I'm really pleased at how well Emilia Hart sells this story alongside her own seemingly natural talent, for a debut it has me really excited for her stuff in the future. The book is quite layered and nuanced. I've engaged with stories with sequential timelines before, and this book immediately cuts to the chase, rather than ruminating on things that have already been established. She has a very engrossing writing style that enabled me to devour this book in two sittings. But I think the only thing that held it back is that there's noting all that new here in terms of plot, a lot of it quite cliched and easy to predict but that does not mean a bad time.
Spoilers for the whole book and also some trigger warnings about the subjects involved:
I love how the Weyward's attunement to nature isn't the black witch hat, riding a broomstick variety of witchcraft. I suppose it's best compared with white witchcraft which I'm always here for. The author beautifully captured the magic of the natural world, and the way it heals, sustains, and gives life. But I also was on board for the way that nature can be treated as a source of vindication as we see Frederick get turbo cursed for years, Grace's husband get murdered by cows and even Simon gets blinded by crows.
The narrative is very strongly feminine and though several (not all) of the male characters are unlikable, the author does not focus on hating men specifically or played out revenge fantasy but instead weaves a narrative highlighting the personal growth and resilience of these women and the comfort and strength they harness from nature to see them through the adversity they face. Altha has the connection towards the man who saved her life, Violet of course has her brother and Kate's has her complicated relationship with her deceased father. It also holds this wonderful unfettered vibe around family and almost sisterhood as they give each other strength and protection despite the time keeping them separated. It's mostly just sad rumination that despite living centuries apart each of these women had to endure horrific abuse, violence and oppression. I kinda wish that more of the empowerment wasn't so based in trying to fight back the rampant misogyny. I'm not typically into really feminist reads but I definitely had a good time from vibes alone when it came to the hopeful side of things.
There are no punches pulled as the author writes some pretty confronting chapters. 26 of course involves a very distressing scene involving Violet and Frederick, to pick a chapter about the deep emotional and physical abuse that Kate endures at the hand of her boyfriend is impossible and Altha while accused of witchcraft also has a unrequited love to her childhood friend who is being brutally abused by her husband. The subject of childbirth and pregnancy along with the controlling aspects imposed by men involving pregnancy (Grace's husband beating her because she could not bring a baby to term alongside her causing her own terminations, Violet needing to terminate her child because of it's origins and what will likely become of her if it came to term, Kate of course pregnant and running from Simon to avoid putting the baby to harm). It's a pretty bleak read. I think it balances fine but going in blind I really didn't expect it to be quite so heavy.
The three main leads were very enjoyable and definitely carried large swathes of this book. Their personalities are very well defined and unique amongst the generations too! Definite points for that. This is kind of like The Lost Apothecary if it had even a chance of being good.
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