This is an exceptional multi-generational narrative that has a profound and emotional impact. The story follows three women who are interconnected through their strong bond with nature. Despite experiencing various forms of abuse, each of these women has managed to harness their inner strength to survive and thrive. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. As we delve into the book, we are taken on a journey through the lives of Kate, Altha, and Violet, going back and forth in time, allowing us to witness their personal growth and transformation as they navigate their paths towards self-discovery and empowerment.

This narrative beautifully illustrates the power and resilience of women, and the magic that often lies within them. The characters are beautifully crafted, with a remarkable depth that immediately captured my attention from the first page. The progression of the characters throughout the novel is a testament to the strength and natural abilities of women. Overall, this book is an incredible read that will leave a lasting impression on readers.

4.5 stars

despite being a bit outside my usual genre, this novel took me by surprise and I ended up really loving it! a historical women's fiction novel with a bit of magical realism incorporated, I thought that the way that the author melded the 3 different story lines of these women was so well done and intriguing. seeing how interconnected the women were and their connection to each other and nature was so beautiful.

the beginning was a bit slow for me and it took me a night to really get into the story but as I continued reading, I just kept getting more and more invested. as the three women's stories began to tie together, it got more compelling. I thought that this book offered such an interesting view into the way women were and are treated and the challenges that they faced as their thoughts and feelings were invalidated. each woman had a slightly different story but they all faced similar issues, dealing with societal expectations and horrible actions by the powerful men in their lives.

overall, I just thought this book was so good and would highly recommend it! the way the story went back and forth and tied together so seamlessly was wonderfully done - such a well-written and thought provoking book!

Great female energy is presented through multiple generations of Weyward women. Weaving their stories together, we learn of their struggles, their loss, their wildness and how their legacy carries on.

While at times their stories felt a bit repetitive, I enjoyed how we peeled back layers of each Weyward woman as they slowly discovered their wildness. Each in turn battled with their inner voice, wondering if this calling was a power or a curse. It’s easy to make assumptions about how all the women’s stories would connect, so it was fun to see how it all came together.

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

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced digital copy.

This is a great read if you like witchy stories from different time periods - but more of healing with nature witches and not so much cauldrons and broomsticks. This also has strong feminist plots where our main characters are facing obstacles that many women face - during their respective time periods and for all time.

This story gives us POV chapters from 3 different points of view - one is Altha in the 1600s, on trial for witchcraft. The second is Violet, a teenager during World World II living on her father's wealthy estate. And Kate, a young woman in a volatile relationship in 2019. All these women are fighting different battles, but they each have their own love of nature. Their stories are intertwined, and they each have ties to the small Weyward cottage in a small village. But will each of these women overcome obstacles to find the inner strength that unites them all?

Honestly, this is such a good debut! I will happily read other books by Emilia Hart. It was beautifully written, with an equally beautiful cover. I bought the book from Book of the Month when I was only part way through reading it, because I knew I needed this beautiful book on my bookshelves.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

"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.

This was such a great book. I found the premise of following three women from the same family but existing in different generations to be super intriguing. I'm glad that I did. I thought this book was really well done and I was invested in the story really early on. I was initially drawn into this book by the cover and I'm glad I was. I think this is a wonderful historical fiction with the way it depicts the trauma that women endure and the way it survives through the generations.

While this isn't what I normally recommend, I think it's always nice to change things up. I will be recommending these when someone is looking for impactful historical fiction with a magical twist.

I love stories of women reclaiming their power, their heritage, becoming more than they imagined is possible. Throw in witchy & magical elements, historical elements and beautiful writing? I'm over the moon! Highly recommended!

I know it’s only March, but this will probably be one of my top 5 reads for the entire year. Kate, Violet, and Altha each struggle with otherness and isolation, but in distinctive ways. They handle their grief, fear, etc. in believable ways (at least until magic gets involved). There were also some wonderfully whimsical moments. I particularly appreciated Violet’s pet spider Goldie.

An accused witch, a young woman forced to conform to her father's rules, and a modern day wife on the run from an abusive partner . . .

I groaned when I started this book and realized there were three different women telling their tales across a span of hundreds of years. Whenever this happens, I always find one of the characters far more interesting than the others . . . but not in this case. I was held rapt by each story-line, and loved how they all meshed beautifully in the end. This beautifully written tale about the lives of women also offers an appreciation of nature, and the importance of living in harmony with all creatures.

A wonderful story, and one of my favorite books of the year so far.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc!

Absolutely stunning read - full of mystery, intrigue, and history of three unique women who are trying to survive in a society that targets their wit and ancestry. All three women are brave and smart, despite the rules of the men around them who keep trying to stop them from progressing and finding joy. The words flow lovely and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

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."

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read Weyward by Emilia Hart. This debut novel seemed to be right up my alley; the cover was gorgeous, a multi-timeline plot (Three women in the family, in different times, dealing with witchcraft, and abusive relationships. I did find it difficult to read due to some of the content, and the pacing was slow Others may not have the issues I had, but subject content includes domestic violence, rape, incest. 2 1/2 stars rounded up.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book!

I don’t always love multiple timelines in books, but this one was so well-paced, with each of the women experiencing similar things in vastly different timelines while also moving the story forward. The timelines were so well-woven together, that it didn’t feel awkward or jolting to switch to another person’s story.

In many ways, this reminded me of Jenna Walsh Evans’s “spells for lost things” in the emotions it evoked and the way connections were made between women separated by generations of time—though that one was decidedly YA while this tackles more adult topics.

Speaking of, here are a few CONTENT WARNINGS: sexual assault, abuse/domestic violence (physical, sexual, financial), abortion, verbal and physical threats of violence, miscarriage, loss of a parent, death, murder, and lots of insects (not sure if this counts, but I’m not a fan and the descriptions were almost too good).

I absolutely loved this debut novel that follows three women in the Weyward lineage at key moments in their lives: Altha, who is being tried as a witch in the early 1600s; Violet, who experiences a painful, turbulent summer when she is 16-years-old; and Kate, who moves to Weyward cottage after escaping an abusive relationship.

It's clear that the Weyward women have some deeper connection to nature, able to befriend (and perhaps communicate with) insects, birds, and other wild creatures. Yet are they as witchy as their families and communities believe them to be? And what will happen when they begin to access their natural talents?

I enjoyed how narratives and artifacts connected them over the centuries, and how although they lived separate lives (Violet and Kate only meet once, when Kate is a small child), they found moments of communion. Each of the three women's stories felt balanced; I was happy to dip in and out of each of their transformative moments because each had a uniquely compelling story. This was also appropriately dark; their power is activated by physical and sexual violence perpetrated on them and other women. While they are healers and stewards of nature, they are also instruments of justice and balance when they exert their talents.

Highly recommend!

I love a book with a beautiful cover, but sometimes the cover doesn’t accurately reflect the contents. I’ve bought many a pretty cover with a bland book inside. Thankfully, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is a great cover with a great book to boot!
Weyward is a multi-generational tale about three women in the accurately-named Weyward clan – Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942, and Kate in 2019. Each of the women is struggling with a form of male oppression. Altha awaits trial for murder-by-witchcraft of a local farmer; Violet is trapped by social conventions in an unfulfilling life, longing for the education her brother seemingly wastes; Kate is fleeing from an abusive relationship in London.
Kate flees to Weyward cottage, which she inherited from her great-aunt Violet, whom she barely knew. As she starts to find her place in the nearby village and build a life on her own, she discovers artifacts of her aunt’s life – and even further back – that suggest that there was something more to Violet. Added to this suspicion are the villagers’ whispers of witchcraft, and soon Violet is on a mission to find out more about her relative.
For the most part, the Weyward women would qualify as healers, but there is a touch of magical realism in this novel, as the women’s affinity with nature takes the form of a bond with insects (and a particular crow) that can only be attributed to a form of magic. Their magic is used to heal, for the most part, connecting them to nature and its balance of life and death.
I don’t always like multiple timeline/multiple narrative novels, but Hart gets the balance right here. Each of the women is a fully-developed character whose thoughts and deeds feel appropriate for the time in which her story takes place. They each have a distinct voice, too, which means there’s very little confusion about which character or timeline I was reading. Further, each woman’s story was interesting in its own right. I didn’t feel the need to rush through a chapter or two to find out what was happening with another character. Even when one character’s chapter ended with a cliffhanger, the novel was well paced, so that I knew I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out what happened.
Weyward is an excellent debut from Emilia Hart, and I look forward to more great stories to come!

I will be linking a full Instagram and goodreads review shortly!

This book has my whole heart!!!! I loved it so much. The relationships between the different generations of weyward women, even when thought didn’t know each other, was so special. The friendship with Grace was lovely (at certain times lol) and graham was such a sweetie. I cried a few times and ugh I need a hard copy of this asap because I just need it on my shelves!!!

I could not have asked for anything more from this!!

Full Review:
Ok so, I absolutely LOVED Weyward by Emilia Hart!!! I definitely ordered myself a hard copy because of how much I loved it. It has 3 different POVs, Altha (1619), Violet (1942), and Kate (2019) and seeing how their stories are connected, intertwined, and come together results in an amazing read. The way they are all interconnected feels so special to read about and I loved every moment of it.

I was left with goosebumps at the end of this book and immediately wanted to start over at the beginning and re-read it, which I basically never do outside of the fantasy genre! I absolutely adored the different relationships between women within the 3 different POVs and it truly felt like I was reading all 3 of their diaries and getting an intimate look at all aspects of their lives.

There are some trigger warnings you may want to check out, but I highly recommend this!

Thank you so much to @net and @stm for my ARC of this one!

Feminist, witchy, perfection. I alternated between the audio and physical book while reading this one. I loved both formats. This book was a little Salem Witch Trials and a little The Scarlet Letter. I really loved how the 3 timelines and 3 POV's wove together to create such a rich story. It's a story of women over coming adversity, a mother's strength and love, finding the power within yourself, and being strong enough to begin again.

My only caution is this one has some tough themes. Triggers include child loss, abortion, and domestic abuse.

I loved this historical fantasy!
It’s a wonderful exploration of generational trauma, a commentary on the status of women throughout history, and a celebration of the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

Full review to come on my blog!

Three strong women, three different eras, all connected by their kinship and their deep attachment to nature. Magic, a word with many definitions, is what I felt reading this well written novel. Descriptive prose and well developed characters make this a book well worth a look. Recommended reading.

Looking for something a little magical to read?

This title is perfect for you then and is a brand new book released this week! Thank you St Martins for the advanced e-copy!

In this stunning debut novel, we are welcomed into the world of the Weyward women. Spanning over five centuries, the stories of Altha, Violet, and Kate are told, each with their own struggles but all with something in common. With powers deeply rooted to the natural world, these women must find the strength to survive in an unjust world of men. Though living years apart, their lives and more importantly, hopes and dreams for a brighter tomorrow are all beautifully intertwined.

I absolutely loved this book and practically devoured it in one sitting! If you love stories about strong women with multiple points of view and a tad bit of witchcraft, I know you will like this just as much as I did.