After absolutely loving Weyward, I had high expectations for The Sirens, and I’m happy to say it lived up to the hype! Emilia Hart has such a gift for weaving together history, nature, and deeply compelling female characters, and this book is no exception.

The dual timelines were beautifully executed, and I was completely swept up in the atmosphere—haunting, lyrical, and immersive. The setting, with its wild cliffs and restless sea, felt like a character in its own right, adding to the novel’s rich, almost mythic quality. While the pacing was a little slower in parts, the payoff was worth it, and I found myself deeply invested in the fates of these women.

I will say, I found some of the plot twists to be incredibly predictable and at times felt like I was treading water waiting for them to be revealed. I also was not a huge fan of the epilogue. I understand why it was included, but felt the novel ended stronger without it.

If you loved Weyward, I think you’ll find a lot to appreciate here. It’s a story of resilience, mystery, and the enduring power of the past. A truly captivating read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

Having read and really enjoyed Weyward I was really looking forward to reading The Sirens. The premise sounded fantastic, but I found myself struggling to connect to the story.

The Sirens take place during different timelines and narratives. 1800"s twin sisters Mary and Eliza are being trransported from Ireland on a convit ship heading to Australia. The conditons aboard the ship are terrible and when the twins skin are changing with each passing day. Eliza and Mary are feeling the sea call to them more and more as the days pass by on the ship. 1999 Jess a 16 year old has that has a rare skin conditon and is just wanting someone to connect with. An aspiring artist Jess is drawn to her art professor for more than a student /teacher relationship. Jess feels that he can actually see who she really is and this by far is a comfort to her. Jess has secrets that are not ready to be shared. 2019 Lucy is in college for journalism and she has been sleepwalking and awakes to find her strangling her former lover, In a panic Lucy flees college and heads to her sister Jess for help. The trip reveals more clues than answers when Lucy is now looking for information into Jess's dissapearance. The Sirens was a fascinating read that also touched on the myth of mermaids. I loved this book just like with Weyward Emilia Heart weaves together both mystical and mystery flawlessly. I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read to an advanced copy of this novel.

3.5/4 stars—This is a beautifully written story with an interesting premise wherein we follow four women as they come to accept who they are. I don’t believe I have read a book quite like this one which interweaves Irish folklore with Australia of both the past and present. For that reason alone, I found The Sirens refreshing in that it took a topic I already love but placed in in a part of the world I rarely read about. The fantasy elements were well executed as they were used to push the themes of identity, familial bonds, and autonomy. And, again, this was a beautifully crafted novel.

However, I did have some issues with parts of the story, including how predictable I found it to be. I knew exactly what was going to happen so it was more the anticipation of how the characters would uncover the truth which created momentum throughout. The one point I didn’t see coming (and am still not sure how I feel about) is the revelation in the epilogue. I’m still digesting that one. Often, due to the constraints Mary and Eliza faced, the chapters dedicated to them slowed the story as it was all very reflective or highlighting moments of cruelty, though ultimately also depicting a type of found family.

I liked a lot of what was going on symbolically and within a historical sense, but the skin condition and link between the four characters just made it TOO obvious for me—though the author may not have intended for it to ever be a secret to anyone but the main characters as a sort of self-denial/self-diminishing? Either way, it was a fine story that was entertaining and novel to my reading experience.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy to read and review.

The Sirens was just lovely. It's a beautifully told story of female resiliency through the ages. With the tie in of folklore, it was a nice mixture of genres. While three storylines felt like a lot, it worked.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

The Sirens is a suspenseful mystery seeped in folklore, following two sets of sisters separated by hundreds of years. The sisters feel like outsiders but find a shared connection to the sea. Hart beautifully describes how it feels to be drawn to the sea in a way that lets the reader really experience it, feeling that deep connection alongside the characters.

Dual timelines and multiple POV’s echo each other, amplifying the themes of sisterhood. I loved the connection between the 1800’s and modern day timelines and could have read an entire book about the fascinating and dark historical aspects. The modern timeline had enough going on with family drama that the love interest aspects were less interesting to me. The slow burn, atmospheric vibe is exceptionally well done and I was fully invested as pieces of the puzzle started coming together. The Sirens is ethereal and emotional and I think fans of Weyward will be really pleased with this book!

Emilia Hart's writing is beautiful and the scene she set in this book is so transportative. The plot here is a slow build, dual timeline. It was obvious the amount of research that went into telling the story of imprisoned women sent away to colonies. This was a subject I honestly did not know much about. This novel was a little bit historical fiction, a little magical realism, and a dash of female empowerment. I enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc.

Emilia Hart never disappoints! This book was fantastic, kept me invested the whole way through, and made me really feel for the characters in the story.

I love a book about complicated familial relationships, and this one really hit that right on the head. Add in the past perspectives and the magical/folklore aspects and it had me hooked.

I don’t want to say much to avoid spoilers but cannot emphasize enough that you should read this book. You won’t regret it.

I like magic realism. I like a dual timeline. I like a mystery. I liked Hart's debut novel, Weyward. However, I am in the distinct minority as I did not like this book AT ALL. Billed as a "...breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea." But this [description, especially extraordinary!] is NOT the book that I read!

I preferred the 1800 story where the sisters Mary and Eliza are on a convict ship headed for Australia. The 2019 story--of sisters Jess and Lucy, not so much.

I learned a few new words:
fetters are chains/manacles and
merrow is Anglicized for mermaid
farls are inedible black berries

There were many "OY" moments and many grimaces. I pushed myself to finish it so I could read something else [and hopefully much better!].

I don't have much to say about this book as I didn't care for it/was never engaged.

On a positive note, I did like the cover.

What an amazing and beautiful story. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Really struggled to get into any sort of groove reading this one. I felt the characterization could have been stronger, the multiple perspectives more interesting, and the plot more gripping. I did like the setting and the themes that we set out to explore. I am always here for women fighting back against their oppressors.

But unfortunately this was not my cup of tea. This feels like a safe option for a workplace book club or a group just forming, but I don’t feel that it lives up to the depth I was anticipating.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this so much! Thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Sirens! Can’t wait to see more from Emilia Hart!

I'd like to thank NetGally and the publisher for this ARC.
3.75 / 5
The Sirens is beautifully woven together with mystery and mythology, creating a story that felt both timeless and haunting. The dual POV structure worked beautifully, allowing the past and present to echo each other in meaningful ways. While the first third of the book moves at a slower pace, it lays a strong foundation for the rich, immersive narrative that follows. Emilia Hart excels at exploring themes of generational connection and the resilience of sisterhood, and those elements were particularly strong here. This was an artfully written, atmospheric novel that made me feel as if I could smell the sea at times and kept me engaged from start to finish. If you enjoyed Weyard by Hart, you'll find a lot of familiar thenes in these pages, and I definitely recommend giving it a read.

A beautifully descriptive tale of the sea and the women who learn that they have it in their veins. I love stories of magical realism and especially this one set in/near the ocean. The story is told in multiple points of view and in different periods of time and I felt it was engaging and gorgeously written. The story is a slow burn with an exciting ending. I loved the author's debut "Weyward" and am very appreciative to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy of Ms. Hart's second book.

3.5 stars - This may be my first mermaid/siren book - I really enjoyed that magical realism part of the story. The Sirens has history, mystery and feminism. Set in Australia, there is a beautiful opening acknowledgement to the indigenous people of the land. Loved the author interview at the end of the audio to hear more about her process and inspiration.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a compelling story told in two timelines; the 1800s where we follow sisters Mary and Eliza, and 2019 where we follow sisters Lucy and Jess. We get to watch a mystery unfold that spans centuries and discover how these two timelines are intertwined.

Before I jump into my spoiler-free thoughts of The Sirens, I’d like to preface this review by mentioning that I have never read a story involving sirens nor have I read any other works by this author (although her popular Weyward is on my TBR!).

I went into The Sirens without knowing at all what to expect in a story such as this and turns out I really enjoyed this book! I could tell how much time and care Emilia Hart put into this novel and as the reader, I appreciated that so much. My rating it around 3.85 stars!

The atmosphere of this book was SO good, you truly felt like you were there. The setting was eerie, cold, damp and mysterious. I love when a story makes me feel so immersed in it. I also thought the characters were written well and I was able to connect and feel for them, some tears were shed for sure. It’s important to me when reading that I WANT to read about these characters, their stories and be immersed in the atmosphere created and I found myself really looking forward to reading more of this each day. The story got better and better as it went on too, so it was definitely a page-turner for me!

I loved how this story was written with dual timelines as well as multiple POVs. I really loved how The Sirens had snippets from a podcast, snippets from a diary and snippets from news articles peppered through in addition to the multiple POVs so that we the readers are able to piece together this mystery too. That style of story-telling is something I enjoy very much and thought it worked out so well in The Sirens!

I want to say it was around the 50% mark when I had pieced things together and figured out where this story was heading and what the “reveals” were going to be. I was correct with my theories, but I think the story is written in a way for us to figure some things out around that time and to watch everything come together for the rest of the story. Figuring it out at that point in the story did NOT take away from my reading experience, I really enjoyed seeing everything unfold!

Filled with sisterhood, womanhood, mystery, atmosphere, resilience, uniqueness, self-discovery, myths, magic and more- The Sirens is a book I definitely will be recommending! It is certainly a story that will stick with me for years to come.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me the ARC e-book of The Sirens in exchange for my honest review!

From the very first chapter, The Sirens gave me eerie chills—I was hooked. The haunting atmosphere even crept into my dreams, which says a lot about Emilia Hart’s storytelling. This book is a mesmerizing mix of historical fiction, magical realism, and mystery, following four women across two timelines. At its heart is Lucy, a journalist piecing together the hidden threads between past and present.

The story shifts between 1800 and 2019, weaving together the journey of two Irish sisters sent to Australia as convicts and Lucy’s modern-day investigation, filled with unsettling dreams and long-buried secrets. Hart’s prose is hypnotic, and her deep dive into Australia’s convict past and Irish mythology makes for an incredibly immersive read.

At its core, The Sirens is a feminist tale of resilience, sisterhood, and empowerment. It’s a slow burn, but every twist is worth the wait. If you loved Weyward, you’ll find familiar themes here, but Hart carves out her own distinct space with this novel, proving just how much she’s grown as a writer.

I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thanks to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for letting me read this beautifully crafted book. “The Sirens” will be published on April 1st, 2025

This took me a while to really grasp what was going on, but I was so intrigued by the mystery of it all! I'm glad I stuck with it cause wow that ending was good! A fantastic story of feminist power and the bonds mothers/daughters/sisters have. I was so glad I got to read an early copy of this! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Having loved Weyward, I had to read The Sirens. Once again Emilia Hart has brought us a magical tale of the struggles of women, told in dual timelines. The main theme connecting the stories is sisterhood and the sea. Beautifully written, fascinating, and enjoyable. 4-1/2 stars

I received an ARC for free and gave my opinion voluntarily.

This book weaves together a rich, mysterious story that spans across centuries, focusing on the unbreakable bond between sisters and the eerie pull of the sea. Lucy, trying to make sense of a terrifying nightmare, finds herself drawn into a small town with strange rumors of men vanishing at sea and whispers of women's voices on the waves. As she dives deeper into her sister Jess’s diary, the secrets unravel, and the way the past connects to Lucy’s present is both haunting and beautiful. The way the narrative shifts between timelines—Lucy in 2019, Jess in 1999, and the tragic tale of twin sisters Mary and Eliza in 1800—is masterfully done, creating a deep sense of mystery and anticipation.

What I loved about The Sirens was how it blended magical realism with the weight of history, showing the resilience of women across time. The sea plays such a huge role, almost as a character in itself, with its power, its danger, and its mysterious allure. The emotional depth of the relationships between the sisters, combined with the unfolding mystery, kept me hooked from start to finish. It’s a beautifully written and captivating tale that’s perfect for anyone who loves stories about family, fate, and the pull of the unknown.