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A review by xmurbef
Weyward by Emilia Hart
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
TLDR; A hard read but a good one. Men ain’t shit. Women rule the world. Crows are metal as fuck.
I have mixed feelings about this one. Truthfully, it was pretty hard for me to get through. There were no trigger warnings at the beginning, but there certainly needed to be. I’m going to list them now, in case you are considering reading this book:
TW: rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, death, murder, pregnancy loss, abortion, violence
Though it was hard for me to get through, I still thought it was beautifully written. I loved the three female main characters who you follow throughout this story and I loved how they were interwoven. I also love a good women’s empowerment story. Even though I knew that’s where the plot was headed, though, you still have to get through some really heavy shit. It’s 75% abuse, injustice, and cruelty and 25% rising above it.
I also did something I NEVER do, which is look up the ending ahead of time. I was around the 70% mark and, quite frankly, I just could not handle a bad or painful ending. Not in this economy. Once I had some reassurance, I felt like I could finish it.
I’m really bad about reading the reviews of others on Goodreads before I finish a book, which is something I should really stop doing, but one review in particular caught my eye and it stuck with me. The reviewer said something to the effect of, “We don’t need more stories of men being awful to women. Especially because in this book, they have nature on their side. Abused women don’t have that in the real world.”
I can agree with that criticism to an extent. If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I’d known what it was about. We as women feel enough pain and experience enough injustice at the hands of men already. But, though the women in this story did have a “benefit” that women in the real world don’t (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers), this story still focused HEAVILY on 1) the inner strength of women, 2) the power of friendship, and 3) persevering despite a painful past. Pain is often the catalyst for greatness. That’s just the human experience. We had to experience the pain of these characters in order to feel the joy and triumph of their survival.
Anyway, I’m rambling. 4 stars.
I have mixed feelings about this one. Truthfully, it was pretty hard for me to get through. There were no trigger warnings at the beginning, but there certainly needed to be. I’m going to list them now, in case you are considering reading this book:
TW: rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, death, murder, pregnancy loss, abortion, violence
Though it was hard for me to get through, I still thought it was beautifully written. I loved the three female main characters who you follow throughout this story and I loved how they were interwoven. I also love a good women’s empowerment story. Even though I knew that’s where the plot was headed, though, you still have to get through some really heavy shit. It’s 75% abuse, injustice, and cruelty and 25% rising above it.
I also did something I NEVER do, which is look up the ending ahead of time. I was around the 70% mark and, quite frankly, I just could not handle a bad or painful ending. Not in this economy. Once I had some reassurance, I felt like I could finish it.
I’m really bad about reading the reviews of others on Goodreads before I finish a book, which is something I should really stop doing, but one review in particular caught my eye and it stuck with me. The reviewer said something to the effect of, “We don’t need more stories of men being awful to women. Especially because in this book, they have nature on their side. Abused women don’t have that in the real world.”
I can agree with that criticism to an extent. If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I’d known what it was about. We as women feel enough pain and experience enough injustice at the hands of men already. But, though the women in this story did have a “benefit” that women in the real world don’t (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers), this story still focused HEAVILY on 1) the inner strength of women, 2) the power of friendship, and 3) persevering despite a painful past. Pain is often the catalyst for greatness. That’s just the human experience. We had to experience the pain of these characters in order to feel the joy and triumph of their survival.
Anyway, I’m rambling. 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy