Thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful novel about Weyward women in three different timelines, the transitions between the wormen were seamless and flowed so well. Altha, tried as a witch in 1619; Violet in 1942, with an abusive father; and Kate, Violet’s grandniece, in an abusive controlling relationship set in 2019. It’s very well done and I found it hard to put down.

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

Set across multiple timelines, we are taken on a journey with Kate in 2019, Violet in 1942 and Altha in 1619.
I mean, there's not much to say here aside from that it was a pleasant read, I enjoyed it.
There were huge moments of frustration that came from the historical way in which women's power and connection to nature has been viewed, taken advantage of and punished across the ages.
Be warned, it does however mean that there is a lot of suffering of women and young girls at the hands of men.
There were lovely moments of empowerment but it doesn't outweigh the levels of abuse that the characters have to deal with.
Don't let that put you off though, just be weary of what exactly it is you are in for.

The pace is pretty quick which is great - I feel like books with this kind of narration can lose their oomph if the pace is slow and too detailed.

I wish our three MC's stories can been a little more interwoven but there was a decent amount of intrigue and I love when a book makes me wish the characters would get stabby!

This book follows 3 different timelines where the characters are all linked through witchcraft.

I really enjoyed this book, the pacing was a little of in places but overall a really good read.

Emilia Hart's debut: Women, witches, and the wayward. Connections, sisterhood and solidarity, very real threats and trauma and abuse. The persecution of difference, of women in general throughout history. Magic and might. Longing and loss and liberation....

This is a brilliantly written, truly fantastic novel. Visceral, unflinching and pulsating with the power and poetry of nature, Weyward is a song for every soul, wayward or otherwise.

I'm extremely conflicted about this one. It's very uneven in pacing, characterisation, and writing quality and I almost have up on it several times.
The characters are rather cartoonish characters, especially the men who are almost entirely interchangeable. I'm all for smashing the patriarchy but these men are utterly awful, and all in the exact same way.

The characters are often written younger than they should be. Kate loses her father aged nine but her observances and understandings are those of a much younger child. Violet is sixteen when we first meet her but comes across as a young teenager. This is partially excused by the way she had been isolated from outside influences, Frederick comments on the same thing but there's something about the characterisation throughout the book which makes EVERYONE seem younger than they are supposed to be.

Altha's chapters have more in common with modern television courtroom dramas than the historical record and there is little to remind you that these sections are supposed to be set in the early 17th century either in the setting or the way that the characters speak.

There is a preponderance of rape and sexual assault but the way it is written often seems coy and shallow. Apart from one of the storylines Hart skirts around it and fails to examine it in any great depth.

And yet, in the final third it did pick up becoming far more engaging leading me to suspect that different editing and more revision of the earlier chapters could have produced a much stronger story.

Told from the point of view of three women in three different timelines, we learn how heritage will find its own way to those who seek it.

In 2019, Kate is searching for an escape from an abusive partner. In 1942, Violet struggles with the strict regime her father has smothered her with as she searches to find out the truth about her deceased mother. In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft.

Each woman finds their way to the Weyward cottage, where their affinity to nature and animals becomes apparent allowing them to embrace the gifts that have been passed down to the first female in each generation. At first you can’t see how each story is linked, but by the end of the book it is perfectly clear.

I love a good witch book and this one did not disappoint. The first part of the book is slow paced as we come to terms with the difficulties each woman is facing. The last part of the book really heats up as they take a stand against society and their archaic beliefs.

I loved how nature played such a massive role in this story. Whenever the women needed help, it was always nature that came to their aid.

This book is a good reminder to never take nature for granted.

A story of women connected across generations through witchcraft and being labelled “difficult” in some way - interesting concept but I just felt the execution was off. Some characters were much stronger than others which can often doom multi POV books like this.

"The 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵."⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for approving me to read this book! ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Despite having an e-ARC of this book I just had to buy a copy!!! It's one of the prettiest books I own
⁣
Primarily a historical fiction with just a sprinkle of magic realism, in this book we follow 3 unconventional women living in different times but connected by their abilities to connect with nature. ⁣⁣
⁣
Kate - 2019⁣
Violet - 1942⁣
Altha - 1619⁣
⁣
These women portray such strength and determination to follow their chosen path. Despite many hold backs and several awful men en route! ⁣
⁣
The book was atmospheric, enchanting and absorbing with such amazing world building! I can't believe it's a debut novel! It was so well written! ⁣
⁣
I went on such an emotional rollercoaster with these ladies. Their pain and joy really coming through on the pages. ⁣And the sad realisation that regardless of this being fiction. Women over the years have actually faced these issues!
⁣
My only criticism is I wish it was longer!

My only complaint was the book finished too soon! I wanted more of Violet & Kate’s story as they were fascinating. This was a clever take of three timelines for one family line, I really liked it and wanted more.

Enjoyable title, but didn't really do anything for me in terms of challenging the 'generations of women from families that practiced witchcraft' story. Altha, Violet and Kate are three women from the line of 'Weyward' women, each telling their own story of how they are bound by nature and an element of witchcraft, and how this manifested and affected their lives at the time.

I enjoyed Violet's story, the entomology aspect was fascinating, but it was obvious where her story was heading, as was Altha's. Kate's brought the story into the present day, but was quite far-fetched and at times annoying. I didn't feel that there was enough explanation of the actual 'witchcraft' that each women possessed.

Loved this book! Different from the genres I usually read but liked the description and thought I’d try it.
Stories of 3 different generations of women in the Weyward family. These women have an affinity with nature and have been called witches. This stories impact from one generation to another.
A book to remember. Highly recommended.

OKay, so pure honesty here - this is not my normal type of book. I requested because I liked the cover...how shallow...

However, this was SO good, I devoured it in 2 evenings and loved the different threads coming together. I finished it last night, and have already recommended it to two people. I loved the time difference between the three threads and how the family is bound together - but also loved that it was such a kick ass women book! Thanks for the copy - I will definitely be recommending this to lots of customers as it straddles so many different genres.

Weyward Book Review 📖

Is it possible to love a book even if you didn't really enjoy the first 50%?
That's what happened with me and Weyward. It's split into three parts, part one taking us to just under half way, and for some reason, I just couldn't get into it. It felt very slow going, and I felt like I didn't click with it at all. However, once it hit that halfway mark and I started part two, I was utterly gripped and couldn't wait to pick it up at every opportunity.
The book is set in three different time periods, and we flick seamlessly back and forth between these periods, each time frame narrated by a different Weyward woman as we hear their stories, all of which are equally captivating and beautifully written.
A very character driven blend of historical fiction and magical realism that absolutely won me over.
4⭐️

Not my normal go to kind of story but it will be in future. Beautifully written and completely pulled in by all 3 women’s lives. Loved it.

This book is quite brutal at times (with scenes of miscarriage and rape) but a story of women finding who they are and believing in their strengths! Filled with sadness, hardship, hope and magic this book is a great example of when women work together they’re stronger!

Engrossing and engaging, wildly hypnotising. This story of three courageous women spanned over three time periods is all about setting oneself free: from an abusive husband or from the societal shackles or from the accusations of using witchcraft. A perfectly paced and compelling novel of powerful female solidarity and dark traumas that impact women.

Wow - this was a fantastic read, I never wanted it to end. It reminded me of Stacey Hall's novels which I also loved. This kept me hooked right from the beginning and there were times where I audibly gasped and shouted No.

This was a wonderful mix of the dark and historical, centred around 3 women in different time periods and telling of their trials and tribulations over the years and how the world tried to defeat them, but they proved stronger!

Althas' storyline is set in the 1600's and centres around her being accused of witchcraft, Violet has her storyline around WWII in the 1940's where she is brought up in a strict family where her father won't even let her go to the village. And Kate tells us her story from 2019 where she is escaping an abusive marriage and to distract her from the trauma she starts to look into the family history through documents and pictures and it leads her to some amazing discoveries.

I loved each timeline in this book, and each of the characters were really fascinating and likeable, especially with the events they were facing up to. There's always the ever present backdrop of nature in their stories which added some calmness to the often chaotic lives that these women had to endure. A fabulous historical and witchy read!

This is a story told as a three hander: Altha Weyward in the seventeenth century, accused of witchcraft; Violet in the 1940s, dominated by her father and Kate, today, under the thrall of her abusive husband. Kate escapes from London to a Cumbrian home left by her great aunt Violet, where her life takes on new rhythms and she learns more about how strong a woman she can be.

It is a tale of strong women, who face adversity and try to pull through. There are twists and turns, and the reader is rooting for each of these women as they make their choices.

A really good, solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was told by a friend that I would love this book, and she wasn’t wrong. Emilia Hart weaves together the lives of three very different Weyward women beautifully in an empowering story of women surviving in spite of the men trying to keep them down. There were perhaps a few too many creepy crawlies for my liking, but even my bug phobia couldn’t keep me from reading.

While I enjoyed each of the three timelines in Weyward, it was Altha’s story that I found touched my the most, and made me angry that female healers were called witch if the sick they tended to died, but the same was not true of male doctors. I have read a number of books about various witch trials, but of all of them, I think Altha probably made me the most emotional.

Weyward is a fascinating tale of how women suspected of witchcraft have been treated through the ages, and at the same time is an inspiring story of three women discovering their own strength.