Thank you to St. Martins Press for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available March 7,2023

Weyward is a book spanning centuries and told in 3 women’s POV. I was bored. The constant flopping betwixt the 3 women was exhausting and took me out of the story.

This is a great story about powerful women and their journey to find themselves in a world/society that always tries to put them down.
This story is told through tree pov: one in the 1600, other in the 1900 and one in modern time. Three women, three wayward fighting to survive and be full. The writing style was beautiful and stylized depending on the time.
At first it was difficult to dive in every story/time, because there were so much context to be given. Every Wayward deals with different conflicts from the same root: you know what I'm talking about, the patriarchal system.
I enjoyed the three stories, and I felt more emphaty with Kate, maybe because she's in the current time.
However, sometimes I felt a lack of things happening and I understand it's because we're following three perspectives, but still I think it was too low paced in the middle, the building of conflict didn't pay off at the end.
I still think is a book a lot of people can have a good time reading.

*A big thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a free digital copy of Weyeard in exchange for an honest review!* Weyward is available March 7th, 2023!

When Kate's great aunt Violet passes away and leaves her estate to Kate, she knows it is the perfect time to flee from her abusive partner. Finding herself in a situation she knows she must escape, she takes up residence in Weyward Cottage, located in Crows Beck.

Crows Beck holds the answers to a question that Kate doesn't know she has just yet. As she settles and builds a life for herself, she begins to discover more about Violet, and the women that came before her. At Weyward Cottage, a generational secret makes itself known. This secret all begins with a 1600's trial of witchcraft for a woman named Altha.

The characters of Weyward I found to be incredibly fleshed out and descriptive. I had a clear picture of each and had either a draw or a suspicion to them all. I felt like Emilia was really able to take us to multiple people's stories in multiple timelines, very well. I also really enjoyed the female empowerment weaved throughout the book, showing the power of women.

Also, lets talk about that cover! Holy Crow (lol) is it GORGEOUS. I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by the cover, but when cover art is not only beautiful but so highly relateable to the book, I cannot help myself. Such a stunning wrap up and round view of large themes throughout the novel.

Big round of applause to Emilia Hart, I so enjoyed Weyward and I hope you do as well! Weyward is available March 7th, 2023. Add to your TBR now!

4.5 STARS and an outstanding read! I breezed through this book because there was so much to love. For starters, I feel like I'm a Weyward myself, having always been fascinated by bugs and "one with" nature. This book felt very heart-warming. I really enjoyed reading about the lives of three women: Altha, Violet, and Kate and the progression of how their stories came together. If you're bothered or irked by "witchcraft-y" reads, this was not that. There were few parts where unnatural witchcraft "spells" were cast. That was not the focus. However, there were some confusing moments, particularly in Altha's story and how it bounced from the trial to the past leading up to the trial, which is where I nicked a half a star. But, in the end, I was able to piece it all together. I don't say this about many books, but this is one I may actually pick up and read again.

I am stingy with my 5 * as of late, but this is a 5 ! I felt the struggles on so many levels. Some just through the talks of my 91 year old great aunt … my grandma, who left her husband because of abuse when it wasn’t even “allowed” to divorce in the south. My other grandmother who stuck it out for her kids & grandkids.

I have women of all kinds in my family & this does credit to many different situations.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader cy for review !

This was a gorgeous, atmospheric debut, full of unforgettable characters, Weyward is a story that will stay with me for awhile. Three women in three different timelines, connected by circumstances they can't control and the magic in their blood each learn to navigate a harsh and unforgiving world where men hold all the power. If you like stories with a feminist bent full of history and green magic, this one is for you.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The women in the Weyward family are connected, to the Earth, to each other, in ways they never imagined. Kate, the most recent of the Weyward women, learns about the history of her family and how similar her story is with the women from the past.

This book is so compelling and interesting. It was so sad, but yet so inspiring in how the writer portrayed the women in the different eras. I loved all the female characters in this book and the weaving and intertwined story. I legitimately could not put it down, and finished in basically a day.

Women across generations fight against abuse.
Altha - accused of witchcraft
Violet - her father and cousin
Kate - her partner
They fight for their survival, their independence - forced to do whatever they can.
Generations apart, they connect; they are bond together - fighting for their independence.

Different generations of women tell their stories of witchcraft. Loved the details about how the natural world is connected to these women. Didn't love the abuse and assaults each woman suffered.

Three POV’s-one book. The thing with multiple POV’s (for me) is that at a certain point I become divested in one or more of the characters. Three women in three separate timelines dealing with POS men. Basically, their connection with natural world isn’t understood due to patriarchy and religion. Kate must find a way to embrace this to become strong enough to escape her abusive partner. This story might be more enjoyable to those unfamiliar with this brand of feminism fiction but I think it’s a story I’ve read before with a new cast. I’d rather the book focus more on the natural magic than “men suck and can’t use their fists and penises properly!” 😩 the writing was okay and the pacing was very clunky. My concern over the women and their well being pushed me through.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

Weyward is the affecting story of three women who all struggle not just to survive in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties, but to infuse their lives with meaning.

In the early 1600s, Altha and her mother know how to use herbs to heal others with life-threatening issues that doctors address with leeches. Sometimes they are successful, but when they are not, or when neighbors die from unexplainable circumstances, they are often labeled witches. In 1942, 16-year-old Violet is not allowed to go to school to study her beloved insects and is expected to marry a man who has violated her trust. And in 2019, Kate finally finds a way to escape her possessive, abusive husband, but the fear of discovery is always present.

How these women's lives intersect is fascinating, the alternating chapters are easy to follow, and the author has a self-assured writing style. However, the subject matter is unrelentingly bleak, which made it a difficult read for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Beautifully written story about strong women over several generations and their connection to the natural world. Great character development and themes. I am looking forward to reading more from this author! Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an electronic ARC copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

Wow. The connection between these 3 women, the connection to nature especially giving a mother nature vibe, and the girl power!! Yes!

This is something I think many people could relate to. It highlights some very real struggles, including sexual assault and domestic violence, but only to show the enormous amount of strength it takes for a person to live through that and get out of the situation.

This story follows three women over the course of five centuries. Each chapter had a different one of these women as a main character throughout this book. I loved that. I loved seeing the connection between them blossom as I continued to read. Especially how they all came to and used their powers as Weywards.

I definitely recommend this one!

Out March 7, 2023!

Weyward by Emilia Hart
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Told from the viewpoint of three women in different parts of time, this is a story about the strength in nature and in women.
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What I liked:
-Ok I love multiple timeline books. I loved the three viewpoints and seeing how these three women were all connected.
-The injustices in the story really got me involved straight away. I was very emotionally invested in seeing how these women helped themselves and whether that would get any justice.
-Sometimes books like this feel a little too much like “men are all awful”, but this one did a pretty good job of giving us some good guys too. Graham was my favorite.
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4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Very enamored with this book and author right now. And this cover is gorgeous. 😍 (This book is a total cover buy!)

The Weyward family had always been a line of cunning women who used their knowledge of herbs and remedies to minister to the suffering and heal the sick and injured. Throughout three timelines we meet Altha, on trial in the 17th century for the murder of a man by witchcraft; Violet who must contend with her distant and cruel father as WWII rages; and Kate, desperate to escape an abusive husband and forge a new life in 2019. All these women must deal with the circumstances thrust upon them evil men and find the strength that lies in each of them, as well as the power that is the Weyward legacy.

This is absolute character driven perfection and I could not put this novel down. It brings back that childhood fascination with the stories of the witch trials and I keenly remember the horror at the realization that all those women stories were lost, only coming to us filtered through the mouths of their murderers. We see in Weyward the men exposed as they set out to destroy the power they fear and the women they can’t control. The tale of these three women was intricately woven together, the injustices they faced and the abuses they endured created poignant moments that I felt in my soul. The characters were well written, with just a touch of “otherness” and an understated power that allowed the focus to remain on their stories lending a real feeling of magical realism. There are feminist themes found throughout this novel, so much so that I feel the tansy-colored walls of Elisabeth's room were a nod to The Yellow Wallpaper (though I could be reading too much into). This was an empowering story of women's strength to endure and overcome, and rings with hope for an end to generational abuse and oppression. It was social and historical commentary wrapped neatly up in a wonderful and moving story.

I liked the writing very much but I can't say I found the story engaging. The book is about a fascinating topic (at least for me): witchcraft and the female multiverse. The story unspools throughout five centuries and three different points of view: Altha, 1619 is facing a witchcraft accusation, Violet, 1942 is trying to find out more about her mother's death circumstances while facing his monstrous father and Katy, 2019, who is escaping from a violent marriage and ends up living in an old family cottage, Weyward, where she discovers her true powers and the bond that connects her with the rest of the women of her family.
The structure is a little bit too formulaic for my taste. Although it is an effective way to tell a story, I think it's beginning to feel a little worn out. I'm not saying this lightly, it's just that I felt that I was reading more of the same.
Having said that, I think that the author knows what she's doing and it's very well documented, and I would definitely read any of her upcoming books on other topics.

Wow. I really, really, really enjoyed this book! Loved this book!
The book tells the story of three generations of Weyward women. We first meet Altha, in 1619 during the Witch Trials. She and her mother were known for their healing remedies and natural cures. Then we meet Violet, post WWII, who knows nothing about her families past until she starts to see little clues. She knows that she is different from others, but not really sure why. And finally there is Kate, modern day, who has no history of her family, but inherits a cottage from her great aunt and soon begins to notice things about herself.

This is told in 3 point of views over 3 different timeframes. That is something I like and I like that it is clearly marked at the beginning of each chapter. Also the cover is gorgeous. This would definitely be a book that I would automatically pick up and check out if I saw it in the bookstore.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Weyward is a gorgeously written novel with an equally gorgeous cover and a promising premise that, at its roots, tries to be feminist in its storytelling. Weyward follows three women through time: Altha, a young witch in the early 1600s, as she learns from her mother and makes bold decisions regarding the livelihood of a childhood friend and love interest; Violet, a young woman in the 1940s who is struggling with finding herself and wrestling with the unsettling feelings around her mother's death and her father's role in her life; and Kate, in her early 30s, caught in a violently abusive relationship with a controlling partner.

What I loved: the descriptive writing, the alternating timelines, the magical realism, and the overall idea for the story. Green witches are my favorites, so there is cottagecore aesthetics to the max here.

What didn't work for me: That every man, with the exception of Adam Bainbridge, Graham Ayres, and Henry Ayres (all with relatively minimal page time, and one who is dead for the entirety of the story), is an absolute wretch. I was so disappointed that there weren't more male characters (since it's trying to be feminist after all) that were not better people, who displayed good natures and kind hearts, and who played bigger roles within the narrative. Instead, this book makes one believe that the sole reasons for the Weyward women's woes comes from men, which not only makes it look like they're just terrible at picking men, but also just misses the mark in my opinion.

A great concept, but one that didn't meet the expectations I had for it.

“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. The animals, the birds, the plants--they let us in, recognizing us as one of their own. That is why roots and leaves yield so easily under our fingers, to form tonics that bring comfort and healing. That is why animals welcome our embrace. Why the crows--the ones who carry the sign--watch over us and do our bidding, why their touch brings our abilities into sharpest relief.”

Content warning: rape, domestic assault, miscarriage, abortion, suicidal thoughts, animal cruelty

Weyward is three stories twined together: Kate in 2019 escaping an abusive marriage after she learns she is pregnant, bug-obsessed and naive 15 year old Violet living with her cruel father in their manor estate in 1942, and accused witch Altha on trial for murder in the 1618-ish.

I was intrigued by the summary of the novel but disappointed by the execution. Each chapter switches to a different woman; Altha’s chapters are told in an epistolary format in first person past tense, Violet’s are third person past tense (omniscient), and Kate’s are third person omniscient in present tense, unfortunately. If you were to remove this choppy format and line up each storyline start to finish, none of them would be particularly interesting. Other than chopping off the narrative at the end of each chapter, nothing propels the reader forward. The story was predictable, but the characters felt distinct from each other with unique life experiences that overlapped somewhat.

This isn’t really a story about witches at all. Mostly it’s about women getting assaulted by men/society, then grubbing around in the dirt and looking at bugs like they’re drunk on life and cannot believe what a miracle [insert creature here] is. I think there is definitely an audience for this, but I’m not it. I want the book the summary sold me, please.

Violet’s story reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s “The Signature of All Things;” fans of that work might enjoy Weyward as well.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the free copy! All opinions expressed are my own.

Three Weyward women dealing with their heritage and trying to survive in three different generations .