I am thankful for the opportunity to have read this book from NetGalley. Emilia Hart is establishing herself as an incredible storyteller making me feel for each and every person on the page. This book, much like Weyword, hit me in the chest with the characters that made me never want to leave them.

As in her smash debut Weyward, expect ancestry, history, myth, and a sprinkling of magic: you know the women’s lives are all tied together in some manner but it doesn’t snap into place until the very satisfying ending.

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

I really wanted to love The Sirens but something just did not connect with me. The story was too confusing to follow between the multiple perspectives and I felt that the pacing was too slow. The story is incredibly atmospheric and wholly original, so if you are considering reading this I suggest giving it a chance to see if it vibes with you.

If I had to sum up the novel in two words: sisterhood and the sea! The novel connects the story of Lucy, who has fled to the small town of Comber Bay where she hoped to find her sister, Jess, and Mary and Eliza, sisters aboard a convict ship headed for Australia.
Lucy finds Jess’ run down home, filled with paintings of the sisters Lucy has been seeing in her dreams. Puzzled, Lucy begins to unwind the mysteries of Comber Bay and of Jess’ past.
This is a rich story about sisterhood and the bonds between women that transcend time.

A 10/10 story. I was hooked from the beginning. This was one of the books that I chose based on the cover and it did not disappoint. It was a bit spooky and endearing. I was hooked from the start. I will definitely be recommending this book, give it a read!!

3.5 stars This is told in two timelines, both of which have trigger warnings aplenty from the start because too many men are terrible in the present and the past.

In 2019, Lucy wakes up to find herself strangling a guy she had a brief romantic interlude with. Terrified, she leaves her university and goes to the coast where her older sister Jess lives. But Jess is missing. While waiting for Jess to return, Lucy finds Jess’s diary, and questions about their history slowly reveal themselves.

In 1800, Mary and her sister Eliza are banished to Australia from England for protecting themselves from a predator. If they survive the long journey, when they arrive, they will become someone’s wife or many men’s sexual plaything.

What these women have in common is the sea and resilience. There are fantasy and magical realism aspects to this. Parts of this dragged.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES FEBRUARY 13, 2025.

Wow. It was so good. I throughly enjoyed it. The touches of feminine rage and what the ugly truth of being a woman can be like truly spoke to me. I will say my one thing was that the epilogue was a little confusing to me but I reread it and understood a little bit better. I still really liked this book and think that any woman should read it. It was quite empowering.

In The Sirens, we have dual timelines: one past and one present. We have a podcast about mysterious disappearances. We have two estranged sisters. We have misogyny and the horrible history of colonizing Australia. We have many things that could all be woven into a fantastic tale, but unfortunately, this novel missed the mark for me and I gave up around 50%.

Emilia Hart is very talented and her writing is evocative and beautiful. But this is also a weakness because the descriptions of the environment, of the main character’s thoughts, etc. slow down the pacing to a level that was just too slow for this reader.

Some chapters are diary entries from one of the sisters and they didn’t ring true and took me immediately out of the novel.

Because of these aspects I felt like I was forcing myself to read and that is a sign that the book is not for me.

This was a book to be read slowly, not binged in a day. It’s dreamy and ethereal, steeped in generations of women’s trauma and their ability to endure. It was such an interesting take on weaving fantasy with modern day characters and historical fiction. Take the time to savor it. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

This isn't a bad book by any means, but it's not for me.

The writing style was phenomenal and the story-telling itself was well done.

However, the story didn't really keep my attention and some days it felt like a chore getting through it. The fantasy aspect doesn't really appear until 75% in. If I'm promised a fantasy book, I expect there to be fantasy elements long before the 75% mark. And even when we did get those elements, I felt like they were poorly developed and we didn't really learn much about them. They were just thrust at us with little to no explanation.

There are also a lot of themes in this book that likely went over my head. The most obvious one was sex-based oppression, but otherwise they weren't very clear to me. I'm going to go ahead and say that that's not the author's fault though. When I read, I don't dig deep to try and find covert meanings behind characters actions or other plot points.

Finally, I just didn't feel that the plot itself was very compelling. I was never quite sure what the overall goal was, and a lot of earlier plot points seemed to be dropped without any resolution.

Like I said, it's probably me, not the book. I should probably just stick to genres I know I like instead of trying to be bougie.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a new take on the age old legend of the siren -- half women half fish that lure men to their death with their song. In The Sirens, 18 year old Lucy wakes up with her hand around a boys neck, chocking him. She has no recollection of how she got there, only that she knows she can't stay at University. Lucy runs away to Combers Bay where her older sister, an artist, lives by the sea. Except when Lucy arrives, Jess is no where to be found. As Lucy avoids the calls from the school, her parents and the world at large she waits for Jess to return. Lucy starts having vivid dreams of two sisters, long ago, sailing across the ocean from Ireland. Lucy chalks this up to nothing more than an active imagination, until looking close at Jess' art reveals that Jess, wherever she is, was having the exact same dreams.

Overall I give The Sirens a solid 3/5 stars. I liked the premise of the book and I enjoyed the flashbacks between the sisters on the ship and Lucy in the present day. The book was very atmospheric and I could almost taste salty seawater as I was reading. This would be a great book to read on vacation.

I did think there was a bit too much exposition, especially during Lucy's POV. About partway through the book I found myself skipping whole paragraphs because they felt like they were cutting the emotional legs off the novel. There was more than one intense scene ruined by wayyyyy too much internal dialogue or expository explaining. Since I read an ARC, I'm hoping there is one more round of edits that can solve this issue. It definitely impacted the pacing and the tension in the novel for me. I also found Jess' "diary" entries to be irritating because they weren't written as a diary entry, no one writes sweeping stories of themselves in their journal, and they definitely don't include every word of dialogue that happened. I wish Jess' diary entries had either been re-written or just included as an addition POV.

Overall I think The Sirens is an entertaining and heartfelt story worth reading about the power of female love, friendship, family and justice.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Both the written version of this book and the audiobook were phenomenal.
Amazing writing and great storyline. This book pulls you in and is hard to put down. A book different than what I usually read but I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book! I could not put it down and finished it within a day. This was my first book by Emilia Hart and I was not disappointed. The plot was very engaging and kept me wanting to know what was happening until the very last page. One thing that I tend to struggle with for certain books is multiple pov's, however, this book and the alternating between characters added to the storyline and kept me engaged. Very thankful for this eARC!

I think this is a good book but not the book for me. The first couple of chapters had me hooked but then it lost me and I couldn’t get into the story. The pacing felt off and as a result I lost interest. I also missed a certain connection with the characters after the 15% mark. In the end I ended up skipping large portions of this book just to get to the end and see how it ends. Overall, a lot of potential in the story but the execution wasn’t there for me but I think this would be a great book for others.

The Sirens is a hauntingly brilliant book that explores the power of women through layers of mystery, magic, and history. It’s not just one story—it’s a tapestry of tales: women on a convict ship in 1800, siblings navigating complex relationships, and the timeless myth of sirens who lure men to their deaths. This isn’t a light read, but it’s so worth it. The intelligent writing and well-crafted stories make it an unforgettable experience, leaving you feeling both satisfied and deeply moved.

The vibe of this book is something else—spooky, mysterious, and soaked in salty sea air. The dual timelines completely hooked me. You’ve got Lucy in 2019, dealing with her own mess, including waking up mid-attack on her ex (yikes!) and retreating to her sister Jess’s coastal home—only to find Jess missing and the town cloaked in unsettling secrets. Then there’s Mary and Eliza in the 1800s, trapped on a convict ship where they uncover a chilling connection to the sea that changes everything.

The way these timelines weave together is pure magic. The suspense builds as the pieces start to connect, and when they do, it’s mind-blowing. The story is feminist at its core, with women battling against societal and supernatural forces, discovering their truths, and reclaiming their power.

What stood out most for me was the balance between the eerie mystery, the magical realism, and the raw, emotional exploration of sisterhood. The bond between the characters felt deeply relatable yet mythic, almost larger-than-life. The ocean itself becomes a character, holding secrets and pulling everyone into its depths. It’s dark, atmospheric, and absolutely captivating—I couldn’t get enough.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be much more fantasy but ended up being more of a realistic fantasy. The storyline moved at a steady pace. I usually don't like it when authors jump back and forth in time but this was done well enough to give you the right clues and keep the story moving forward in a positive way. I do wish that more was explained at the end but isn't that always the case with good books?

I'm utterly speechless about the profound impact of this read! This was an incredibly immersive experience. Historical Fictions often take time to resonate with me, but this one was akin to a mystery that captivated my heart and mind, compelling me to unravel its secrets. I wasn't anticipating the twists and turns, but each revelation drew me in deeper, inspiring a binge-reading session to uncover the truth. The enigma surrounding Jess, the poignant history of the women on the ship, Lucy's remarkable story, and the suspenseful conclusion all blended together in perfect harmony. And the epilogue was the crowning jewel, beautifully weaving together the interconnected threads of their stories, leaving me with a profound sense of wonder and awe.

Emilia Hart has the most delectable atmospheric writing. Well I didn’t love this one as much as her debut Weyward I found myself wholly absorbed by this alternating timelines story with the mysticism of mermaids, magic and the sea.

If you enjoy stories about sisters, magical realism and a bit of mystery this is a sure winner.

Hart has solidified herself as an autobuy author.

What a magical read. I will start by saying I have not read Weyward. This is my first book by Emilia Hart. I went into this knowing she was a great storyteller but that was all. What mystical journey she takes you in The Sirens. Two sets of sisters bound together by the ocean. It reads like a fairytale meets historical fiction. The family drama and connections make it a page-turner, you have to know what happens next and why it happened.

The characters are charming and hard-edged. No one is without fault or secrets. The bond of sisterhood and of parents and child are strong in this book and it makes for a wonderfully beautiful story of family and how far you will go for the ones you love most. While I found myself disgusted by the teacher's storyline I also liked how she resolved it. It is resolved in a way that (without spoilers) adds to the story's wonder.

I would say there's a happy ending but it's complicated, but isn't that life?

I highly recommend this female-centered book.

One story seemed easy to follow and one story was a little more challenging to follow. I read Weyward last year and thought I would try The Siren and i've learned to no fault of the author she is just not my writing style.