Quick and Dirty:⁣
-multiple timelines/POV book ⁣
-focused female ⁣
-domestic violence trigger warning⁣
-inter-generational trauma story⁣

Musings⁣
I wanted to love this book, I truly did. But something wasn't right for me. I usually adore family sagas, especially when the stories are linked as these are. But in the case of Weyward, the three storylines felt too similar. At times it felt like I was reading the same story told three different ways. I prefer a bit more variety. I also didn't care for the way men are portrayed in this book. Except for one character, none of the men in the book had any redeeming qualities. They were "the bad guy" of the story, which felt redundant in my opinion. Lastly, the book was marketed as a witchy read, but it had very little magic to speak of, leaving me disappointed and searching for my next witchy read before I even finished. On to the next book!

This story was nothing short of amazing. Now it wasn't an easy read by any stretch - this will test your resolve to read the pain of others, as much of it is on-page and graphic. But this beautiful tale of claiming your power and being who you know you are despite anything telling you differently is a one-of-a-kind story that I feel privileged to have read. We follow 3 women of the Weyward family throughout time as they navigate not only the challenges of the time period they live, but also the inherent difficultly that is being authentically yourself. The blurb tells you everything you need to know about the general plot without spoilers, but understand that this book is written in a style that is engrossing and addictive - I couldn't put it down!

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC**

Weyward by Emilia Hart is a novel set in three different time periods. In the modern day, Kate leaves London to stay at Weyward Cottage, where she learns of her past ancestors. She finds out that her great aunt had a secret, and she learns that she herself is more powerful than she realized. This was a very well-written, fascinating book, and I really enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

4 matriarchs out of 5

"Mother of beetles, only unclench your hand:
I'll fly through the candle's mouth like a singeless moth"

For generations, the Weyward women have been touched by nature; born with the gift of understanding it and its creatures, its powers.

Altha. Violet. Kate.
The bloodline of magic.

Nearly 400 years span between them, and the narrative is unchanged: there will always be a hollow, power-hungry prick who wishes to strip you of your power until you're nothing but a shell of yourself, just like them.

"We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses. No. It was not a word we ever used."

Weyward is a convincing take on modern day witches and the importance of remaining faithful to our inner voice. Emilia Hart manages to paint a tragic family line with so much grace and hope, skillfully tying these three impressive women together on what could've been an overly ambitious timeline.

I'll definitely be looking out for her next books!

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WEYWARD is a novel that spans 3 generations of Weyward women over five centuries of time. Hart's novel is rich with unspoken familiar history, of secrets kept by uncanny women, of knowledge quietly passed between generation after generation. While Kate, Altha, and Violet have vastly different life experiences, each of them are women without power in a man's world... until they find a way to take power back.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Weyward women fight the patriarchy and carve out a life for themselves. Hart expertly weaves each woman's story into the larger narrative that should be compelling enough for most readers to find it difficult to put WEYWARD down once they start reading.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful novel about 3 generations of women over coming things that are thrown their way and giving into the family strength of the Weywards and the magical abilities that come with that. It is told from Kate, who is escaping an abusive relationship and has to run to her aunts cottage to hide away from her abusive ex she is is newly pregnant and will do anything to protect her baby from the life she was living. As she is in the cottage her aunt violet lived in and the small town she learns about the life she once lived and the strange things violet was rumoured to do, as she learns more about her family history we really see her come into her strength. Than we have the story of Violet and how her life was in the early 1900s and how she always liked different things strange things and how life was turned upside down when her awful
Cousin comes into her life and does an awful thing to her. Violets mother died delivering her brother and she never knew a lot about her as no one would tell her, as she learns more about her mother and who she is she also comes into her strength. Than we have the story of there another ancestor who was alive during the witch trials and it tells the story of how she was trialed for being a witch and gives us lots of family history about the wayward. I really enjoyed all 3 stories the magical element really brought alot to it!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. I love the characters and the world Emilia brings us into. Kate is definitely my favorite character. She is the most relatable out of the three main characters. I worry for her and her safety and just want what is best for her! Violet and Altha are great characters too. The different timelines; 2019, 1942, and 1619, were intriguing. I like seeing the similarities between the women and what they have gone through, especially with fighting the patriarchy. You get to see how they are connected with each other, and their connection with nature. Emilia writes characters so beautifully, and has a great writing style. I couldn't put the book down and finished it so quickly.

I loved her descriptions of the surroundings, the characters, and her writing style. If you enjoy strong and relatable female characters and nature, you should definitely give this a read! I can't wait to read another one of her books.  

Summary:
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Author: Emilia Hart
Published Date: 3/7/2023
Pages: 336
Stars: 5 out of 5

This book was everything I adore. There’s magical realism, multiple timelines intertwining with each other, and strong females fighting the oppressive patriarchy. It was both heavy and uplifting at the same time and it’s been living rent free in my head ever since I finished.
 
I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you love magical realism and witchy vibes. I loved it so much I chose it as my March BOTM book so I could have the physical copy on my shelves. If you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary this one will be right up your alley.
 
There is some content in here that might be triggering for readers, so I definitely recommend checking out the content warnings before diving in.

Weyward is about three women, bound by blood and an affinity for the natural world. In the 1600s, Altha stands trial for witchcraft after she's accused of causing a herd of cattle to trample a farmer (who happens to be her former best friend's husband.) Violet, in 1945, chafes against the expectations of her social position and the restrictions her father and brother have placed on her freedom. She's been isolated her whole life for fear that she might become like her mother--but nobody will tell her what that means. When Kate inherits Violet's old cottage in 2019, she uses it to escape from her abusive husband.

I enjoyed a lot about this book, especially the connections between these women and the creatures around them. Kate's story felt strongest to me and I appreciated how she drew strength from the women before her. Ultimately, this isn't one that I'll remember for a long time, but I did like the writing and will read whatever's next by Emilia Hart.

4.5 stars. What barn burner of a book. Told in 3 timelines from 3 points of view, the story of the Weyward women is told and what a story it is. From Altha (1600s) to Violet (mid 20th century) to Kate (present day) this book will make you think, hate the patriarchy (or hate it more than you already do), and come to realize that the bond of women - be it a familial bond or a bond of friendship - has been something that men fear, along with the fact that women both create life and can destroy life.

A fantastic read and even more heartbreakingly inspiring when read during Women’s History Month.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy for review.

WEYWARD by Emilia Hart is a beautiful, historical, fantastical novel with elements of magical realism. It’s told through three intertwining timelines. In 1619, twenty-one-year-old Altha Weyward is her community’s healer and accused of witchcraft and murder. In 1942, sixteen-year-old Violet Ayres is stuck at home, resenting her brother Graham for his educational opportunities and freedom while wishing to know more about her deceased mother no one wants to discuss. In 2019, twenty-nine-year-old Kate Ayres learns she’s pregnant and escapes from her abusive relationship to her great aunt Violet’s Weyward cottage.

Told in short, alternating chapters, this story has great pacing and the stories intertwine beautifully, providing a teaser/overlap between storylines in each chapter. The women’s connection to nature functions as its own character – the supernatural connection between the women and animals and the lush descriptions of nature and vegetation, which the women can use to aid and protect themselves. The writing is lyrical and deep – this is not a book that you will fly through. And the story is a vehicle to discuss important themes of family connections, autonomy, and (sometimes violent) misogyny. TW for SA and DV.

Perfect for fans of Magic Lessons & Where the Crawdads Sing.

Beautifully written and handles some heavy topics with a respectful hand. My biggest issue is that of all the male characters in this book, only 3 were halfway decent and they were barely characters in their own right.

A beautiful multigenerational story of perseverance, endurance, hope & learning to fight for your right to be free
The subtle elements of magic are so brilliantly woven into the story
This was a little hard to read at the beginning as all three of the main characters are going through some seriously difficult times but the author has such a strong voice - I felt the fears, anxieties, but also the yearning & hope
This was just very beautiful and gripping
I really liked this one!

Three strong Weyward women, each finding their way against their male dominated worlds. You would think things would change from 1619 to 1942 to 2019, but women who have courage in their inherent skills and know their own hearts have always been the scorned and feared.

Emilia Hart’s writing is beautifully displayed in her descriptions of the communion of womanhood and nature. The essence of insects, plants and creatures of the world comes through in magical form (and would be great in a film).

There were definitely moments when I had a visual memory of Where the Crawdads Sing, one of my all-time favourite books.

These three generations of women are so connected and seem to be searching for each other throughout their lifetimes. The letters left behind are heart-wrenching. Belief that what you do today is magnified by what you leave for future generations is bittersweet in its portrayal, we will not see it but we have faith that someone else will someday.

A lovely book that would be great material for a women’s book group, and valuable for each member to reconcile with what their female ancestors passed on to them (good or not).

Opinions are my own, thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this advance copy.

For more thoughts, see my blog https://morethanlettersonalinetoday.blogspot.com/2023/03/weyward-book-review.html.

I loved this multi-generational tale of the Weyward women. I really enjoy stories that use witchcraft to explore the power of women and their place in society. The multiple timelines showed us how things have, and have not, changed over the years. An exceptional debut.

Weyward was such a beautiful and witchy story of strong women taking control of their lives. I really liked that the magic was simple, but very believable and effective. I loved that it was a shared history of witchcraft that got passed down only through the women and that there were really strong themes of family and motherhood. The Weyward cottage was such a wonderful refuge for all the women throughout history that needed a place where they could live and thrive. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a witchy read.

This story captivated me as you bounce through time to see three different Weyward women face struggles they must overcome. In some ways, the story unfolds as the most modern woman, Kate, learns details about her family. Along with having some seriously strong women, there is also the little detail about them being magical and entune with nature.

I enjoyed the character development, the glimpses into different time periods, and the overarching theme of connection with each other and nature.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Weyward is a slow-building, but captivating story of three different women, all fleeing some source of danger and looking to find out the truth about themselves. Emilia Hart truly did a great job tying each woman's story together to create a full, historical picture of the lives of the Weywards. The elements of "witchcraft," nature, growth, rebirth, and self discovery were beautiful.

I believe even readers who aren't the biggest fans of fantasy should give this novel a try. I typically do not read fantasy, but this grabbed my attention from the start and was a great reminder about why I need to push myself as a reader to take on books of different genres. It did take me a little longer than average to read this, but I still enjoyed it and felt intrigued by each turn within the story.

I was rooting for Kate throughout this novel, it was pretty hard not to. She was likable and I empathized with her. The story of Violet was also SO incredible, I could not believe what she endured. Her father was absolutely abhorrent as a character- what an awful man!!! And her disgusting cousin, OMG! Many women of this day and age can understand what she was up against and how she overcame it all. The justice that was served by the end of the novel was so satisfying.

As a last note: The book has a strong, memorable ending that will keep you turning the pages. Once I got about 100 pages til the end, I had a hard time putting this one down. Until that point, though, it is a little slow. Just stick with it!

Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley, as well as author Emilia Hart. Really loved this one!

Three women, connected by bloodline and magic, navigate the cruelty of the world centuries apart from each other in Weyward.

In 2019, Kate flees her abusive husband to go to her great aunt's cottage. In 1942, Violet feels trapped in her home by society while a war rages. In 1619, Althea awaits her fate as she stands on trial for murder.

Weyward is a beast of a novel, in barely over 300 pages, Emilia Hart manages to interweave the stories of three women who are separated by time and status. Primarily told through the point of view of Kate, who is the modern woman discovering her magical past, Weyward deals with both the expectations of society on women and the mysterious ways the world works. I found myself drawn in by the narrative and the way each of the women has a distinct voice.

Unfortunately, I did find that this book was slow. It took me a long time to get through my review copy. I normally am 50/50 about historical fiction and assumed that the magical aspect of the plot would keep it plunging forward for me, but there simply wasn't enough to keep my attention. While a beautifully written novel, I just don't think I am the target audience for it.

I would recommend this to fans of literary fiction and historical fiction! I feel like Weyward is incredibly well done in how it navigates three main characters while still keeping them unique and interesting. I think fans of books like Outlander (for its historical and emotional impact) would really enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Wayward weaves together the story of three strong women throughout multiple centuries. Wonderfully well-written. It feels like it has been a long time since I was so engaged in reading a novel. So good and not to be missed.