Weyward by Emilia Hart

Weyward

By Emilia Hart

Genre:

Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Witches, Paranormal

Pages:

336

Release Date:

February 2, 2023

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts:

This story covers 3 different women in alternating chapters from 3 different time periods - but they are all Weyward women of sorts. Altha is in the 1600s and is being tried for witchcraft after a local farmer is killed by his cows. Violet is a teenager in the early 1900s trying to learn more about her mother that passed away when she was a child. Kate is in 2019 and just fled to a cottage her aunt left her after leaving her abusive husband.

There are some big warnings when it comes to this book such as domestic violence, rape, abortion, and more. So please look up the full list if you are considering reading this and if any of this bothers you.

All of that being said, I am normally not a fan of any type of historical fiction. But the fact that this one had a witchy/fantasy side immediately drew me to the book and this absolutely gorgeous cover. Each of these characters had their own personality and problems during their own time. But somehow they all overlap slightly as the story progresses.

I loved the short chapters and how they alternated between characters. Each one's story was interesting in its own way. I don't even think I had a favorite or least favorite character - besides the obviously bad ones. Being a debut book, I thought it was beautifully written and left you wanting more of each of these three women. I really enjoyed how Hart brought nature to a different level and used earthy/realistic magic versus the wand and spell type of magic.

There were a few things that I thought could have been explained better and/or spent more time on. But overall, this was easily a 4-star read for me. I definitely recommend this for those who are fans of books that are witchy and have a historical aspect. Even as a person who is normally not a fan of historical fiction - I found myself pulled into this one and each story.