Love Weyward? Readers share 78 books like Weyward...

By Emilia Hart,

Here are 78 books that Weyward fans have personally recommended if you like Weyward. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Discovery of Witches

Kirsten McKenzie Author Of Fifteen Postcards

From my list on time travel that sucks you into alternate reality.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been fascinated by the concept of time travel, especially how it can pull you into an entirely different timeline and make you question the choices that shape your life. As a reader, Iā€™m drawn to stories where time travel isnā€™t just a plot device but a way to explore themes of fate, identity, and the consequences of our actions. Over the years, Iā€™ve delved into countless books that do just thatā€”books that transport me to worlds both familiar and entirely new. This list reflects my passion for time travel stories that not only entertain but make me think long after Iā€™ve turned the last page.

Kirsten's book list on time travel that sucks you into alternate reality

Kirsten McKenzie Why did Kirsten love this book?

This is a wonderful blend of magic, history, and romance that completely swept me away. I loved how Harkness created a world where science and magic coexist, and the way she weaves historical references into a modern love story stole my heart.

The relationship between Diana and Matthew feels real, complicated, and deeply emotional, and I found myself fully invested in their journey. What really hooked me was the rich world-building, with its intricate details of witches, vampires, and daemons, making it feel like a universe I could dive into again and again. This is an annual reread for me. Book 1 in a wonderful series.

By Deborah Harkness,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked A Discovery of Witches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.


Book cover of Outlander

Christine Jordan Author Of Sacrifice

From my list on immersed in a medieval world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I became fascinated with history when I moved to Gloucester in the nineties. The city is hugely historical from the early Roman settlers through to the industrial age of the nineteenth century. What is more fascinating is that many of the streets and buildings I write about still exist in the city today. I carried out extensive research when writing my first historical fiction novel to immerse myself in the medieval city as it would have been in 1497. When I came to write my second novel, listed below, the first book in the Hebraica Trilogy, I already had a good idea of the layout of the city. 

Christine's book list on immersed in a medieval world

Christine Jordan Why did Christine love this book?

I loved this book because it is another time-slip novel, but mostly because of the characters that Gabaldon has created. Claire is a strong woman both in the present time zoneā€“post-war Britainā€“and the Scottish Highland time zone of the seventeenth century and the uprising. You sense immediately that she is in danger as the story is told from her point of view. 

I loved learning about the lives of the Scottish highlanders, how the story moves from one-time zone to another, and how the characters overlap.

By Diana Gabaldon,

Why should I read it?

39 authors picked Outlander as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢ The first book in Diana Gabaldonā€™s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.

One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBSā€™s The Great American Read!
 
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldonā€™s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion andā€¦


Book cover of The Night Circus

Don Sawyer Author Of The Burning Gem

From my list on books that are fantasy sci-fi and make you think.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve worked in many places worldwide, including Native (Amerindian) communities, West Africa, and Jamaica. Each of these experiences has enriched my life and exposed me to the fact that our society is only one of many and, similarly, that all do not share our understanding of reality. Whether visiting Adongo, a Ghanaian shaman who lived on the Burkina Faso border, and watching him go into a trance and describe my spirit, or being in the sweltering dark of a sweat lodge transported by the chanting to another place, to merging with an ancient oak tree, I have been touched by magic. Itā€™s out there. 

Don's book list on books that are fantasy sci-fi and make you think

Don Sawyer Why did Don love this book?

Quite simply, Erin Morgensternā€™s book is the finest example of urban fantasy I have ever read. Besides a plot rich in sorcery and romance, with a circus (think Bradburyā€™s Something Wicked This Way Comes) that appears mysteriously, vanishing just as suddenly and the shadowy game of two great sorcerers playing out their competitiveness through the lives of their young apprentices, this is a beautifully written book. The writing is elegant, rounded, and rich. What a writer! The imagery is transporting without clobbering the reader over the head. The characters are each fully drawn, but in slow increments as the story steams inexorably ahead like the mysterious train that carries the circus from locale to locale. 

This book showed me that you do not need blazing dragons or drooling werewolves to create menace, sinister characters, and mystery. Morgenstern places this world of circus magic just out of reach but soā€¦

By Erin Morgenstern,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked The Night Circus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE TIKTOK SENSATION

Rediscover the million-copy bestselling fantasy read with a different kind of magic, now in a stunning anniversary edition to mark 10 years since it's paperback debut.

The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Reves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellersā€¦


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Book cover of Talland House

Talland House by Maggie Humm,

Royal Academy, London 1919: Lily has put her student days in St. Ives, Cornwall, behind herā€”a time when her substitute mother, Mrs. Ramsay, seemingly disliked Lilyā€™s portrait of her and Louis Grier, her tutor, never seduced her as she hoped he would. In the years since, sheā€™s been a suffragetteā€¦

Book cover of The Hummingbird's Daughter

Cara Lopez Lee Author Of Candlelight Bridge

From my list on history featuring powerful women.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a fan of many kinds of stories, but the novel is my favorite form. I love most genres, especially historical and literary. My favorite reads are sagas, not to escape life but rather to experience more of life, immersing myself in a sweeping yet intimate journey into someone elseā€™s world. In my favorite fiction, the protagonists are women or girls who discover their power. Not superpowers, but the real deal: intelligence, compassion, courage. The secret sauce is when an author accomplishes this without a winkā€”without the heroic woman becoming a caricature of unexpected masculinity or precious femininity. I want novels about women with potential as unlimited as men.

Cara's book list on history featuring powerful women

Cara Lopez Lee Why did Cara love this book?

Several Luis Alberto Urrea novels feature powerful women, but this one resonates with me the most. One reason is that, like my novel, his also reimagines the history of a real-life great-aunt from Mexico. Urreaā€™s protagonist, Teresita, Saint of Cabora, is so full of heart that she gives me hope more readers will embrace Latinas in American literature.

Teresita Urrea exemplifies the strength teenage girls can wield when people encourage them to speak up instead of pipe down and when people value all their gifts regardless of whether those gifts were once labeled ā€œmasculine,ā€ like boldness, or ā€œfeminine,ā€ like empathy. For me, Teresita offered timeless wisdom: because she led with love, she saw through the lies of the powerful to the hearts of people who needed healing and justice. 

By Luis Alberto Urrea,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Hummingbird's Daughter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The prizewinning writer Luis Alberto Urrea's long-awaited novel is an epic mystical drama of a young woman's sudden sainthood in late 19th-century Mexico.It is 1889, and civil war is brewing in Mexico. A 16-year-old girl, Teresita, illegitimate but beloved daughter of the wealthy and powerful rancher Don Tomas Urrea, wakes from the strangest dream--a dream that she has died. Only it was not a dream. This passionate and rebellious young woman has arisen from death with a power to heal--but it will take all her faith to endure the trials that await her and her family now that she hasā€¦


Book cover of The Witching Hour

Joanne Alain Cook Author Of The Spectral Saga

From my list on romance lore science supernatural mystery feminism.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a mother, wife, sister, teacher, artist, officer, and writer. I retired from the USAF after serving active duty and as a reservist as a C-130 navigator, executive officer, and maintenance officer for over 20 years. Currently, I teach physical science in northern California. My main passions have always centered around story-telling, and I have been a lifelong dabbler in writing fiction. With my experiences in male-dominated fields like military aviation and my love of science, I feel particularly drawn to tales involving women striving to overcome obstacles in a male-dominated culture. I enjoy traveling, art, and, most of all, lounging on my sofa and reading. 

Joanne's book list on romance lore science supernatural mystery feminism

Joanne Alain Cook Why did Joanne love this book?

Anne Rice is a wonderful poet disguised as a novelist who creates dreamy and eerie landscapes in this book. She paints backdrops of multiple settings and weaves those landscapes with the mood of her characters: modern and bustling San Francisco to mysterious and moody New Orleans.

The plot involves an analytical science girl who is suddenly immersed in a mysterious past that includes witches and other supernatural beings. It explores the roots of societal misogyny by recapping the history of the Mayfair clan and an unleashed demon spirit that haunts the family, all with a romance lurking in the subplot.

It is written like a dark fairy tale that weaves a contemporary world with supernatural elements. Donā€™t miss this!

By Anne Rice,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Witching Hour as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SHOW, FROM THE NETWORK BEHIND THE WALKING DEAD

'[W]hen I found Rice's work I absolutely loved how she took that genre and (...) made [it] feel so contemporary and relevant' Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

'[Rice wrote] in the great tradition of the gothic' Ramsey Campbell, bestselling author of The Hungry Moon

On the veranda of a great New Orleans house, now faded, a mute and fragile woman sits rocking. And the witching hour begins...

Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling and the creation of legend, Anne Rice makesā€¦


Book cover of North Woods

Ariel Swan Author Of The Nightingale Bones

From my list on haunted house stories for everyone.

Why am I passionate about this?

I like to say cats raised me, and I grew up among ghosts, but in all truth, my greatest influence was my mother, who took me to the library. Books have always been a part of me, and so have haunted houses. Old places have always felt charged to me. Because of this, I love great ghost stories. The books on my list all feature haunted dwellings of one sort or another, with spirits that range from inspiring and uplifting to fun and magical, spooky to downright terrifying. Enjoy!

Ariel's book list on haunted house stories for everyone

Ariel Swan Why did Ariel love this book?

This book is not a traditional ghost story. It is magical and heartwarming literature centered on a house and its many spirited residents across the centuries. I read this book as slowly as I could because I never wanted it to end.

Each inhabitant of the yellow cabin in the north woods made my heart swell with love, laughter, and a little sadness. As each new occupant intersects with the past in one form or another, many times unaware, the connectedness of all things gave me goosebumps.

The hills of western Massachusetts are also close to my heart, and this story is ripe with regionalism. I wanted to curl up in a moss-covered nook and be absorbed into this book for eternity. 

By Daniel Mason,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked North Woods as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuriesā€”ā€œa time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magicā€ (The Washington Post) from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.

ā€œWith the expansiveness and immersive feeling of two-time Booker Prize nominee David Mitchellā€™s fiction (Cloud Atlas), the wicked creepiness of Edgar Allan Poe, and Masonā€™s bone-deep knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world thatā€™s on par with that of Thoreau, North Woods fires on all cylinders.ā€ā€”San Francisco Chronicle

New Yorkā€¦


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Book cover of Winter's Reckoning

Winter's Reckoning by Adele Holmes,

Forty-six-year-old Madeline Fairbanks has no use for ideas like ā€œseparation of the racesā€ or ā€œmen as the superior sex.ā€ There are many in her dying Southern Appalachian town who are upset by her socially progressive views, but for yearsā€”partly due to her late husbandā€™s still-powerful influence, and partly due toā€¦

Book cover of Ghost Hunter

Joanne Alain Cook Author Of The Spectral Saga

From my list on romance lore science supernatural mystery feminism.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a mother, wife, sister, teacher, artist, officer, and writer. I retired from the USAF after serving active duty and as a reservist as a C-130 navigator, executive officer, and maintenance officer for over 20 years. Currently, I teach physical science in northern California. My main passions have always centered around story-telling, and I have been a lifelong dabbler in writing fiction. With my experiences in male-dominated fields like military aviation and my love of science, I feel particularly drawn to tales involving women striving to overcome obstacles in a male-dominated culture. I enjoy traveling, art, and, most of all, lounging on my sofa and reading. 

Joanne's book list on romance lore science supernatural mystery feminism

Joanne Alain Cook Why did Joanne love this book?

This is a modern-day second-chance romance novel that uses mystery elements in a supernatural setting. Loved the banter between characters. Elly and Cooper are solidly formed and very likable.

All the elements, sci-fi, paranormal, romance, and mystery, are accessible and written in a fun way that moves the plot quickly along. I was definitely rooting for the HEA and romance readers will not be disappointed. Overall, just a fun, entertaining read.

By Jayne Castle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghost Hunter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Local Guild boss and powerful ghost hunter Cooper Boone is everything botanist Elly St. Clair could ask for-the handsome, strong and silent type. Maybe too silent. For when Guild secrets threaten her career at the college, Elly has to call off their marriage-and leave small-town life behind...

But starting over in the thriving metropolis of Cadence City isn't easy, especially when one of Elly's new friends disappears in the eerie catacombs beneath the streets. Cooper turns up just in time to help Elly investigate. And as the mystery deepens and dangerous ghost myths and legends come to light, Cooper makesā€¦


Book cover of The House Witch: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

Haylock Jobson Author Of Heretical Fishing: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself

From my list on fantasy that leaves you feeling warm and cozy.

Why am I passionate about this?

As someone with ADHD, anxiety, and a brain prone to rumination, life can be turbulent. Fantasy has long been my preferred method of escapism, and when I discovered the cozy variety a few years ago, I was immediately enthralled. It gives me that warm-fuzzy feeling I so desire in troubling times, while still providing my dopamine-deficient brain the hits it needs to remain immersed. More than anything, I want to share with others the way that cozy fantasy makes me feel. Crafting such fiction is my purpose.

Haylock's book list on fantasy that leaves you feeling warm and cozy

Haylock Jobson Why did Haylock love this book?

Though this is a work of fiction, it might be the most scientifically accurate depiction ever written of cats and their shenanigans. I wasnā€™t at all surprised to learn that Kraken was based on Delemhachā€™s actual cat. This novel made me think of my old boy and the various crimes he used to commit against our household (RIP Harry, yowler of the night, destroyer of couches, and cuddle-bug extraordinaire). Upon finishing it, I felt the urge to adopt one. Or two. 

ā€¦ Or fifteen. 

By Delemhach,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The House Witch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A heartwarming and humorous blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery featuring a witch with domestic powers and the royal household he serves . . . dinner.

When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, heā€™s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. Heā€™s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals.

But Finā€™s secret identity doesnā€™t stay hidden for long. After all, itā€™s not every day aā€¦


Book cover of Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive

Shawn Engel Author Of Mushroom Magick: Ritual, Celebration, and Lore

From my list on witchy Gen Z Millennial babes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started my path as a professional witch about eight years ago. As a millennial babe who loves instagram, I found my community in the aesthetic feed of stylized ritual and came out of the broom closet in 2016. Iā€™ve forged many personal relationships over my time in that space, and have connected with some incredible witchcraft and astrology experts who helped me when I was just starting out. These books are from some of these trusted experts, and the information inside them is deliciously woo while able to be applied practically. I hope you add them to your growing grimoire library!

Shawn's book list on witchy Gen Z Millennial babes

Shawn Engel Why did Shawn love this book?

Feeling empowered is my mission, and Kristen Sollee gives an entire breakdown of why this is. From persecution to misogyny, witches (and women) have been demonized by the patriarchy, and it gets my engine revving! I love the history, but more than that, the actionable change we can start doing today!

By Kristen J. Sollee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Witches, Sluts, Feminists as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Witch, Slut, Feminist: these contested identities are informing millennial women as they counter a tortuous history of misogyny with empowerment. This innovative primer highlights sexual liberation as it traces the lineage of "witch feminism" through art, film, music, fashion, literature, technology, religion, pop culture, and politics. Juxtaposing scholarly research on the demonization of women and female sexuality that has continued since the witch hunts of the early modern era with pop occulture analyses and interviews with activists, artists, scholars, and practitioners of witchcraft, this book addresses and illuminates contemporary conversations about reproductive rights, sexual pleasure, queer identity, pornography, sex work,ā€¦


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Book cover of The Accidental Heiress

The Accidental Heiress by Mary Kendall,

Margaret Oā€™Keefe, a horse farm owner, is desperate to save her ancestral property, Needham Forest. When she hears a rumor about a hidden treasure on her land, she plunges into a search that uncovers more than goldā€”secrets, betrayal, and danger at every turn.

Caught between her volatile ex-husband, a scandalousā€¦

Book cover of The Year of the Witching

Claire Fitzpatrick Author Of Metamorphosis: Short Stories

From my list on horror gems for a perfect late-night read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books that whisk me away and keep me reading long into the night. Thereā€™s something so exciting about realizing youā€™ve been reading for so long that you have no idea what the time is or if itā€™s even the same day. Iā€™m also incredibly passionate about horror and what it can teach us about ourselves and our society. Being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 12 made me feel isolated and alone, but horror granted me a form of escapism and taught me to embrace what made me feel different, something each of these books does. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!

Claire's book list on horror gems for a perfect late-night read

Claire Fitzpatrick Why did Claire love this book?

I found this a captivating read. It was morbid, dark, and grim, but it was also exciting. I was quickly drawn into the world of Immanuelle Moore, whose mother was called a witch and died giving birth to her. I loved the authorā€™s attention to detail.

The villages of Bethel and the Darkwood are so vivid that I could believe the protagonistsā€™ lives in the puritanical, secluded world full of zealots, idolatry, sexism, and racism. The book is also beautifully atmosphericā€”the village, the trees, and the large cathedrals are so well described.

One of the book's main themes was self-discovery, which is why I think itā€™s more aimed toward YA, but I recommend it to anyone interested in witches, small towns, religion, and feminist themes. 

By Alexis Henderson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Year of the Witching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.
 
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her motherā€™s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chasedā€¦


Book cover of A Discovery of Witches
Book cover of Outlander
Book cover of The Night Circus

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Interested in witches, witchcraft, and feminism?

Witches 146 books
Witchcraft 350 books
Feminism 369 books