Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are my own.

I will admit the cover drew me in before the synopsis. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

Emilia Hart delivers an amazing debut novel! The story is told from the perspective of three women across different generations. It is well written and does a spectacular job keeping you captivated.

I can’t wait to see what Emilia Hart does next!

This novel follows the lives of three women over several centuries in England. Altha lives in the early 1600s when witch hunts were being conducted. You get to know her and her connection with nature and the elements. Violet lives in the 1940s and she too has this uncanny connection with nature which she too harnesses. Lastly, there is Kate in 2019 who escapes an abusive husband and finds herself in her aunt Violet's cottage. Here she realizes her connection with nature. There is a wonderful, mystical quality to this book and I happened to read it near Halloween which made it even more fun to read.

The Weyard Sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go, about, about,
Thrice to thine, thrice to mine,
And thrice again to make up nine.
Peace, the charm’s wound up.’
MACBETH

’I am a Weyward, and wild inside.’

There must be something about these last few years that has brought so many impressive debut novels this year, including those that will be published in the year to come.

This story is shared through the voices of three women from different eras, the lives they lived are different in some ways, while in others, they all share a common thread. Men who perceive them as weak, needing to bend them to their will in order to confirm their own superiority, sharing a belief that this is the way it always has been, and always should be.

Their individual stories are connected, although these three women have never met as they were born in different eras. Altha’s story begins in 1619, a woman accused of witchcraft. Violet’s in 1942, as WWII is taking its toll on the country and the world, she is considered strange as a child by her father, and much worse as she reaches her teen years. Kate’s story is more contemporary, set in 2019, with her story a variation on the theme of men considering their wives to be property that they can rule over as they please. Underlying all their stories is an appreciation, a strong connection with nature, and the beauty as well as the power that is found within.

Throughout this story, there is also an almost reverent connection for these women to nature, the strength as well as pleasure they take in being surrounded by it. At its heart, this is a story about power, forging a way through darkness, and believing in oneself.


Pub Date: 07 Mar 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. If you liked the vibe of the Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, you will adore this - you follow three generations of women with a witchy secret, in three very different centuries and situations. I actually enjoyed all three perspectives, which is fun - often I find one skippable.

I loved seeing how all three stories tied together - this story is part historical, part contemporary, and part magical realism. The witchy vibes went in my FAVOURITE direction which is punishing men for hurting women!!!

Overall such a gorgeous read and a wonderful debut!

"Weyward" by Emilia Hart is a mix of Historical & Women's Fiction with touches of Magical Realism!

In 2019, twenty-nine-year-old Kate Ayres escapes a physically and emotionally abusive relationship in London for Weyward Cottage. This rundown cottage, with its tangled gardens, was inherited from her Great Aunt Violet, who she barely remembers. Struggling with memories of her past, Kate soon discovers secrets Violet has kept hidden dating as far back as 1619 and the witch trials of the 17th century.

In 1619, twenty-one-year-old Altha Weyward remembers being taught the knowledge of the natural world by her mother. Women who are different are presumed dangerous and she finds herself accused of witchcraft and awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer. She knows it will take all her knowledge and powers to sustain her freedom.

In 1942, sixteen-year-old Violet Ayres feels trapped, and longs for the education and freedom her brother Graham is allowed. She craves more detail about her mother who died years ago. All she possesses of her mother is a locket with the initial "W" and the word "Weyward" scratched into the baseboard in her bedroom.

Three timelines of three Weyward women with similar stories, living in three different centuries and bound together by their innate connection to the natural world.

This was a slow starter for me with simplistic writing and alternating chapters that initially hampered my introduction to the three main characters. However, the farther I read, the depth to the story continued to build and before I knew it I couldn't put it down.

I found each of the three women's stories equally compelling and mysterious, becoming fully invested in each of them. The short chapters were a plus for story's pace, and I enjoyed how just enough of a carrot was offered at the end of each chapter to lure you on to the next.

I believe Weyward Cottage to have special importance to this story. It provided shelter and refuge, a garden for nourishment, plants for medicinal purposes, and was surrounded by nature and wild life. The cottage felt like it was "living and breathing" from generation to generation and representative of another character in the story.

This story came together so beautifully and I buzzed through the last part because I couldn't wait to see how it played out. There was one characters that was in need of more development but it wasn't one of the main characters, and I felt the 'love and magic of nature' in the story over-shadowed any writing flaws.

This author has such potential and I'm excited for her! I hope she stays with this genre, but regardless of the direction she takes, I look forward to her next offering! I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a blend of Historical & Women's Fiction with touches of Magical Realism!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emilia Hart for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

Kate lives in London and feels trapped in her abusive relationship; but finally, she finds the courage to break free. She flees to a cottage she inherited from her Great Aunt Violet, though she hardly knew the woman. As Kate does her best to deal with her trauma, she begins to uncover secrets about Aunt Violet’s past, as well as her ancestor Altha Weyward who was put on trial for witchcraft in 1619.

This was an interesting book that was made up of three storylines – it followed Altha (1619), Violet (1940s), and Kate (2019) as they all went through various tribulations relating to traditional gender expectations and the patriarchal control. As the story followed all three women, the first third of the book was a little slow, taking a while to introduce and situate the characters. The writing is also exposition heavy, which adds to the slower feeling of the beginning of the work. But as the work continues, the pacing picks up and the plot moves forward at a steadier pace.

I enjoyed getting to read from the POV of the three different women. Violet’s plot was my favorite, and I became most invested in her. I enjoyed how the author incorporated magic – it was related mostly to the beauty of nature rather than brewing potions or spells, which was an interesting take on it. I did feel that all three plots were relatively predictable. This work was also quite dark with more of an emphasis on the trauma and abuse by males than the magic, which detracted from it some for me. The focus was more on three women doing their best to survive the traumas of their time rather than the magic that bound them together.

While I did find the plots a little cliché overall, this was a well-done debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this work.

TW: rape, domestic abuse, emotional manipulation/abuse, child loss

This is a good book to judge by its cover: twining, botanical, a little spooky. I liked the setting and the way the stories folded together. A solid read

What a fabulous debut by author, Amilia Hart! Weyward is told from the viewpoints of three women from different generations of the Weyward family. The Weyward women face horrendous obstacles in their lives and persevere due to their inner strength and a little bit of magic.

Weyward is well-written with storylines which draw you in from the start and will keep you reading until the very end. Have I mentioned how wonderful the cover looks?

I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

I absolutely loved this!! Usually I find multiple POVs hard to read as the each story is so removed from each other in the beginning that I find myself asking, “Okay? What’s the point? Where are you going with this?” And most of the time, one story is always more interesting than the others… not with ‘Weyward’. I found myself riveted to each story, each one getting better and better as the story moved.

Not only was each story page-turning, but the writing was beautiful and atmospheric, it was like watching a movie - the beech tree on the hill, the buzz of the bees and the brush of mayflies wings, the stalking crows and whispering deep woods. Beautiful. Well done, Ms Hart, we’ll done.

Stunning debut.

Emilia Hart expertly intertwines the stories of three women in three timelines living very different lives with a thread that ties them all together. As another reviewer stated, this is no easy feat, but I was equally invested in each of the stories and felt I could identify with each of the women. Altha, 21, accused of being a murderous witch in the year 1619, writes her story, in fear that she soon won't be around to tell it. Violet, a 16-year-old girl in 1942 with an interest in insects and nature, lives an isolated life at her family's estate until her cousin Frederick comes to visit and sparks in her a renewed curiosity about her long-deceased mother. And Kate, aged 29, inherits a cottage from a great-aunt she has never met, an opportunity to flee her abusive relationship.

There should be trigger warnings for sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse. My personal opinion as a survivor of both is that the book handled these subjects with care, but there are at least two quite vivid scenes that may be traumatic.

I could go on about all the times this book amazed me throughout, but I'll just say go and read it for yourself. I have preordered Weyward, as it's a book I know I will read over and over again and feel something every time. It will be an absolutely treasured addition to my personal library for years to come.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

I’m not gonna lie – “Weyward” and I got off on the wrong foot.

Overall, Emilia Hart’s debut novel is, however, a solid read. It’s an engrossing tale of three women of the Weyward family, as they come into their own power, centuries apart. And it has all that I love in a novel: magic and witchcraft, nature, and feminism.

So why the rough start? Because Hart’s writing is a little light. And by this I mean, light on characterization and depth. After reading the premise of “Weyward,” I had envisioned more of a weighty, literary read, and what I instead received was a novel that more or less just skims the surface without ever developing the characters and story to the fullest. The storyline of Kate, in particular, is the perfect example of this. I hate to say it, but her chapters have no more than the requisite depth of a thriller.

Despite the above criticisms, though, by the halfway point of “Weyward” I was completely hooked. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, as I was dying to know how all three storylines concluded. The pacing of the novel is excellent, and Hart does a fantastic job of slowly building tension as the reader progresses through the three individual stories. Bonus points to the author, too, for an epilogue that actually works. So many epilogues are superfluous, but Hart has written one that is vital to the interconnectedness of the three Weyward women.

I greatly look forward to Hart’s next book. No doubt she has a stellar writing career ahead of her.


My sincerest appreciation to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Sublime - a beautiful exploration of three women and their deep connection to the natural world and to each other.

This is a story of strong, unconventional women who discover their feminine power waging their same-but-different battles against the patriarchy (different centuries, same old shit). There are beautiful elements of magic here for those who like that, but they won't be' off-putting for those who don't (these are green witches, not Halloween witches - there are no spells, cauldrons, or black hats). The author beautifully captured the magic of the natural world, and the way it heals, sustains, and gives life.

I was surprised to learn that this is the author's debut - the story is so layered and nuanced, and written with a confident hand. The book is well-crafted, with beautiful writing, intricate characters, vivid imagery and symbolism, lovely pacing, and three equally-compelling storylines that unfold and interweave seamlessly. Their discoveries of their individual and shared gifts is well done, and each woman's behavior and choices are logical and appropriate for her time, place, and historical context. A triple narrative and triple timeline can be tricky as one character's story is generally more interesting or more thoroughly developed than the others, but there is no weak link here - all three characters and storylines equally compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Maritn's Press for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. It is told from three different women's point of view, and each of the three women's stories were powerful and at times hard to read. They all three went through so much. The author does a great job of weaving the three stories together and the ending was very well done. I loved all the magic that was part of the story, it is a perfect read for October.

Very enjoyable read about three generations of Weyward women and the MEAN BAD men they encounter in their lives. While not necessarily unique/fresh, I still enjoyed this story of witchy ladies who are sick of being pushed around - in three different eras!

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timelines (1600s, 1900s, and present day) and found each one well developed and strong female leads who are bound together by a shared experience. The story has a similar feel to "Practical Magic" by Alice Hoffman.

I liked the premise of this book, the character development of the women and the three different eras, but the book fell short for me. I liked the three timelines but the chapters were so short I was getting confused as we went back and forth in time. I would have liked to see the longer chapters because the shortness of them did not allow me to sink into the specific story for that time period.

*Spoiler Alert*
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⚠️ WARNING⚠️
This book contains themes of domestic abuse and assault.
The Weyward women were interesting to learn about. Altha, tried as a witch in 1619 for the death of her former best friend’s husband; Violet in 1942, with an abusive father whom refuses to speak about her deceased mother; and Kate in 2019, Violet's great niece, who is in an abusive relationship with Simon who knows her every move. The story shows how the men in each of their lives molded them into the women that they became. This story was thrilling to read, and I highly recommend it. Emilia Hart’s writing was nothing short of poetic and I could not put the book down during my free time.

This was just what I needed at this point in my life. The three points of view and separate story threads come together beautifully without the characters directly interacting, which allows each of them to stand on their own, with Kate (the modern point of view) being a key focal point. This is a truly well-crafted book with a compelling narrative and a strong feminist thread tying everything together. Difficult subjects are tackled with honesty and grace, and each character's perspective feels equally satisfying, with only a few shaky pacing moments.

Three women. Five hundred years. One big secret.

In the year 2019, Kate flees and abusive relationship and goes home to Weyward cottage, inherited from her eccentric great aunt Violet. Passed from the women in the family for centuries.
In the year 1942, Violet Weyward grapples with her abusive controlling father.
In the year 1619, Altha Weyward is put on trial for witchcraft.
Weyward weaves a masterful web of intergenerational trauma, power dynamics and these women's witchcraft and inherent connection to nature.
Wonderfully handled exploration of breaking the cycle and the good and the bad we carry in our bones from our ancestors.