What a weird & beautiful book! I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started. The cover is beautiful, but I was worried it’d have lots of historical fiction elements that I’m not usually a fan of. However, I’m very happy to report while this is a little historical fiction, it’s also a tragically beautiful story of a little magic and a lot of badass women!

Mini synopsis: three women, three different time periods, three stories interwoven with magic, & three men who deserved it 😈

I went in knowing nothing about this book & I was quiet surprised to find myself loving this! Typically, I’m not a historical fiction girlie but I really enjoyed Kate, Violet, & Altha’s stories. Told thru alternating perspectives, we follow the lives of these women & how a family name connects them. I loved the little pieces each chapter gave to connect them together. Each time I was fully connected with one story, the chapter would leave on a cliffhanger, making it easy to continue reading to get back to the previous perspective. I think my favorite was Violet’s revenge & seeing Kate live her life! I also enjoyed Altha’s slow reveal of what was going on with her! So much to unpack with this!

Overall? I would def recommend if any of that sounds appealing to you & I will be keeping my eye out for future releases from this author!

Weyward was a very unique look at female oppression and empowerment through history told through a family history. I loved the alternating chapters, and found myself interested in each point of view equally, which doesn't happen often! I also loved that their problems were unique to their time periods, however the theme of their suffering was the same.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

A massive thank you to SMP and Emilia Hart for the opportunity to read and review Weyward.

Oh my goodness, this book. Most definitely a 5-star read for me. I loved it dearly. Wow.

Synopsis: Weyward follows three women: Kate, in 2019, fleeing her abusive relationship for her great-aunt's cottage which she inherited out of the blue. Violet, in 1942, confined in her home due to societal restrictions, though she longs to learn about the world and her mother. Altha, in 1619, a girl who learned the magic of the natural world from her mother, and who is on trial for witchcraft. The women's stories are strikingly parallel in more ways than one. They've been wronged by societal conventions and by the men close to them. Their connections to the natural world are frightening to others, but to the women, serve as a balm. It's a story of family, nature, magic, and the power that we discover in ourselves.

Thoughts: I loved each and every WORD of this magical book. First, the three alternating points of view and storylines were wonderful. I was immediately curious about the connections between the three women, and throughout the novel, the connection slowly became clear. I loved the author's use of parallels to tie the three women's stories together. It's a beautiful way to connect the three women's lives, their hardships, and their connections to nature. I cared deeply about all three characters. I sensed the real danger in Kate's situation, the frustration of Violet's confinement, and the heartbreak that Altha felt for Grace. The story was absolutely perfect. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys magical realism, strong female characters, multiple POVs, and DEEPLY emotional stories.

Three women in three different eras explore their power...and the consequences that come with being a powerful women in a world that views them as dangerous. An affinity to nature and a cottage named Weyward connect these witchy women across time, but will it be enough to sustain them through accusations and persecution.

WEYWARD by Emilia Hart seamlessly weaves these three stories together to form a whole that reckons with how women have faced abuse throughout the centuries. A sometimes difficult read that turns pain into something like beauty in how the characters face it.

Weyward follows three women from the same family at three separate points throughout history: In 1619 Altha is on trial after being accused of being a witch who has used her powers to murder a local man. In 1942 Violet lives under unfair standards set by her cold, distant father and tries to learn why none of the adults in her life are willing to talk about her mother. In 2019 Kate has just inherited Violet’s cottage and uses it as a place to hide after running away from her abusive husband. She spends her time there reinventing herself, looking into her family history, and deciding how she wants to handle her pregnancy.

I loved Altha, Violet, and Kate equally. I was invested in each of their stories and personalities. I think we all know the struggle of reading a book with multiple POVs and pushing through the boring ones, but that didn’t happen when I read Weyward. I had no idea where any of these women’s stories were leading, and there was always surprising new information being revealed in every timeline. I think I remember seeing some other reviewers say that they thought this book lagged in the middle, but I didn’t notice that. I thought it was consistent all the way through and very well written. My favorite thing about Weyward is that no matter how dark the women’s lives became there was always a theme of hope and empowerment. The women of the Weyward family are quirky, independent, and powerful and it was satisfying to watch each of these characters discover herself and forge her own path.

Weyward was a lot darker than I expected it to be. Each woman’s story featured a man (or multiple men) who mistreated her, and it highlights how so many of the injustices women used to face hundreds of years ago are still around. Kate and Violet both face extremely difficult circumstances surrounding their pregnancies. The author didn’t shy away from describing traumatic events (especially the abuse and sexual assault that Kate and Violet experienced). I had no problem with that, but I’m letting you know because I wish I’d known before I started it that overall this isn’t a very lighthearted read.

I recommend this book! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it stuck with me for days after I finished it.

Beautiful storytelling through multiple perspectives and timelines. This witchy, mysterious, low fantasy is packed full of female empowerment and the struggle women have faced and face living in a patriarchal world. The layered intricate plot is one I would not expect from a debut author. This was fantastic!

Weyward is a compelling intergenerational novel of female empowerment and of how far modernity has strayed from our inherent connections to the natural world. In 1619, Altha Weyward, a healer like her mother, is tried as a witch. At Orton Hall in 1942, Violet Ayres spends her time outdoors befriending spiders and flies and climbing trees, rather than behaving like a lady―until one fateful day. In 2019, Kate Ayres escapes an abusive relationship, moving north to a small cottage, central to the novel, which her great aunt left to her in her will.

Hart develops the women’s stories separately, occasionally revealing tenuous connections―a locket, a character trait, a gravestone. Historical records of the Weywards disappeared in 1619, only reappearing in 1925, but a powerful legacy survives nonetheless, handed down through the female line. The need to escape the influence of cruel men is a strong theme, developed through incidents of sexual abuse, rape, and witch-hunting, the retaliatory actions unleashing quite violent supernatural occurrences. The author delves into male apprehension of female assertiveness and fear of those who are different. Grief and loss pervade all three lives. All have an affinity to nature; all must break free of their past and harness their power with strength drawn from their lineage.

This is not a novel easily picked up and put down, partly because the stories, particularly Altha’s, are compelling. Cliffhanger chapter endings can be frustrating when a reader is juggling three independent storylines, and they aren’t necessary here. The plot drives itself, but the urge to jump ahead sometimes took me out of the story. When the three narratives unite, they illuminate an unspoken sisterhood which survives centuries. Readers of Paula Brackston, Katherine Howe and Deborah Harkness will enjoy this.

Weyward was a story that had more to it than I expected. I did read some reviews before reading this one, so I was prepared for the abuse storyline as well as the witch trial aspects. There are three timelines in Weyward, with women from the same family years apart. The oldest one is set in 1619 and is the story of Altha who is on trial for witchcraft. She is accused of using her powers to have a man killed by his stampeding herd. He is the husband of her only childhood friend, who is abused by him and treated terribly by her father. The next storyline is set in 1942 during WWII. Violet is living isolated in her family home, not allowed the same education or life that her brother has. Her mother has been dead for many years and all Violet has to remember her is a locket with a "W" and the word "Weyward" scratched into the baseboard in her room. Why won't anyone tell her about her mother? the final timeline is from 2019 where we meet Kate, a woman fleeing an abusive relationship. She is pregnant, but does not want the father to know. She has been left a ramshackle cottage by her great-aunt and decides this will be a good place to hide. The cottage, known as Weyward Cottage, is the key to secrets from the past.

Weyward is a book that I enjoyed more than I expected based on some of the previous reviews I had read. It is told by three brave, resilient women, who were all all victimized, oppressed, and controlled by men in different ways. The book alternates between these point of views, yet is meshes together well. These women are all dealing with different issues, but are able to draw strength from the women who went before them as well as nature and the world around them. I don't want to give anymore away, but I will say that although revenge was not the motive of these women, it is bittersweet. Weyward is a mix of genres, with women's fiction coming to mind first. It is the story of these three women who rise above their "station" and become stronger. There is a touch of magical realism and supernatural in the story, as well as some historical fiction. I recommend you read this one, especially if you enjoy books where women grow, become stronger and are resilient, giving the men what they deserve.

A gripping, spellbinding, and powerfully moving tale of three gifted women connected across time.

Emilia Hart's debut novel Weyward takes the reader on an enthralling journey back and forth across time to follow the stories of three extraordinary women. In 1619, Altha has been arrested and thrown into a dungeon to await trial for witchcraft. Four hundred years later, in 2019, Kate is trapped in an abusive relationship, from which she plans to escape. Centuries after Altha and decades before Kate, sixteen-year-old Violet lives a secluded life in a manor house in the north of England in 1942, with her strict father and younger brother Graham. Violet's special affinity with insects, birds and other animals, and her deeply felt connection to nature, lead the servants to see her as "uncanny" and "strange," and we gradually learn that all three women share these same gifts.

As the narrative unfolds, the connections between the three protagonists deepen, each of their stories a compelling, riveting, and at times nail-bitingly tense tale of being forced to endure, survive, and ultimately overcome misogyny and male violence in their respective eras. Some of the acts of violence against women in the book are graphically described and can be extremely triggering and distressing. Domestic violence, rape, abortion, still births, disease, and violent death are all integral parts of the plot that should come with content warnings.

It could be argued that, by containing elements of magical realism, the novel's underlying theme of female empowerment is diluted; after all, women in the real world do not possess the gifts of the Weyward women. However, the magical elements so beautifully evoked and eloquently rendered do not diminish what is ultimately a story or, rather, three stories, of strength and courage in the face of danger and adversity; stories of healing, stories of recovery, and ultimately stories of survival. Despite all attempts by men throughout the ages to oppress women and suppress their stories—as exemplified by a number of the male characters in this book—women and their legacies endure and thrive.

Switching from one story to another with each chapter, Hart successfully immerses the reader in the time periods of the three tales with her vivid, atmospheric descriptions and empathetic, insightful depictions. Between each era and character there is a subtle but evident tonal shift, highlighting their differences, moving effortlessly between time periods, and distinguishing each of the women's distinct and immensely sympathetic personalities. All three plots are captivating, subtly intersecting and overlapping as the three women uncover hidden truths about other women in their family and, thus, about themselves, and turning the latter part of the novel into a thrilling page-turner by ramping up the tension and finally coming together in hinted-at revelations towards the end. Weyward Cottage is the common denominator for the women and almost becomes a character in its own right. It is the link which connects the women across the generations, the place from where the threads of all their stories begin and to which they all finally return; it is woven at last into a meaningful whole tapestry, shaded with the melancholy of the past but also bright with hope for the future.

One of the most successful aspects of the book is its depiction of the Weyward women's mystical connection to the natural world. Their magical ability to communicate with animals and harness the power of nature comes across with poignant and delicate sensitivity, skillfully avoiding any potential magic-women-at-harmony-with-nature clichés. Throughout the book, the women's affinity with nature, particularly with birds and insects, provides an understated contrast between how brutally and cruelly they are treated by a male-dominated human world, and how kindly and protectively they are treated by the natural world. Weyward is an intelligent, hard-hitting, mesmerizing novel marking the auspicious debut of a talented writer and storyteller.

With beautiful writing, intricate characters, an immersive atmosphere and lovely pacing, Emilia Hart weaves together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries. Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

While the characters share a common thread, a deep connection to the wilderness and its inhabitants, all three stories are unique. All the women were strong, all had to deal with the expectations put on females at the time in which they lived, all had men trying to excerpt their power over them.

"Perhaps one day, she said, there would be a safer time. When women could walk the earth, shining bright with power, and yet live."

Run out and grab a copy today. You won't regret it.

I enjoyed this book, and do carry it at my store. I found the story intriguing and medium paced. This book does need trigger warnings at the beginning of it. I find myself providing them to customers when they pick it up.

Weyward is the story of three women living in present day, the 1940s, and the 1600s. Each of these women are from the Weyward line and have a strange affinity with nature, particularly manifesting with insects. Kate, the present day character, leaves her abusive husband and goes to the cottage that she inherited from her great aunt. There, she starts to find out about her ancestors. I love a good multi-generational and undefined magic story and looked forward to reading this one! Also, the cover art totally drew me in. Who can say no to crows and mushrooms??

My worries started when the first chapter depicted a domestic abuse scene with almost supervillain dialogue. Uh oh... surely this won't be the whole book, right? Right??

Wrong. The sexual assault and clunky dialogue is here to stay. The main plot of this book very much surrounds abusive men and pregnancies conceived from rape. Many of these scenes are also described in some detail. Eek. Not exactly something that I looked forward to reading. I VERY MUCH caution people who may be upset by this content to consider whether they want to read it.

I also found Kate, the present day character, very frustrating. Some of her decisions were baffling to me. This book picked up at the end for me, but I don't think that the threads came together as nicely as they could have. The "magic" was barely explored in most of the characters and I wanted to know more! I think I'm more frustrated with this book than others because it could have been something that I really enjoyed. I feel like all of the pieces were there, but it just didn't work for me in practice.

Overall, this book was a miss for me. HUGE trigger warnings for sexual assault, violence, and pregnancy loss. 2.75 stars from me rounded up to 3. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

What a great book about three different generations of women and the secret that holds them all together. I loved the different characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

'm so late in writing this review but finally, here it goes.

Three women. Three mistreated women are all linked by their resilience and ability to learn to survive in a world that is not friendly to them.

in 1619, Altha Weyward is a teenager. Her mother has passed, she doesn't know her father and she is fighting for her life. She has been accused of witchcraft and killing a neighbor with her powers. How is she able to endure it?

In 1942, Violet Ayres wants more than what she was allowed. She craves knowledge. She wishes she could be like her brother and be able to learn what he is. Yet, she is told that marriage and having kids is her only purpose. Her father is unyielding and her mother has passed, rumored to have gone crazy. Then two things happen, one involving finding out about the Weywards' past, the other one, a traumatizing event that will change her future.

in 2019, Kate Ayres is running away from his abusive partner. She runs to Weyward Cottage, a place she inherited from her great-aunt Violet. Little by little, she wants to know more about her great-aunt and her ancestors. What she learns baffles her but at the same time, it empowers her.

Great writing combined with a realistic atmospheric setting made Weyward a winning novel for me. I liked all 3 women and was hoping for a good outcome for all of them. The narrators, Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow only augmented the experience.

This was a buddy read with Melissa and Terrie.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off: when I read “adult” books I tend to err on the side of “no’s” for my class recommendations just because I don’t think they’d appeal to the masses of my students, but I always have a few that I would recommend them to. This one falls under the “if they like a hodgepodge story”.

Personally, I felt like this story was overly ambitious. 3 timelines, alternating perspectives, gothic, magical realism. I felt that it tried and did okay at everything, but again, maybe a bit too ambitious.

Before reading the plot summary, I was excited to read this one based on the cover art alone. After reading the summary my excitement grew because I love a good feminist tale. But this book is nothing more than pages and pages of trauma. Although I completely understand that the history of women's pursuit of equality is chock full of trauma, this book feels like it simply collected all of the trauma and then used the strength women show in the face of that trauma as proof that women can persevere. This is true, but it's hardly what I look for when I am sold a tale that shows the power and tenacity of women. These women, at three points in history, were extraordinary but ordinary women dealing with the drama and intolerance of their times. Did they make the best of it? Sure. But there was no change brought about by their struggle. This book is a snapshot, and I wanted a foundation shake.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy! - This was a very intricate story and I loved the multigenerational/ multiple timelines narration.
I also loved the strong female characters, all fighting a different fight, and all so that their daughters would see a better life after them.

I don't tend to read a lot of books billed as "gothic" because I find them gloomy (I know, they're supposed to be that way) and even sometimes formulaic. I wanted to be excited by this one because I do love magical realism books. I especially loved the cover. It was perfect and portrays what the book is about, in part.

I love dual-timeline books, and this one was a triple-timeline. I was really excited about that. Different generations of the same family in different time periods.

I really wanted to love it, but it just felt like nothing happened in the book. Of course it did, a lot of things happened! I was just never really excited about much of it, and guessed part of the last third of the book. I wasn't really rooting for Kate. I finished the book mostly to get over it. It cements for me that I have to be more careful with "gothic" books. That being said, if the author were to write a book that was a different genre, I'd happily read it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.
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THis books weaves the stories of three women. They are all Weyward's yet they don't know each other. This spans across decades and they all experience many things the same. It was a great story.

Weyward tried to be a lot of different things (historical fiction, magical realism, multi-generational, different point of views), but in my opinion, it didn't do anything super well. I really enjoyed the writing style, but I wanted more explanation around the natural "powers" that these women had. I needed more clarification behind what the point of the story was -- was this a story about three women who dealt with rough times or was it about three women who could use nature and animals to their will? If you're a fan of "The Lost Apothecary," I'd give this one a try!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!