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."⁣⁣
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Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for approving me to read this book! ⁣⁣
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Despite having an e-ARC of this book I just had to buy a copy!!! It's one of the prettiest books I own
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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. ⁣⁣
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Kate - 2019⁣
Violet - 1942⁣
Altha - 1619⁣
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These women portray such strength and determination to follow their chosen path. Despite many hold backs and several awful men en route! ⁣
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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! ⁣
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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!
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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.

I thought this was a bit hit and miss. The plot and writing were generally okay but i really struggled to read this. The tone was uneven and i found it hard to be hooked by what was happening for the most part. This was a shame as the characters were interesting and i feel like if the writing was slightly different then this could have been avoided. I think the promise was there with this but it just didn't stick the landing for me.

This book held me in its spell from start to finish. Is that a bit too corny, considering it’s about witches? Actually, I don’t care, because it’s true!

It’s spellbinding, in fact.

Three generations of witches tell the stories of how they came into their power despite the interference of society and men (mainly men though 🤷🏼‍♀️).
In 1619, Altha Weyward is on trial for witchcraft, and whilst she’s in the towns prison she reminisces over her mother, her life before, everything she has learnt and the circumstances that led up to her incarceration. Altha had the knowledge needed to help people, but that same knowledge put her in danger from the church and general ignorance (and we can’t have women knowing more than men, can we!)

In 1942, Violet Ayres lives a very restricted life, tucked away from the rest of the world in her family home. She has only two clues about her heritage: her dead mothers locket with a “W” inscribed and the word “Weyward” scratched into the skirting board under her bed.

2019, Kate Ayres escapes a violent relationship in London and flees to Weyward cottage - the house her Aunt Violet had left her in her will. It’s a wild, unkempt, rundown house and garden, but it’s what Kate needs. She finds Altha’s diaries, some writings from Violet, and begins to learn about her true inheritance.

I just loved this book so much. Women taking control of their lives away from the men who would control them. Nature and magic is woven throughout, and nothing feels far-fetched or unbelievable.

I loved the alternating chapters between the three women, and this was probably the main reason why I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen to each of them next.

What more can I say? This WILL be high up in my favourite books this year. And to have read it in February!! How lucky am I!

I can’t wait to see what Emilia Hart writes next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for my ebook copy of this book to read and review. Of course these are my own opinions!

This is a beautifully haunting novel, following the story of 3 women from the same family line. Each of the women are strong and unconventional, causing them to be feared and persecuted, particularly from the men in their lives.

Each of the women has a subtle power, giving them an intense connection to the earth and nature. This is a wonderful example of a witch, rather than the stereotypical hag with a broomstick and cauldron!

I am surprised that this is the author’s debut novel as it is so well-crafted - it cannot be easy to manage the triple narrative that was taken on for this, as well as keeping up the interest and high standard of writing.

I loved this book and strongly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book

A Weyward woman belongs in the wild and should not be caged.

This is a gem to read and what a wonderful debut I have devoured in just one sitting. The characters that fill the pages of this gem are interesting and completely captivating.

The journey through this one is intriguing, interesting and beautifully written. Each woman has their own story which is connected by determination and the strength of the characters.

We are introduced to Altha who is tried for being a witch, Violet who has an abusive father and Kate who is enduring a violent relationship. Each story will touch the reader one way or another.

I have found that this has flowed beautifully and been a book completely unlike anything I’ve read previously.

Hart really has a talent for story telling. This is completely captivating and immersive. I found myself hooked by this. Weyward is definitely a book that has converted me as a fan of this author. I need more.

Weyward is a brilliant read and one that needs to be on everyone’s TBR. I have loved this debut from Hart. This is a masterpiece from beginning to end and one that I cannot recommend enough.

Set over three timelines following three remarkable women of the Weyward family. Altha, tried for witchcraft and murder in 1619; 16 year old Violet, cast out from the family home in 1942; and Kate, on the run from her abusive partner in 2019. Each has a story to tell. Only Altha is aware of her gift. As nature becomes more important to the other two, their lives change. Captivating. #weyward #netgalley

Weyward is a twisting tale of multigenerational trauma and strength.

Following three Weyward women across three time periods, Weyward is the story of their lives and the struggles they faced.
1619: Altha has been accused of witchcraft and is facing her trial.
1942: Violet just wants to be an entomologist, but her father has other ideas, and she suspects the story he’s told her of her mother may not be the whole truth.
2019: Kate flees her abusive partner when she learns she’s pregnant to the cottage her Great Aunt Violet left her.

Before I go any further, I want to state that this book has a lot of trigger warnings: rape, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, child loss, physical and emotional abuse, victim blaming, false accusation of mental illness. All of these are woven into the narrative of the three women’s lives.

I love that the three stories seemed separate to start with, but as the novel went on they intertwined to become one larger overarching tale.

Their trauma and resilience shines through each of their stories, as do the mysteries which are sprinkled through the story. The women’s views are shaped by their lived experiences, so for most of the book they are fairly negative about men generally. However, I did feel this was offset somewhat by Kate’s love for her dad, and towards the end of the book I felt at least one of the other perspectives was able to see that not all men are the same.

The characters felt realistic and distinct from one another, and seeing the setting across three time periods was fascinating.

Overall, Weyward was skilfully woven to create a moving story which demonstrates how attitudes towards and treatment of women has changed and stayed the same over time.