault) in this book, so a huge trigger warning for that. The perpetrators of this violence tend to only get justice in a magical way, and as some reviewers have said, this can be bleak, but I found it to be the opposite, as the women took justice into their own hands and used their own hard-won power to do so.

This book consists of three main storylines: Altha in the 1600s, Violet in the 1940s, and Kate in the present day. All three storylines were really captivating for me, and as the story goes on the characters become more and more intertwined. However, if you are not a fan of time jumps or perspective shifts (think The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or All the Light We Cannot See), then this might not be for you.

The three women were each uniquely strong, though each of their stories was filled with trauma. The relationships they built with other women were beautiful, and yes, it was even a little bit queer! Reading about how they took control of their own lives was also really empowering, in particularly Violet's story for me.

The magical realism/fantasy aspect of this story comes into play with the magic, aka witchcraft, that these women are capable of. If you are expecting a traditional witch story, then this is maybe not for you. The magic these "witches" partake in is entirely based on nature, and that brings me to my favorite part of the book:

THE NATURE! Ohhh, my heart. I felt so strongly each characters' fascination with the natural world, from plants and their healing properties, to seeing the beauty in each tiny insect. The three women possessed supernatural abilities to hear and feel the natural world around them, from the click of a spider's pincers, to the rush of the stream miles away, to the wingbeats of a crow, and this intimacy with nature is what gave them all their strength. I have never in my LIFE yearned so hard to be able to hear an insect walk or have bees and damselflies land on me whenever I go outside!!! After I finished this book I felt such a powerful urge to just go outside and climb a tree, dig in the dirt, and listen to the birds. What I wouldn't give to also have a witchy cottage with a garden in the countryside!!!

This book felt like a love story to nature and life and the resilience of womanhood and the power of seeing the beauty in small things. Would definitely recommend!!!