Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Weyward by Emilia Hart

122 reviews

ccmarie_'s review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Death of parent

styxx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

clairebartholomew549's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved this book. It's dark and moody and vaguely mysterious, and the scene-setting is impeccable. I've always been intrigued by the Salem witch trials, and this retelling felt fresh and new and interesting. At its core, this is a story about men trying to control women and women breaking free of patriarchal expectations and realities. I rooted for Kate, Violet, and Altha, and I enjoyed each of their perspectives and didn't find myself itching to get back to one perspective (which I find rare in books with multiple timelines). I also deeply loved the depictions of nature and animals and attunement with the world.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

rberdan's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Many content warnings here. There are multiple toxic men and various forms of gender-based violence. They all serve as pathways for the Weyward women to connect with their power, but I recommend looking at all of the content warnings to see if this is right for you. 

This was a strong debut. I appreciated how the stories of these three women were woven together and distinguished from each other. I also appreciated the author’s use of tense and POV to delineate between the three. The women had commonalities that made sense given their connections, and also had their own stories that distinguished them. 

I tend to agree with another reviewer who said that women don’t NEED to have traumatic experiences with men in order to find their power, and yet, it’s not unusual that these experiences DO have that impact in real life. I can see a reader at a certain point in her own healing finding some kinship in these women.

While I didn’t notice the anachronistic language pointed out by another reviewer RE the stories in the past (in this kind of story, I tend to focus more on the lives of the characters), I can see it in hindsight. It didn’t bother me in this particular novel because it was less about being a “period piece” but I can see how it might take a certain kind of reader out of the story. 

Personally, I was drawn to  aspects of the story that point to power within as well as the connections  between living beings. Overall, the pacing was well done, the story was engaging, and there was enough hopefulness to balance the darkness. I would read more by this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicide attempt

courtsnovellife's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Abortion

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Suicide attempt

katy_bee's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This grew on me as I read it. In the early chapters I felt a bit frustrated by the hints of what might happen or whether the women were really witches and I preferred it once it settled down and just started telling the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and War

alfspoilerspren's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

somethingwickedx's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is hands-down the best book I've read all year. It gives me the same feeling that watching Practical Magic does: warmth, comfort, like magic is just at your fingertips. An interwoven story of three women of the same gifted lineage, this book made me believe in the magic all around us, and believe in the strength that every woman carries within herself. I wish I could forget it just to read it all over again!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

books_and_fairy_lights's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Omg this book!! Sooooo awesome.
It was gifted to me and I'm so happy it was because I don't know if I would have bought it myself. It was so good though and I'm so grateful for getting to read it. I'm not really sure how to express everything this book made me feel. It awakened female rage as well as feminine power in me. Reading it was like experiencing true sorority with the characters but also with every woman in the world. It was a powerful and enthralling reading experience.
Emilia Hart's writing was so good, the vibes immaculate. It was just the right amount of witchy. The right amount of feminism. The right amount of everything. For the two weeks it took me to finish the book it's been floating in the air around me, somewhere in a corner of my consciousness, for all the time I wasn't reading it. And when I was reading it, it was like being engulfed in a familiar place. A bit dark, sometimes scary, but home. Like I was directly sitting inside Weyward cottage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Misogyny, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Murder

somills's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Went looking for cozy cottage-core witches, found 400 years of generational trauma. That one’s on me; I didn’t read the description especially closely.

This did absolutely nothing to restore (establish?) my faith in men, but it is a beautiful story of female resilience and connection to nature, and is the first book to make me cry in a while.

There was a really weird minute where I was very afraid that this book is anti-choice, but fortunately that’s not the takeaway here. 

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CHECK THE CONTENT WARNINGS. I am very upset. Again, that one’s on me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Abortion

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infertility, Medical trauma, and Stalking