The Sirens was an eagerly anticipated follow up after reading Weyward last year.

What I loved: MERMAIDS? Obviously. I liked this ethereal, slightly terrifying take. It felt like a call back to a Grimms Brothers fairy tale in some spots. The light mystery around Baby Hope and Jess/Lucy's relationship is what kept me compelled in moving forward. Was it unpredictable? No. But it was compelling enough to turn the page. I did find Mary and Eliza's narrative a little more compelling than the present day.

What I didn't love: The pacing was slower in some places than it needed to be in ways that didn't add to the overall narrative. I wanted the lore of the mermaids and the drowning of terrible men to be a little more fleshed out after the reveal. The ending felt a bit rushed after so much build up, and i found the characters to be a bit less dynamic than they were in Weyward. I didn't really care much about what was happening with Jess and Lucy for the first half of the book.

Overall this was a perfectly entertaining book with some great elements. I'm just not sure it was doing anything revolutionary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for my review.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart was able to weave together three different timelines almost seamlessly. At first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to follow the different stories but the writing was able to easily take you between the different times and keep you engaged throughout. This was a slow burn mystery with historical fiction weaved in. I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to more from this author. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Emilia Hart has done it again - easily matching or topping her brilliance in Weyward. Just like that book, Sirens evokes the powerful magic of sisterhood and female bonds, even across generations. Hart wields magical realism like a sword, giving women their power back. This book is both haunting and sinister, mysterious and magical, and ultimately redemptive and beautiful. There's a touch of mystery and romance. But themes around women reclaiming their power, trusting their intuition, ceasing to deny their true nature, and coming into their own as they look out for one another shine through. Mermaids as metaphor and symbol of women's freedom and uninhibited nature.

Told in an alternating timeline between modern day and the historical era where women were exiled for even petty crimes on prison ships to populate Australia, the stories ultimately converge with plot twists and a satisfying (if shocking) reveal to the mysteries, as well as karmic justice for the men who did them wrong.

As soon as I finished I wanted to buy a copy to gift to every one of the women in my life.

Just like Weyward, this book handles some very heavy topics and I encourage anyone reading it to seek out content warnings.

4/4.5 ⭐️

This was my first Emilia Hart novel and I loved it. The writing was beautiful and moving, and the way the story was told seemed effortless, in the very best way.

You follow 3 timelines in this book, which sounds confusing but it was actually really easy to follow (in my opinion). Lucy - current time 2019, Jess - her diary from 1999 and current time, and Mary - the past. I love when stories jump timelines, as long as they’re easy to follow!!

This was mystical, historical, feminist, and a gorgeous read. There was also a little family drama throw in, some plot twists that were SO good, and a bit of mystery trying to figure out what’s going on.

I couldn’t put this book down. I was so sucked in and invested in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the early read!

Pub Date: 4/1/25

I do not think I would have finished this book if I hadn't received an arc. The book felt extremely detailed, boring, and it dragged on and on and on. This book started off with a great hook, Lucy waking up from sleep-walking and finding her hands around the neck of this guy she slept with one time. She then takes off to her estranged sister who lives miles and miles away. It could have been so exciting, but instead it followed Lucy (who I did not connect with) as she just drags her feet trying to find her sister. I was very excited to try this ARC after hearing that Weyward was so well done, but this book falls very flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was beyond excited for an arc of this book after reading, and loving, Weyward last year. This was absolutely incredible.

Emilia does a unique and beautiful job of weaving together different stories and timelines into an unputdownable story. I adored the way everything came together in the end and the pace in which certain plot twists and connections were revealed.

A beautiful blend of past and present, horrific history, folklore, and love.

@emiliahartbooks, the author of Weyward, has a new book publishing next week on 01 April 2025. I really enjoyed The Sirens and the use of folklore in the story. Sea folk can be found by many different names throughout history such as Sirens, Mermaids, & Selkies. This story weaves together that folklore with a mystery. The story is told from multiple POVs and multiple time points. I recommend reading this book if you like mysteries based on folklore and if you loved Weyward.

This was so good! I enjoyed Weyward and this one is even better. Magical realism and I love how the story went back and forth between the past and present.

Sisters, secrets, and sirens.. what more could you ask for in a novel? Emilia Hart’s newest hit all the right notes as it navigated one young woman’s journey to locate her estranged sister. Through her searching, she uncovers mysteries and secrets that have been long buried but that completely reshape her view of the world.

I enjoyed the multiple POV and non-linear timeline of this book. It always keeps it fresh when the vantage point changes throughout. The writing was well executed and threw a few surprised my way. If you enjoy a domestic suspense/mystery with supernatural elements, I would recommend this to you!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook!

Thank you NetGalley, Emilia Hart and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

After reading Weyward, I was very excited to read Emilia Hart's next book! The fact that it had to do with sirens-even more so!

This book follows three timelines with the first being a Mary as she and her twin sail to South New Wales aboard a ship filled with female criminals. The second follows Lucy who after assaulting a former lover while sleepwalking, escapes to her sister Jess's house but discovers her missing. The third is following Jess as a young sixteen-year-old who begins developing a close relationship with her art teacher.

The three timelines intertwine creating a unique story about sisterhood, safety and discovering who you were meant to be. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the story and Mary's story was my favorite to read about. I enjoy that this book, like Weyward, have a sense of supernaturalness to them. While I did guess the big reveal, I still enjoyed reading all about the girl's lives and how they each dealt with the difficult situations they faced.

I can't wait to see what's next for Emilia Hart!

I was a massive fan of Emilia Hart’s Weyard and have been looking very much forward to reading The Sirens. It is another beautiful exploration into the way that women are treated, disbelieved, and disregarded throughout time as well as the beauty and strength in reclaiming your power. I was incredibly moved by The Sirens and will be telling all my girlfriends to read it. Thank you for my gifted copy!

I loved Weyward, so I was excited for this book. I made it an about third of the way in and it was a struggle. It was all a mystery and no real storyline had emerged yet. I love a slow burn, but this way too slow. It had a great set up. The opening of the book was so powerful, but I need to be given more. I am DNF-ing this for now. If I hear amazing things about it maybe I will come back to it, but it really put me into a slump.

I love Hart's writing and thought she did an excellent job creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere for this book. The setting of Cliff Manor only added to this, and Hart's descriptive writing made me feel like I could actually smell the saltwater and hear the waves crashing on the rocks. Weirdly this is kind of a coming-of-age story and I enjoyed the themes of sisterhood, and womanhood in general, as Lucy tries to understand why she's different and where she fits into the narrative that is unfolding in her dreams.

In comparison to Weyward, The Sirens felt slower-paced and not as neatly wrapped up at the end. <spoiler> I found that I still had a lot of questions in regards to Lucy's parentage and why her sleepwalking started so suddenly when it seemed like Jess had done it all her life. </spoiler> In Weyward the connection between the different generations of women is very clear, and I felt like The Sirens was missing that. I also wish we had spent more time with Jess' character than what we get with her diary entries, as she was very intriguing to me, and Lucy spent a lot of time doing nothing. <spoiler> I felt like I didn't understand her motivations for telling Max he wasn't the father or continuing to see her teacher when he very clearly wasn't a good man. </spoiler> However, I did enjoy the ending as I honestly didn't see it coming and it helped the story feel a little bit more complete to me.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable story with just enough mystery to keep me reading, and I would recommend it if you are looking for something chilling and atmospheric.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

Emilia Hart is a master of writing female rage. The way the stories of women across centuries were seamlessly woven together painted a picture of injustice, but also of women using their power to take control back. One of my favourite things about her writing is the way she describes smells - I don't think I've read any other author who makes me feel like I'm right there quite like Emilia Hart does.

If you love atmospheric stories, multiple timelines, and a heavy dose of magic, I highly recommend. I read and loved Weyward, and The Sirens gave me more of what I loved.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Emilia Hart's Weyward was a book I didn't expect to adore as much as I did so when I had the opportunity to read The Sirens I was overjoyed. Hart can weave together storylines like nobody's business. I loved how she did that in The Sirens. I enjoyed this book, less than Weyward, but still have no major complaints about any part of the storyline. 3.5/5.

Two sets of sisters separated by centuries intertwine to tell a story of unbreakable bonds - In 2019, Lucy runs away to her sister’s remote home after she assaults her ex while sleepwalking. When she arrives at the dilapidated house, her sister, Jess, is missing. What she discovers while she waits for her return will change everything she knows about her life.
In 1800, Mary and Eliza have been condemned and exiled to the penal colony of Australia. As they suffer in a dark hold of a ship for months, their bodies begin to change.
When all seems lost each set of women finds immense strength and inner power, overcoming their fate in extraordinary ways.


Title: The Sirens
Author: Emilia Hart
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: April 1, 2025
Rating: 3 ⭐️

I wanted to love The Sirens more than I did. It was an intriguing description and a gorgeous cover, but like Hart’s previous work - Weyward- the lack of tension meant that the stakes, despite the circumstances, never felt high enough. While I’m not a fan of ambiguity, so much of The Sirens is easily called out. Every breadcrumb dropped led to a predictable next step in the story. The character of Jess took too long to develop so I never really felt invested in her POV. Despite being a fast-paced read that kept me engaged I have to score it as a 3 ⭐️ read.

The positives: Hart is a master of weaving together multiple narratives and timelines. As a reader, her POVs have distinct voices that are easy to follow. Her impeccable research makes the 19th century plot burst into life - the hold of the ship with its seeping water and stench of unwashed bodies - the hunger and thirst - the fear of the unknown - are vividly described. I felt as if I was there with Mary and Eliza.

I think had this been a book solely about the journey of Eliza and Mary it would have been a triumph.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC.

Beautiful writing. I love how Emilia Hart writes, its very calming and soft.

This story is about 2 sets of sisters, one living in the late 90's and the other set in 1800. You learn not just how they are connected but how each sister is connected to the other. Is a beautiful story of finding who you are, not just for yourself but your place in the world.

While I enjoyed this book, it was obvious where it was going. There was one twist I didn't see coming at all but once it was revealed I realized I should have. Plus if family members didn't keep secrets from each other and actually told the truth, I think most books, including this one wouldn't exist. Why lie? It always comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Publication date is April 1, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Emilia Hart for a copy of this beautifully written novel.

The premise is intriguing: Lucy, a college student, finds herself in a precarious situation, fleeing after a disturbing encounter with her ex-lover. Seeking refuge with her sister, she instead discovers her sister is missing, prompting her to delve into her sister's diary for clues. Interwoven with this present-day narrative is a historical timeline depicting sisters transported to Australian colony prisons.

While I found the present-day storyline compelling, driven by Lucy's urgent search and the unfolding mystery, the historical timeline failed to capture my interest. The diary entries, though a key component of the mystery, were inconsistently engaging. My primary concern, however, lies with the narrative's resolution. I felt the disparate timelines and plot threads weren't woven together cohesively, leaving me with a sense of incompleteness.

Despite these issues, the author's writing style is commendable, and the underlying themes and messages resonated with me. The concept held significant potential, and I can see how certain readers might connect with it. Ultimately, though, the execution didn't fully align with my expectations. This book, while not a perfect fit for my personal taste, may appeal to those who enjoy complex, dual-timeline mysteries with a focus on character-driven narratives.

Weyward by Emilia Hart continues to be one of my favorite books and a staple in my Fall reading catalogue. Because of this admiration, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Sirens; however, one book very clearly outshines the other.

The Sirens starts slow and continues that pace until about 75% of the way in. The story leaves readers longing for more action and tie in to other characters. There are a few places where a seemingly important theme is brought up (Lucy sleep walking and choking her college hook-up) and not followed through - I'm not sure we ever got resolve from this.

I am sure I will continue to read Emilia Hart's work but I can't safely recommend this book out of pure boredom.

For readers who:
✨️ enjoy dual timeline novels
✨️ appreciate strong female characters
✨️ like darker novels about magic
✨️ like magical realism

I had no problem being drawn right into this book. It has short chapters across dual timelines, which kept the story moving quickly. I wasn't as interested or enamored with the 1800s timeline, but I understood the importance to the story development.
Overall, I loved the pacing and the plot. I thought it was well written and I would recommend it!