Wow. Emilia just gave us a heartbreaking, haunting, beautifully written book about the strength and power found in Sisterhood + Womanhood. The stories of Lucy, Jess, Eliza & Mary will stick to your bones long after reading.

The Sirens is as intriguing as it is mysterious. Just when I thought I knew how a storyline would play out, it went an entirely new and exhilarating direction! I highly recommend this read to anyone wanting a story that will take them on a feminist ride, untwisting secrets that span hundreds of years in the most magical way. Such a satisfying conclusion that had me in tears. So happy this was my first Emilia Hart read! It’s left me eager to dive into her other works.

Eternally grateful for the chance to devour this highly anticipated ARC of mine thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. I hope this novel gets all the praise!

I absolutely loved Weyward so I was excited to find out Hart had another upcoming book set to be released on April 1, 2025. Unfortunately I had such high hopes for The Sirens but it didn’t live up to my expectations. The pacing was a bit slow, which took me out of the story at times.
The writing style is magical and I could feel the emotions of the characters but the overall story felt off at times. The switching between perspectives and times seemed to hurt more than help. The second half of the book began to pick up and some of the bigger plot points became clear. My biggest disappointment with this book was that the female characters seemed so helpless most of the time. I wanted a bit more from the ending as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

This book was filled with secrets, mystery, and eerie vibes. The beginning hooked me, and I loved how the story was told in multiple timelines. There were twists that I did not expect. I love how this author writes with themes of sisterhood and femininity in her stories. The pacing was a bit slow, which took me out of the story at times. I wanted a bit from from the ending as well. 3.25 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a lovely novel! There was a lot of the story that I was so intrigued to see how it would be wrapped up, and Hart did a great job! This story combines fantasy with some mystery, old world (1800s) with new world (2019, talk of podcasts) which made it very interesting to read!

2.5 stars.

I want to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to its release.

While I wanted to love it, I felt that it missed the mark for me. I was tempted to not finish it more than once.

Overall, the story was very dull. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters.

The alternate timeline never made sense with the presence and the plot just seemed to meander for the majority if the book.

I agree with other reviewers who thought a solid 100 pages or so could have easily been edited/trimmed from the final novel because they did not serve the story.

It also seemed as if the author frequently was repeating herself. In the first coupld of chapters alone, she described 3 seperate rooms as "stale."

It feels like there is too much going on, but also too little. The main story is very slow, and lacks any meaningul action and story building. I kept turning page after page, searching for a spark, but found only relentless overthinking. The plot crawled beneath heavy layers of introspection, making the characters feel distant and difficult to connect with.

At the end of the day, I think I would have enjoyed this novel more had it been fully the story of the Irish sisters being transported to Australia.

I received a digital advance copy of The Sirens by Emilia Hart via NetGalley. The Sirens is scheduled for release on April 1, 2025.

The Sirens weaves together the legend of the sirens with the history of Australian convict ships as it follows two pairs of sisters. Modern day Lucy flees to her sister’s new home in New South Wales only to find the house empty and her sister missing. As she tries to figure out where her sister is, and what secrets she is keeping, Lucy has waking dreams of two sisters on a ship in the early 1800s. Mixed into Lucy’s story is Mary’s story, one of the two sisters on the convict ship that crashes off the Australian coast. The more Lucy dreams, the more her own story begins to merge with the sisters she sees when she closes her eyes.

While there are similarities and a common thread in the stories of Lucy and Mary, they stand up as complete and separate characters in the novel. The same goes for the sisters and other characters around the two women. While we spend most of our time with Mary and Lucy, they inhabit a world filled with people who feel real.

The two interwoven stories also take place in very different environments. Lucy is primarily in and around the cliff house on the Australian coast, while Mary is primarily trapped on the prisoner’s deck of a ship. The worlds of the women are distinct, yet linked by the sea that surrounds them both.

Hart does a great job in this novel of weaving together what initially seem to be two completely separate stories. As a reader, you begin to see the threads of connection well before the final reveals, yet the resolution remains satisfying. I was not surprised by any of the turns, but appreciated the complexity of the weaving of the story lines. Hart also does a good job of balancing the contemporary, historical, and mythical elements. All of those elements worked together to create a rich story, without any of them feeling overbearing.

Overall, The Sirens is a well told story of sisterhood and female resilience.

I read "The Sirens" by Emilia Hart on NetGalley. This book kept me on edge the entire time! I wanted to know the outcomes so badly for Mary & Eliza and Lucy & Jess. Their stories were intertwined and I wanted more details the entire book. In 1800 Mary & Eliza are sent on a convict ship full of women to New South Wales from Ireland. And in 2019 Lucy runs to her sister, Jess, for help. I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately requested Hart's first book.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

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⁣Much like Wayward, The Sirens in an epic feminist fantasy that discusses sisterhood and the power of female resilience. Told in two timelines, this is a very atmospheric and quite creepy novel. I found it immersive and lots of fun! The characters were a bit different for me, when comparing them to Weyward and it took me a bit longer to get into the story for that reason, which left the reading experience a little flat.

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this ebook!

This was another beautiful book by Emilia Hart filled with feminine rage, connection, and justice, and it did not disappoint. The way that she interweaves different generations of women together, connected by blood and the violence they’ve experienced, is truly so beautiful. There is such a powerful message of hope and protection, and I loved the twists and turns that kept me on my toes and looking for the pieces of the puzzle.

I absolutely loved it and could not out it down! Highly recommended read for really any woman, but especially those who look out for each other and keep each other safe.

I loved Weyward and I can tell you all that I’m utterly bewitched by The Sirens.

Historical, atmospheric, gothic, and feminism at its most divine.

The past clashes like waves upon the future. How the tragic history of two Irish sisters become intwined with two contemporary Australian women made for a storyline that utterly enchanted me.

Emilia Hart has such a masterful way of storytelling, and I hope everyone gets to experience this beautiful new novel from her

I absolutely love Emilia's writing. She always has a way of captivating me into the story. She can always bring history and meaning to a full circle that leaves you feeling like the book was a warm hug.

We are set in three different time periods with three different POVs. Sometimes Emilia’s stories take me a few chapters to really get into, but then I’m on a beautiful ride.

Such a wonderful story!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin for the e arc.
Be on the lookout-PUB DATE: 04/01/25

In present-day Australia, Lucy flees to her older sister Jess’s house after a disturbing incident at university, only to find Jess missing and the town shrouded in mysterious rumors about disappearing men and strange occurrences at sea. As Lucy delves into Jess's diary, she uncovers secrets about her sister’s past, including their shared water allergy and a connection to a mysterious art teacher. The novel weaves together three timelines, including the tragic story of Irish twin sisters, Mary and Eliza, who are bound for Australia on a convict ship in the 1800s, uncovering a powerful tale of sisterhood, dreams, and the supernatural pull of the ocean.

Hart’s writing made me feel like I was caught in a haunting dream–supernatural, but not scary, with tinges of Irish folklore. The mysteries in each timeline made me want to keep reading to figure out how it was all connected. I did guess one of the major plot twists early on, but it didn’t detract from the story at all, as I still wanted to see how it was all going to unfold. Having also read Weyward, I enjoyed this story much more!

The Sirens
3.5 ⭐️

I loved Weyward and was so excited when I got a copy of The Sirens on @netgalley!

Lucy is running away from her university where she’s had a whole host of problems and toward her sister. But when she turns up at her sister’s she finds her missing with only a few very old clues as to where she might have gone.

This book felt like Literary Fiction, Mystery, and Fantasy all rolled into one. While the first half of the book was extremely slow, the ending did make up for some of it. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I’d hoped, but if you’re looking for slower paced book that has a unique story, check it out!

ARC Review!

First off, I love the cover! I truly enjoyed the eerie and mysterious vibes. I loved the dual timelines and how the author tied the 2 stories together at the end. The writing is beautiful. However, I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters and really wanted to love them, but unfortunately I did not :(, I really wanted to. I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys elements of magic, folklore, and the supernatural.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Sirens is a haunting, empowering, un-put-down-able mystery that kept me up way past my bedtime. While I guessed some of the plot points, one of the twists made me audibly gasp. My one complaint is that I wanted more - I could have read a duology or 500 page novel just more for depth to the stories of Mary and Eliza and Jess. I understand that Lucy's POV is essential to the mysterious element of the story, and I could see how some might find it too unwieldy if the author had dwelt more in the past timelines, but I just wanted more by the end. However, this doesn't affect the beauty of the writing or the emotional swell that keeps me thinking of the story long after I've finished.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.

A fun romp of science fiction, feminism, fantasy and young adult reading. In 1800, Mary and Eliza, sisters convicted and sentenced to Australia, have unknown special powers and long memories. The Sirens refer to the sirens of the epic story of Odysseus.: women who lived in the sea and tempted men to their deaths.
As a older female, I could still relate to the anger and outrage conjured by this story of two small children and how they felt on their journey: that misognistism that fuels many feminists to this day. I found myself cheering the very specific deaths in the cove area where in 1800, the sisters were suspected of drowning in their prison ship.
I read through the night wanting the sisters in 2019 to find rescue and vengeance in their lives and others.
A thriller, murders most foul, and heart thumping action: this story has it all.

3.5 stars!

Emilia really shines in writing stories about the female experience, leaving me stunned, enraged, and pondering about women in history who were persecuted and wrongly accused. Weyward was one of my favorite books last year, and I still think about it daily, so I was excited to get the ARC for The Sirens.

The writing was fantastic and engaging. I enjoyed all the point of views and living through the lives of Jess, Lucy, Mary, and Eliza. I found myself reading constantly because I needed to get to the end. Some parts dragged for me, but I was invested enough in the characters' lives to keep me going.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the history of NSW and Australia. The magical realism/fantasy aspect of the book really surprised me, and I wish we got more of it in the end.

I really enjoy Emilia's writing and her stories about women. Overall, this is a story about resilience, family, and coming into your own.

I loved Hart’s first book and was so excited to dive into this one. I was hooked on the mystery portion and felt a slight creepiness throughout. This book flips between the distant past and present, following two sets of sisters, similarly to the multiple storylines in Weyward, something I enjoy.
I admit that I was shocked at some of the twists, and was so excited when I figured one out that I couldn’t put the book down.

Firstly the cover and title are very intriguing. Upon picking up the book The Sirens, I was left with not wanting to put it down. This book switches between three different point of veiws. Lucy, Mary. And Jessica.
I was interested in what is going on with Lucy and where her sister was. Reading about what happened with Jessica(Jess) was difficult but I felt like it was good representation about people that were groomed. I was also invested on what happens with Mary and her sister on the ship and journey towards a different land. The book showed how they lived on the boat for months in inhumane conditions which definitely hurt my heart.
Overall, I loved The Sirens. The writing is amazing and I was invested!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Told from the past and present, The Sirens is an atmospheric fantasy thriller that blends Irish folklore, mermaids, and the complicated history of Australia with hard hitting topics like feminism, abuse, and family trauma. It was a lot to unpack, but Emilia Hart is an amazing writer and somehow, pulls it all off. She really has a wonderful way of composing original and meaningful stories. I especially enjoyed the imaginative premise and the dark spooky vibes. I loved our “past” FMCs narrative. Their arcs were heartbreaking but written with a gorgeous diaphanous layer. Even in their scariest moments, there was a dream-like quality to their experience. For our present day characters, I was left feeling a bit less fulfilled. I wanted more depth, a little more detail and honestly, wanted to care more about their journey. I will also say the pacing was pretty slow at times. It felt like it took a long time for the point of the story to reveal itself, which made portions a bit hard to muster through. However, in the end, it picked up speed, all made sense and concluded in a satisfying way. The Sirens would be an excellent selection for anyone who loves mermaids, eerie folklore, a mysterious plot, or sailing tales. 3.5 stars