The Sirens, a novel by Emilia Hart, follows two sets of sisters and tells the story from
their respective points of view. Mary and Eliza, sisters who are convicts sailing from
Ireland to Australia in the 1800s, Lucy who finds herself searching for her sister Jess in
2019, and finally, Jess, through her diary from 1999. These POVs are woven together
quite well as they give context to the mystery surrounding Jess’s town and these
women who are all seemingly connected to it. This web of stories draws the reader into
the book in a unique and interesting way

Telling the story from two different points in time increased the depth of the story, but
this also means the story progresses in a non-linear timeline. Following multiple
timelines was more complex, but allowed the author to surprise the reader with clues to
the mystery from all of the story lines. One of the ways Hart distinguishes past from
present is through a shift in tenses. I expected this shift between chapters would bother
me and to be confusing at times, but I found it to be done very artfully done contributing
to my perception of time throughout the book.

This story has strong themes of both self-discovery and female resilience, so I am
happy to have finished this right at the beginning of women’s history month. I like that
this book had such a strong emphasis on female relationships. This book treats these
relationships as a sacred bond that sometimes defies logic and self-interest. The
overlapping stories and message of interactions between sisters reaching across
timelines were beautiful; however, I did feel that at times there was a lack of emotional
depth which is a major miss for me because there was a great set-up for it. While I
really liked this book, if there would’ve been more depth in the characters and maybe
more of a lean into the mystery of the town, I would have loved it.

The Sirens is a historical fantasy novel that follows four women from three different time periods- Lucy in 2019, Jess in 1999, and twin sisters, Mary and Eliza in 1800. The main themes of the story are family bonds, sisterhood, and female empowerment.

There was a lot happening in this story and it got a little hard to follow, since there were multiple perspectives and timelines. I felt like I was more interested in the 2019 timeline than in the other two timelines. The story was definitely more slower paced than I would have liked. I did really like the writing style though.

I think historical fantasy lovers will enjoy this book.

3.5⭐️

Told over three timeliness from three different characters was challenging in the beginning and I almost gave up. However, I stuck with it and the chapter transitions became less jarring. As with stories with multiple main characters, one seems to dominate and be more engaging than the others and I found this was the case with the character, Lucy.
I did learn more about the forced transport of Irish woman who were sent to NSW for seemingly petty offenses. Characters in that timeline were secondary so therefore I was less invested.

This book is a fantasy book that follows four women who are trying to find who they are in a world where they face endless challenges. Lucy finds herself fleeing town to her estranged sister's house where she finds her having left in a hurry. Lucy finds Jess's diary where the story goes back to the 1990s and the 1800s where we meet the other women in this story. This is a powerful feminist story that weaves all of the characters together. I absolutely loved Weyward and if you were a fan of that book you will also love this one.

I read Weyward back when it came out and enjoyed it - but maybe not as much as other people. I feel the same way about this book, but I might prefer Weyward.

Beautifully written and atmospheric, I enjoyed the characters and the tale of women's strength in hardship. Emilia Hart does an excellent job of bringing women's issues to the forefront of her novels and blending them with magic and mysticism.

The story's pacing felt off, and I didn't really care for the dual timelines - I often found myself skimming through Mary's sections to get back to Lucy & Jess. I was bothered that the impetus for Lucy seeking out Jess never really came up again after the first few chapters, and it had little consequence on the story. There is a reveal at the end of the novel that actually made me mad, specifically for Lucy & Jess's mother, and seemed to go against the message of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Since the March is dedicated to women, I thought to start this month with a feminist book. Because Sirens is an epic feminist fantasy tale around four women who are on a journey to discover their identity and many secrets.

The story begins in 2019, Lucy is a 18-year-old journalism student who has been cyberbullied by her boyfriend who shared an intimate photo of her on social media. Reporting the issue to the school authorities doesn’t help. So One morning, Lucy finds herself sleepwalking and choking him in her sleep therefore to get a refuge, she escaped to her sister Jess’ house in a haunted place where number of men have mysteriously gone missing. When Lucy arrives, she finds that her sister was gone.

Meanwhile, the narrative shifts to the 1800s, introducing us to Mary and Eliza, twin sisters from Ireland who are sent to Australia as convicts aboard a ship for criminals. As the sisters sail farther from home, they begin to notice strange transformations in their bodies,

Sirens is a powerful story of women's empowerment woven with fantasy. I loved these vivid character development and intriguing plot.

This was such a disappointment, especially after loving Weyward so much. For a book titled The Sirens there were not enough sirens if I say so! The author made the breadcrumbs for the plot twist way too obvious so I figured out the entire plot of the book at the 30% mark. While writing adult topics the writing felt very YA. I could not connect with any of the characters and nobody had a personality. It felt like Hart was just throwing plot to the paper and trying to connect the dots while everything else was sidelined. 2.75/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

Wow. I got an ARC copy of this book and I’m so happy to have the chance to review it.

I’ve read many amazing books; thrilling, enthralling, mysterious and romantic but this book, this book is all of that but is just so beautifully done. It felt like a love song to belonging, a sharing of what it means to follow your heart.

I just felt so connected to the characters in the book in a way that I wasn’t quite expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

There are alternating timelines and a switch between first person and third person writing that I personally found (not even clunky) but just took getting used to. As the book went on though it became clear that this was a stylistic and intentional choice. It definitely created a very specific feeling of connection in the ‘then’ timeline and I think it fit well in the end having the desired effects.

I read Weyward and loved that book so I was excited for this release and it did not disappoint. You can see the authors growth as a writer in this piece and I think I will be reading anything put out by her going forward.

Bravo.

This was a really good story! It had me hooked from beginning to end. I thought it was really different from Weyward in that it was more of a mystery and there was more of a twist in the relations of the women, which I didn’t mind, just not what I was expecting! Beautifully written and enthralling, per usual.

Weyward is one of my favorite books, so of course I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Sirens!

It started off interestingly enough, but lost steam immediately and just didn’t seem to pick up. I hate to say this, but it was just so boring. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through this one. I stopped reading at about 60% in because it became a burden to pick up.

I do love the way Hart writes and think I will probably be in the minority.

I will not be posting this anywhere else because I didn’t finish the book.

Thank you for the early copy.

I was really excited for the magical realism aspect of this book, but unfortunately it just kind of fell flat to me. It was difficult for me to follow at first, and once I got acclimated I enjoyed the characters, but I found the mermaid aspect to be a little far fetched. I love fantasy and love the ocean inspired aspect! But I just found it a little difficult to follow.


Thanks to NetGalley and Emilia Hart, for the eARC of The Sirens in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book did not grasp my attention in the way I initially thought it would. The writing was good but it was lacking something to keep me wanting to know more. I was not able to finish the book but I’m sure it will find it’s intended audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is a story about feminism. Two sisters are living in present day Australia dream of twin sisters living over 200 years ago. These twin sisters from long ago travel on a British convict ship to Australia. The story has magical realism and folklore wound throughout the book. The author’s writing style is beautiful.

After reading Weyward last year, it was in my top 5 books of the year. I still think about that book today. When I heard that Emilia Hart had a new book coming out, I was ecstatic! I wanted to love The Sirens. I enjoyed the split POV style of writing. I love following multiple characters and watching how their stories are woven together to paint the whole picture. I had about 90% of the storyline figured out by about 25% into the book due to the strong foreshadowing, which I think contributed to my overall dislike of Lucy as a character. I spent so much of the book with so much figured out that I was just waiting for her to put all the pieces that were right in front of her, together. Her inability to figure things out, made her come off a bit dense and highly irritating to me. I love women’s fiction and a good feminist theme; however, I found this book to heavily drive the narrative that women are good, men are bad.

The prologue caught my attention and the plot started to seem to get good but then it just kept meandering on..and on...and on..a little monotonous in the details and I put this down and picked it back up what felt like a million times until I finally read it through and I enjoyed it. Once I finally hit the right mood I guess I finished the rest of it with ease. Emilia's writing style isn't for everyone but if poetic imagery, hauntingly creepy vibes, mystery, sisterhood, and dual timelines do it for you then this is one you might enjoy. Personally I'm a big fan of anything historical and Emilia absolutely does a fantastic job weaving history throughout the story.

The descriptive writing alone makes this book a good story to read with incredible and detailed imagery. The characters are intriguing. strong women bu the parts I didn't connect with were the student-teacher relationship and the sleepwalking that felt like it was something big ended up just feeling like it was left behind and forgotten.
Parts I did enjoy were the family secrets, reveals, strength of womanhood, the call to the sea.. that was all done well.

I was such a big fan of Weyward that I had really high hopes (and maybe expectations) for The Sirens and simply it was a good read but one I wasn't too invested in.

Thank you so much to Emilia and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was all very well done. From the multiple perspectives, to the plot, to the atmosphere, Hart crafts a story that completely draws the reader in. I found both Lucy and Jess very compelling characters, and their narratives propelled the story wonderfully. While I was a little less interested in Mary's narrative, I really became interested towards the ending, especially with her tie to Jess and Lucy.

The plot was well-paced and very intriguing. I could not put the book down at many points just because I was so excited to see what would happen next. There were a couple twists that really got me, including one of the bigger ones at the end.

As with Wayward, the author does an amazing job at crafting an atmosphere and a mood for this book that completely envelop the reader. I felt like I was with all of these characters' no matter where they were: Ireland, the ship, or Comber's Bay. Overall, a really great, atmospheric read that I totally recommend to anyone who loves a feminist read or a good dark fantasy.

This was captivating, even if the ending turned out to be somewhat predictable. The shift between the past and present offer an engaging structure and added suspence. It helped adding layers to the narrative. Can we talk about rich descriptions of the ocean? Defiantly a standout feature, each scene feels alive with the salt air and the rhythm of the waves, which really enhances the overall atmosphere.The element of magical realism added a mystical layer that keeps you hooked, even when the plot becomes a little more foreseeable.

Emilia writes like no one else! She is incredibly skilled at immersive prose and spans the genres of magical realism and historical fiction so beautifully. I enjoyed this emotional tale and loved the duel timelines. I highly recommend to anyone who loves a magical tale, mythical creatures and most importantly strong female characters. Beautifully done, Emilia.

Emilia Hart, author of Weyward, follows up her gothic debut with The Sirens, deftly weaving the tale of two sisters bound for Australia on a women’s convict ship with the contemporary journey of Lucy, an aspiring journalist seeking reconnection with her older sister, Jess. Haunting and atmospheric, The Sirens is a gothic mermaid tale reminiscent of Sarah Porter’s Lost Voices, exploring themes of sexual violence and women’s erasure from history.

The story overall flows along at a medium pace, with interspersing chapters told from Lucy’s POV, Jess’s diary, and the POV of Mary, a passenger on the women’s convict ship. While the overarching mystery of Comber Bay and the fates of Mary and Eliza kept the story engaging, there were a few plot points that were never fully resolved, and I personally would recommend skipping the epilogue, which felt very out of place from the rest of the story. That being said, I overall greatly enjoyed The Sirens and the blending of history and myth, and am excited to see where Emilia Hart decides to explore next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the eARC.

I really wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book when I started reading it, but it seriously delivered on so many different levels — I’m so so happy I got the chance to read this. This was my first book by Emilia Hart and found that I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. The story had such an eerie vibe to it and I was really captured by how mysterious the plot and characters were. I felt like I didn’t want to put the book down so I could continue to see the story unfold. Also, I had 0 inkling of the twists which I love - I love to be blindsided!! This was a really lovely story, I’ll definitely be reading her other book sometime soon ☺️