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.

Oooooooooof I mean ok, yah sure just yank my heart out and stomp all over it why don’t you!

This is SO good, immediately intriguing and suspenseful. The three different stories were woven together so well - every time it switched perspectives I was like noooo I need more right now!! But then immediately got swept up in the next story because they were all enthralling. And each felt true to the time period it was set in…overall so impressed with the writing as a debut novel!

There is a profound sadness to the book with everything the women endure, so prepare to have your heartstrings obliterated (and def check trigger warnings). And while I wouldn’t call the endings happy per se, they do end on notes of hopefulness and resolved in ways that left me feeling satisfied and not completely bereft.

The audiobook is brilliant, the narrators capture and bring each of the women to life beautifully. They really added so much to the story and made it even that much better!

This was an interesting multi-generational novel about... witches? It's more about the fact that the women of the Weyward line has always been suspected to worship the devil, and, thus, assumed to be witches or simply weird from generation to generation. The men in this novel are all scary, but I think it has undertones of the current event of Roe v. Wade being turned over (there's mentions of older methods of abortion in the novel). Overall, I think it was an interesting and engrossing read. I'd consider abuse and rape to be two appropriate trigger warnings for this book.

This book gave me Where The Crawdads Sing type vibes. But with multiple POV from women in the same family, but generations apart. Add it that the first in the line we hear from stood trial for being a witch? I’m automatically in. The timelines were woven together so each woman was giving you pieces of the puzzle until you could finally see the whole picture. It was a good read, and was well written. My heart broke multiple times, so be prepared when you read this. It’s worth the emotional turmoil, though. I definitely recommend it.

Kate is isolated and controlled by her boyfriend. He is abusive, physically and emotionally. And now his only desire from her is to conceive a baby- with or without her consent. She is attempting to leave without him finding her, and she discovers more about her past than she ever knew existed.

I received an arc of this audiobook from NetGalley. No major spoilers but some discussions of the emotional arcs of the story. Very excited to talk about this incredible book.

Weyward follows the stories of three women: Altha in 1619 who is on trial for witchcraft. Violet in 1942, trapped in her father’s house, wishing for information about her mother. Kate in 2019, who is fleeing an abusive relationship and comes to the house of her late, eccentric entomologist aunt Violet. All three women from the same family that has a strong connection to nature, and a penchant for making friends with birds, insects, and general wildlife. The book is about the violence that men commit against women, the betrayals of patriarchal violence, and coming into one’s own power.

I was swept away and devastated by this book. Emilia Hart’s evocative language about Weyward Cottage and the wildlife around it was so vivid and evocative, I could feel myself walking through the woods and the gardens, listening to the birds and the mayflies. The story of each woman was poignant and gripping.

In the book, time overlaps often, with each of the characters’ stories eventually overlapping with one another. I found this element especially clear written and moving to read. It was wonderful to watch all three women impact one another so greatly, whether they were decades apart or centuries. This was also a necessary emotional release after the devastating stories of rape, abuse, possessiveness, and neglectful murder of other women in their family. Though each protagonist was brutally harmed over the course of this book, I loved that each character had a triumph. Perhaps a sorrowful one, with regret and longing, but a triumph nonetheless.

I do think there needed to be some warning that the book contained a graphic description of sexual assault. Though one could feel it coming, it was very horrifying to get to without warning.

Overall, incredible and haunting book. Cannot recommend enough.

Emilia Hart's debut novel, Weyward, is a historical fiction steeped in magical realism. The story follows three women from three different time periods, whose struggles are not to different from each other. As each woman embraces their power and connection with nature, the table slowly begin to turn.

I love a story with strong women, but we all know that what makes most women strong is the fact that they have endured some awful things. So of course this story does have some situations that could potentially be triggering to some. This story was beautifully written and I really enjoyed feeling like I was immersed in these witchy worlds. The narration was easy to listen to and decipher which character and time frame you were currently in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Emilia Hart.

Wayward focuses on the intertwining stories of 3 women in different points in history, their resilience, and their relationship with nature. This incredible debut by Emilia Hart covers gender, control, motherhood, and witchcraft — it's a fantastic read I highly recommend!

Trigger warnings: domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, medical gore, animal cruelty

The Weyward women are often accused of witchcraft, or at the very least, some sort of “otherness.” Altha, in 1619, stands trial for witchcraft and the murder, via stampede (seriously, MURDER via STAMPEDE), of a farmer. Violet, in 1942, is “odd” and quiet with an affinity for bugs, living in her brother’s shadow and dealing with an abusive father and unwanted relations with her cousin. Kate, in 2019, is the victim of domestic violence, and has to escape before it’s too late. These women are bound by nature, strength, and their Weyward ways.

I won’t lie and say that this was an easy read; it wasn’t. I’ve already listed the trigger warnings above, and they did make it extremely difficult to keep reading, but I’m glad I did. The thread that binds the 3 POVs is so strong and inspiring that I’m honored to have heard these characters’ stories. Even with centuries apart, their experiences were so similar, primarily when dealing with (or being held down by) the patriarchy. This fact was both maddening and…well, I don’t want to spoil the endings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Three women, Kate-2019, Altha-1619, and Violet-1942, are each facing a crises in their lives. As we learn each of their stories, we see how they are connected. I flew thru this book and couldn't wait to listen to more of the book. Highly recommend reading Weyward.

Excellent trio of narrators with Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow. I don't know who did what voice but all three of them were fantastic. I think this book was better as an audio book as each narrator brought Kate, Altha and Violet to life.