I really enjoyed Weyward so I was excited to read this.

Pros: really beautiful imagery and prose and the same bonds across generations theme I loved in Weyward.

Cons: the story was mostly predictable and the final twist at the end felt very randomly tacked on? I wish the lore of sirens had also been explored more. Are they immortal? Is Mary and Eliza’s mother still alive? Was their mother actually in love with their father or was it a captured selkie situation?

Overall I think still worth a read if you enjoyed Weyward and I would still recommend the book, but it wasn’t quite as tight of a story as Weyward. I would definitely still pick up whatever the author puts out next though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Another great novel by Emilia Hart, this time focused on three generations of women who are drawn to and transformed by the sea. Are they outsiders with silvery skin and tragic destinies, or are they something more natural and powerful than they could imagine?

The novel alternates chapter by chapter between three general POVs: Mary, a convict being transported with her sister from Ireland to New South Wales in 1800; Jess, a teenager in 1999 who is ill at ease in her unusual body; and Lucy, Jess's sister, who is fleeing after committing a violent act while sleepwalking.

I figured out 90% of the plot--including the final twist--within the first 100 pages. I can imagine that's the reason some readers have mentioned that it felt slow or dragged; for the rest of the novel, I was waiting for characters to catch up to what I'd already figured out.

Even as I watched the plot unfold as I predicted, I enjoyed every minute of this and was hard-pressed to put the book down once I started reading. Emilia Hart has an engrossing writing style, and the characters were more interesting for their flaws.

This book is perfect for those who enjoy historical fiction, magical realism, and stories about resilient women.

Yet again, Emilia Hart has written a story that masterfully blends past with present, telling three stories that are beautiful and haunting. In the present, Lucy finds herself fleeing university to find solace in guidance in her sister, Jess. After the discovery of her journal, we are gifted with Jesss story as well, lending color and detail to the narrative of Lucy's present. In the distant past, sisters Mary and Eliza have been convicted and sentenced to exile. As Hart slowly reveals each story line's mystery, I found myself wishing I could fast forward time to finish the book so I could see the end result. I don't want to give too much away, but I had almost as much fun guessing and being proven wrong as I did finally seeing the finished metaphorical painting. I cannot recommend this book enough!

3.5

Thank you Net Galley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Lucy, college student, who is a target of cyber bullying at the hands of her secret boyfriend.
An incident takes place, causing Lucy to flee and reach out to her sister whom she hasn't seen in a few years.
Lucy arrives at her sister's place, only to discover that she is nowhere to be found. During Lucy's time at her sister's place,
she begins to uncover many truths to the life she thought she knew.

This was a bit of a slow burn, with not too much going on. Lots of talking, and description but not a lot of action.
The story came back to life for me when the plot twist hit (HOW did I not see that coming?!) which upped my 3 stars to 3.5

I really wanted to LOVE this book as I did with Weyward but unfortunately
this did not live up to that hype. I did enjoy it though, and the story did have me hooked waiting for more.

I'm gonna be honest, this book just wasn't for me. I loved Weyward especially the magicial realism aspect of it, but I just couldn't get into this book.

The story starts in the present, in 2019, and follows Lucy who has to leave school for reasons I will not spoil. She thinks the best place to go is to her estranged sister's coastal house. When she arrives she finds her sister missing and searches for clues to figure out where she may have gone.

We also follow Mary and Eliza who are from the 1800s and who were arrested and charged for a crime. They were being transported via boat to Australia and we follow their journey there.

Finally, we follow Jess, Lucy's sister. We get to see some journal entries written by her through Lucy's eyes and then we get to follow Jess through what actually happened when she went missing.

I thought the writing was well done for the most part. There were some parts that were so drawn out I found myself rereading pages because I realized I had zoned out and couldn't keep focused. There were also some parts that were just referenced and I found them confusing at times as it wasn't clear to the actual facts of what was happening. The writing was super descriptive and she did do well with the atmosphere writing but it just wasn't enough for me.

The story felt slow and I was not able to connect with any of the characters. I also didn't enjoy the magical realism, and im not really sure why, it just didn't work for me. I also found it challenging following the timelines and the specific dates when it was taking place.

I thought the solution or the plot twist or whatever you want to call it was very anticlimactic. I thought the ending wrapped up way too fast and I would've liked to follow the characters a bit longer.

I just wasn't a fan overall, but willing to give the author another chance for her next book.


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

3/5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC copy. This book will be published on April 1st, 2025

Are you kidding me right now?

This woman KNOWS how to write a book! This had me gripped from beginning to end.

This book is full of sisterhood, lore, adventure, emotion, and mystery. You will not be able to put this one down. I loved her first book but maybe this is my favorite??
Yes yes yes!!

Thank you to St. Martens Press for the ability to read this ARC: my review and opinions are all my own.

W🤩W! I didn’t want to put this down from the first page! I love the tragically beautiful connection between women, violence from men, and the bond women create together to protect one another. I loved the sirens song, the use of male aggression in so many forms, and the unity that the women have to fight back. From a ship filled with prisoners headed to Australia to artists trying to unleash their mysterious dreams, it is a mysterious, plot-filled, character-loving book.

I also loved the structural choice of journal writing, the flashbacks to the boat, and present time narrative voice shifts: all three added to the puzzle of what would connect them all. The way the setting takes place at the cave and home on the water is incredibly complex, using it as a way to connect all of the characters and plot. The symbolism of water and sisterhood is outstanding. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to this novel, as Weyward was a beautifully written novel and I enjoyed it very much. I love the author's ability to tie in strong female relationships and healing.

However, this story fell flat for me. I felt that for the first 80% of the story, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. I felt there was no urgency, nothing to keep me hooked, and it took me way longer to read than I imagined. While the premise of the book, two present day characters with flashbacks to two flashback characters was a pleasure to read, I do feel like there are some plot holes that could have been better fleshed out.


I look forward to the author's next work, as I do think she has a writing style that I thoroughly enjoy. This book in particular was just not for me.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart was such a beautiful and powerful read. At its heart, this is a story about women—our struggles, our resilience, and the way we hold each other up when the world tries to tear us down. It felt like a love letter to sisterhood, showing how we can be each other’s protectors, even in the darkest moments.

I wasn’t expecting some of the twists in this story. There were times when I thought I had things figured out, only to second-guess myself, which made me even more eager to keep reading. It’s one of those books that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

What I loved most were the female characters. Each of them had their own battles to fight, their own hardships to overcome, and yet their strength and love for one another kept them going. Their struggles felt real—some were the kind we carry with us forever, and others were the kind that, once we let go, set us free. That theme of endurance, of finding freedom through the bonds we build with each other, really stuck with me.

This book wasn’t just a great story—it was moving, empowering, and beautifully written. If you love books that celebrate the power of women and the strength we find in each other, The Sirens is one you don’t want to miss.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I loved Weyward and was excited to see what came next from Emilia Hart. While this did have the magical realism feeling that I soooo enjoyed, it just didn’t hit the same. The pacing felt very slow for about 75% of the book. I really enjoyed the dueling timelines and the emotions coming from our female leads. I just wish it didn’t drag on until we finally found out some answers.

It must be both a blessing and a curse to knock it out of the park with your first book. I think people are going into reading The Sirens with high expectations, having loved her debut, Weyward.

I definitely was and I really enjoyed Emilia Hart's second novel. She moves her novel to Australia this time as we follow Lucy (and her sister Jess) in the modern timeline. The other timeline is 1800 on a ship carrying Irish women to Australia. Twins Mary and Eliza have been sentenced to Australia along with other women who have been convicted of various crimes. This storyline was fascinating historically. I had never heard of the Female Factories in early Australia.

But what about the sirens/merrow/mermaids? There isn't a ton of that and I know some early readers have been disappointed. I agree, I would've loved some more insight into the 'tir fo thuinn', the land beneath the waves. I also loved the unique look of Hart's sirens. I'd love to see some fan art!

While I understand the disappointment some readers might feel about the limited mermaid, it’s also interesting that Emilia Hart chose to focus more on the unique gifts of the four women. The four women share a unique gift that is very difficult for them to embrace. Reading this back to back with Eowyn Ivey's Black Woods Blue Sky was very interesting - the idea of being torn between two different lives is a major theme in both books.

The Sirens comes out on April 1 and I really recommend it!

For those who love mermaid books (maybe Mary @ahatformanyreads) what's a good book to read if you want more of the story 'under the sea'.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and @Netgalley for the ARC.

This book has the most stunning cover! Besides already being interested in reading this book, because I absolutely loved Emilia Hart's debut novel *Weyward*, I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous cover.

This book is told in different POV's by: Lucy, Jess, and Mary. I was most captivated by Lucy's POV and we also get the most story from her character as well.

The book has alternate timelines and I really enjoyed both. In fact, I wish that we got a little bit more of the timeline from 200 years ago, I would've liked to learn a bit more from Mary about herself and her sister Eliza.

Like her first novel, we get to experience that focuses on the bonds between women, sisters - specifically and strong women at that. It was nice to see the women be presented with their obstacles and learn how to empower themselves to overcome what was pushed in their way.

I will say that I struggled a bit at the beginning getting into this book and it took awhile for the story to really get going.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and loved learning a bit of history that went along with the novel. I think it was once again, a beautifully written book just like her debut *Weyward*. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Expected Release Date - April 1st 2025

My reviews can also be found on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/brandisbooks.

Thank you to both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Emilia Hart has, once again, crafted a story with brilliant verses. As someone who does not identify as a woman, reading woman's fiction like this sometimes feels perverse, like I am peering into a world I should not see. Hart does not concern herself with making it friendly or comfortable, but still beautiful and hard to look away from, just like the sea. I've read all of the books that Hart has written, and I see myself continuing this trend in the future.

Wow! The Sirens had me hooked quickly and it was a novel I could not put down. The book tells the story of two sisters, Lucy and Jess, in 2019 and another set of sisters, Mary and Eliza, in 1800. Both sets of sisters have strong connections to the sea and the author does a wonderful job connecting the storylines and painting such vivid imagery of the two locations. There are a few twist and turns and unexpected events that had me guessing throughout. I would like to have had a little more of "Journalist" Lucy looking into the disappearance of the eight men we heard about but by the end I was able to come up with my own conclusions.
The Sirens is a beautiful story highlighting the power of love, family, and belonging. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Emilia Hart is back and better than ever! I love her book Wayward; it is one that I constantly recommend, and The Sirens will be added to this list. It is atmospheric, mysterious, all about woman empowerment, and folklore is dripping from the pages. I was hooked from the moment I began listening to the audio. The Australian and Irish accents had me. I also dove into the eBook, needing to swipe the pages as I dove down deep into the mysterious waters that birthed the stories that surround the town of Comper Bay.

The moment Lucy snaps awake with her hands wrapped around the neck of the boy she thought she loved. Lucy knew she was in trouble. She cannot think straight but she knows she must leave school. Her sister's home in Comper Bay sounds like the perfect escape. She jumps in her car and begins the 12-hour drive. The nightmares that have wound through her dreams coming to light, the two sisters, the pull of the ocean. What does it all mean? When she finally arrives, the front door is open, her sister is gone, and the painting she is working on is on full display. Lucy knows it cannot be the sisters from her dream. How can Jess know about them?

This is a dual timeline swapping between 2019 and 1800. Lucy and Jess dig into their past to find out family secrets that have been buried deep. The skin condition that has haunted them both since they were born. Making them stand out and when all they want to do is melt into the background. Mary and Eliza are being sent to Australia on a convict's ship. The women convicts are treated so horribly. The boat and the women are lost to the thrashing waves, just as the smell of land greeted their nostrils. Their haunting songs drift across the land of Comper Bay. Men have gone missing and the caves below the Cliff House are the link. Thank you to Emilia Hart, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I am not sure if I would recommend this to others. I loved the concept and I also enjoyed the parallel time lines. I didn’t really get into it until about halfway when twists started revealing themselves. There were several loose ends left behind and the last couple of chapters flew by. By the end of the epilogue I was so confused. I will need to read the end of the book again.

This was a captivating and different read. It felt original and interesting.


Thank you to net galley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

I loved this book! As a big fan of Weyward, I knew I wanted to read this as well. The cover alone is absolutely stunning- beautifully done! I really enjoyed the story and the connection with the sisters from past and future.

DNF @ 33%. I truly wanted to like this but it was too uneventful for my liking. I think I might try again in the future when I can start fresh.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will update my feedback when I re-read.