Told in two timelines, The Sirens was a thought provoking book about sisters, strength, secrets, and determination. I really enjoyed The Sirens despite it being a tad slow in the beginning. I enjoyed the 'finding out who you are' aspect of this book. I also enjoyed the relationships and the themes of family, family secrets, female friendships and sisterhood. Not to mention the look at how women are/were persecuted yet remained strong throughout history. I also enjoyed the atmosphere and the feeling of being called to the sea, feeling a part of it, and being drawn to it. I liked how Mary and Eliza in the past (1800), had a strong bond and how they changed on the convict ship. I also enjoyed how Lucy (2019) (went searching for Jess, her sister and found out the truth of who she and Jess truly are.

I found this to be a very thought provoking and original book. It is wonderfully written and captivating. The characters are likeable, intriguing, and their plight is gripping. As I mentioned, this book had a slow start for me but soon I was won over and I wanted to know how things would turn out. This book combines mystery, fantasy, magical realism, and history.

I was excited to read this because I loved Weyward and it did not disappoint. It harnessed the same energy of female empowerment. Although I did enjoy it, I did find it easy to predict where the story was going as it went along. I did enjoy the resolution of Jess's origin story in the epilogue which tied everything together.

I thought it was a well crafted story of Sirens in the sea against a real life backdrop.

I liked the dual timeline and how it featured those exiled back in the 19th century to Australia and how awful scenario - I’ve read a book about that in detail before and it’s both a horrific and captivating time in the UK and Australia’s history.

While the book was easy to figure out and fairly predictable in most aspects, I found the unfolding of the mystery well written and interesting. It held my attention and I enjoyed the characters of Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza. I liked that they looked out for each other and were loyal even when they didn’t have to be. I love a book where women champion and stand by other women.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The Sirens was an overall interesting storyline! It centers around two sisters, one of which is somewhat estranged from her family. The plot line switches back and forth between a modern timeline and a past timeline, and I thought the timeline set in the past was super interesting. The past storyline is about two sisters who are forced to leave Ireland on a criminal transport ship to Australia. I liked seeing how the two storylines were intermingled and that the story focused on strong female characters.

”The sea gives, but it also takes…”

A melancholy coastal town, plagued by lore and legends. A house on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the waves. The wreckage of a ship on the ocean floor. Men lost to the sea over the course of many decades. Two sisters, allergic to water and yet inexplicably drawn to it. And now, a missing girl.

”I know people who say they’ve heard it, standing on the beach at night.” He pauses, looks back at her. “Voices, coming from the waves. Women’s voices.”

The Sirens was eerie and haunting and mysterious, a richly-layered story that I couldn’t put down. There is so much happening between these pages, so many elements that might be related but may be unconnected coincidences, that the entire story felt shrouded in the same mist and fog that hovered over the seaside town. Emilia Hart has mastered the perfect literary blend of atmosphere and tone.

”In the moonlight the rocks below glimmer like teeth. The sea shreds itself over them, dark waves foaming white.”

This isn’t a book that wraps everything up in a nice, neat package at the end. There are still loose ends and unanswered questions that the reader is left to ponder, and I can see this being a frustration for some. But I loved the creativity of the story and the beautiful prose enough to overlook that! A solid 4-star read.

”The sea was in her veins, calling loud as a song.”

——

A huge thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book and the story about the sisters, although I would’ve liked if the plot was woven in more. The authro’s writing was intriguing and captivating, it was very easy to keep focused while reading. I also enjoyed the ambiance of the book, it was very eerie and spooky. All in all, this was a nice cozy book to read.

This is definitely one that won’t be able to be marketed in “one genre” because it’s a total mash up of them all:
true crime + feminist vibes + historical fiction + mystery + magical realism and then add in a touch of The Little Mermaid.

Yep, I said it. A darker retelling in some ways but with heaviness of a feminist approach to the ways in which men in power have hurt.

I suspect this book will either be loved or disliked. Completely dependent on what type of reader or what you enjoy in your books. If you like retellings that have a story or lens that wants to be shared but also enjoy the unique, then you’ll love this second book by the author.

I enjoyed it but I loved Weyward more. I do however think that the authors writing is top notch in the way she makes you feel.

This was a well-written book, with the latter half turning into a real page-turner. The plot twist was unexpected, though slightly confusing, and the first half moved a bit slowly. In the end, it fell just a little short for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Honestly so sad to say, but dnf’ed this one around 40%. I’m not sure what it was but maybe her style of writing or the way the writing was wound just could not keep me interested enough to keep going :(

I had heard great feedback on Emilia Hart's previous book and I went into The Sirens with high hopes. It was very dark and I found that the story was slow until the end where there were some good plot twists. I enjoyed the multiple points of view of each chapter. I also liked the mystical elements of the story and thought that the author did a good job weaving those into the book without them being overly unrealistic.

I thought that this book was very good! I love how they were multiple timelines, and how they all ended up connecting in the end. It was hard while reading to imagine how the stories were intertwined, but the author did a good job with connecting them. I also love the themes of sisterhood, relationships, growth, and love.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I love the concept but I wish there were content warnings before the book. Unfortunately, this is not for me.

Emilia Hart does not disappoint with her follow up to Wayward! The Sirens hooked me from the start and literally could not put down until the very last page. It is a very haunting read with some twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged through out. I LOVED this book and highly recommend.

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is an enthralling, atmospheric novel that pulls you into a world of mystery and myth. The story follows marine biologist Lena as she unravels the secrets of a remote coastal town with a haunting past tied to siren legends. Hart’s writing is lush and suspenseful, blending folklore with a gripping modern-day mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved how Hart wove the mythology of sirens into a story about identity, resilience, and the power of the unknown. The coastal setting feels almost alive, adding an eerie beauty to the tale that lingers long after the final page.

If you’re drawn to mysteries with a supernatural twist and richly crafted worlds, The Sirens is a captivating read that won’t disappoint.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "The Sirens" by Emilia Hart

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected publication February 13, 2025

A beautiful saga of love, water, and bonds that outlast all our lives. Starting in 2019, readers meet Lucy, who is scared and running away from her college after sleep-walking and attacking a boy who previously hurt her. She flees to her older sisters' new house in New South Wales, but after arriving Lucy finds that Jess is gone. The house is in shambles, full of Jess's artwork while it appears to Lucy that Jess is searching for something.  While waiting for Jess to come home, Lucy uncovers rumors of missing men from decades prior that plague this small town. And then Lucy begins to dream of an abandoned baby hidden in a seaside cave, and she knows she needs her sister to figure all this out. 

Early 1800s two sisters Mary and Eliza are sentenced to Australia after killing a man in self-defense in their village in Ireland. They are convicts and under English rule, kept with other women prisoners in the bottom of the ship destined for a land they have never heard of. As months at sea go by they begin to notice small changes to their bodies- starting at their feet. 

I loved Mary and Eliza's story and constantly wanted more of their story. The bond of these twin sisters and their fear of the sea and its power confused me until all was revealed. A beautiful tale and one that I can't wait to recommend to friends in February when the book is published. Thank you @Netgalley and for the digital ARC

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THE SIRENS BY EMILIA HART 🧜‍♀️

I devoured this book! From the first chapter I was absolutely HOOKED. I loved the multiple POVs - the past and present, as well as the diary entries for Jess’s POV. The mystery of cliff house, the missing men and the sunken ship had me turning the page trying to see how they all connected.

In the end, this was a beautifully written story of 4 women, from across time all finding and becoming who they were meant to be. Save this - it’s going to be the book of spring!

Thank you @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review. PUB DATE: 3/2025

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Emilia Hart's first novel, Weyward, has been a slow burn at our library, gaining in popularity. Fortunately, readers will not be disappointed by her second novel, The Sirens. Drawing on Celtic mythology of Merrow and Selkies, The Sirens follows two sets of sisters as one set is transported via convict ship from Ireland to Australia in the 1800s, and the other retracing the ship's landing in the present day. The supernatural elements are beautiful and yet believable, and Hart's ability to world-build is striking.

This was such an eerie and haunting read that captured my attention from the beginning! I love how in all of Emilia Harts books she follows different generations of women and then weaves the story lines together throughout. The character development and the mix of history, history, and magic was fantastic in this book. The only reason this gets a 4 stars instead of a 5 is because the pacing wasn't consistent and got slow at some points versus her previous book Weyward. However, I still highly recommend this and will continue to read more from Emilia Hart in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for the ARC. This book was wild. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect but after the first few pages I was hooked. i loved the story of these two sisters.

First off I adore this cover, it is so colourful and eye catching.
Two sets of sisters, separated by centuries, connected by the ocean and their skin. Ireland, 1800.
Sisters, Mary and Eliza, are boarding a convict ship headed for Australia. They know they will never see their beloved father or homeland again. What’s more their skin breaks out in red, scaly, itchy patches if it touches water, and they are about to be surrounded by it for months.
Australia, 2019. Lucy has run away from university to seek safety and comfort with her estranged sister Jess. But when she arrives at Jess’s house it’s empty, and the neighbour says she left and won’t be back for about a week. Worried about the hasty way her sister seems to have left Lucy starts digging into her sister’s life. Jess recently moved to Comber Bay, who’s claim to fame is a series of mysterious disappearances of men in the nearby water and a shipwreck of a convict ship from Ireland in 1800. The more Lucy digs into her sister’s and Comber Bay’s past the more worried she becomes about her missing sister.
I didn’t hate this book, I didn’t love this book, it was okay for me. I think maybe this just wasn’t the book for me. I do see where another person could get a lot more out of it then I did, it just didn’t sing for me. I did appreciate some of the duality between the two timelines, but I would have happily sacrificed one for a more fleshed out story for the other one. It definitely had an interesting concept and wrapped everything up really well.
Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for letting me have an advanced copy of #thesirens for review. Look for it April 1 2025. #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #read #readersofinstagram