Exquisitely written, Weyward by Emilia Hart is the story of three women, separated by years, but all fiercely connected to one another and to the forces of nature.

The Weyward women have a special gift, binding them to the natural world in a unique and powerful way. Plants grow easily when cultivated by them, birds and animals have an uncanny ability to communicate with and guide them.

I loved this book like you wouldn’t believe, and it’s already a front-runner for my favourite book of the year. This is such a beautiful story of intergenerational wisdom and connection; and the strength of women and community. It is engaging and spellbinding in a way that easily could have had me reading about the characters for another 100 pages.

For anyone looking for a bit of escape, I found Weyward perfect for that. I can’t recommend this book enough!

5⭐️

This is the kind of work I expect when I hear "women's literature". Literally, literary fiction from a female gaze.

The story of 3 women across 400 years - Altha, healer, accused of witchcraft. 16 year old Violet, living in a Manor House in the English countryside during the second world war. Kate, abuse survivor and on the run in the current day.

Each of these women's lives are interwoven with a mystical affinity for nature. Weyward women. Magical women.

Thrilling until the end, Kate's explosive opener had me hooked. I loved the interlinking of the stories, I was made so uncomfortable by the cycle of abuse and suspicion of the women across the centuries.
Can't say I was a fan of the magical aspect, women can have strength without the supernatural.

Weyward is a wonderful tale of the three Weyward women spanning across the decades. This is a slow build character driven tale with an alternating timeline detailing the story of Altha, Violet and Kate. This is a book that perfectly brings together the genres of women’s fiction and historical fiction with magical realism woven throughout. I loved this - not strict witchcraft per se - but a more gentle and intuitive undertaking, the magic of the natural world and how women throughout the centuries often have a gift for tuning into it.

‘The valley was always at its most beautiful in the morning. I remember thinking that it was as if it had been made so on purpose, to remind us to keep living.’

I loved the writing style and with such a rich inclusion from nature it made the connections so strong. The cottage in Cumbria is the link between all three women as this unique tale unfolds with its atmospheric vibe. I found all three timelines to be wonderfully interwoven that made for a riveting tale. A tale of many raw and confronting emotions especially with a view to the treatment of women - whether it be of a time long past where many women were viewed as witches or the more contemporary tale of a violent relationship. At times this book presents traumatic experiences (warning of domestic violence) that are confronting but well handled. Still, trigger warnings for many readers.

‘For I had begun to suspect that nature, to us, was as much a life force as the very air we breathed. Without it, I feared my mother would die.’

To like all three narratives is to be applauded in and of itself - an often rare occurrence. This is an intergenerational tale of love and loss, of sorrow and strength. Three women connected over time through heritage and a lasting, ongoing legacy - the interconnectedness of family, females and nature. It celebrates feminine strength to break free and embrace your birthright.

‘She had thought, for a while, that she’d lost the magic of it: the ability to immerse herself in another time, another place. It had felt like forgetting to breathe.
But she needn’t have worried. Now, worlds, characters, even sentences linger – burning like beacons in her brain. Reminding her that she’s not alone.’







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

These wayward women! These Weyward women! From Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942 and to Kate in 2019, each woman is connected, even though there are hundreds of years between them. I was pleasantly surprised by the historical magic elements in this book. It was certainly not what I expected and I loved it for that reason.

There is a lot of heartbreak in each of the stories of Altha, Violet and Kate. They are not understood, they are made to be fearful, and to fight against their own very nature to defend themselves. Each of their points of view are so engrossing. To experience what each of these women went through was at times sad, but equally uplifting as they had so much determination and drive to persevere and move on. They are almost cursed by the men in their life as bad, immoral, strange, unpredictable way, hard to control, as if they were too hard to understand, to love or support. I really didn’t want to stop reading this book. The writing in this book is so gentle and descriptive, and the bond that these women have with nature is astounding and refreshing. It’s what gives them so much strength to live, to grow and prosper and to renew themselves. There is so much captured in the images of the houses and towns each character visits and lives in. The way in which each woman discovers her strength - her gift - is well written and contextually, they were compelling. Eve though we experience each women in their own timeline, when Violent refers to Altha, or Kate refers to Violet, all the women seem so alive, like they are there in the flesh supporting each other in their misfortunes.


For a debut novel, this one so far is the pick of the year, and it’s only January! Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one.

In 1619, Altha Weyward is on trial for witchcraft and the murder of a local farmer.
In 1942, Violet Ayres longs for nature, education and answers about her mothers death.
In 2019, Kate Ayres is running from an abusive relationship into the arms of Weyward Cottage.
Three women. Five Centuries. One secret.

Weyward was a devastatingly beautiful debut novel for Emilia Hart. The complex layers that shaped this historical fiction and the element of magic left me feeling so strongly for all three of these women. I became so engrossed in each of the women's lives, their turmoil and their connections to nature because everything was layered out so intricately. We learned about the women as a main character would, with each separate POV giving tiny glimpses and hints to an explosive finale.

This is a heartbreaking story of empowerment, women's strength and character and family connections that span centuries. It is a story of women who stand up against the masculine toxicity and male fear of a strong woman. I do highly recommend checking trigger warnings for this one, as there are quite a few major incidents that could be unsettling.

Pass this recommendation on to your Weyward sisters. Weyward is set for release February 2nd, 2023.
Many thanks to HaperCollins Publishers Australia, NetGalley and Emilia Hart for the chance to read and review this wonderful novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley + HarperCollins Australia for allowing me to read an eARC copy of this book!

This is such a deep, beautiful story featuring three women from three timelines, and their connection to each other. The fantasy and witchcraft elements are interesting, but the main themes are family and women empowerment.

My main complaint is that I could only read the PDF copy of this book on my mobile through the NetGalley app because there was no ePub or other eBook format provided. Despite that, it was a story I wanted to keep reading and reading because I could not find a boring part. The pacing is brilliant and the ending of each chapter compelled me to read on. A stellar debut from Hart.

Following three generations of Weyward women this book tells the story of Altha accused of witchcraft in 1619, Violet who has an affinity for the natural world and Kate who leaves London in a hurry - all three have a connection to Weyward cottage and each others lives.
This book had some lovely nature writing that provides the backdrop for a well paced, intriguing read. A thoroughly entertaining debut.

Three women, several hundreds years and generations apart and they have a few things in common. They have a powerful connection to nature. They are mistreated by men. They are related.

The story is told from three perspectives.
1. Altha who narrates the story of her witch trial.
2. Violet, a teenager whose mother passed when she was younger and whose father disregards her.
3. Kate, a modern age woman who is in an abusive relationship.

These three women must find the strength and determination to stand up for themselves and become the women they were destined to be.

I loved this book. But then again I’m partial to anything witchy, anything historical and anything girl power. So it’s obvious why my favourite storyline was Altha’s. The three storylines take slightly different trajectories and the author cleverly crafts this book in what feels like different genres as well. Kate’s storyline was a domestic thriller while Violet’s storyline was a family drama. The style of writing even changes across the three perspectives.

The writing in this book is engaging and compelling. It was one I couldn’t put down. I am very interested to see what this author writes next as her debut novel was exactly to my liking.

WOW!! Weyward by Emilia Hart has the WOW factor award from me. This was an amazing read which I couldn’t put down. I was mesmerised by the characters and the story.

Set in three different time periods of 1616, 1942 and 2019 with three different but related women. In 1616 there is Altha who faces charges of being a witch; in 1942 there is Violet a young woman facing an uncertain future with a dominating father and 2019 there is Kate who is trying to escape an abusive relationship.
All three are related and have a lot in common despite the differences in time.

This is brilliantly written and the characters have so much depth.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Publishers Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#Weyward #Netgalley

5🌟 This book was so good!! I really struggled to put it down from the minute I started! I love books that are written from different character point of views and Emilia Hart does this so well in this one - I adored all three of the Weyward women! I highly recommend you pick this one up in February and add it to your #tbrlist! ✨
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A big thank you to HarperCollins Australia and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy to read and review! ‘Weyward’ is available on 2 February ✨

This book is magical. Told from the POV of three different women in different time periods, it is beautifully written at the same time it's thought-provoking. I was thoroughly engaged with each of the characters. My pulse was racing towards the end and I felt all the anger and frustration for women everywhere. The descriptions transported me to the cottage and I didn't really want to leave.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Intriguing story of 3 related women and their experiences in society with a theme of women’s power through ‘witchcraft’. Enjoyable read

I just loved the blurb on this book and knew I had to read it. And I am glad I did as I truly enjoyed it.

This is the story of three Weyward women, strong and courageous but had to struggle through tough times, each in a different period/era. This is a story told in three parts by three different women in three different times periods but their stories are the same and they all overlap each other.

I loved the depth of this book and the characters in it. Staring with Altha in 1619 and continuing on with Violet in 1942 and finally Kate in 2019. These women all related and all struggling with the same overall problem yet having the special power to do something about it.

This is a great book of historical fiction yet is relevant today as well in some sense. There is the mention of witches, magic, special powers yet it is real in its telling and blends well to make a complete story.

I really enjoyed this and my only complaint was that at first I had to differentiate between the characters and got confused but it all came together quickly and I found my way (as did the women in this book). Great read and highly recommend.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Weyward is an incredible book, an intergenerational story where we follow Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942 and Kate in 2019. The stories of each woman are told in three separate timelines, but the weaving of their stories is done in a beautiful way. Weyward tells a story of determination, female empowerment, self worth and discovery, in a unique way.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but overall it is a powerful and very impressive debut. The three points of view are all written very well. They all had very gripping stories, and my attention was held captive as I continued into the book. I will admit, I nearly put it down after reading several small instances of animal abuse early on, however I'm glad I pushed through because this book is truly unique.

The combination of historical fiction, women's fiction and magical realism was something different, but the genres blended seamlessly, much like the rest of the novel.

Overall, a beautifully written debut with captivating characters and a storyline you can lose yourself in. Highly recommend.