I wanted to like this book more than I did. Three narrators, all connected through family and the ability to connect to the natural world for magic and healing and sometimes killing. The problem I had with this debut novel was it read as too black and white for me. Women are wonderful, men are evil and worth killing. There was no in between. I think this story has good bones but needs more complexity in its characters. The emphasis on abortions was also a little off putting for me.

I rate this novel 2/5. Thanks to St. Martin Press and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this novel. The weaving of the three Weyward women stories worked especially well. I will definitely be recommending this to friends and any fan of Alix
E. Harrow..

Three women, three different centuries. All with a love of, and connection to, the natural world. All three with men in their lives that are threatened by this connection and who feel the need to dominate them, control them, and crush their spirits. A powerful story that is heartbreaking and triumphant at the same time. A page turner that you won’t dare race through, but rather savor every word.

| About |

I am a Weyward, and wild inside. 

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.



| Thoughts |

I read the description and thought why do I keep doing this to myself? You know you don’t like the switching of narrators when you’re choosing a book. Well maybe not with this book. I actually quite enjoyed the different time periods and perspectives of each protagonist. It was like getting lost in not one world, but three. Each one so immersible and carved out so beautifully I didn’t want it to end and I didn’t want to put it down I wanted more. I also felt it had three endings, each very different but yet still very intertwined. Anyone wanting a little magic to get lost in, this book will surely deliver.

Thanks to Netgally, St Martin’s Press and Emilia Hart for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this book! It follows three women and their journeys to essentially discover themselves as witches. I enjoyed how the author ended almost each chapter for each character on mini cliffhangers; it kept me turning the page well into each night that I was reading (shorter chapters make for addictive reading for me as well!). I feel as though the story itself was fairly slow paced, and had nice descriptions for the setting and the creatures, which it really worked for me! Thank you to netgalley for this arc; it was a perfect read as my mind starts to shift to Autumn style books.

I loved this book so much. I enjoyed that it was told from the perspective from three different timelines of three different women in the same family. It was fascinating, heartwarming and yet heartbreaking at the same time. It showed how family could hold it together even when spread apart hundreds of years. I loved the touch of magical realism, it was fantastic. And there were real life issues that were thrown in the book that were trigger warning issues that women have been dealing with through Time immemorium. I basically read this book in the space of a day and a half. It was fabulous and I'm going to be telling all my friends about it. Fabulous!

Weyward is a beautifully crafted book about womanhood, told in three distinct voices: Altha, a healer on trial for witchcraft in the 1600s, Violet, a smart teenager living under her strict father's rule in the 1900s, and Kate, a domestic abuse survivor in 2019.

I'm not always a fan of back and forth storytelling, but this one really worked. I was interested in every story, and I didn't find myself wanting to skip ahead at all. I loved that this dealt less with the matriarchal point of view and more with a generational feminine point of view.

I would recommend this to all readers, but there are mature themes and some gruesome scenes described.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This was a wonderfully heartbreaking and heartwarming book about multiple generations of women and the mistreatment of those women by the men in their lives. The writing was beautiful with descriptions that sucked me in immediately…I felt like I was in the countryside right along with them. What I ultimately loved about this book, though, was the fact that the women were strong and learned what they needed to do to survive and thrive. Plus, nature is wonderful and magical and connecting with it can fill you with the strength you need to carry on. I will 100% be purchasing a physical copy of this book when it is released! If you’re in need of a book about women healing their souls and empowering themselves…I think this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

I think this book changed my life. I found myself completely enthralled with each of the Weyward women. The book jumps between three women in the Weyward bloodline at three different points in time. It sounds like it should be confusing but it genuinely works so well in this book. The natural imagery is to die for. Its so rich and full of descriptions that place you right there in the cottage with the women. I love a good female empowerment novel as well, and this featured not only one empowered female, but three! Each Weyward woman was a survivor in their own right. This book was beautiful. The perfect atmospheric read to help usher in the spooky/fall/witchy vibes of the upcoming season. I think every woman should read this.

“Weyward,” by Emilia Hart is a witchy wonder of a book that ultimately proved to be a satisfying read.

It’s the story of the Weyward women, a line of witches who have terrific powers and a profound connection with nature and insect life. The story weaves through 21st century England with Kate’s thread, World War Two with Violet’s, and early 17th century with Altha’s. Along the way there is a witch trial, a gothically horrible father and a truly evil husband. And depending upon your point of view, neither of them is the very worst villain. I won’t say more, because this story would be easy to spoil.

The pros of this book are many: The details of the cottage that is central to the story are well drawn. The three main character’s interior lives and profound struggles are well detailed, and you really care about all three women by the book’s end. Nature is beautifully described, and the hardship of being a woman is honestly portrayed. Seeing the supernatural powers of these three witchy women is hugely enjoyable. The book’s end is also deeply satisfying. Hart pulls it all together well.

The cons are less important, but still matter. It took me longer to care about Kate and Althea. Kate, at first, seemed a bit too much of a cardboard cutout damsel in distress. I felt sorry for her, but I wasn’t sure I could grab onto her story. Altha felt ghostly and a bit superfluous at first. Happily, both become more real and interesting as the book goes on. Violet, by the way, jumps off the page right from the get go.

The men are just so, so awful that I yearned for a bigger storyline for one male character—I won’t say who he is, but he’s interesting and a very good person. I could have done with a bit less of the truly horrendous men who populate this book, and a bit more of the one terrific guy, just because he really was interesting to read about. Having said that, the power of the women in “Weyward” is stronger than the awfulness of the men.

The bottom line is that this is an entertaining and engrossing book that is well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review

Weyward by Emilia Hart is a lovely book.
The book centers around 3 generations of "weyward women" who have a special connection with nature. Are the witches? Sensitives? This is not clear, but nothing is ominous.

We follow Altha , Violet, and Kate who are all women in the Weyward line.
Every Weyward woman's first born is always a girl, who is usually endowed with these special nature powers.
Altha is a young woman in the times of the witch trials, 1619, on trial for witchcraft.
Violet is a young woman who is a victim of sexual abuse in 1942.
Kate is Violet's niece shown in 2019 who is trapped in an abusive and controlling relationship.

I don't want to include any spoilers, but the stories follow the women as they struggle to find their own identities and overcome their circumstances.
I really enjoyed this book because it is focused on strong women, and how women in general can be belittled and put down by the arrogant men around them.
I would have liked to see more male characters who were empathetic and understanding.
Violet's brother Graham is shown in a very good light as one of the few "nice guys"

This is such a fun book to read as we get close to "Spooky season"
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Several generations of women struggle to use their power despite the domination of cruel men. They are witches, in tune with nature, whose power threatens men.

An excellent debut novel

I received a free ARC and this is my honest review.

Weyward is a fantastic debut novel by author Emilia Hart. If you like all things to do with an eerie aesthetic, nature, and witches, then this one is for you!

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to follow our three MC’s- Kate, Violet, and Altha. I do feel as if the plot could have been slightly more developed, but overall this was a quick and entertaining read. Readers may also want to look up trigger warnings before starting this novel.

I loved this book! The perfect mix of past and present, magic, and the power of women. Thank you @NetGalley for this!

"Weyward" is used in the First Folio edition of Macbeth. In later versions, "Weyward" was replaced by "Weird".

Weyward tells the story of three interconnected women from 1619 to 1942 to 2019.

In 1619, Altha is on trial for killing her friend's husband. She claims that she didn't touch him, but everyone knows she's capable of doing it without being close to him. She's a witch, after all. However, Altha knows that's not the case. Ever since she was little, the animals and plants would come to her, not the other way around. It's not her fault that her mother taught her how to use the land to cure ailments and it's also not her fault that some community members chose to come to her for help instead of the town doctor.

Fast forward to 1924 to Violet. Violet is a teenager living in Orton Hall with her father, who despises her, and her brother, who doesn't understand her. Her mother died when she was young, but Violet doesn't remember her, and staff members won't tell her anything. A little weird, Violet would rather be in the trees listening to the insects and talking to the birds than doing her chores or learning French. Everything changes when Violet's dad invites Cousin Frederick to their home. Fresh from the war, he tells Violet that he knew her mother and that she was different. She walked around with a crow perched on her shoulder and spoke under her breath when he was around. Frederick even claims that she left a toad in his bed when she was locked in another room. How can she do that? Excited to learn more about her mother, Violet unknowingly falls under Frederick's spell, and her life changes forever.

2019 has come and so has Kate. Living in an abusive relationship with a man named Simon, she finally gets the courage to leave. Rushing out in the middle of the night, she only has one place to go: her dead Aunt Violet's cottage. Kate is trying to anonymously start over but keeps hearing whispers about her Aunt Violet and the Weyward family. Is it true that the women of the Weyward family are witches? What else doesn't Kate know about her family?

4 stars!
This book seemed to come to me at the right time. I'm feeling a little "Spook-ish" as the weather changes and it's getting closer to September and Fall. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It had me questioning how each woman was connected and how they all overlapped in history. There really wasn't much mystery beyond that, instead, this is a story of women and their strengths. If you're anything like me, by the end, you'll want to be sitting in the woods talking to the trees.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Weyward my Emilia Hart had a beautiful concept and reminded me a lot of The Lost Apothecary, which I read earlier this year. I misread the Weyward's summary and overlooked the "escaping an abusive partner" plot. Reading Kate's perspective was uncomfortable. Secondly, the prologue was in first person, but then the next chapters were in third person. The transitions between first and third person was jarring. The characters and the story were lovely and I do recommend picking up Weyward.

I'm not normally into books where we're jumping around in time periods but I read this book in one sitting. I had to know what happened next and didn't want to stop reading. The quote on the last page was the perfect ending.

Weyward tells the stories of Altha, Violet, and Kate jumping between the 1600s, 1940s, and present day. It is the perfect spooky season read - not a thriller or scary, but all the witchy, fall vibes! All three of these women had mesmerizing stories that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommend and I can't wait to see what Emilia Hart does next.

This book takes you on a few journeys. It’s written so you follow the story of 3 women. women all connected by blood and nature. Please make sure to look up trigger warning for this book since at times it gets a bit heavy. I enjoyed the female empowerment I felt and the sense of connection all the weyward women had. I would recommend this if you are into witchy things and love when books showcase STRONG women.

I had to look thrice to see that this is actually a debut novel’!! Well done, Emilia Hart-

Weyward gives me all the appropriate spooky fall vibes that I could ever want- but not scary.
Witches, women being wronged - and bringing their powers that be back to help them- just hits me in my core. What a beautiful generational story. Will definitely be purchasing a physical copy Because not only is it a beautiful story, it has a beautiful cover as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review.