Amazing. I loved Weyward by Emilia Hart so when I saw this book I was so excited! This book had so many great twists and turns, and the story telling was just incredible. Emilia Hart really pulled through with this one, and I already cannot wait for her next release!

Lucy finds herself in a jam and takes off to visit her older sister, Jess, only to find Jess missing when she arrives. What she finds instead is oddly familiar artwork and her sister’s journal. The more Lucy reads, the more questions she has about their history, decades of missing men in the area, a baby found in an underwater cave and her mysterious allergy to water. Twists and turns galore kept me sucked in from the very beginning!

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down! Emilia Hart does a wonderful job of threading three different stories and three different time periods into a wonderfully captivating story of female resilience when faced with hardship.

I usually am not a huge fan of time hoping in book but the author didn't make it feel like three different books put together haphazardly like I usually read. The stories of sisters in the 1800s, a girl in 1999, and a girl in 2019 were woven so well together that I was wanting more of all their stories by the end.

I felt like this book definitely blurs the line between selkies and sirens myths more than any other story I have read. I definitely was captivated by the idea of selkies and sirens being one in the same and being protectors of women everywhere since there is not much mythology on either of these two creatures. I really enjoyed in this book the concept of selkie sisters from Ireland coming to Australia as convicts and becoming the protectors of women after the shipwreck in a cove in New South Wales and taking on aspects of sirens by luring evil men to their deaths by their songs.

I really appreciated how the character of Lucy learning about the disappearances of men in this cove by listening to a true crime podcast in 2019 and how that leads her to her sister, Jessica, dairy from 1999. I felt like Lucy's story line was so relatable since most of us listen to true crime podcasts then end up in rabbit holes of what really happened. By the end of the book I still was a little unsure of how Jessica and Lucy were connected to the sisters in 1800 but the epilogue kind of hints at it. I just wish there was a clearer link.

Emilia Hart stole my heart with Weyward and I still think of it often. It is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. So my hopes for The Sirens were sky high.

There were some problems, inconsistent pacing and predictability within certain parts of the story, but overall this is an amazing story. Emilia Hart writes atmospheric, lyrical novels, that perfectly capture the frustrating, grim reality of being female in our world. The multiple POVs are well executed with each character grabbing onto the reader and leaving them wanting more.

The novel follows Lucy, who runs away after a sleepwalking incident to visit her sister. When she arrives in the spooky town (Australia's Bermuda Triangle with multiple missing men over the decades) her sister is not at her dilapidated house. Another narrator is Mary, a young Irish woman, being transported to New South Wales along with her twin sister Eliza and four score other women. There is a mysterious air throughout, leaving the reader to wonder the connection between these women and events over time.

All in all, an excellent read.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC! All opinions are my own!

There’s a lot to love about the Sirens. Mermaids aren’t a common fantasy being I’ve seen in books recently, and loved getting to know that lore a bit more. As a history girlie from the States, I found the female prisoner exile to Australia fascinating—I knew about the Australian colony being a place for British male convicts, but had a total blind spot to how women were treated and their stories. I also found the “revenge on men” element extremely satisfying because… obviously. This book was mysterious and overall, I really enjoyed it. The writing was great, I love a multiple POVs and multiple timeline structure using the diary as a mechanism for Jess’s history was a great way to add some variance. Mary and her sister were so well done as historic characters, and I appreciated how much dimension the author gave to the women on the ship generally.

My major gripe: the last chapter. I get that the author had to explain the lineage component or it would have been a major plot hole, but…. ugh it broke my heart a bit.

I can’t wait to see what others think of this book, and I’m so glad to have been able to recieve an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

The Sirens is a dual-timeline story of sisterhood, secrets, and belonging. In 2019, Lucy wakes with her hands wrapped around her ex-lover's throat after sleepwalking to his room. She flees her university to seek answers from her sister, Jess, but upon arriving at her new home, Lucy finds her sister gone with no trace of where she could be. Lucy finds herself surrounded by the tension of the area's rumblings of the past, of talk about women's voices coming from the sea, of eeriely realistic dreams, and secrets of her own life connecting her to a past she was only beginning to learn.
In 1800, Mary and Eliza are being transported to Australia on a convict ship. Surrounded by the sea and hunger, the two girls find their bodies changing.

If I were to use one word to describe this read, it would be haunting. Emilia Hart did such a stunning job with her writing, creating such an eerie atmosphere surrounding Comber Bay and its mysteries. I was instantly pulled into this one and read it quite a bit faster than I've been reading anything lately. I am a sucker for dual-timeline stories as it is, but this one was done so well and its usage racketed the tension up even more.
While I didn't find anything too unpredictable or twisty, I was still sucked in and needed to read more and more. I think Hart's writing is simply that amazing. I'm usually not a fan of magical realism, but I love how it all came together in this one. I am definitely excited to read Weyward by this author after reading this one.

Also, it's very feminist and has a hint of female rage in there- two things that will NEVER get old!

Another beautiful and harrowing tale of womanhood and resilience through generations from Hart. The Sirens follows the story of Jess, Lucy, Mary & Eliza as they navigate fear of the unknown while they find who they truly are. I enjoyed how the dual timeline was created through the use of dreams and think everything tied together nicely at the end. Harts writing is so descriptive and beautiful; it creates such a beautiful and detailed picture in my mind. I’m excited to see where her next story will take us.

Thank you NetGalley and author Emilia Hart for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A non-linear timeline, connecting sisters through time and sea. All-in-all, spanning centuries, 1800 through 2019. A wild tale, one that will have you reeling. A story of love, lies, coverups, fear, and abuse. Mary and Eliza, their parents… Jess and Lucy, their parents…

Your heart will soar, it will break; you will be sad, you will be angry. This one will take a while to get over. I certainly could appreciate the references to Hawthorne ~ I thought they were fitting and gave that weight - the heaviness - we SHOULD be feeling as we take it all in and try to process the real message here.

Enjoyed the writing style - I stayed connected to the story and the characters throughout. I will be seeking out more Emilia Hart.

I've been really into Siren tales recently, so I was very excited to come across this after reading The Daughter of The Pirate King trilogy recently. I like the multiple timelines that run through this books as well.

I will read anything written by Emilia Hart. After Weyward, I had incredibly high expectations and Sirens did not disappoint.

This book was whimsical, heartbreaking, beautiful, and quite tense at times. You can’t help but be pulled into the mystery of Lucy and Jess and taken on a journey across vast oceans with Mary and Eliza.

If you enjoyed Weyward, then you will definitely enjoy Sirens. This is story of the ties that bind women together in ways that span centuries.

I cannot wait for the world to enjoy this book!

Who doesn’t love seeing men behaving badly get their comeuppance? It should be pretty obvious from the title where this book is going, and I loved going along for the ride to see exactly how Clark would blend her historical and contemporary storylines. A lovely lazy Sunday read that would be especially appropriate for a bath.

This book was a 5 star read in every way. I absolutely loved Wayward and I have looked forward to Emilia Hart's second book ever since. The mystical appeal of mermaids meets the bond of three generations. Couldn't put it down!
Thank you NetGallery for the honor and privilege of an early ebook.

This was such a great read! I loved Emilia Hart's first book, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this one. The cast of characters was really robust and well written. I loved Jess and Lucy as well as Mary and Eliza, our four main characters. The writing was lovely and almost haunting in places. While the book lacked mystery (I called most of the reveals before they happened), this plot is an absolute stunner, and I was along for every second of the ride it took me on. While it can be annoying to see every turn coming, sometimes it doesn't detract from the reading experience, and I felt that this book fell into the latter category. I didn't mind that I knew what was coming because I wanted to watch it unfold. Though there's nothing new or groundbreaking happening in this plot, it was an absolutely lovely read that definitely scratches the itch for a magical realism book filled with a feminist bent.

The Sirens follows two sets of sisters from two different points in history. Lucy and Jess in the present, and Mary and Eliza in the 1800's.

Lucy is a journalism student who left her university after an altercation with her roommate/one night stand to visit her sister. When Lucy arrives, Jess is nowhere to be found, so Lucy starts looking for clues in Jess's house to see if there is anything to tell her where she disappeared to. While staying at the house, Lucy has a recurring dream about two girls on a ship fighting to stay alive (Mary and Eliza). While trying to find information about the girls and her dream, she discovers some important information about Jess that changes everything Lucy thought she knew about her family.

Mary and Eliza are twin sisters who were sentenced to exile in Australia from Ireland. While on the slave ship, they struggle with hunger, thirst, poor hygiene, and missing their home and family. On the long journey, they notices changes with their bodies and skin, which they try to keep hidden from the other women prisoners and the crew of the ship.

The lives and stories of the two sets of women intertwine and and Mary and Eliza help Lucy make some discoveries about herself. The women, so different and separated by time, are not as different as Lucy thought. She finds more similarities that helps her embrace who she is.

The Sirens is a story about self-discovery with a fanstastical twist on real historical events. It tells the story of women empowering each other and the bonds and strength of family.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I liked this book but not as much as I expected I would. The writing was beautiful and atmospheric. But I feel like the mystery element left me expecting more. There were parts where I was a bit confused as well which made it less enjoyable. Overall, I liked it and enjoyed the writing but didn’t love the plot and how the mystery unfolded.

Gorgeous, and a more than worthy follow up to WEYWARD. Expertly weaves together two engaging timelines while exploring the experience of women through history with nuance and empathy. Deeply affecting!

When I think of beauty in the darkness, female rage and power, wonderfully mastered magical realism, and the tragedy of human history, I will think of this book.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for The Sirens, but I absolutely adored this one. Told in alternating timelines, it’s the story of the bond between sisters transported via convict ship to Australia and how their story intertwines with a pair of present day sisters. There’s just the right amount of mystery and some fairly unsavory plot points, but it grabbed me from the start.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed this but didn't love it. I was fortunate enough to read her first novel, Weyward, early as well and felt that this one was unfortunately too similar to really stand out. It was eery and easy to read, but I enjoyed Weyward more.

The multiple POV was interesting and kept in Emilia’s previous title with past and present intertwining at the end. It’s an interesting premise in terms of sirens/merpeople and the how water and the sea can impacted the characters differently.

I do feel like the plot ebbs and flows. I could have done with less of Mary’s past storyline. I found the other characters more mysterious and eager to learn what was coming next. There’s a level of mystery to the plot from a number of characters. From reading the arc, I’m not sure if a trigger warning was presented but there are some serious topics. I feel like Emilia handled the topics and situations well by evoking emotions while reading without going so in depth or too in detail.

I loved Emilia Hart's book Weyward, so when I saw that she has written a book about mermaids, I would have committed a lot of crimes to get my hands on it. This was a super interesting book, flashing back to sisters in 1800 to 2019 and a different set of sisters. I cant think of a good way of describing this book. It was a bit dark, it was a bit creepy, it was mysterious, I enjoyed the twists and turns, I always enjoy a story about mermaids, in whatever form they take. It was not a perfect book, but super enjoyable.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.