When I want a magical realisim, feminine yet feminist tale, this is exactly what I want - Weyward. It is a tale of three women and how their life stories are connected. Which one is the first and which one is the last - it doesn't matter, as the same story repeats itself over and over, just the years change.

What I loved was seeing the growth of these women, and release of their powers as acceptance comes that one can control its future, if one chooses to.

This story is simple, yet lush and magical. There's strength, there's sorrow, there's pain and there's acceptance. Let's all be wild, weird and free to carve our own futures.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted book and audiobook. All opinions are my own.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Narrated by Aysha Kala; Helen Keeley; Nell Barlow

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan audio for the early listen/read. This review will be for both the audiobook and the ebook.
Very enjoyable read. Enjoyed listening/reading about the 3 main characters in 3 different timelines. The reader learns what happened in the past which explained why things happened in the 2 present or past and the present now.
Watching all 3 female characters grow into the strong women they became.
Will recommend!
The narrators (and author) did a great job telling the story of Altha, Violet and Kate.

Three different ladies with the same bloodline, the way of wayward. It's melancholy and deeply frustrating but beautifully written. Relatable but also filled with discomfort, the rage of patriarchy, and the history of being a woman isn't... my cup of tea.

This story weaves through three different time periods: 2019, 1942 and 1619. In 2019 Kate finds herself needing to escape her life and her abusive boyfriend. She flees to Weyward Cottage that was recently left to her by a great aunt she can't remember clearly. During her escape here, Kate begins to feel that her aunt has a deep dark secret hidden right here at the cottage. In 1942, Violet is stuck at her family estate as the war roars on. Violet's mother has long been dead and she longs to know more about her. Violet wears her mothers locket with the letter W and she later finds the word weyward scratched into the wall in her room. There are many hushed rumours that her mother went completely mad before she died. In 1916, Altha is awaiting trial for witchcraft. When she was younger, her mother taught her magic of the natural world. Altha knows that any. woman that is different in anyway will and has been deemed dangerous. It will take a miracle for her to survive a sentence of hanging.

I do not think it was a fluke that this powerful story of three resilient women was to be published in March, during Women's History Month. There is a sense of power, courage and determination in all three of these leading ladies across the five centuries that they are connected. I was hesitant to read this knowing there would be an element of magic, but it was nothing what I had expected. Altha deemed dangerous, Violet longing for education like her brother and Kate the meek who finally takes a stand for herself and escapes. I dare you to not see yourself or some other woman you know personally or in history. I was captivated by this powerful story and the three women that bring it to life. Thank you, Emilia Hart for your brilliance.

I really enjoyed the audio for this one. I was immediately hooked! The plot is masterfully woven together.

Weyward is the story of three women who have a deep knowledge for the natural world and how their stories interconnect.
2019, Kate makes a daring escape from her abusive husband.
1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft.
1943, Violet is trapped by societal convention.

Weyward will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about strong women. This would make the perfect spring read! Weyward is available now.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰

Disclaimer: I received an audiobook ARC of this book, my thoughts are my own.

This audiobook was great.
I loved our three MC's, their women empowerment, timelines and magic.
It's this subtle magic, connected to nature, but not fantasy world type of magic, more so related to healing and more "undercover" type of magic.

Each characters felt fleshed out and I could see and truly understand how their timeline, situations and daily life affected their different approaches to discovering their magic and reacting to it, etc.

The audiobook narrator had a lovely voice and way to narrate the book, I loved the atmosphere and how engrossing she made the experience. I did listen to it 1.75-2x speed, but that's normal to me.

All the voices of each character felt very different and I enjoyed how each chapter began by giving us the POV, date and place. Overall I had an amazing time with it and the writing beautiful (from me hearing it).

I highly recommend this audiobook/novel.
4/5 stars
Bookarina

This one pulled me in immediately. Appealing to my love of genealogy, strong women characters, unexplained, supernatural events. Several time lines - Altha, 1619, witch hunt timeframe - Violet, 1942, WWII time period - Kate, present day, leaving an abusive partner. Women passing down their stories throughout the years.
This is a novel of female resilience and ingenuity. It intertwines the beautiful natural world of birds (mainly crows), insects, and plants into their lives.
There is always hope - learn from the past and believe there is something better.
I really enjoyed this one. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was fabulous!!! I would change nothing.
I loved the triple timelines, the familiar ties woven through them, the witchy vibes, the small town setting, the conflicts and the strength.
Three very different women in three very different times, dealing with three very similar problems...men.
I loved that there were different narrators for each voice, it made the transitions that much more powerful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story, strong characters and getting swept away in a book.
Do look at the trigger warnings, 'cause there is a lot of stuff people may have trouble with being sprung upon.
Much love to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this delight of a novel!!!

Spanning the lifetimes of three women and hundreds of years, Wayward is a slow and winding historical fiction mixed with a bit of magic that comes together in a very satisfying story of the intrinsic connection between women, nature and the men who abuse and fear both.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨I simply adored this book. 4.5 stars. Emilia Hart had me enthralled from beginning to end. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator nailed her performance. I loved following the three weyward women over 5 centuries where they (eventually) thrive on their connection to animal and earth. The weyward woman may seem meek to start but you can fuck around and find out with them.

Another March Book of the Month, that with its cover lured most like the light attracts a moth. And from this perspective, I will approach this, because I was one of them! Fortunately, Netgalley allowed me to listen to the audiobook before I even received the books (I mean, it takes 7 days to deliver to FL!). I was enchanted. This book was everything I did not expect it to be. I thought it'll be a multigenerational connection between women and the events in their lives at that time. With of course some magic because why not. I got it. I got this and more. Emilia Hart gave those women voice, story, and personality. All of them pop out with their sense of powerlessness and strength and how they overcome it. They bring natural sensitivity as a strength, not as a weakness. There is no unnecessary drama, just feelings that might surface in situations they struggle with. I loved how different they were and how connected at the same time. I loved this theme of otherworldly connection to ancestors so much that I am not sad that I got the book after I finish it because I will be coming back to it!

This book was written with beautiful imagery and continued to satisfy throughout the whole story. While it was somewhat predictable, it was a whimsical twist on the regular generational female story. I appreciated the characters’ depth, their struggles, and how brilliantly the author navigated them through.

I loved this bewitching debut! I was equally fascinated and captivated by all 3 main characters and couldn’t help but root for them. If you loved Hester as much as I did and love remarkable, resilient female characters, I highly recommend this one!

4.5/5⭐️

I think this was good - solid 4 stars for me. I loved the message, but don’t know that it was much more profound than others if this genre. Overall message? Men suck!! But to be totally serious, this was wonderfully written, especially as a debut! It’s a great read but I probably won’t be carrying it with me for a while. The cover is out of this world good though so I foresee it doing well!

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

Weyward is a story of generations of female resilience and their strong connection with nature. I wanted to like this book but something about it did not fully come together and give that experience I was expecting.

There were parts of this book that were well written and resonated with me. Political and religious commentary from the days of witch trials to domestic abuse and the right to choose that still continue in current times. I related with Kate burying herself into reading and the stories in times of adversity. Altha and Violet's storylines were interesting and what kept me going to finish this book.

However this book felt a tad too long, with some chapters that could have just been skipped altogether. Throughout the book I felt for the women and their predicament but I felt very little about their bond with nature. It just felt like some bugs and birds were constantly brought up but only in the epilogue did I feel any semblance of oneness.

Strong trigger warnings on miscarriage and sexual abuse

Thanks for St Martin's press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an ARC of the audio and ebook.

I really enjoyed this novel! The book does not shy away from dark moments or heartbreaking experiences. Certain parts were difficult for me to read, but I thought those situations were handled very well by the author. There were also some bright points. I loved how Violet managed to bring together both magic and science in her life.

The audiobook is narrated by Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow. I’m really happy that each of the three main characters had their own distinctive narrator. It made for a rich and immersive listening experience.

Weyward is the story of three women, all from the same family, but all at different points in history. In each of their stories, Altha (1619), Violet (1942), and Kate (2019) have something a bit uncanny about them: an affinity for insects, birds, and animals. It sets them apart as “other.”

And all three women suffer at the hands of men: Altha is accused of witchcraft and put on trial; Violet is at the mercy of her father and cousin Frederick; and Kate has a controlling and abusive husband. As women under the thumbs of power-hungry men, they must figure their own ways out, their personal salvations, and they each escape to Weyward cottage.

The three stories are intertwined, one woman’s story influencing the other.

❗️CW: I do wish I would have been aware of the content warnings going into this one, particularly the sexual and domestic abuse.

🐜 My thoughts:
To sum it up: This book is absolutely amazing, but it’s one of the most depressing books I’ve read in a while. Reading the indignity Altha, Violet, and Kate each faced made me not only sad, but angry and disgusted. And this book is meant to make you feel that way. It’s a sharp look at how women have been treated, and a reminder that abuse still happens today.

🐜 The magical thread that runs through this book was my favorite part of the story. I loved how the bugs responded so well to Violet and the white-striped crows to the Weyward women. And I love that the gift they were all so despised for is ultimately their salvation.

🦅 Read this one if you like magical realism, and women who have to fight for themselves and endure despite the tragedies of life.

🎧 The audiobook had three female narrators - one for each woman - and all do an absolutely incredible job. Their voices pulled me right into the story!

QUICK BITS
•Three POVs & timelines
•Nature magical realism
•Where The Crawdads meets Behind Closed Doors

REVIEW
First I have to say this is one of my favorite covers of the year so far, not only in aesthetic, but also in its ability to capture the essence of the story inside.

Overall this was a conflicting read for me.

There were parts of it that I really loved (Kate's part of the story), as well as others that really left me disappointed (the actual magic, the climax of all three stories, the lack of empowerment).

So although I loved that this story followed three family members from different eras and their fight to survive in each timeline, there was a lot that felt underdeveloped and unexplored.

There was never that moment where the characters to step into their power and truly own their magic and autonomy, rather fleeting moments of desperation that resulted in a whiff of retribution.

I think more than anything I was never able to truly find my footing and settle into the story, which ultimately hindered my enjoyment.

I would still recommend this to readers who love a genre bending novel about women who find the power to survive while being victims of circumstance.

RATINGS
6 Characters
7 Atmosphere
7 Writing Style
7 Plot
6 Pace
6 Intrigue
4 Enjoyment
TOTAL= 43/14= 3.07

3.00/5.00 Rounded Rating

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought I was going to love this book. The cover of the book is stunning. But the more I read the book the more disturbed I became. The book has many triggers people should be aware of. Abortion, miscarriage, abuse, suicidal ideation, bug phobia and bird phobia. This story involves not only abuse but generations of abuse. This book literally gave me nightmares. Dreamt I was trying to kill bugs that were after me. Chapter 50 escalates so much that I felt like I was in the 1963 movie called “The Birds” This book just left me with a disturbed feeling for many reasons. I’m sorry. I really wanted to love it.

The narrators for the book do a wonderful job. Each voice is perfect for the character they are portraying.

Gorgeous. Amazing writing. This being debut is mind-blowing. It is a fantastic novel.
Witches and I am in, historical fiction now that is a hard sell, but I was instantly hooked with the tinges of magical realism. The novel follows three women of the Weyward family, each woman tells her story, and the reader follows along how each story helps the next member of the family. I will be telling everyone to read this, but there is need for content warning: Domestic Abuse and Non-Consensual Sex

"I am a Weyward, and wild inside."