✨ A Hauntingly Beautiful Tale of Sisterhood, Secrets, and the Sea ✨

The Sirens by Emilia Hart was exactly the atmospheric, magical read I was hoping for. The story weaves together two timelines, both centered around resilient women bound by their connection to the ocean and each other.

Set over 200 years apart, the dual narratives follow Lucy and Jessica in 2019 and Mary and Eliza in the 1800s. Lucy, running from her own dark secrets, finds herself searching for her estranged sister Jess in the remote, stormy Comber Bay. At the same time, Mary and Eliza are being forcibly transported from Ireland to Australia, enduring unimaginable hardships on their journey. Their paths may be separated by centuries, but the themes of survival, sisterhood, and the haunting pull of the sea tie them together beautifully.

The way Emilia Hart captures the raw power of the ocean and its pull on these women was mesmerizing. The prose is lush, vivid, and feels almost dreamlike at times, with descriptions so detailed that I could practically feel the cold spray of the sea and hear the whispers of siren songs.

While the dual timeline structure kept me hooked, I did feel more invested in the present-day storyline with Lucy and Jess. The secrets surrounding their family and the eerie mysteries of Comber Bay were gripping. However, the historical timeline with Mary and Eliza, while tragic and powerful, felt slightly underdeveloped in comparison. I would have loved more time spent exploring their journey and their gradual transformation.

The biggest strength of this novel is its atmosphere. Emilia Hart creates a world where the magic feels real and the darkness lurking beneath the surface is palpable. The twists were well-executed, even if a few of them were predictable. What really stayed with me were the emotional threads of acceptance, resilience, and what it means to find yourself after everything you once believed in has crumbled away.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this beautifully haunting story ahead of its release.

✨ WHAT I LIKED:
📌 The haunting, almost lyrical prose that captured the ocean’s power and mystery.
📌 The dual timelines that added complexity and intrigue.
📌 Lucy’s determination and the complicated relationship with her sister Jess.
📌 The eerie, mysterious atmosphere of Comber Bay.
📌 The subtle magic and the siren lore woven into both timelines.
📌 The exploration of sisterhood and personal transformation.
📌 How the past and present were skillfully intertwined to create a compelling story.

✨ TROPES:
📌 Dual timelines.
📌 Sisterhood and family secrets.
📌 Magical realism.
📌 Found family.
📌 Strong female protagonists.
📌 Survival against all odds.
📌 Atmospheric, coastal small town setting.
📌 Historical fantasy.

The Sirens
by Emilia Hart
Pub Date: Apr 01 2025

The Sirens is a haunting mystery with unexpected twists and turns told between three different time lines, 2019, 1999 and 1800. This book is a beautifully written story that blends fantasy and historical fiction, a tale of women, sisters, mothers, friendship, and family bonds. A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea. To anyone the likes historical fiction, fantasy and mystery I highly recommend this book!

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress and #TheSirens for providing me an E-ARC of this wonderful read!

I just finished The Sirens by Emilia Hart, and honestly, it didn’t grab me the same way Weyward did. Hart still writes beautifully, and the historical connections mixed with magical elements were interesting enough, but the story felt slower and less compelling overall. I didn't connect as deeply with the characters this time around, and some plot points felt predictable. If you loved Weyward, you might still enjoy aspects of this, but for me, it lacked the emotional depth and originality that made her previous novel so special.

2023’s WEYWARD was an enchanting, engrossing, top read of the year that had me eager to see what came next for Emilia Hart. Two years later, THE SIRENS is here — and the wait was worth it.

Bouncing between 2019, 1999, and 1800, THE SIRENS follows women on the run (to? from?) and the pull of the ocean beckoning them home. Exiled from Ireland, 16-year-old twins Mary and Eliza board a ship bound for Australia. In 2019, Lucy flees her university, running to the one person she believes could help: her estranged older sister Jess. Only, when she reaches Jess’s home, there’s no sign of her.

Instead, Jess’s paintings reveal the strange dreams Lucy has been having. Dreams of long-forgotten women whose lilting Irish lullabies Lucy should have no way of knowing or understanding. Dreams of women with skin like hers — always hidden from view, careful to avoid water and the harm it brings.

Emilia Hart is no one-trick pony. THE SIRENS is lush and imaginative. So richly-detailed I could smell the salty air, hear the waves crashing on the shore. Hart writes novels for women, about women, and she provides the justice so many of their stories lack. This was a fantastic read that held me captive and I am thrilled to see where Hart goes from here!

I went into this book with the HIGHEST of hopes because I really enjoyed her previous book, Wayward, and the premise of this book sounded so interesting and amazing… but I feel like by the end I was wanting more. I am not sure if the book needed to be longer, but I felt like things needed to be rounded out more.

The Sirens follows two sets of sisters, Mary & Eliza in the year 1801, as well as Jess and Lucy in the year 2019. Lucy starts having dreams about the sisters Mary and Eliza, and she starts to realize that they may have some things in common.

As someone who has a huge fear of the ocean, the way Emilia Hart describes the ocean, and the magic of it, it made me question my fear… but only for a second. She makes the ocean a very feminine thing, something that will protect us, especially from the awful men of the world. As much as I clicked with the ocean, I just didn’t click with the actual characters of this story. Nothing they did wrong, I just for some reason didn’t always agree with their actions, their reasonings for things, or just them.

The thing about this story, too, is that it is very predictable, like you pretty much know what will happen in the end, but to me that didn’t matter because I was excited for the journey there… but I felt like all the different storylines were just not executed to their full potential. I just feel like we were left wanting more.

ALSO, one of the most interesting storylines that I was actually super invested in was just like wrapped up quickly in the epilogue.. and was just weird.
I dont know, this book just had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and I feel like it was kind half-assed.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Sirens is a dual timeline story that follows two sets of sisters. Mary and Eliza are twin sisters living in the 1800s who are taken from Ireland on a convict ship bound for Australia. The further out to sea they travel, the more their bodies inexplicably begin to change. After enduring unimaginable hardships aboard the Naiad, the sisters vow to make cruel, abusive men pay, and they embrace their newfound freedom and identities to do so. In 2019, Lucy has a bizarre dream and awakens to find herself in the middle of attacking an ex-lover. Remembering that her sister, Jess, was also prone to sleepwalking, Lucy flees to Jess's house in hopes that she can explain what is going on. When Lucy arrives in the small coastal town, she discovers that her sister is missing. As she awaits her sister's return, Lucy learns that this town holds many secrets, including mysterious deaths, strange voices from the sea, and the truth of the sisters' past.

The Sirens contains the wonderful writing, atmospheric setting, and female empowerment that I expected from Emilia Hart. I love the idea of women banding together to overcome abuse and injustice, and this story definitely checked that box for me. I also enjoyed the dual timeline and learning how the main characters' lives were all intertwined. I did feel like parts of the story were slow and didn't hold my interest as well, but things picked up a bit at the end.

The book is ok, but it did not pull me in like the previous book Wayward did. I never really connected with the characters, and bits and pieces felt out of place or had no explanation as to why decisions were made.

I did like the past and present, the story was interesting, and the vivid descriptions. The historical mystery did hold my interest.

Thank you to the NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.

I really enjoy Emilia Hart's writing style, the prose was amazing. I did have a hard time connecting to the characters which I feel is important in women's fiction.

Emilia Hart crafts a tale of women’s fiction with mysterious mermaids, resilience, and overcoming trauma. Lucy and Jessica dream of Eliza and Mary, twin sisters from 200 years ago forced to Australia on a convict ship. As they dream, Lucy and Jessica sleepwalk towards the water.
Their stories converge in Comer Bay, known as the “Bermuda Triangle” for missing men, revealing heritage and identity. The Sirens, called Merrow, are vengeful protectors of women, a feminist twist on Greek mythology. They switch between mermaid and human forms and use a fatal siren song.
Hart's books focus on female experiences, trauma, and healing. While beautifully written, the characters are flawed, highlighting themes of change and acceptance. Despite this, the pacing suffers from alternating points of view and shifting timelines, sometimes causing important moments to be overlooked. Overall, I did enjoy the book and cannot wait to see what else Emilia Hart has in store for us.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Additionally, I applaud Emilia Hart for crafting an outstanding story.

This book was magical. I loved the interconnected stories over the multiple generations. Emilia Hart’s writing style is one of a kind and it’s so good.

Emilia Hart does it again! Oh my goodness, what a book! It had a lot of things I love in stories like magical realism, a bit of mystery, multiple POVs and timelines and incredibly atmospheric writing. I love a book where I look up from the pages and I’m genuinely surprised to not be in the setting of the story. I felt like it had the same vibes as Weyward so if that’s a book you enjoyed. I think you’ll love this one too. Both timelines were done so well and I had such a hard time putting this book down because I was so invested from the get go. All of the female characters were so beautifully written in both their strengths and vulnerabilities. I had extremely high hopes for this one after loving Weyward and I’m so glad it worked for me.
CW: domestic violence, sexual assault, violence, death, mentions of miscarriage, deportation, mentions of pedophilia

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital readers copy!

This historical fantasy book has so much to it. It is both unique and fascinating. You’re drawn right away into the mystery that the story unravels chapter by chapter. Amazing world building that is detailed and imaginable. Fascinating characters that are well developed and diverse. The storyline is fast-paced and very well written. This review is based on an early review copy I was sent by the publisher, but this didn't affect the content of my review that I am voluntarily providing.

The Sirens is a spellbinding tale of magic, mystery, and four women that are deeply connected despite the centuries that separate them.

The charm that Hart brought to her debut, Weyward, made an appearance again in The Sirens. She continues to do an immaculate job of weaving past and present, real with unreal.

The story was very atmospheric. Hart does an incredible job of painting an immersive picture of the landscape, both the beauty and the horror of it. It was one of the most captivating components of the story, aside from the main characters. I loved the way they were written-assured in who they were and remarkably resilient. They felt tangible and complex. I cared so deeply for the four main characters and was fully invested in what happened to them.

While this story had a bit of a slow start, the pace livens up through the changing timelines and perspectives. The mystery of these converging stories is what caught and held my attention. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a blend of genres, feels called to myth and magic, or is deeply influenced by the bonds of women.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

🧜🏼‍♀️ Is your feminist rage tank running on fumes? Doubt it— but this book will fuel it for sure. Thank you to @stmartinspress for my advanced copy. This is out today— and you should absolutely chase down a copy ASAP.

🧜🏼‍♀️ I was hooked to this story from the first page, and devoured this in a matter of days. I could tell there was something behind Jess & Lucy’s story and I just had to find out what it was!

🧜🏼‍♀️ There are deeper themes behind this book about society’s treatment of women, particularly within the criminal justice system going back centuries. The author speaks to the theme of water’s ability to change and heal, which is an interesting part of her author’s note at the end.

🧜🏼‍♀️ If you don’t know much about the UK’s choice to exile criminals to parts of Australia I also recommend reading The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline.

🧜🏼‍♀️ Overall, I loved everything about this book and it was my favorite read of March! What was your favorite book you read in March? Think you’ll give this one a try? Again, it’s out today!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
The Sirens is a story of sisterhood spanning centuries as they are connected and bound by the sea. We follow along with sisters Lucy and Jess in a present era time period and twins Eliza and Mary in the 1800’s as both timelines and plots slowly converge with one another. What initially drew me to this book was its stunningly beautiful cover and premise of sisterhood thru the ages. However despite the book itself being faster paced I still found myself becoming easily distracted and pulled out of each timeline. What made this more apparent was my struggle in connecting to the sisters. I just simply had a hard time with the timeline jumps in the story, as soon as I was feeling closer to one pair of sisters I’d then be brought to the other set. This is probably a preference issue on my end as I’ve come to notice that certain timeline connected stories just aren’t my favorite narrative choices. I also felt that the “mystery” of the story to be predictable fairly early on as well. However I do have to sing praise to the author’s writing style when it came to its atmospheric nature as it had incredibly vivid descriptions that painted beautifully immersive pictures. Overall this was a pretty book with gorgeous descriptive settings that just didn’t completely sell me on its plot.

The Sirens comes out April 1st, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Weyward and was looking forward to this book for so long, and still, it exceeded my expectations. The Sirens is told in 3 timelines that are beautifully woven together. In 2019, Lucy finds herself strangling her ex in her sleep and doesn't know what to do, so she flees to her older sister's house on the Australian coast. But her sister isn't there so she starts to read her diary. In 1999, her sister Jess was an artistic but isolated 16 year old with a strange allergy to water. And in 1800, twin sisters Mary and Eliza were sent on a convict ship from Ireland to Australia despite their fear of the ocean after their mother drowned. The way the characters develop and interact is haunting and relatable and my heart truly bled for them. This story is dark and tragic but also empowering and Emelia Hart's beautiful prose is intoxicating, I feel like I could drown in her words.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 eBook: The Sirens-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Emilia Hart-new to me author

📃Page Count: 352

📅Publication date: 4-1-25 | Read: 3-31-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:15

🌎 Setting: Australia and New South Wales 2019, 1999, and 1800

👆🏾POV: 3rd person and 1st person- multiple

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fic

Tropes: sisterhood, sirens, multiple timelines, family drama, magical realism

⚠️TW: leaked nudes, misogyny, death of a parent, SA, racism, grooming

🗣️Narrator: Barrie Kreinik voices all the characters with standouts from Jess and Lucy. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: Two pairs of sisters with the same rare allergy to water and feel the call of the sea are connected through time. From 1800 to 2019 Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza must deal with being at the mercy of men and their disappearances.

👩🏾 Heroine: Lucy-wakes up choking bf Ben, flees to sister Jess who's MIA

👩🏾Heroine: Jess-an artist encouraged by her art teacher

👩🏾Heroines: Mary + Eliza-twin sisters forced to leave Ireland for Australia

🤔 My Thoughts: I wish I had read Weyward first, but I'll go back to it. The multiple POVs and different timelines with sirens against evil men, sign me up!

*Emotion: 5/5 🥲
*Rating: 5/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After reading Weyward by Emilia Hart, I was completely prepared to do whatever it took to get my hands on whatever she wrote next. When it turned out to be another multi-POV and multi-timeline novel with more interesting women as the main characters and SIRENS??? I felt like she was writing for ME!!!

Emilia Hart is a master at weaving together multiple timelines, creating meaningful connections that span generations of women. She delicately writes trauma (and there was dark subject matter in this one so check TWs!) and ties their stories together in ways that showcase their resiliency and strength.

The writing in this story completely captivated me and by the last half I seriously could not stop turning pages! Hart’s writing was utterly atmospheric, the descriptions of paintings, emotions, and the magical sea made me feel like I was *there.* Of course, I feel like I was born to be in a house on a cliff by the sea, waiting for the sirens to call me home, so this setting and plot really catered to me. I’m biased!

The Sirens doesn’t stick to just one genre, and this makes it something that can be enjoyed by so many readers! It’s historical fiction, almost fantasy/sci-fi with the sirens element, mystery, and magical realism all tied up into one beautiful story of sisterhood and the magic of the sea. I loved this book.

*The Sirens* makes a significant impact with its effective integration of mythology and human-centered storytelling. Although the novel has minor imperfections, its strong narrative and thematic richness substantially outweigh any shortcomings. Emelia Hart demonstrates remarkable creativity and literary skill through this work.

Readers who appreciate myth-inspired fiction, atmospheric storytelling, or narratives driven by well-developed characters will likely find *The Sirens* to be a rewarding read. The book provides both intellectual depth and engaging entertainment, making it a valuable addition to the collection of literary enthusiasts.

Emilia Hart does it again - this dazzling magical realism novel tells the lesser-known stories in history. I love her books because they hit hard and are magical while still being based in the truth. The Sirens delivered and hit harder than Weyward.
p.s. This is the perfect book to read while listening to Sea Shanty's.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy. It's out tomorrow, April 1st (no joke)!