A gothic tale of the mysteries of the Weyward women of different times. We intermittently receive the personal stories of young Altha, taught the beauty of nature from her mother and accused of an awful crime. Violet, who is so terribly living out An ill made match and harboring a painful secret. And then Kate, also bearing the burden of an abusive relationship filling her with fear and confusion.

Follow the women and watch as their lives unfold and pour into each others.

I love Hart’s storytelling and attention to the women’s plights. She breaks your heart with their experiences yet fills you with peace when the ladies begin realizing they aren’t alone.

Witch trials and nature and a family history are what prompted me to request the ARC of Weyward. It took a bit for the story to start coming together. Showing the lineage of the Weywards was interesting but the gap between 1619 and 1942 was never bridged and left me feeling a bit disappointed.

The writing was beautiful and the descriptions of everything was very vibrant and well thought out making the scenes with abuse and SA that much more gut wrenching.

There are definitely feminst undertones throughout, some a bit too strong for my taste, but this was a book about strong women learning to take on the world on their own terms. I think the story would have been just as powerful without trying to make it seem like men weren't strong enough to handle a brave independent woman.

I don't usually notate when trigger warnings should be included but I do hope they are in the published version of this book.

The scenes with Kate and Violet are very brutal and had me queasy reliving my own traumas.

All in all it was enjoyable and so interesting the way the story was woven together but I do feel as though there were quite a bit of answered questions and story lines that could have been elaborated on to flesh the story out better.

Review strictly directed at the AudioBook - The narrator for Violet sounded as though she was sick the entire time and sucking on a cough drop. The sound of her swallowing was distracting.

Thank you to Emelia Hart, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an Audio-ARC of Weyward.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the copy of this ALC.

I LOVEEEE generational stories of women, especially when it's the "new century, same story" playing out in a family. Three generations of Weyward women (2019, 1942, 1619) relate to the magic of nature, but are seen as weird and are mistreated by men. This book is a combination of historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and magical realism with some mystery thrown in. It's somehow also Emilia Hart's debut?! Incredible. This storyline flows so well through the three characters and their historical POVs and how each generation is learning from and relating to the past. I was absolutely rivited and listened to 75% in one sitting. I always LOVE a full-cast audio! Our 3 POVs are narrated by Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow, who do a fantastic job.

Read if you like:
- multiple timelines
- enjoyed reading Hester
- stories about the resilience of women
- witch trials / witchy vibes
- plants & bugs

Hauntingly Beautiful! 4/5 stars

A great read for those that love a character driven meandering plot. Beautifully written, while encapsulating the pain, frustration and resilience of the women within. It reminded me a lot of Circe.

This is by no means a cheerful book, it is dark and painful with flashes of hope but that is what makes the characters so compelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc.

The production value was amazing, the narrators were phenomenal and really brought the haunting nature of this story to life.

Weyward follows three related women in three different timelines. In 1619, Altha is being tried as a witch and a murderess; in 1942, Violet is coming of age and dealing with a controlling father trying to prevent her from turning out "like her mother; in 2019, Kate has just fled an abusive relationship. All three have Weyward blood coursing through their veins, and all three must use it in the best ways they can to save themselves.

I love love loved this book! I thought I would keep reading for Kate's story, but I ended up incredibly invested in each woman. The main characters stories were told in such a way that I never found myself confused and was able to identify each one by personality and mannerism fairly quickly, which I find impressive. The hedge witch vibes this book had were lovely, and I would read it over and over again. This is going to be a hit, I know it.

For fans of Hester, Practical Magic, and The Lost Apothecary to name a few, this will be a must read- Though I will be encouraging everyone else to read as well as it was just that good.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book ahead of its release in March 2023!

I love a good witchy novel, and this one was an intriguing blend of three different timelines. I loved how this novel accurately showed how far we've come and how much we're still the same in issues like domestic violence and judgment. I found the stories to weave together really well, and each female protagonist served as a very dynamic and interesting character.

Three stories, three women, three time periods.

Kate 2019 - When she finds out that she is pregnant, something that her abusive boyfriend wants but she doesn't, she finally makes the move to run away. With a new cell phone that he doesn't know about she leaves the home they share and moves to the cabin left to her by her distant great aunt. Once there she attempts to learn more about her family and the aunt that she'd only met once as a child.

Violet (Kate's great aunt) 1940s-2018(ish) - After her mother died when she was a child Violets father did all in his power to erase her from his childrens memory. Violet was kept secluded, but when a cousin who's fighting in the war comes to visit everything changes and she's again exciled to her mother's old cabin where she learns the secrets about her mother that her father had been hiding.

Alva (quite a few times great grandmother to Violet and Kate) - 1600- 1619 - Raised in a cabin in the woods by her mother who's a healer she was brought up close to nature. After her childhood best friend's mother died while her mother was trying to save her rumors started about them being witches. These rumors continued even after her mom's death and by 1619 she was on trial for witchcraft.

Trigger Warnings - Domestic Violence, Rape, Incest, Abortion, Miscarriage... Maybe more 🤷‍♀️

This is definitely a woman's fiction and I'm all about girl power... But, every single man in this story was utterly horrible (except maybe Kate's father who's dead🤷‍♀️) It's painted very black and white that men are awful and women are great and way too polarized for me to give more than three stars.

Much like honey drizzled into tea, Weyward takes its time. The story unravels slowly while methodically building nuanced characters and immersive atmosphere.In my opinion the book is better for it.

Weyward follows three women and spans five centuries painting an expansive look at how the world perceives and treats each. While the characters share a common thread, a deep connection to the wilderness and its inhabitants, all three stories are unique, offering engaging characters and heartbreaking trails. Delving into themes of male driven violence against women and unwavering perseverance, Weyward will break your heart while simultaneously giving you hope.

Fans of Circe, The Witch's Heart, and Wildwood Whispers will want to add this to their TBR's

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

Weyward connects three strong women through time, all of whom have that extra connection to the natural world that has labeled at least one of them as a witch. Alva, Violet and Kate are connected as members of the Weyward family. Alva is actually tried as a witch in the 1600s, Violet, although the daughter of an English peer, is treated cruelly by her father, as was her mother, also a Weyward, and Kate finds her life controlled by an abusive husband. These women don't always know why they are different, but with varying degrees of self-awareness, manage to use their powers to keep themselves from an unwanted fate.

The book takes turn presenting each woman's story in her own words. I listened to the audiobook version of Weyward, which made good use of the format by presenting each woman's story in a different accent or voice.

The story is well-written, using vivid language which represents well the settings and characters.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I liked this one a lot! Great characters, and the switching viewpoints worked well in this case and tied together nicely. Good pacing and really well written. The narrators were really good as well.

3.5 stars. Weyward follows the lives of three women over the span of five hundred years: Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942, and Kate in 2019. They are connected by blood and by circumstance, though they feel singularly alone in their own times. Kate, running from an abusive partner, goes to the cottage previously owned by her great-aunt Violet, where she discovers family secrets dating all the way back to the witch trial of Altha. Will her newfound Weyward strength be enough to help her break free of a life that is draining her of purpose and happiness?

I enjoyed this tale, though I must caution potential readers about the tremendous amount of violence toward women in this book. It more or less powers the entire story of each woman. I think the character development was excellent and the plot moves along at a steady pace. There aren't any surprising reveals, really, but the story is carefully constructed and ends tidily. Descriptions of settings and scenes are appropriately gothic; my favorite is the unnerving bug-infested mansion!

There are three narrators in the audio version that each voice one of the women, and all three are excellent! Altha's narrator is my particular favorite for her accent and inflection, but I really enjoyed all three performances.

Overall, this was an entertaining read that I would recommend. The violence may be a bit excessive for my taste, but I understand that it's sort of the point of the book and serves to strengthen the connection between the three Weyward women.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

What I liked: the magical realism. I thought it wasn't over-the-top and I liked that their magic had a connection to the natural world. It reminded me of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic books, particularly the connection of female family members. I thought how Hart connected their stories was well done.

Where it feel short for me was that it felt a little hyperbolic with the male characters. From Grace's husband to Simon, just about every male character was excessively abusive and cruel. Obviously there are men who are that abusive, but it felt like the author was hitting the reader over the head with this, and what should have been a story about female empowerment veered into "anti-men" caricatures that detracted from the book. Similarly I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the narration of Kate's portions felt so melodramatic.

Overall I'd say this was good but frustrating because I felt like it had the potential to be great.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Weyward by Emilia Hart is the witch novel of the year for me! I tend to gravitate towards witchy stories and this one was everything I needed/wanted. It felt similar to Practical Magic in the sense of following one family of witches (also even the "Good for Her" sense as well). The story was atmospheric and so well written. The multi timelines of the three different Weyward women weave together beautifully and I honestly didn't want to put it down!

The narrators, Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley and Nell Barlow did an amazing job bringing each character to life!

The entire story was absolutely magical, and I cannot recommend it enough!

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Emilia Hart. Weyward takes us into the lives of three women, each facing horrible circumstances in their own time. In 2019, Kate is trapped in an abusive relationship. In 1942, Violet is trapped in an unfulfilling well-bred upper class existence. In 1619, Altha is trapped in a dungeon awaiting a possible hanging if convicted of witchcraft. The book is told from each woman's POV and Hart weaves their stories and secrets together marvelously.

The writing is beautiful and each woman has a distinct voice. You slowly discover how the characters are connected, and what the Weyward family legacy is. I loved the combination of magical realism, mystery, historical fiction, and all the ties to nature that are explored.

I can never resist a novel with strong female protagonists who overcome adversity. I also loved the female friendships, and mother-daughter relationships that play a large role in the events of the book. It took me longer to become invested in Altha's story than those of the other women, but by the final third of the book, I was hooked. The climax of the book was more of a nailbiter than I expected, and I loved how everything wrapped up by the end.

This would be great for fans of
- the book or movie Practical Magic
- historical fiction
- entomology and botany
- witches and women's power

Loved this one. I listened to the audiobook version and right away I noticed how great all three narrators were. They each spoke with emotion and really made their character their own. In the beginning, I did struggle with knowing who was playing which character. However, I think that was a me thing and not the author’s fault. Each chapter tells you whose POV it is along with which time period but I was busy trying to multitask and always missed it. I found this wasn’t the type of book I could easily listen to while doing certain things but again that is just a me thing. This book grabbed me from the beginning and I felt invested after the first chapter. It was told in a way that built suspense across all three timelines.


I was obsessed with this one and would highly recommend it. I loved the writing, the characters, and all three settings. I don’t have anything negative to say. I hope you give this one a try and I hope you love it just like I did!


Huge thank you, for the awesome gifted promo box (shared as a reel). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm always up for a book that involves witches - this book is beautifully written and intricate as a spider's web, Weyward weaves an intergenerational tale of sorrow, love, and strength. Though separated by decades or even centuries, these three Weyward women--Altha, Violet, and Kate--are each other's heritage and legacy, and the power they each possess pays tribute to the connections between women, nature, and family

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for allowing me to listen and review this digital ARC

This had the deep, dark witchy vibes that I crave this time of year.

The characters suffered from domestic violence, which was hard to read through at times. However, the perseverance & determination to thrive despite such difficult circumstances, along with a bit of magical realism, eventually took this out of that dark place.

I could not stop listening to this! So good! Told from the perspective of three different women in the same family but of different generations, Emilia Hart's Weyward is a story of discovery and coming home to ourselves. Each character in this audio book has their own voice actor, and each is perfectly suited to their character. This story is very personal, and we are privy to details that are painful and heartbreaking. Each woman is faced with circumstances involving men who do not appreciate them and their proclivity for connecting to nature, and, as especially in the case of Kate, drive them to forget themselves almost entirely. It was written in a way that captures your attention and doesn't let go.

4 stars.

A wonderfully written, haunting story that bridges the lives of three powerful women across several centuries. Although each of them has wilfully forgotten their own power for a few years of her own life, changes force each of them to rekindle the flame burning within. Each of the three protagonists is only partially seen, until she reawakens to see herself. Ultimately, these women are powerful both in their deep ties to the natural world (that many would like to call uncanny), and in response to their own personal circumstances.

I am amazed that this is a debut novel from this author. It is very well written, with compelling, complex characters and a deep yearning for resilience. Witchy vibes within a harmful, patriarchal storyline - essentially a call-to-action for all femmes alive today. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for anything else Emilia Hart publishes.

The narration by Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow is just perfect.

So much gratitude to the publisher, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

If you are in the mood for some witchy / strong women / sisterhood vibes, you’re going to want to pick up Weyward. Emilia Hart’s debut novel straddles contemporary and historical fiction genres by following three women with the same special connection to nature in 1619, 1942 and 2019.

Hart’s writing is strong and atmospheric, as is the narration in the audiobook. I particularly liked that each character was voiced by a different narrator in the audiobook (each with a very distinct accent). The audiobook was excellent, but I suggest that you save it for when you have a chunk of time. I listened to its eleven hours in spurts over the course of a month and sometimes found it challenging to keep track of the various plot threads.

I also want to note that while this is a story about the strength of women, it is also very much about the violence committed by and the control exerted by men, so please check for trigger warnings.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance reading copy! I look forward to reading Emilia Hart’s next novel.