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A review by gracefelstead
Weyward by Emilia Hart
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide