Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Weyward by Emilia Hart

476 reviews

jmitchell20's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

I flew through this!
Found each of the three characters equally interesting, which normally I don't when there's multiple narators. 
I loved that the magical element was very subtle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

dreaminthepages's review

dark emotional sad tense 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? No

4.0

Powerful, feminine story with beautiful descriptions of the natural world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death and Suicide attempt

festina_vmh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Uf. Intense but beautiful.
If you enjoyed Circe, you'll most likely enjoy this one.

Make sure to check CW!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

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

alejandra_reyes's review

4.5

4.5 stars…check your trigger warnings. The female characters of this book experience so many different types of violence from the men in their life. I think it basically covers every form of abuse women face which makes it a hard read. With that being said it is a fascinating tale of 3 women who are related and their experiences at different points in history. We have a modern day woman, one in post WWII, and one during the early witch trial days. They each have a very unique experience but are still tied to one another. I loved seeing how each generation had struggles but found strength to be better for the next generation. There are witchy elements and a cabin which made it the perfect fall book in my opinion 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

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

seamtressstenny's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.5

Amazingly well-written but hard to read. The pain experienced by the main characters is haunting. Check the content warnings before starting this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Alcohol

gwalt118's review

dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.0

It's the best time of year to read a book about witches and female empowerment, and this buzzy book from last year may be a great choice. Massive disclaimer that the thread of abusive men and miscarriages throughout this novel made it unexpectedly difficult for me to read at times. 

Weyward is a feminist novel about misogyny, witchcraft, power, justice, and sin through the eyes of three women in three very different time periods. It is about society's - mostly men's - repeated attempts throughout history to control women's bodies and the ways in which women have had to fight back. Some of the abuse felt gratuitous, but it serves a purpose -- abuse of power by men is closely linked to accusations of witchcraft, and Hart is making a statement about modern-day iterations of the same practice. Know that not all men in the novel are abusive and terrible, though. I loved the inclusion of some good and kind men. 

The connections between Altha, Violet, and Kate are incredibly well-plotted and well-written. I loved the insight in the author interview in the back of my book (not sure if it's in all of them), where I learned more about Hart's idea generation and writing process. I also appreciated the continued reading suggestions in the back of this one, most of which I haven't read. I'm intrigued by Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, which I've added to my fall TBR for this year. 

Hart's next novel, The Sirens, releases in March 2025. Fingers crossed my request for an ARC on NetGalley comes to fruition! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Abortion

Moderate: Murder

jennw3415's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Gaslighting

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