Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Weyward

Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Weyward by Emilia Hart

43 reviews

isabezza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

Wow, I am so pleased I checked this book out of the library as these fictional women have shifted something inside me. Hart has used incredible historical world building and magical realism to reconstruct what we know about the world into a believable and harrowing fairy tale. I live in Lancaster for university and this story has added an extra layer of magic to my surroundings. The character development was highly emotional, causing me to have visceral reactions (gasping, forgetting the real world, forgetting to breathe!) This story follows three women through their Cinderella Story from abuse and fear to freedom and power, with heart warming and confident feminist messages throughout.
One of the most beautifully constructed stories I have read, but the distressing content meant I almost DNF out of pure discomfort when reading. I wish I had started this venture with more knowledge of the traumatic themes. Before you read, check the content warnings!

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wordsandcoffeemugs's review against another edition

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5.0

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_annika__'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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random_shoes's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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gracefelstead's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

surprise! the special thing that binds generations and generations of women in this family together is rape and medieval abortion potion!

I went into Weyward quite excited, as I like a little bit of light witchiness, and a surname on my mothers side of my family is one letter different from Weyward. Instead of an empowering, magical story, this was a depressing, uncomfortable, and silly story.

The story starts very slowly, constantly jumping between the three generations of women. The short chapters mean we don't spend very long with them at all before being whisked off to a different timeline. This stops the reader being able to form any sort of attachment to the characters. Very little happens plot wise in the first half of the book.

I spent a lot of the first 200 pages wondering how and when these three separate stories would come together. To be fair, the plot did pick up quite a bit in the second half, I just kind of wish it had been a completely different plot, with a lot less domestic abuse, rape, mutilation, doctors harming women, truly disturbing descriptions of birthing aborted fetuses, and blood.

In Weyward, the Weyward women use their special (unexplained) bird and insect powers to maim/kill/terrorise the men who have wronged them. Unfortunately, setting a flock of birds to pluck the eyes out of abusers is not really a feasible option in the real world.

There is also a really strong emphasis on the belief that the main achievement of any woman in her life is that she will birth another woman and pass on her knowledge. A character feels she has failed at life after aborting her incest rape baby. This just feels like a really weird message to take away from a book that also so heavily features abortion, and the Weyward women facilitating abortions not only for themselves, but for other women.

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hardcover_hazel's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5 stars ✨

"... spun from charm and flattery, as blinding and delicate as spider silk"

Weyward mixes green witchy (not halloween witchy) vibes and feminist themes that really entralls your senses.

You follow three women across five centuries, who are all related, and who's stories entertwine.

Overall, however, there is a lot of triggers, so definitely have a look at the warnings. There are a lot of power dynamics and graphic scenes. I didn't connect deeply with the characters - not due to situations or feelings, but because there seemed to be a very strong sense of continuing a bloodline which felt a bit overbearing at times. Perfectly understandable that they need to continue it to pass on their power, but still. The plot, while intricate and very challenging to weave five centuries together, felt a bit predictable.

That being said, this book definitely gives power to the earth and femininity. The writing does call to your senses with earthy tones, which I really enjoyed.

Definitely makes you want to go squint at the sun and listen to the birds more often.

"Perhaps one day, she said, there would be a safer time. When women could walk the earth, shining bright with power, and yet live."

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