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.

The blurb for Weyward intrigued me from the start – I’m a sucker for inter-generational, sprawling novels across space and time. I read this book faster than any book I have for a while, partly due to a well placed long train journey but also because it was really good.

‘Three women. Five centuries. One secret.


‘I had nature in my heart, she said. 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.’


In 2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist.

As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…’

We follow all three women, as they continue in their own lives and for Violet and Kate, encounter the others in their line and discover the connections between them. Kate is present day and is the representative of both Altha as her ancestor and Violet as her Aunt – she carries the innate knowledge of their nature connections without really knowing why or how. She’s drawn to Cumbria despite not ever living there, and through her we discover her gift that had been hidden in the suburbs of London.

Altha’s story is centred around her own mother, and the trial for witchcraft. It reminded me of AK Blakemore's The Manningtree Witches in pace and tone, and I think the detail in that novel helped me focus on the detail in Altha’s. One of the reasons I love reading is this ability to connect us with fictional characters – I was rooting for Altha and completely involved in the persecution she suffers because she knows what to do with a poultice. And sure, she can call insects from the air and the earth to do her bidding but, who doesn’t do that from time to time?


Similarly, as we move back and forth between Altha and Violet, the mapping between them and their families becomes clearer and the similarities in the challenges they’ve faced, and their mothers have faced, become really clear too. In fact, this is not a story about three women connected by birth but really, these women and their mothers, and their female friends. Sisterhood is quite often a bit cringey and harnessed (especially around International Women’s Day) as a way to sell more pink stuff, but in this setting it’s a powerful and relevant network which we should all seek out and rely on.

I had thought that swapping between narratives, timelines and narrators would be difficult to follow or jarring, but in fact it was easy to switch and I never had a problem with who was who. Emilia Hart manages these transitions beautifully, with the language changing just enough to indicate the time period we’re in, while maintaining the flow and connections between the characters.

As well as the human characters, there is an additional set in the houses – both the cottage that the women stay in and the grander house in the same grounds. It reminded me of the haunted house with the chess set garden in The Haunting Season, the short story by Bridget Collins.

I’d recommend this to readers who like female-centric stories with a dash of magical realism and a real sense of righteous vengeance. I’m looking forward to what Emilia Hart writes next!

Thanks as always to Netgalley and to HarperCollins for the DRC – I did buy the hardback copy as it was just too beautiful to miss, and I’m so glad I did – this is a great addition to my library.

Weyward is an incredible debut novel, weaving magic into the mundane world. It tells the story of three women - Kate, Violet, and Altha. Kate's story takes place in contemporary times (2019), a year after her great-aunt's Violet death. She is fleeing from her abusive partner and is reunited with the ghosts of her ancestors and the memories of the house. Altha's story takes place in 1619 when she's accused of witchcraft and tries to reconnect with a dear friend. It raises questions of morality and righteousness in an unjust world, where women's voice have been silenced - in modern times, as well as centuries past.

The masterful narration of Hart makes it easy to distinguish between the voices of the three women. Kate's story is the one I found particularly engaging. Her emotional journey was gripping and left me wanting to know more as I discovered the mysteries of Violet's home along with her. Given that there isn't much left of Violet's heritage and Kate cannot ask for details of her great-aunt's life, we are given Violet's perspective. Her narration I found slower to get into but it built her character well. She's a strong young woman who finds herself out of place at her own home, pushed to the side by her own father. I particularly liked the epilogue of the novel which gives us the voice of an older Violet, one that has to protect the last of the Weywards. It was a powerful ending to the story and I guarantee, it'll make you weep (or simply shed a tear of appreciation).

What I found took me out of my reading experience at first was the switch to first-person narrative with Altha's story amidst the third-person narration of the other two. However, near the end of the story, readers will better understand why that was done and it completely changed my perspective on the author's choice. Hart's voice comes through Altha's storyline in a touching, sensitive way that pulls you into the world right away. She dealt with difficult topics in the novel in a respectful manner, but if someone has had similar experiences to the heroines, it might be triggering, though the language isn't all that descriptive in those scenes.

And to conclude, is it really a review of a book about magical realism if I don't mention how incredible it felt reading about their powers? The subtlety with which they have navigated the world, centuries after centuries, is simply admirable. 'Witches' are to me symbols of women's resilience throughout the ages, and the tragedy of being different in a world of men. I strongly recommend this book to all, especially to all the Weyward women of the world.

"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 who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses."

Oh what a wonderful tale this is! Three very different women but really very much the same. The thread that connects them is a story of "wise women" (a much maligned group if ever there was one) and even though this is supposed to be fiction, there is so much fact in there that, sadly, many would deny.

I am male and should not, in theory, respond in any positive way to such a book. Having said that, I empathised so much that I was very much moved by the trials and tribulations that these women had to face. Also sad is the reality that such women are still looked on with suspicion by so many.

Whether you are drawn to such tales or if you are prepared to be drawn by such tales, I commend this book to your reading list. I loved it and suspect that you will too.

This book went right into my soul. I felt connected to the characters and thought their stories so well executed and linked.

Hart has woven a beautiful tale of the struggles that have women faced throughout the centuries and the bond they create to survive.

Absolutely would recommend this book.

First, I have to gush about the incredible writing. It was so intoxicating and engaging. It grabbed me and refused to let go.

It’s told through the eyes of three different women - Kate in 2019, Altha in 1619, and Violet in 1942. Three different generations of Weyward women, all facing their own trials and tribulations.

Kate was escaping from her abusive husband. I thought this was brilliantly done. The author did a great job of showing the trauma domestic violence causes and also the repercussions and effects that linger, even after leaving.

Altha was a woman on trial for suspected witchcraft. It explored how she got to that point and also gave us some backstory on the Weyward women.

Finally, Violet, who was Kate’s great-aunt and left everything to her after her death. Her story was the most heartbreaking for me and I related to her the most.

What I loved was all three women had their own troubles. However, it tied them together. Kate fleeing from her abusive husband. I liked how, by the end, all three perspectives sort of intertwined and led into each other.

Each perspective was distinctive, so it was easy for me to separate. They flowed into one another, so it kept the pacing going, and it wasn’t jolting. The backstory for each of the women was peppered throughout the book, which avoided large passages of info dumping. I enjoyed learning about each one as an individual, as well as discovering the connections they had to one another.

The premise of this book initially grabbed me and the story itself didn’t let me down. I was gripped and ending up reading late into the night just to find out what happened. The pacing dipped around the middle, as it felt like nothing much was happening. I also would have liked the climax to have been more fleshed out. But the beautiful writing and characters kept me reading until the end, and overall the story was intriguing and one that will stay with me for years to come.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

This book is the story of three women over several hundred years from the same family. This was beautifully written if at times hard to read. I loved all three of the Weyward women and wished I could have stayed with them longer.

The writing was so atmospheric I felt like I was in the cottage with them and cheered for each of the women to overcome the men in their lives.

I would highly recommend this book but advise to look up trigger warnings before beginning.

This book hurt in a really, really good way. Telling the story of three women from one family over centuries, Hart paints a picture of what it means to be a witch that is vulnerable and powerful in equal measure. I appreciate that she allowed her characters to suffer, but was most invested in creating a narrative of reclaiming power and overcoming those who would harm us. I really enjoyed this and will be recommending it broadly.

A huge contender for my book of the year 2023.
Gothic realism and feminist magnificence.
A stunning debut.

beautifully written and deeply values and demonstrates the bonds of womanhood. combingin this with themes of some magic and some historical nuances this boook really came to live and is very poetic in its telling. You wouldn't know this is a debut novel, and it will stay with you long after the last page. The symbolism and strength surround the women, and their lives shines through, without openly bashing men to achieve this. While it has a slow start it builds into something that words can't portray. Love, magic and nature all wound into one flowing piece.

I really enjoyed this, but it is really really important to read the content warnings. It does not go easy on them. The second scene in the book is about an abusive relationship and contains domestic abuse.

As I said though this was a really enjoyable read. It was atmospheric and full of an appreciation of nature. It really made me think about the birds and insects all around me! I loved that the magic was so tied up with the natural world. The only problem with is was that I would have liked more magic.

My favourite storyline was Violet's I loved the rebellious girl who had such a connection to nature that no one could tame. I love the idea that everyone who reads this will have a different connection to the three characters and will like a different character best!

If you want a story about three strong women with themes of witchcraft and overcoming the place of women in society, then this is the perfect book to pick up.

A beautiful yet brutal story following 3 women in different time periods who share a secret legacy. The stories weave together in an immersive and compelling narrative.
Capturing the magical elements of the natural world in a vivid way but the emphasis is on the characters personal growth and resilience rather than fantastical plots and revenge.
A fantastically written debut novel with believable and relatable characters that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this empowering story.

Beautifully written and perfectly paced. I also enjoyed the multiple timelines and pov, and will be reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the stories across the 3 different time periods of the different Weyward women.
Each time period was described really well and I felt like I got to know and care about each character.
I really like historical fiction and this was excellent.

Based on the persecution of women suspected to be witches, the author weaves an fascinating tale of three generations of women. We cleverly witness the path of progress and how the perception of magic changes over time.

We have Altha (1619), on trial for witchcraft when a local man is killed. We have Violet (1942) who is fascinated with biology but instead of following her passions is being forced to conform to the pressures of society. And we have Kate (2019) who is trapped in an abusive marriage. submerging who she really is. All three are on a journey to discover who they really are, and the Weyward legacy.

Its a fascinating account of resilience and the power we have within, as well as a unique interpretation of "magic", The three stories were a little disjointed, especially at the beginning, but it began to make more sense as the story progressed. Overall, I enjoyed the themes and messages, and the characters of these three strong women.