“The Sirens” by Emilia Hart is a captivating and haunting mystery. The story moves between three different time lines 2019, 1999 and 1800 and never feels overwhelming or hard to read. The novel hooked me from the opening where a young woman wakes up from sleepwalking with her hands around her ex-lovers throat and no memory of why. The Sirens masterfully weaves together the story of four woman each facing their own struggles but bound together by the sea, mythical mermaids and the limitless resilience of sisterhood. This book is beautifully written and is a bit historical fiction, fantasy and creepy mystery. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre!


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

THE SIRENS was my first introduction to Emilia Hart's work, and now I can finally say that I understand the excitement. This was such an emotional and almost ethereal read. I absolutely loved this story so much. I haven't read anything quite like it before, but it somehow still felt familiar in a way (if that makes sense). I was hooked instantly.

One of my most favorite parts of this historical fiction novel was how the narrative was told -- through multiple points of view and timelines that span more than two centuries. I also enjoyed the melding of Australian culture and Irish folklore surrounding the merrow (or mermaid). The writing and plot were so well thought out and incredibly poignant with the incorporation of these and other themes.

But there were some elements of the book that I didn't like as much, which contributed to my slightly lower rating. For instance, there was a dramatic shift from first to third person towards the end that was slightly jarring. It did make sense in some chapters, but others it didn't. I also have to admit that at one point, I felt the exposition slowed down and even dragged on a bit. Plus, there was a little too much repetition for my tastes.

However, the emotional depths this story will take you on, spanning across oceans of time, was more than captivating despite my personal "grievances." I emphatically give this one 4.5⭐️ (rounded up to 5)! If you enjoy historical fiction, nautical tales, Irish folklore, mermaids, mystery & thrillers, the female experience & empowerment, and stories about family secrets and (generational) trauma then this one is for you.

I would like to extend a big thank you to NetGalley and Author, Emilia Hart for gifting me an ARC of "Sirens".

The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I was intrigued by the title of the book. I can’t say that I’ve read many mermaid stories but I was still ready to dive in.

The writing style itself was clear and easy to follow. Unfortunately, this was a book that I could not fully get into. It was a very slow burn and I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters. I'm not a fan of loose ends or plot lines wrapped up too quickly. It took me a really long time to read so that's how I know I didn't fully get immersed in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc and advanced listening copy.

3 POVs from different points in time intertwine in a beautiful story about women who are strong, resilient, and unrelenting. At first, I didn’t really care for the present day POV but as the stories grew more entangled in each other, the more I grew to enjoy it. The audiobook is well-narrated, though I did think the narrator was a bit monotonous outside of dialogue.

If you like Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary, you might like this book.

Although this book is described as a tale of devoted sisters, having finished it, I wouldn’t describe it that way. THE SIRENS is a tale with multiple timelines and the sense of foreboding that accompanies learning of the bad treatment of women through the ages. But, still, I’m not sure that would fully describe the plot either. There is some magic involved and I wish there had been more. The title describes well enough what the underlying secret may be, and sadly, the book’s secrets are delivered well after a reader will have figured them out. This is a quickly read book with multiple plot lines that do not quite coalesce at the end. There is a sluggishness about the book that makes sense upon completion, but is mildly frustrating while reading. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

4.25 stars
I loved this book from the first page. The Sirens is a story about the strength and intuition of women. It jumps back and forth between two sisters in 2019 Australia, and two sisters in the same area over 200 years earlier. All four women have a unique skin condition that socially isolates them. Emilia Hart has an ability to write words that paint vivid paintings in your mind. My 7 year old daughter has an obsession with mermaids, and now I get it. I do too. I personally liked this book even more than Weyward, but I think both are beautiful, whimsical stories of feminine self discovery and triumph. I will read everything this author creates.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review.

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.