Hart has a natural talent for delicious prose and they are on full display in this book. The Sirens is an eerie fantasy, with myth and magic and above all, sisterhood.

I found it engaging but there were a few occasions where I was asked to suspend disbelief and I struggled with it in a few cases.

Overall, this was a new take on the classic siren tale and an interesting choice for book club with a lot to discuss.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Sirens is a blend of historical fiction, mystery and magical realism.
We follow two set of sisters with different POVs. Mary and Eliza is in the 1800s and is on board a convict ship. Lucy is in 2019 and went to see her sister who is distant. When she gets there Jess is not home but her phone and car are. Hoping to get her sister’s advice with her sleepwalking, she starts to read Jess’s diary and finds some secrets.
A story of sisterhood, family secrets and self discovery.

I LOVED this author's debut novel, so I was super excited to get her next release early. I didn't end up loving this one quite as much though. I think the title is a bit of a spoiler, I kind of wish that this aspect was more of a mystery that we got to figure out along with the character instead. It would have kept the first half of the book from dragging so much. I did love the multiple timelines and they were both engaging. I just didn't connect with this one on a deeper level like I did with Weyward. I think readers who love a family-focused story with magical elements will really enjoy this one.

Lucy is a college student who wakes up to find she is strangling her ex. She was sleep walking, but no one will believe that, no one but her sister Jess who lives hours from Sydney in Comber bay. So Lucy drives there to get her help. However when she gets there she finds that Jess is nowhere to be found. So Lucy goes hunting for answers about her past and the nightmares she keeps having of two sisters trapped in a boat that had supposedly sunk with no survivors.

This multiple timeline book was fast paced and filled with feminine rage. I liked this more than I liked Weyward because she did a better job with the magic realism. There was also more hope and more focus on the women and less focus on the terrible men.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. This was so good, my only complaint is that all it was pretty predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. This is a story of sisters in two timelines and uncovering what happened to Lucy's sister Jess. I loved the atmosphere of this, it did what A Study in Drowning did, but better. It's vigilante justive at it's finest. I highly recommend this.

Content warnings: grooming, sexual assualt (off page), distribution of intimate photos without consent, assault.

I really enjoyed the hints of magic realism and the way the magic builds slowly over the course of the book. This book was atmospheric and had good character development. I did feel like it was too long and we could have had the plot twists revealed earlier. Also listening on audio really added to the story to hear the correct pronunciations and accents.

I've been thinking a lot about monstrous women/women as monsters (I just saw Egger's Nosferatu) - and how often the monster women in these stories aren't that monstrous, just demonized by society.

This is especially true for selkie stories, often told from the perspective of the abandoned fisherman, heartbroken over the loss of his wife to the sea. Yet the end of that story is *actually* a homecoming for a trapped woman - she may have loved him once, or loved him for a time, or not at all, but even if she did, he forced her to stay by stealing her seal skin.

Hart's take on sirens is adjacent but not identical, pulling on the same tensions as the old folklore. In The Sirens, she weaves a beautiful story of sisterhood and the feminine experience, juxtaposing the story of two Irish sisters on a convict ship with the present-day mystery of Lucy and her missing sister Jessica. The two narratives intertwine seamlessly, giving readers the same merging of realities that Lucy and Jess are experiencing through their dreams.

I loved this beautiful story about the ways women can claim their power and find beauty even in things about ourselves that society may tell us are monstrous. I'm excited to read more from Hart in the future!

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

Once again, an amazing book by Emilia Hart.

I was really into the mystery part of the book, it was a page turner in that sense because I was obsessing over “what the hell happened”. I will say the main reveal at the end left me disappointed because I did not understand why Jess acted this way knowing everything. Also the fantasy part of the book lost me, I did not like it, it was a bit too wtf. But overall it’s a beautiful story, beautiful writing. I just wish we had more Max moment, my man.

Emilia Hart first made it onto my radar after I finished (and was blown away) by Weyward so, naturally, I jumped at the chance to read her latest book. The Sirens follows the stories of two sets of sisters in different time periods. There's mythological and mystical elements interwoven with mysterious disappearances, the natural world, family dynamics/secrets, the role and perception of women in different eras. There are many layers to the overall story and I imagine it's a book where you'd get new insight by re-reading or discussing with others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc.

Emilia Hart is back again with a haunting story set in dual timelines that will leave you fully invested from beginning to end. I loved Weyward, and The Sirens is equally as eerie and mysterious, if not more so. If you love strong female characters and tales of sisterhood, then I believe you will love this book. Highly recommended.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Sirens from NetGalley after loving Hart’s first novel, Weyward. Like in her first book, The Sirens is told in alternative perspectives (past and present). Loved both storylines, but especially wanted to know what happened with Jess. The epilogue is the cherry atop the sundae so be sure to read that as well. Great story!

For fans of fantasy reading, this will be a delight! I typically enjoy any nautical themed book, but I was unable to connect with the sleep walking sisters. Thank you for the ARC!

The sirens is a feminist story about the connection and strength of women and sisters. With a similar vibe to Weyward, Emilia Hart tells the stories of sisters in two separate timelines, connected in a mysterious way. Each story presents with eery and mysterious vibes that keep it suspenseful. It was an enjoyable and quick read with an interesting concept and uniqueness to the cross-timeline connection. I almost think the name gives away what could be an incredible surprise twist!

I received and arc of Weyward, and loved it!!! I could have immediately turned around and reread it, And being a big fan of sirens and mermaids, I jumped on the offer to read this one in a heartbeat!!! However, it didn't hold me like Weyward did.

I did enjoy the duel timelines, however so much time was spent on the present and not much one the past. Technically three timelines if you count Lucy currently reading about the past with her sister. The 1800's past timeline kept my attention to a full, however, I wish it had lasted longer per reading.
The current time line was slow and started to bore me being constantly being in the same spot, the house more than anything. Although I did enjoy Lucy discovering things she was totally unaware of. Yes Lucy did go out and about once in a while. I enjoyed her meeting people while searching for her sister.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of the arc.

I really enjoyed this book and found it super atmospheric, suspenseful and interesting. The setting was spot on and well described throughout the entire book - you felt the ocean in every aspect. I loved that I got to read this beachside!

The themes of sisterhood were great in this - the feeling of an unnamable bond, the way life throws you together almost subconsciously because you just know the other one needs you. How you can feel things about the other person that can’t be explained.

The book dove into the blurry nature of “right vs wrong”, especially when it comes to victims having no good choices in certain situations. The way you can view someone a certain way your whole life but never fully know who they are and what they are capable of doing to make life easier. And how you can do uncharacteristic things when you feel you’re out of options - when the laws don’t defend you, the people you trust take advantage of you, and you’re faced with problems that no one else will fix.

The intertwined storylines were well done throughout the entire book. Switching perspectives is so hard to do, add in the different timelines and many details unfolding about all of the characters, its impressive how well the book flowed together. The blend current storyline with Lucy and her family was really well done across all parts.

The historical timeline of the two sisters was really interesting and kept readers on the edge of our seat. There’s a lot to takeaway about European and Australian history, particularly in a period of time through massive mistreatment of criminals and women. I agree with other reviewers that there was a missing thread to pull through with this storyline and I could see why it falls flat.

Firstly, as with Weyward by Emilie Hart, everyone should check the content warnings. Hart writes about female strength through their (often abusive) experiences at the hands of men.

Sirens follows 2 sets of sisters, one contemporary and one historical. The book feels like part true crime mystery and part modern fairy tale, woven together with the sisters at the heart of things. Even though I could tell pretty early on where things were going, Hart still makes the experience of hearing everything play out enjoyable. Plus there were still a few surprises for me before the book ended.

I think if you liked Weyward by Emilie Hart you will likely like Sirens. For me I prefer Sirens between the two because I like the way that Sirens pulls more on tradiitonal folklore, tieing the shores of Ireland to Australia.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the Advanced Readers Copy. Sirens comes out in April 2025.

After reading and loving Weyward, I was thrilled to see the gorgeous cover of The Sirens and was looking forward to the journey I knew this book would take me on. Told from multiple points of view and over several different time periods, The Sirens is a story of sisterhood and the sea.
After a personal crisis at college leaves Lucy confused, scared and not knowing where to turn, she embarks to the remote home of her sister Jessica, Cliff House. After arriving, the answers she was seeking become even more confusing to Lucy as her sister is absent and her things are there, however she feels more called to the sea than she ever has before. Intertwined with these sisters, is the tale of Mary and Eliza, two sisters traveling as prisoners in 1800 on a ship headed to Australia. I found the storytelling in this book to be compelling and raw, and I looked forward to seeing how the storylines would resolve and if they would connect. Emilia Hart is a powerful storyteller of strong, adversity face female characters and this book exceeded the expectations I had after loving Weyward. I would highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy strong female connections, aren't afraid of a darker narrative, and are ready to feel transported into a powerful story. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an Arc of “The Sirens.” Just like with Emilia Hart’s other book, “Weyard" I was instantly intrigued by the beautiful cover art of “The Sirens.” This story follows two sets of sisters, modern day Jess and Lucy as well as past sisters, Eliza and Mary. Jess’ story is revealed through Lucy, reading her past diary entries. She comes to visit her sister Jess, after a traumatic incident at her college only to find Jess is nowhere to be found. When she stumbles upon Jess’ teenage diary the mystery of her childhood is soon revealed changing everything she once thought to be true. I was most intrigued by the modern day portion of the story. At times I found the pacing to be a little slow, especially during the past day portion of the story. However, once the mystery is revealed between Jess and Lucy the pacing picked up and I found myself excited to see how the story would end. I would recommend “The Sirens” for anyone who is a fan of magical realism with a touch of mystery.

I LOVED this book. It was excactly what I was looking for and I have become a new fan of Emilia Hart. It was suspenseful and had a bit of magic but wasn't overdone. I loved the dual timelines in the story and found myself wanting to carve out time to read just so I could better understand the story and find out what was going on.

If you are looking for a book that is immersive and a little darker, highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Sirens is a book about Jess and Lucy, two sisters with mysterious pasts who share both a weird skin condition as well as strange, vivid dreams about women in a convicts' ship headed for Australia. Told in alternating timelines and viewpoints, the past (both the near-distant past as well as the far-distant past) begins to unfold.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Weird, mournful, and well-written is how I would describe it. It's very unique and the ending is really lovely.

I requested an ARC of The Sirens because I enjoyed the author's last book, Weyward. I was not disappointed! Although The Sirens is a very different book than Weyward, some of the themes are the same. If you enjoyed Melanie Golding's book The Hidden from a few years back, Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, or Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes I think this could be a solid read for you!

Big thanks to the publisher for granting my ARC request. When it releases next spring I am sure it will get a lot of buzz and I am thrilled to be an early reader!