“Witch. The word slithers from the mouth like a serpent, drips from the tongue as thick and black as tar. 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 that speak it, not those that it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses.” –Altha Weyward

Wayward by Emilia Hart is the story of three women during a span of over three hundred years who possess a powerful connection to the natural world that many would label as witchcraft. It is at a trial for this very “crime” that we meet Altha Weyward in the 1600s, awaiting her fate in the bowels of a castle in Lancashire, England. Her story is one strand in the brilliant braid of two other Weyward ancestors, Violet in the 1940s and Kate in the 2010s. We meet Violet as a teenager with a controlling father and a mysteriously deceased mother, whom she longs to know and understand. The third strand, Kate, is the great niece of Violet who is escaping an abusive relationship in London and flees to Weyward Cottage, in the remote village of Crows Beck, Cumbria. In the cottage, Kate begins to unlock the secrets of her great aunt and her female line back to Altha, hundreds of years ago.
These three women are connected by blood and a supernatural power that resides within them, waiting to be recognized and released. Each storyline vibrates with vibrant descriptions of nature: the birds, insects and vegetation that aid and protect the Weyward women. As Kate explains, “I had nature in my heart, like she did, and her mother before her. There was something about us – the Weyward women – that bonded us more tightly with the natural world. We can feel it, she said, the same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy.”

There is a pronounced feminist flavor to this work, and all but one of the male characters are horrible human beings. However, it does not come off as preachy or over-the-top, but instead induces an appreciation for the bonds of female connection and the empowerment that flows from this bond. Hart aptly wraps up her tale with a quote from poet Adrienne Rich that sums up this theme, “The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.” Sexual encounters and the condition of pregnancy, both wanted and dreaded, is also a heavy presence in the novel and results in the most disturbing scenes, but again these painful moments feel necessary in conveying a deeper truth rather than morbid curiosity. In short, I could not find fault with this story, even though at times it was hard to read.

As this is Hart’s debut novel, I finished it not only with the satisfaction that brilliant writing brings, but also in great anticipation of reading more of this talented author’s work. On the subject of talent, I listened to the audio version of Weward, read by Nell Barlow, Aysha Kala, and Helen Keeley. These three voices were perfect in pitch and dialect; different enough to come from their respective times and regions but all beautiful in the rendering.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wanted to love the interior of this book as much as I loved it’s’ exterior. I may have enjoyed Weyward more if I read it as opposed to listening. I kept getting lost in the story and POVs and had to rewind the audiobook frequently. I appreciate the audiobook copy from NetGalley. Given my contrary opinion, I’ll be reading this book in the physical form for a comparison review. A good story about magical realism, witchcraft, personal animal connections is a big draw for me.

I listened to this audiobook, and it was an excellent narration. The pace was quick but easy to follow and the narrators did a great job of making it possible to tell which character was telling their story at that moment.

A tale of three different women from 3 different centuries each telling their own magical stories. I loved each of the story lines and I also loved how they all intertwined by the end. A bit of witchcraft and vengeance with a bit of power over nature was really intriguing to me. There were some difficult scenes to read though with r*pe, domestic abuse and pregnancy loss that could make this difficult for some to read. I however enjoyed the story very much.

This is a wonderful and delightful story that is one of my favorite's stories so far this year. I would definitely read another book by this same author.

🐝𝓦𝓔𝓨𝓦𝓐𝓡𝓓🪰

Thank you @stmartinspress for sending me this amazing book package! You guys are so awesome!

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒕.”

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Women’s Fiction
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: Nature, witchcraft & magical realism
𝐏𝐮𝐛. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: March 7th, 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.26 stars

And one more quote that encompasses the book beautifully:

"A brave and original debut, Weyward is a spellbinding story about what may transpire when the natural world collides with a legacy of witchcraft." ––Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

The only thing I will mention is that this is a slower novel, one to savor and not speed through!

Ps. If you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, I would highly recommend this one! Weyward felt very similar in writing style🖤

Thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for the digital copy. 
This book came highly recommended to me by a friend who enjoys empowering women storytelling as much as I do. The book also holds some modern realism with a twist. I found the book enjoyable but do struggle at times  with the three characters and three different time lines. These three women go through some tough times and I enjoyed the ride they took us on.

The three women, Altha, Violet and Kate have a secret that binds them together across the decades. The story is compelling and grabbed my interest right away. I was invested in the three women's stories from the start and enjoyed the parallel stories.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to listen to and review this ARC.

Title: Weyward
By: Emilia Hart

Excerpt:
“Fiction became a friend as well as a safe harbor, a cocoon to protect her from the outside world and its dangers.”

Genre:
Fantasy/ Magic, Women's History

Red Flags:
Rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, abortion and feminine dominance
(Some of these situations were graphic in nature.)

Summary:
Three women, three stories.
This novel has three points of view.

In 1619, a farmer is charged by his herd of cattle and killed, however, Altha, who calls herself a healer is on trial for his murder. Altha has learned how to use the natural earth to cast spells on people. Now she must use her deep rooted knowledge to escape the life set before her.

In 1942, Violet desires to leave her broken down estate for a better life, but with WWII raging her hope is diminishing. She wants a brighter well educated life, she longs to be scientist and travel the world. Violet hears the rumors of her mother, a lost connection of a woman who was crazy. She discovers a locket with a W on it and wonders what it means…

In 2019, Kate narrowly escapes her abusive husband and relocates to a cottage in hiding. She has recently discovered she is pregnant, and wants to start a different life for the sake of her baby. While living in hiding, Kate begins to discover pieces of her past and the history behind the Weyward women.

Review:
I had a really strong desire to read this novel, but it fell short for me on a few levels. The transitions between points of view were not as smooth as I had hoped, I found myself constantly reminding myself of who was who. I was listening to the Audiobook and I think the narration wasn’t up to par for three different points of view. I STONGLY agree that this novel needed trigger warnings. Personally, I am particular in my novel selections. Had I known it dealt with the above mentioned red flags, I would have passed on the opportunity to review it. The novel has a heavy undertone of negative male characters, and a very strong theme of women dominance. This storyline is mystical calling on the earth and nature to cure or put spells on characters. If you enjoy fantasy, and the above mentioned red flags don't bother you, you will enjoy this novel.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#netgalley
#reluctantreaderreads

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for providing this audiobook to me for review! This beautiful book is a fantastic story that threads together three women of the same family in different times in history. I love a multiple POV especially when it spans into different centuries! In this story the family of Weyward gives birth to women who have a communion with nature, especially with insects, birds, and beasts. These creatures of the natural world seem to cling to, flock to, and at times, even protect the lives of the Weyward women. This story gives three female pov’s : Altha 1619, Violet 1942, and Kate 2019. Each of these women have the gift with nature and each use it to protect, defend and heal other women around them. The stories merge in a way as Altha sets the stage for the knowledge of how nature can rise up and protect its own, how women can protect themselves, and each other. I especially enjoyed how each subsequent family member learned from the last by secret writings left in their family cottage to be read hundreds of years later. I love how emotionally wise these women were, and how strong they were. I am torn to say which Weyward woman was my favorite ❤️ they all were so interesting and witchy in a natural seamless manner. They didn’t make spells by incantation nor make voodoo dolls, but they did have the power of discernment and of nature and as I said, nature takes care of its own! At the end of the audiobook (which was done fabulously) there is a quote, from an American poet Adrienne Rich, “The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.”
@emiliahartbooks you did display this truth so beautifully in this wonderful story! I’ll be giving this 5 stars and highly recommend to you all. A lovely story of female strength and solidarity, of the power of the natural world, and of how we can protect and defend one another, even our descendants whom we might never meet. ❤️

I tried to get into this book but just found my self forcing myself to listen to the audiobook. I enjoyed the beginning but it’s lost me within the middle and I DNF’d.

Weyward is a lyrical novel with characters that come to life on the page. Told from the perspective of three women in three different time periods, this book has depth and layers of detail that come together seamlessly as the story unfolds. I loved how it showed each woman's discovery of her power throughout the course of the book, and each woman was a strong and lovable character. You can judge this book by it's extraordinary cover and expect a beautiful, magical story. I would recommend this book to all my fellow readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this copy of the audioARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Narrator: I thought the narrator did a wonderful job on this book. She was engaging, entertaining and emotional. She brought to life the wonderful prose and really did a great job embodying the different characters.

The story: The author is talented and clearly gifted with prose, however, the plot of this story fell flat for me. Violence against each of the characters felt gratuitous and was used in a heavy handed manner. Most of this book is just trauma. I was hoping that we would get more out of the characters than just discussions of trauma or domestic violence and it didn't feel like the violence was discussed or handled with the care that it should. This is really the issue I have with the plot, otherwise this would be a lovely story about female empowerment and overcoming obstacles. As someone who worked professionally in a domestic violence center and as someone who has experienced domestic violence, a lot of the details just didn't sit well with me and seemed to re-victimize the characters.

I haven't been this entranced by a book in a long time. It's atmospheric, enveloping. Part historical fiction, part magical realism with a dash of gothic mystery, this book follows the lives of three women from the Weyward line across 300 years. This is a very character driven book and that's probably why I love it so much. There is a huge theme of each woman overcoming the control and harm caused to them by men, and achieving retribution through their connection with nature. The performance of the audiobook is spectacular and each woman has a distinct voice throughout.

Also, it should be noted without being too spoilery that there are triggering events throughout the book, so proceed with caution. Content warnings for domestic violence, coercive control, forced pregnancy, rape, and miscarriage. Moderate to graphic detail for each.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy of this audiobook.

Weyward By Emilia Hart is a multigenerational novel about 3 women who are tied to a name and a cottage. They are all related and have to stay in the cottage. It’s 2019 and Kate is in an abusive marriage. She she’s no way out but out of the blue, she finds out she has inherited a cottage. The cottage will be her refugee, her safe place. She just has to be brave enough to run.. Altha, lives in the same cottage but it is 1619. Her mother taught her magic. She knows how to treat all kinds of illness and she is very good at it. But she is accused of using witch craft and she needs to protect her freedom at any cost. The same cottage is the home of Violet. It’s 1942 and WWII is raging.. Violet loves the outdoors and the animals. Her mother has passed and her father is a cold man, who doesn’t relate to her, at all. Her days are boring and she can’t wait to get out of the house. Little does she know, the cottage will soon be her home. The author does a great job telling the stories of all three women. I really liked how she tied them together. Will the cottage be a refugee or cause more trouble? Can the ladies find happiness here? This was a four star listen for me. Aysha Kalla, Helen Keely, and Nell Barlow did an excellent job narrating this story. I really enjoyed it so much. I want to thank Netgalley, Macmillan Audio & the author for my copy, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to listen and review this book.

I won't lie I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover art. I stayed for the multi-generational story of a family of women who might be a bit magical. All three narrators were lovely; it was easy to know who's story was who's. At its heart this story was women not allowing themselves to be trapped in the circumstances thrown at them by men and the world. The suspense was real for each woman and the way the three stories came together in the end was extremely satisfying. Definitely for fans of Alex E, Harrow.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While I was given an audiobook for review, thanks NetGalley, I would have preferred a paper copy to flip back and forth. This novel is told over several time periods, so having a copy could have helped when I needed to check the time. If you read and enjoyed Lost Apothecary, I can give you this one with good faith that it will hit for you. With that said, I enjoyed this one even more! There was something about the birds and insects that I found compelling. There are lots of topics covered so if you have triggers related to all things women’s issues, go in knowing you’ll be facing some of those things. Great debut, has me looking out for their next novel!

Atmospheric and ambitious. I enjoyed the braided narratives and the strong feminist themes. I didn't connect with the world or the characters as much as I would like but think many will fall in love with this story. Recommended if you enjoyed THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES or THE NATURE OF WITCHES.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

2019: Kate has to escape an abusive relationship. She leaves London and moves to Weyward Cottage, a property that her great aunt left her. When she’s there, she discovers the secrets of her ancestors.

1942: Violet lives with her father and her brother. Her mother died a long time ago. Now, the only thing she wants is to study biology, but her strict (misogynistic) father has other plans for her.

1619: Altha’s mother taught her the magical powers of the plants and animals around her. Now, years after her mother died, she’s accused of witchcraft and murder.

Three women in three different centuries find themselves wanting to know more about their ancestors and discover how the resilience, perseverance and determination of the women before them helped create the person they are and how their support and their innate connection to nature give them the strength they need to overcome the abuse and oppression they’ve had to endure.

This is a story about sisterhood across centuries, resilience, being grateful with the ones that came before you and making the world a little bit better for the next generations. I loved how the author managed to connect the three stories through the magical cottage, the atmospheric setting, the magical realism, and the historical context.

I listened to this one and the audio was phenomenal! Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the complimentary audiobook.

I think reading this book would be better than listening. I didn’t finish it because I didn’t want to go back to it and avoided it. I think the book will be great and will read that at some point.

Weyward is a magical story of 3 women spanning generations. All of which are forced to use their innate courage and curiosity to live.

Wayward follows Altha in the year 1619, a healer accused of witchcraft; Violet a young girl living a suffocating life in1942 and Kate in the year 2019 who courageously escapes an abusive husband. All women find safety and courage within the walls of the Weyward cottage. They learn the truth about themselves and Weyward women. With this knowledge and understanding they are able to move past and overcome the wrongs they have suffered at the hands of men.

“I had nature in my heart. Like she did and her mother before her. There was something about us, the Weyward women, that bonded us more tightly with the natural world. We can feel it. The same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy.”

The imagery of this story was beautiful. I could almost hear the midges swarm, smell the musty soil and feel the tickle of insect legs. It was a splendid narration with voices adding another layer to the characters.
“Who could refrain that had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage to make love known?” ― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

A spectacular novel on the power of women spread over generations. This book was a strong reminder on the strength being a woman holds and made me remember to be proud to be one as well as the connection we can have with the earth if we open ourselves to it. We follow the stories of Altha, Violet, and Kate as each overcome difficulties in their own timelines. As the book progresses we learn of how all three women are connected and how their lives intertwine. The audiobook is done beautifully and each character is assigned a different narrator. I believe I have found a new favorite book of all time in Weyward.