A beautifully layered story blending historical fiction and magical realism. In the present, Lucy searches for her missing sister in a seaside town full of secrets. In the 1800s, Irish twins aboard a ship begin to suspect their mother’s drowning was something more.

Emilia Hart’s writing is gorgeous! It is atmospheric and evocative. Though it started slow, I was fully hooked by the second half. A haunting, powerful story about sisterhood, the sea, and hidden strength. Highly recommend!

THE SIRENS by Emilia Hart promised a fascinating plunge into the lives of sisters mysteriously drawn to the sea and surrounded by mysteries and inexplicable events. The writing, the pacing, the plot twists and mysterious turns of this story kept me up way too late to read just a few more pages to learn what happened to Jess and to the twins sailing across the ocean that terrifies them -- I wasn't satisfied until I got to the very end of this highly satisfying, immensely entertaining, marvelously well-wrought tale. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

Leave it to Emilia Hart to write yet another atmospheric and empowering story! This book was filled with the perfect amount of coastal/mermaid lore mixed with a haunting tale of four women and how their stories connect them not only to the sea but to eachother. Lots of twist and turns mixed with the perfect amount of mystery to keep you guessing. Definitely for fans of Adrienne Young— I just adore Harts writing and feel like this is a perfect engaging read to read on the beach this summer!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC :)

4 out of 5 Stars

The Sirens might not be for everyone. Don't get me wrong, it was great read but if you every read My Dark Vanessa it takes that kind of dark turn but less intense. However, if that something you can handle, I would recommend it.

🎧 Thanks, @Macmillan.audio, for the audiobook review copy. #macaudio2025 (Available now) 10 hours, 56 minutes

The novel entwines the stories of two sets of sisters: Lucy and Jess in 2019, in the Australian coastal town where men have been disappearing, and Mary and Eliza aboard a convict ship en route to Australia from Ireland in 1800. Both sets of sisters have mysterious skin conditions and are expectedly haunted.

The cover is lovely, the premise is fascinating, and the narration is excellent, but the story was predictable and slow, like trying to escape a tangle of seaweed.

THE SIRENS by Emilia Hart

I was approved for this ARC a few months ago and really struggled to get into it. So, I figured maybe I’d have more luck with the audiobook. Yeah, no. Perhaps my expectations were too high given how much I loved the author’s other book, Weyward.

The premise is interesting; two sets of sisters overcoming impossible odds, mysterious disappearances, and mermaids - all things I love to read about… However, the story was slow moving and meandering. I didn’t find myself caring for the characters in either time period. The twist/reveal felt anticlimactic as well.

What I did like was the atmospheric writing, the descriptions of the Australian coastline, sea caves and Jess’ artwork.

In short, all the vibes were there, but the story itself didn’t fully reel me in.


Rating: 3.25/5 ⭐️

Pub Date: 04.01.25

**ARC courtesy of Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press

An interesting book that just fell short for me.
This one took me awhile to get into, and when I finally felt like the story picked up it was too little too late.
Anyway, I can see lots of people enjoying this one, but it just didn’t work for me.

I really liked this authors Weyward, and although this one was good, it wasn’t my favorite. Hard to keep up with the characters and a little to magical realism for my taste. Still enjoyed it overall!

Thank you for this ARC!

Lucy wakes up with her hands around a man’s neck - unsure what to do, she follows her instinct to see her sister. But Jess never comes home, and Lucy’s left looking for answers. The present day sister’s story intertwines with sisters from the 1800s as an unexplained mystical connection seems to bind them.

There wasn’t anything inherently *wrong* here, but the story seemed to meander and didn’t really get interesting until close to the end. By that time, I wasn’t engaged with the story enough to care. I also wasn’t really invested in the magical realism aspect. I wasn’t connected to any of the characters or storylines.

But readers who enjoy strong feminist themes and are intrigued by the myth of sirens may enjoy this more than I did.

2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.

First of all thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! I loved Emilia Hart's previous novel Weyward but I just don't think this book lived up to the hype I had after reading Weyward. Overall a good book but just didn't live up to what I thought it could have been.

I did not finish this book. Which is not to say anything about the writing, as it was beautiful, but I was not expecting a dark story and currently am just not enjoying it.

The writing was beautiful done with great vivid imagery so I will definitely seek out Emilia Hart's books again.

The story is told in three timelines. In 2019, Lucy wakes up from a dream to find she is strangling her ex-lover. When she flees to her older sister's house on the coast of Australia, her sister, Jess, is missing. As she wonders if her sister is in danger and where she could have gone without her phone, she starts to hear rumors of strange things happening in the little town.

In 1999, Jess is a 16-year-old who had been diagnosed with a rare allergy to water. She is struggling to find her place and to express herself through her art.

In 1800, Twin sisters Mary and Eliza were forced onto a convict ship headed to Australia. They were told to stay away from the water after their mother drowned. On the horrible boat journey, they begin to feel a call to the water.

Trigger Warnings

Inappropriate student/ teacher relationship

Why Jackie loves it

Hart has a way of writing intricate relationships that feel authentic and alive. The multiple timelines never felt confusing and added to the need to turn the page. There is just enough fantasy to appeal to fantasy lovers, but not too much to scare away those who are not usually pulled to the genre. #gifted

An absolutely stunning novel. This was such a unique story that captures sisterhood bonds and women's self-discovery against overwhelming odds. Perfect for fans of historical fiction with magical realism and powerful female protagonists.

Emilia Hart works her magic with a second multi-timeline story, like her breakout novel Weyward. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but had a harder time following the plot than I expected. The nonlinear narrative worked at times, but felt disjointed at others, and the characters never fully formed to me. The history that Hart works into the novel is engaging, as is the role of sirens throughout history. I can see why people love it, but it just didn't entice me like her previous work.

At the start of this book I was overwhelmed by the amount of things going on. We instantly were dropped into a story about a woman assaulting her ex while sleepwalking. She goes to visit her sister at a location known for men who have gone missing over the years. When she gets there she can’t find her sister.

In a past timeline we have two women who have been sent away on a ship for convicts because of a crime committed in self defense.

As previously mentioned there was an overwhelming amount of detail in the plot at the beginning and I had trouble keeping track of what was important to hold onto. Luckily I trusted the journey this book took me on.

The details of this book do come together and things seem to feel more settled about halfway through. I was especially interested in the past timeline of Mary & Eliza on the convict ship. The details were harrowing but vivid.

The present day timeline felt a bit predictable and I wish more time had been spent exploring the mystery at hand versus reading the diary entries of the past. If this seems vague it’s because I don’t want to spoil anything. Ultimately I’m glad I stuck with the book, but if I could rate half stars I would give this one a 3.5.

This book blends eerie mystery, myth, and sisterhood in such a compelling way. I was hooked from the opening scene—Lucy waking up with her hands around her ex’s throat? Chilling. The dual timeline added so much depth: 2019 with Lucy and the whispers of disappearing men, and 1800 with Mary and Eliza on a convict ship bound for Australia. The supernatural elements were subtle but powerful, and the atmosphere was gorgeously haunting throughout.

I really enjoyed the interwoven family threads and how the mystery unraveled bit by bit. That said, I found myself craving more insight into Jess—her origin especially, felt like it needed just a little more clarity or exploration. I love an ambiguous ending, but I also wanted a few more breadcrumbs.

Overall, a unique, lyrical story about resilience and the deep magic of women and the sea. If you like stories that feel both grounded and otherworldly, this one’s worth picking up.

Book Review: The Sirens by Emilia Hart

The Sirens is a paranormal fiction novel about women in different timelines, connected by both trauma and the sea.

In 1800, Irish sisters Eliza and Mary protect themselves against assault by a local villager and are arrested, then sent to Australia on a convict ship. The conditions are unbearable, but the sisters cling to each other, just as they did as children when their mother walked into the sea and never returned.

In 1999, teenage Jess is afflicted with a mysterious skin condition that she hides under her clothes. But she shows promise as an artist and falls under the spell of her art teacher, who shows interest in both her and her work.

In 2019, university student Lucy is humiliated after a photo she sent to a man is released on social media. When she sleepwalks into his dorm and is caught trying to choke him, she runs away to the coast, to the town where her older sister Jess has been living. But she arrives to find Jess gone and the town haunted by mystery: a series of men have disappeared into the ocean, a convict ship of women once sank nearby, and in 1982, a miraculous discovery of a newborn baby in a cave captured national attention.

The Sirens is a blend of historical fiction, family drama, the supernatural, and feminist themes. It is beautifully written and is both heartbreaking and inspiring. I loved the descriptions of Jess’s art and the seaside village of Comber Bay. The details around convict transportation by ship from Ireland to Australia felt authentic and suitably horrifying.

Personally, I would have liked the paranormal and magical elements to be a little more mysterious and left up to the reader’s imagination. The novel felt so grounded in reality that I found the supernatural detail toward the end a little too “out there.” But overall, this is an unforgettable novel about the strength and bonds between women.

Just like with Wayward, this is hard to review. If you enjoyed Weyward then you’ll like this and if not, then you want.

Fantasy meets historical fiction, but it left me wanting to have gone more one way or the other. Interesting range of characters, unexpected twists (although some I saw coming), beautiful settings, good plot points. Such an interesting idea that the main characters are focused with. There are basically two main storylines told from three POVs, but it doesn’t get confusing.

A dark, moody, mysterious, and entertaining book.

I did leave, as with her other book, feeling the anti-men agenda too strongly. I’m all for strong female characters, but I don’t feel that all men are either evil or stupid/dull/selfish.

I just do t think I was in the right reading mood when I picked this one up as I loved Weyward and expected to love this one as well. Unfortunately I just didn’t click and so I put this one aside for now and will likely go back and try at another time.

Thank you for the chance to read early

Hart's prose is lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into a world where the boundaries between reality and myth blur. The novel's exploration of female resilience and empowerment resonates deeply, offering a poignant commentary on the strength of women across generations. Highly recommend this novel. AMAZING