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rberdan's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
wncowling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
jessrox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
queenbookbuff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
mendthecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
- The characters felt superficial with no distinct personality.
- Not only were the storylines predictable, but they took longer than it should have to be revealed. I was just waiting for the author to get there so we could move along.
- At times nothing was happening, boring me.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy
Moderate: Rape
ksilvio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
urmm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
cuppajo16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
icecreamsoldier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
The other characters while their stories where more interesting and more developed I still had a lot of issues with them for instance this is supposed to be a book about feminism however Violet feels like “I am not like other girls” by bashing on other girls who wear skirts.
Altha on the other hand was my favorite character, and I really enjoyed her queer romance with Grace, however at the end she just gets the “seed” of a man just so that she can be pregnant and continue the lineage of women in her family (Which honestly as a lesbian woman it felt like a slap to the face). All of these stories really just made me feel as if a woman will only reach their true potential and be fulfilled through motherhood, as Altha the only queer character in the book gets pregnant, Violet who aborts her first daughter as it is from the conception of a rape even though she is very successful in her career and life she feels like something is missing and was the chance to be a mother (and it’s confusing why she could not have had another baby, since based on Kate’s story it is unclear whether the witches only the first women born, or is it all the women? What is wrong with having a boy and teaching them to be better? Or what about adoption or other sources of being a mother figure?), and Kate which the only thing she talks about is her pregnancy.
The writing at times was overly decorated ranging from cliche phrases and absurd amount of insect metaphors (we get it all these women love insects). Finally this book while I understand that is telling the stories of women abused by men it felt like it fell under the spectrum of “all men are bad” and even the ones that weren’t like Graham they are defined as like “okay”. I am not saying we should give a cookie to every man that is not an abuser however I think this problem is not a problem that could be solved by segregation of the woman but instead of teaching men to be better
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization
capsandclauses's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Weyward is a book that I've been relatively interested in for a while, so when I saw the audiobook pop up on Everand, I thought I'd give it a trial.
This is an intergenerational novel following different members of the same family in three time periods. In the 1610s, Althea is on trial for witchcraft. In the 1940s, Violet is dealing with complicated family dynamics that become dangerous when a stranger visits. In the 2020s, Kate is fleeing from her abusive husband.
First of all, this book is really dark. Not just in atmosphere, but in content. There are some trigger warnings you must know, particularly for pregnancy, abortion, domestic abuse and rape. I wasn't sure what the ultimate message of this novel was - was it pro or anti-abortion? And I would have liked to see one of the women engage positively with a male figure. Although I really enjoyed the Althea and Kate's storylines, I really couldn't connect too Violet. She just came across as too innocent or naive. I loved the writing style and how it wrapped up and connected at the end.
Comp recommendations: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexism