Set in two time periods The Sirens is a tale about women, sisters, the sea, and the secrets that binds them together. From the beautiful cover to the magical writing I was captivated by this book right away. Each time period has a "sister" storyline that's filled with drama and heartbreak. I would read the 1800's storyline with Mary and Eliza being help prisoner on a ship at sea and these are my favourite characters and then flip to the current storyline of Lucy and Jess and change my mind. Each storyline is complex and addresses how these dealt with major life events together as sisters but also as women. I really enjoyed the story and was so happy that when I went to look up the author realized that I had read Emilia's other book Weyward last year! Another book with another beautiful cover written about strong women. These books are so beautiful they need to be displayed in my book room!

I really wanted to love this book, unfortunately while the prose itself was lovely, I felt nothing for the actual story. Lucy's chapters in particular felt a bit rambling to me, and the long podcast passages at the start got tedious, as did the all the newspaper articles and Jess's journal. This story seems to be pitched as "feminist," but for me to crept a bit into "trauma porn" territory. Just putting every female character through hell doesn't make something feminist.

I think the writing did a great job of conveying tone and setting, and I think there will definitely be a lot of people who will enjoy this, but overall the story just didn't hook me at all.

I absolutely loved Emilia Hart’s Weyward for its rich atmosphere and powerful exploration of women’s resilience, so I was excited to pick up The Sirens. While the premise was intriguing and the writing had Hart’s signature lyrical quality, I found myself unable to finish it. The pacing felt a bit slow, and I struggled to connect with the characters as deeply as I did in Weyward. That said, I can still appreciate the haunting, atmospheric style she brings to her storytelling—this one just didn’t fully click for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Emilia Hart novel so I cannot compare this to her other works. Nonetheless, I immensely enjoyed this book. The timeline goes between the past and present and was a mix of historical mystery and magical realism. I enjoyed the writing and the pacing so it was easy for me to get through the story but not to say that it was a light read. It was already so emotional during the first quarter of the book and it kept me intrigued. Because of this I would like to read other books from Emilia Hart.

A feminist fantastical tale of women connected across the ages. A novel about finding yourself, and loving who you are. Eliza & Mary, twin sisters are interconnected with mother and daughter Jess and Lucy over a series of dreams that tells the story of Mary and Eliza’s life, while at the same time helping Jess and Lucy find their place in the world, and helping them understand and embrace who they were meant to be. A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying me with this digital arc!

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
An interesting read!
Not a book I'd normally read.
Will have to check out "Weyward" next

Emilia Hart has a beautiful writing style and a wonderful way of weaving together dual timelines and history into her stories. However I struggled with the pacing of the story and the emotional interest in the main characters from both present and past. The history begins the story was intriguing but I did not feel that it was portrayed well throughout the story. The history of naids was also woven throughout both timelines but believe it could have been explored in a more intricate way especially for Mary and Eliza. Hart showcases women's resilience and the strength of sisterhood but overall this story fell a little flat for me.

An intriguing story about two sets of history living centuries apart. Some of the book rambles a bit with Lucy's story but the book has a creepy, eerie feeling to it. Definitely a good vacation read.

3.5 stars

Another gorgeously haunting read from Emilia Hart! This multiple timeline novel switches between the years 1800 - Irish twin sisters Mary and Eliza are bound for Australia on a convict ship; 2019 - Australian college student Lucy searches for her missing sister, Jess; and 1999 – the diary of Jess’s teenage years. This book has family drama, disturbing dreams, missing persons, and strong bonds of sisterhood. The ocean feels like a separate character. If you enjoyed Weyward, definitely consider reading this one!

This was such a fascinating and compelling read. Hart weaves a tale of sisterhood, transformation, mystery, and female empowerment with prose that switches from beautiful and enchanting to haunting and eerie. Really, the prose is this book's biggest strength. This book is exactly what you would expect it to be: men being bad, women finding their strength, which felt at times a bit too simplistic, and I don't think it necessarily has anything new to say in terms of its feminist themes, but I still appreciated the way they were incorporated into the narrative. I also appreciated the way Hart brought clearly well-researched Australian history into the story through Mary's POV. Overall, an interesting read that felt lacking at times but still worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

CAUTION MAKE CONTAIN SPOILERS TO SOME...

This story is different from my usual reads, but i am glad I stuck with it. It's not a genre I usually read. It's the stories of 4 women whose lives emerge and converge over the years present and past , and women's empowerment merge . It is not a usual genre and is still not my favorite, but i think it's worth it to read to the end. I'm glad I did. I read till the end and think of it as more of "historical fable " to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Sirens by Emilia Hart.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have to say that honestly, this book was just an ok read for me. I wasn’t wowed and I wouldn’t say I disliked it. I think I did hope for something more though. The cover drew me, the description was appealing, but overall, I found it hard to hold my interest as I read this one. The story line jumps back and forth from Lucy in current day and a bit of Mary’s story in the 1800s. The first glimpse of Lucy is she is in a bit of trouble and needs to get out of town, so she runs to her sister’s (Jess) house. As you learn more about Lucy, she is pegged as a bit of ugly duckling if you will. And it seems she has dreams of Mary and her sister or at least the language they speak. You also learn a little about Mary and her sister. Without spoiling anything, if a little bit of fantasy is your jam this will probably be something you enjoy.

Part mystery, part thriller, part magical realism it had everything to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible. Hart writes the most badass women and I absolutely loved this story.

A beautifully crafted story about sisterhood, motherhood, womanhood. Sacrifices and love, spanning generations, with a dose of vigilante justice. 🧜‍♀️ Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC, it made me sad and happy all at once.

Weyward is a favorite book of mine, and I love Welsh folklore, so I was excited to dive into this book. I love her writing style and themes of strong women and sisterhood. However, this story was a bit of a miss for me. I was hooked right at the beginning of the book, but this slowed down in a way that didn’t make me excited to pick it up. I felt like the characters lacked some depth, and so I never felt like I really got to know them— and that didn’t change as I kept reading. The ending/reveal was underwhelming. I’m so sad that this one didn’t work for

Sirens is the story of two sets of sisters, and told in two timelines, 1800 and 2019. There are multiple plots and subplots that at some point, are connected. There are murders, sleepwalking, missing people, sexual grooming and assault and some fantasy/magic. My difficulty and 3 star rating is both the story line, the characters. There were baffling behaviors that stretched believability. I wondered why character's decisions were made and at times, never found out. The story was meandering and some of the subplots seemes forgotten altogether
The characters were hard to like or care about and the fantasy component of the story felt silly and not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Sirens.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won't be my last. This is so well written. The characters are complex. The mix of past and present is compelling. This unique story has a wonderful flow. I was sucked into the story and didn't want it to end.

Weyward was in my top 3 books of 2023, so I was incredibly excited for this one! This book embodies Hart’s signature atmospheric writing style. It’s a feminist story about strength, sacrifice, and sisterhood.
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Lucy has always felt different. Like her big sister, Jess, she has a strange allergy to water. Lucy is also haunted by vivid dreams, that become all too real when she wakes up attacking her ex. Facing potential backlash from her college for the attack, she flees to her big sister’s house in a small seaside town. But Jess is nowhere to be found. Rumors swirl in the town of tragedy, an infamous shipwreck, and disappearing men. In search of the truth, Lucy begins to read Jess’s journal from 1999. She begins to realize nothing is what it seems, and her sister could be in grave danger.
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I enjoyed this one, but Weyward is definitely still my favorite 🙃. Hart’s beautiful prose shone through in this story that weaves together a contemporary mystery with myth, magical realism, and a dash of historical fantasy.
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The eerie vibes left my skin crawling in the best way. Thank you to @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the gifted audiobook, ebook, and physical book! Narration by Barrie Kreinik was really beautiful 💗.
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The Sirens - Emilia Hart
Pub Date: 🎉4/1/25🎉
4/5⭐️

This wasn't for me. If you're okay with extremely slow paced writing then you may enjoy it. I just felt confused and little annoyed with how slow the plot is

Had a difficult time connecting with this story for a good chunk of the book. Once I did i started to enjoy it. Love some mermaid stories! Thanks