I was a huge fan of Weyward by Emilia Hart so I was very excited for The Sirens. This is another tale of empowered women that shows love can span time and distance and not diminish. Like with Weyward, Emilia weaves a tale that leaves you wanting more while incorporating bits of folklore, fairytales, and mysteries.

I absolutely adored this book! It was an easy 5 stars for me for so many reasons but mainly because of the complexity of the characters. I loved the “sister” dynamics, the who-done-it aspect, the mixing of historical meets fantasy meets thriller. Emilia Hart does it again!!!

Emilia Hart has written a haunting story in The Sirens. It is a dual timeline tale, one dating back to 1800, featuring two sisters who are being transported as convicts from Ireland to Australia. The other takes place in 2019 in Australia, also about two sisters, and, as you may imagine, is connected somehow to the tale from 1800. I loved this book with its mix of historical fiction and magical realism.

The author says, in her acknowledgements, “Fundamentally, this novel is about the ability of water - and sisterhood - to heal and transform.”

We get chapters from Mary’s POV in 1800. She feels responsible for her sister, Eliza, who is blind. They are being transported for attacking a man (who was attacking one of them). The details of their long journey at sea are disturbingly realistic. They make friends with many of the other women who are, quite literally, in the same boat.

The chapters in 2019 are from Lucy’s POV. She’s in a journalism program but is prone to sleepwalking and attacked a male student while sleepwalking. Lucy flees to her much older sister’s house in Comber Bay. The town has seen a high number of disappearances, all men, over the years, and is also the site where a convict ship once went down, with many lives lost. But when Lucy gets to Jess’s house, she finds haunting artwork of two sisters, but Jess. We do get Jess’s story from some diary entries that Lucy finds, and it’s eye-opening.

There’s a feel of mystery and foreboding through the entire story - what is special about the twin sisters in 1800, why did their mother disappear years before, why does Lucy dream about these sisters, where did Jess go, what is Jess hiding, what draws all of them to the sea, and more?

There are quite a few creepy and/or vicious men in this story, so be aware of that.

I confess that I was much more invested in the historical sisters than in the modern-day pair. In fact, I didn’t care for Lucy at all.

I mostly listened to the audiobook version. As usual, Barrie Kreinik does a fabulous job with all the voices and accents.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to St Martin's Press for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Did you read Weyward? It was magical and beautiful and an absolutely amazing debut novel. Of course I wanted to read Hart's newest book the moment I could.
This is fantastical story that is steeped in the deep history of Australia and the convict ships that brought women to the colonies. We learn about the women factories where men could come pick out servants or wives as they would cattle. The history of the colonies is built on the backs of women who were exiled from their homes and forced to build up a nation on stolen land. It's heartbreaking on so many levels.
Sisters Jessica and Lucy are telling their own sides of a story that we find is also entangled with twin sisters Mary and Eliza who were placed on a convict ship and exiled from their home in Ireland to head to Australia. The sister share a mysterious secret which also trickles down to Jessica and Lucy and all the women are connected to each other.
The descriptions of the land and ocean were so beautiful. I was also lucky enough to get a copy of the audiobook and the narration by Barrie Kreinik is incredibly gorgeous. The way she is able to carry these women’s voices with accents and cadence allowing us to fall into the narrative and bathe in the gorgeous storyline is absolutely incredible.
The Sirens is now available for purchase from your local bookseller or can be found at your public library

Perfect for fans of The Lost Apothecary, and of course Hart's 2023 debut Weyward, The Sirens is a feminist magical realism dual-timeline novel set on the coast of Australia. For the most part, I enjoyed this book- the coastal setting was the perfect foreboding and ruthless atmosphere for this novel. However, the plot was a little wack. It took a long time to get my bearings and hooked by the story at the beginning, which is sometimes normal, but the resolution of the book's overarching conflict (where the hell is Jess) was toeing the line of silly in its improbability. Most of the dramatic reveals were foreshadowed to death, so no surprises in this one. All that said, I was engaged throughout and didn't hate it. The Sirens gets four OK stars from me.
I would certainly not dissuade anyone from reading this, especially fans of magical realism, the sea, and women subverting the patriarchy. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Sirens, which is available now.

I found The Sirens to be an intriguing and atmospheric read, rich with mystery and threaded with a haunting sense of connection across generations. The writing is lyrical, and the oceanic setting adds a beautiful, sometimes eerie backdrop to a story centered on sisterhood and resilience.

That said, I didn’t find it quite as gripping as the author’s first novel, Weyward. This one took a little longer to draw me in, and the pacing at the beginning felt slower. Still, once the threads between the different timelines started to come together, I was hooked. The book’s blend of folklore, history, and psychological suspense makes it a unique and memorable read.

If you enjoy stories about the sea, female strength, and intergenerational mystery, it’s definitely worth picking up.

This is such a great book for summer coming up. I loved how much the ocean was in this and how each of the characters were drawn to it. The writing and setting was beautiful as always.

This novel was atmospheric with really strong female characters. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the unique storyline. The story kept me interested throughout. recommended if you enjoy dual timelines and stories that have magical qualities. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This was my first book from Emilia Hart, though Wayward has been on my TBR for a while. I was quite intrigued by The Sirens' book description, about sisterhood and female resistance, which is why I was really excited to get lucky enough to receive a copy on NetGalley. Overall, I think it was quite an interesting novel, and I find Emilia Hart's writing to be quite captivating. Yet, I do think that this is the kind of book for me that make it or break it depending on the mood I'm in.
Let me explain. The book basically follows 3 timelines, through Lucy more current storyline, Mary's story in the 1800s, and Jess's diary giving us a glimpse into what happened in 1999. And because of that it can feel like there's not much happening, which in turn, can make it really hard to really get into the story. And this is even more so true, because it does sometimes like the story itself is secondary to the message Hart is trying to convey through the book. It didn't feel like a book that was driven by the plot. so much as being about the characters discovery, and this can sometimes be challenging to get into. Yet at the same time, it feels like there wasn't as much depth as I would have liked. Let's just say, I do have some mixed feelings, looking back into the book.
In the end, I enjoyed reading The Sirens, but I don't think it would be the kind of book I would go and reread. It does make me want to give Wayward a shot, because there was something quite enjoyable about Emilia Hart's writing, and I do want to read more from her.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It was part historical fiction, part magical fantasy, and part mystery. I loved the description of the sirens. I loved the pacing. I just felt like it was a little predictable. I saw the baby hope plot twist coming from the time it was introduced and figured out the other big reveal the second Lucy started reading Jess’ journal. It was still enjoyable to read and a crazy ride to see how Mary and Eliza’s story wound together. I do wish we got a little more epilogue at the end because I’m just so curious where these characters go from here.

I loved Wayward so I was super excited to dive into The Sirens and I wasn't disappointed. I made the mistake of looking at some of the Goodreads reviews when I first started it and I was so confused thinking we must be reading 2 totally different books. I loved this book. This is female empowerment and revenge all rolled into one.

Three different time lines and resilient and strong female characters are written in alternating chapters. Lucy, running from Uni after she tried to strangle her boyfriend in her sleep heads to her sister who has been distant from her. Plagued with waking dreams she is worried about her mental health.

Jess her sister, an artist who is at odds with their parents, flees to a remote seaside town where she paints two women holding hands as they board a ship. The same two women Lucy has been dreaming about.

Mary and Eliza are convicted of assaulting a man during Samhain festival and exiled to Australia. The trip there is fraught with starvation, fear, and sisterhood.

Each of these women have been wronged by men in their lives but fight for their place in the world. Each of these women has a unique condition that renders them allergic to water, causing strange things to happen to their skin leaving silver scars running down their bodies.

Beautifully written, I could feel the spray of the sea, hear the creaking of the house, smell the unwashed bodies in a dark ships hold and the desperation of all these women to be seen and not be victims anymore.

I was totally sucked into this book and loved every minute of it.

Absolutely fantastic!
Heart wrenching, captivating and luring like a siren, and unique. I didn’t expect to love this as much as Weyward, but I think I love it more.

Wow, just wow....I loved Weyward, but I think I loved The Sirens more! The blend of reality, history, and fantasy is *chef's kiss*. Lucy's search for answers kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole ride. I pegged the twist, but not until shortly before it was revealed. An emotional roller coaster of a book, The Sirens secured Hart in my "must read ASAP" list of authors.

This was just a great read. I was just drawn in to this story so thoroughly. I just had so much fun reading this story.

The Sirens was an anticipated release for me because of my love for Weyward, her debut title. I have a special edition of this book with sprayed edges and it is stunning. The most beautiful cover of the year so far! I enjoyed this story very much even though it didn't grasp me the same way as Weyward did. I felt like I wanted more from the past time line. I loved the twist and the mystery. The atmosphere even calls the reader to the ocean. The pull to the water was my favorite part of this book. The mystery was a little flat for me. Loved the theme of sisterhood!

The Sirens is a well written, atmospheric novel with a strong storytelling voice. Lucy is on the run—from what she’s done, and what was done to her. She seeks refuge with her sister Jess, only to find her missing. Alone in a remote coastal town full of eerie legends and whispers of the past, Lucy begins to hear voices—stories of two sisters from centuries ago, bound by trauma and resistance.

While I admired the lyrical writing and layered narrative, the plot felt a bit predictable, and the magical realism didn’t quite work for me. Still, this is a thoughtful, haunting read that will no doubt appeal to fans of myth, magic, and feminist folklore.

The Sirens is the second book I’ve read by Emilia Hart. The first book being Weyward. If I’m being totally honest, I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to give this book a 3 or 4 star rating. The story just didn’t seem to grab me and hold my attention like I had hoped it would. But if I’m remembering correctly, I think I felt the same way about Weyward at the time. I did like the fact that this story has a dual timeline and has two different storylines about 2 sets of sisters. I believe this made the story a little more interesting to read. It also has a touch of magical realism as all of the sisters were from the sea and they all had the ability to change into mermaids. The more current story about Jessica and Lucy and how Lucy learns of their real connection is what I found to be the most interesting part of the book. It’s a story that depicts the love of family, both between parent and child and between siblings and it displays their strengths and willingness to do what’s best for the sake of others. I’d like to thank Kejana Ayala, Marketing Coordinator @ St. Martin’s Publishing Group for inviting me to be an early reader by sending me a widget and NetGalley for the arc. Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would, I’m sure others will and I do believe it deserves a good recommendation. I’ve decided to rate it at 4 stars and I hope to get the chance to read more by Emilia Hart in the very near future.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart was one of my anticipated reads of the year because I really loved Wayward. However, I did not enjoy The Sirens as much. I do not usually compare books by authors but I could not help but feel detached to this one. It was as if another person wrote it entirely. There were so many events that took place that do not have a clear solution and that really bothered me because they were huge events. For example, the sleep walking.

I do enjoy novels about sisters so that was a huge plus for me. There were moments in the book I enjoyed but overall I felt myself getting bored by the pace and the events that took place. Thank goodness I had the audiobook to help me.

Even so, I am thankful to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for my gifted copy.

I really enjoyed Sirens! Another great hit from Emilia Hart. While the chapters were shorter than I would have liked, i couldn’t put the book down waiting to see what would play out next!

Highly intriguing and multi-faceted story with a touch of the mystical and a wee bit of romance
This was another epic novel! In these pages the reader will find three stories all tied together in interesting ways told in three parts with 48 chapters and a most fascinating epilogue. It is told from the perspective of current day Jess and Lucy with the addition of Mary and Eliza’s stories from the 1800’s. Like I said, epic!
Events that are out of Lucy’s control send her in a tailspin. She retreats to the last known place where her sister Jess lives in Comber Bay in New South Wales. When Lucy arrives however, there is no Jess but she left behind her phone, her car and her keys plus artwork that scares Lucy. Lucy has dreamed of these faces! What could that mean? Where could Jess be?
Oh. My. Word. The things that the reader will discover throughout this book will intrigue, anger, provoke and stimulate an intense curiosity. Because it is told through so many eyes, this story virtually comes alive from these pages. I could almost smell the brine of the sea and feel the webbing between their fingers. What topped it off nicely and gave me closure was the epilogue. Tied together one minute facet that was questioned early in the book. I felt it was somewhat slow in the beginning laying the groundwork for the rest, but looking back, I see the need for it. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley.