Weyward

by Emilia Hart

5 out of 5

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.

Review

Kate, Violet and Altha are all from the Weyward family. Centuries apart, they have to discover the truth of what makes them so different. It might be the only way to save them from the men that would see them shackled and cast down.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative follows our three main characters, with their own story.

Altha - in 1619 she is standing trial, accused of witchcraft. The husband of someone Altha used to call a friend died in mysterious circumstances, and the village is ready to blame her.

Violet - 1942 - despite being the daughter of an Earl, Violet feels trapped. She loves the outdoors and animals, and feels like she's being kept prisoner by her strict and uncaring father. She never sees anyone except immediate family, and her dreams of traveling and being a scientist. Until her Cousin Frederick arrives.

Kate - 2019 - after suffering years of increasing abuse from her boyfriend, Kate finally decides to leave. The timing is perfect, she has just inherited a cottage from her Great-Aunt Violet, and she has gone to great lengths to make sure that Simon never finds her again.

I really enjoyed following the three different women, and how they dealt with being different from those around them.

I thought Altha's story would be the leading one, but instead the spotlight is on Violet and Kate, as they discover there is a reason they are different, and the truth behind Altha and the nature of their family - the Weyward women.

Violet lives with her father and brother in a grand estate. She's jealous that her brother gets to leave and go to school, and study; and she has a distant relationship with her father. Violet has a somewhat romanticised notion that her father loved her mother so fiercely, that when she died giving birth to her brother, that he can't bear to look at Violet who is her mother's image.

When a visiting cousin makes a comment that contradicts this fantasy, Violet has to uncover the truth.

Kate has always blamed herself for her father's death when she was just a child. She has shut out the call of nature, for fear of being a monster. Her boyfriend Simon has gradually worn her down, and reduced her life to nothing more than making him happy. A part of Kate accepts his beatings and emotional abuse as a just punishment for what she did.

Kate had forgotten she had a great aunt, when she inherited Violet's cottage, but she grabs the opportunity with both hands, finally escaping Simon and trying to remember how to live. 

It was heart-breaking to see all the little ways he'd broken her; and just as satisfying to watch Kate create a new life for herself.

I loved how naturally the magic was woven into the story. It's always there, but subtle; and it was so heartening to see it surge at the end!

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