Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

ClareR (5885 KP) rated Weyward in Books

Mar 4, 2023  
Weyward
Weyward
Emilia Hart | 2023 | Contemporary, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book held me in its spell from start to finish. Is that a bit too corny, considering it’s about witches? Actually, I don’t care, because it’s true!

It’s spellbinding, in fact.

Three generations of witches tell the stories of how they came into their power despite the interference of society and men (mainly men though 🤷🏼‍♀️).
In 1619, Altha Weyward is on trial for witchcraft, and whilst she’s in the towns prison she reminisces over her mother, her life before, everything she has learnt and the circumstances that led up to her incarceration. Altha had the knowledge needed to help people, but that same knowledge put her in danger from the church and general ignorance (and we can’t have women knowing more than men, can we!)

In 1942, Violet Ayres lives a very restricted life, tucked away from the rest of the world in her family home. She has only two clues about her heritage: her dead mothers locket with a “W” inscribed and the word “Weyward” scratched into the skirting board under her bed.

2019, Kate Ayres escapes a violent relationship in London and flees to Weyward cottage - the house her Aunt Violet had left her in her will. It’s a wild, unkempt, rundown house and garden, but it’s what Kate needs. She finds Altha’s diaries, some writings from Violet, and begins to learn about her true inheritance.

I just loved this book so much. Women taking control of their lives away from the men who would control them. Nature and magic is woven throughout, and nothing feels far-fetched or unbelievable.

I loved the alternating chapters between the three women, and this was probably the main reason why I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen to each of them next.

What more can I say? This WILL be high up in my favourite books this year. And to have read it in February!! How lucky am I!

I can’t wait to see what Emilia Hart writes next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for my ebook copy of this book to read and review. Of course these are my own opinions!
  
Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)
Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)
Jane Harper | 2018 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Suspenseful (2 more)
Tense and fascinating
Intricate characters
Sucks you in immediately
Aaron Falk doesn't receive the voicemail until the morning. It's mostly garbled anyway, but he feels like he hears the strains of "hurt her" at the end. He doesn't think much of it until the woman who left the message, Alice Russell, doesn't return from a corporate retreat. Alice and four of her female colleagues went into the woods together. But when the women come out--bruised and battered--Alice isn't with them. Their stories don't quite match up about what happened, either. Aaron joins the investigation about Alice's disappearance as she's related to a case he's working with his partner, Carmen. He quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems deep inside the bushland. But is Alice simply missing, or worse?

I absolutely adored Jane Harper's first Aaron Falk novel, The Dry, and was really excited to see Aaron back again. He's a wonderful, complex character. Indeed, all the characters in THE DRY were so intricate and deep. Here, I was definitely sucked into the world Harper created again. I won't lie, beyond Aaron, most of the characters in FORCE OF NATURE are not easy to like. The five women who head off on this retreat are often despicable, whiny, and just plain mean. But, as the novel continues, we learn more about their motives and what drives them to act as they do. They may still be, well, despicable and mean, but there's a reason for it. There is no unformed character in a Jane Harper novel. Each comes with a backstory and a reason for every action.

It's nearly impossible not to get sucked into this book. The chapters alternate between the present, from Aaron's point of view as he tries to unravel things, and then flip to the near-past, slowly ticking down the events of the women at the retreat. The result is a nearly unbearable suspense at times, where I found myself wanting to scream, "What happened to Alice?!!" It's a slow, tense, fascinating build as we watch things fall apart for the group--getting lost in the deep woods--and seeing events unfold from there. We also see Aaron figuring out his own chain of events. The format works quite persuasively. Even better is that we get Aaron and Carmen's financial investigation thrown in as well. It adds a nuanced layer to the plot and the overall apprehension.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The characters are complex, and I really liked how their intricate personal lives intertwined. I'm not sure I loved this one quite as much as THE DRY, but part of that is because you can never quite replicate the joy and surprise of discovering a new, talented author again. Nonetheless, this is a great thriller that keeps you guessing with its nuanced characters. I certainly hope Aaron will be back for a third book.
  
Tuesday Mooney Wore Black
Tuesday Mooney Wore Black
Kate Racculia | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this book, which is packed with genuinely likeable characters and a mystery to solve. Tuesday Mooney is a bit of an enigma - at least to her gay best friend, Dex. She gives little away about herself, and tries to live apart from other people when she isn’t at work researching rich people who can make charitable donations to the hospital she works at. She loves all things gothic and horror. At a fundraising event, she meets Archie, a rich, possible-contributor to the hospital, and witnesses the death of the eccentric billionaire Vincent Pryce (not to be confused with Vincent Price!). Mr Pryce then sets in motion a treasure hunt across Boston, for anyone to take part in and potentially win a fortune. The clues are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe - something that Tuesday very much appreciates. She starts up a team with Archie (who is not at all who he seems to be), Dex and her teenaged Tuesday-wannabe next door neighbour, Dorry.

Tuesday’s backstory is fascinating and sad in equal measure, and it’s fortunate that she meets Dorry, a girl who misses her dead mother terribly. Tuesday misses her best friend Abby, who went missing without a trace as a 16/17 year old.

On the front cover, this looks as though it will be a YA paranormal/ horror novel. It’s not. There’s a smattering of the paranormal perhaps, but it’s certainly not a main theme. This is a mystery, where we also learn that to be yourself is the most important thing in life - as is friendship. I loved this book, and practically inhaled it on a long train journey. It’s a bit quirky, but it has a lot of heart (and hey, I like quirky!). Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my copy of this book to read and review!