It is beautifully written. Intriguing concept with multiple timelines that weave together, and some very complicated relationships. At times I felt a little confused on how everything was related. There is such a mystery to it all, first trying to find Jess and then how Mary and Eliza relate to it all. Was not expecting half of the story.

Emilia Hart's The Sirens draws readers into a rich tapestry of the perilous lives of sisters, woven through centuries, as each stumble onto the shores of Combers Bay, NSW.

Lucy Martin has a disturbing and lifelike dream about twin sisters who are destined to sail from Ireland to a penal colony in New South Wales in the 1800's. She is desperate to sort out what is real. What she knows in her waking life is that she is in hot water with her university. They didn't believe her when she reported her lover for sharing naked pictures of her online. They certainly won't believe that a dream may have led Lucy to attempt to strangle her ex while sleepwalking. She needs to get away, quickly, to think. With a postcard in hand, Lucy flees to Combers Bay, NSW to track down her sister, Jess. She needs somebody to talk to; somebody to believe her. When Lucy arrives, Jess is gone. Lucy quickly realizes that her sister, an artist, shares the same crazy dream. Visions are faithfully depicted on canvases. Where is Jess?? This isn't anything that Lucy can ask her parents because then she will have to tell them her secrets, too. Soon waves of dream and wake, past and present crash together to reveal the vibrant, magical truth.

Weyward was such a great read that I jumped at the opportunity to read this one. The premise of this book was so fascinating. As I was reading this one, I really got caught up in the story and enjoyed it a lot, however, at times I got a little confused as to what was happening. Things just felt a little muddled along the way and that was disappointing. I do feel that this one is geared towards a younger audience, maybe not quite YA, but not full adult either. It probably exists in that in between space, which isn’t bad at all, I just wasn’t expecting it. I did, however, particularly enjoy the blend of genres. This book seamlessly blends magical realism, sisterhood, generational trauma, and mystery all in one book. It was quite the journey. The fantasy aspect needed to be a little more flushed out so I could fully understand. There was a lot that was left up to the readers interpretation which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just prefer things to be a little more clear.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad read, it just didn’t wow me like I had hoped. I would recommend it to those looking for a nice magical realism read.

This was not the book for me. If it had started in the middle, I would have been able to devour the tale. The first half was so meandering and slow that by the time I got to the 2nd half, I didn't care about the story any longer. I didn't connect to the characters. The backstory of Eliza and Mary and the splicing of time periods make the book drag. The few Irish catchphrases took me out of the narrative as I struggled to pronounce the words. It felt unnecessary. The thread around the missing men was the most compelling part of the novel.

I went into this book completely blind with just a recommendation that this would be a good book. At first I was like "what am I reading", but quickly I was hooked. There is a sci-fi element, but it's not overwhelming, but mysterious, and you want to figure it out. There is historical elements in the stories of the older characters as "criminals" arriving to the area on ship, and discovering what that horrible experience was like. There was just mystery and intrigue around every corner! Why were the main characters sleep walking and having these weird dreams, what was with their skin, what was the deal with their parents, and the art teacher, and the water...just so much mystery, but yet I loved the characters. Everything gets wrapped up by the end of the book and yet I kind of want a second book to see where the characters go from here. I recommend for those who love stories about messy families and mysteries. If you are not a big fan of sci-fi, have no worries about reading this book, because it will just mesh into the story so well you might not even notice you are reading something not of this world! Highly recommend!

First, thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and Net Galley for the ARC of The Sirens. I was provided an advanced ebook in return for an unbiased review. With that said, this novel is a work of art. It was stunningly crafted. Emilia Hart weaved history and fantasy so beautifully. The characters came to life on the pages. I felt their turmoil and their anguish and their release at finding the truth. This is a book I wish I could read for the first time again.

Lucy is a young university student who wakes up assaulting the boy who exposed her on the internet. She flees to her sister’s house in a small coastal town looking for refuge but also understanding. When she arrived at Cliff House, her sister was missing. What she found was vivid dreams of the past, but not her past. The past of other women, of other women like her. But what is she and where is her sister? As the truth unfolds, she finds herself drawn to the sea, as if it was a main character in the story of her life.

TW: violence against women, sexual assault, banishment, imprisonment, child abuse, kidnapping, forced adoption

Much like Weyward, The Sirens is a story of women. This fantastically historical fiction brings the story of sisters across generations. From the convict ships where irish women were abused to modern day Australia, a deeply rich history is woven into a beautifully writing novel.
I love that this book takes on important subjects and the female gaze, and crafts it into a fantasy novel with Sirens, fiercely strong mythical creatures .
The only downside is I do wish it was a little more plot heavy, a lot of it felt like info dumping especially in the beginning to justify historical worldbuilding.
however, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

If I've not read Weyward and the SIRENS, I highly recommend you pick up a copy.

TG: Sexual abuse, colonialism, student teacher...

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Sirens is a book of four women, 2 sets of sisters, based in different time frames. Both sets have seem to be drawn to water, and yet also have an aversion to it due to a skin condition. Sirens is a bit of a journey of self discovery and while overall I liked it, I didn’t quite get it. At times I found it to be a bit confusing and the ending didn’t quite wrap it all nice and neat like I hoped it would.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for access to this arc.

Weyward was one of my favorite books the year that I read it. I was THRILLED to be approved for The Sirens. I went into this with certain expectations. I will say that I still love Hart's writing. It is so so atmospheric and engrossing. What I did not love about this book was that it felt like a YA novel. I am also just over the whole feminist revenge story line. Those two factors did not allow me to enjoy this book. I wish it would've been executed differently, maybe with older characters or something. I am so sorry to say that I did not love this one at all.

Compelling story that couldn’t wait to get back to every time I had to stop reading. Interesting take on women of the sea that will require some to suspend their disbelief.
It is just as the author said: “this novel is about the ability of water- and sisterhood- to heal and transform”. Well done!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy. It was a perfect read for October.

If H2O: Just Add Water was darker, the MCs dealt with traumatic experiences and it was made into a book.

The Sirens is an enchanting story that blends magical realism, historical fiction and mystery while delving into real life themes like generational trauma, sisterhood & motherhood, self-discovery, to name a few. The descriptions of the environments are alive and eerie and the mystery is riveting. As someone who loved pretending to be a mermaid for probably too long as a kid, this was the perfect way to spark my interest again. Immediately after reading I had to dive into hours-long mermaid research and Irish folklore on merrows for fuller immersion. I was left with the feeling that the initial conflict was kind of forgotten about, but the epilogue makes up for it though!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC.

I did not like this book. I found it needlessly graphic and heartbreaking. The prose was well written however, and the differing timelines were very interesting too.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is the story of two sets of sisters, one in current times and one in the long past, who are in Australia. Magic is in their family and men are dying in their community. It was a long, slow and twisted tale and dragged out too long for me. Well written, tedious in spots, but magic is not my preferred realm. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A great blend of magical realism, historical fiction, and a dash of true crime/mystery about two pairs of sisters. Similar to Weyward, this had multiple interconnected timelines and POVs with feminist themes, but the formula definitely works for Emilia Hart - and I was even more drawn in to the mystery and twists of The Sirens! If you enjoyed Weyward, I'd definitely recommend this.

The historical fiction was also well-done, and it's interesting to read about a setting and history I don't know anything about. No spoilers, but I did think a few fantasy aspects weren't entirely explained and the epilogue left me with more questions and feeling a bit disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A beautiful story of sisterhood across generations. The story involves three time periods and two sets of sisters - the first set are twins from Ireland who are being transported to Australia as convicts and the other are two sisters, their stories told through the journal of the elder in the late 1990s and then current through the experiences of the younger sister. Its a wonderful story of sisterhood, self-discovery, and the magic of the sea.

Eerie and enchanting in the best way, this one gave me chills! I loved the mix of well-researched history and folklore/fantasy woven together. Parts of the ending were tough to swallow but I appreciated the storytelling.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Sirens is the sophomore novel from Emilia Hart, the author of Weyward. The novel follows two sets of sisters; Lucy and Jess, and Mary and Eliza. Lucy, arguably the main protagonist of the story, escapes to her sister’s seaside cottage following a sleepwalking event at college that ends in violence only to discover her sister is missing. In trying to find her sister and going through her possessions she finds starting artwork and a web of secrets. Hundreds of years earlier, Mary and Eliza are a pair of twin sisters condemned to exile via a convict ship to Australia. As the book progresses the secrets and links between the women become more evident.

The book is beautifully lyrical and the descriptions of the sea, the artwork, the stench of the ship’s hold are all gripping and vivid. The descriptions and scene settings are such a wonderful part of this book and really immerse the reader in the world of the convict ship and a modern Australian seaside town.

What I did find slightly less successful was the series of secrets and revelations. I felt like within the first few chapters I was going to be able predict the twists and the eventual ending, and in fact that ended up being the case. If having the action spoiled early on in the book is something that really impacts your opinion of a story, be aware of this reality.

Despite the somewhat predictable plot line, it does have a lot of elements that make it very enjoyable, especially for readers of magical realism. The magical elements are interwoven very deftly into the story and don’t seem to outshine the realistic setting. It involves a lot of plot points that make for a good story; revealed secrets, sleepwalking, magically meted out justice, creatures from the sea.

If you loved playing mermaids as a kid and tend to enjoy a book with a justice-oriented backstory, this would be the perfect selection. 4/5 stars!

(Trigger warnings: assault, depictions of grooming, depictions of childbirth, adoption trauma, violence against prisoners)

Emilia Hart, you wonderful, <i>wonderful</i>, woman.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second? I'd like to thank Hart for writing this. After Weyward, I wasn't sure anything written could live up to it, but this novel really did tell the stories of these women with such love and care. Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza were all wonderful characters; the connections between them were so elegantly done, I had to sit with it for a while.

It begins in 2019 with Lucy who chokes her secret boyfriend (who released an intimate picture of her on social media whilst denying it) in her sleep. Fearing she just ruined her life, she heads to where her sister (Jess) lives-- the sister she hasn't seen in over a year. Through the novel, we learn more about Jess, but we also get another story set in 1800: the story of Mary and Eliza, sisters taken from Ireland to Australia on a convict ship. On board the ship, they notice things changing about themselves.

In a beautiful manner, Hart tells a story of what it means to be a woman, a story of strength, and perseverance. They way she ties the past to the present is done fantastically yet simply. Once again, you'll find me eagerly waiting for anything more from this author.

Well i loved the concept, the execution fell a little flat for me. While there was lots of action and mystery that kept me wanting to read on, the prose was so redundant and rather repetitive i felt myself consistently losing interest. The ending was good though.

Loved this mishmash of mystery, historical fiction, and magical realism! The story follows two timelines, one of female English convicts who are deported to Australia and the other of Lucy who is struggling with her identity and estranged relationship with her sister. The past timeline drew me in since I absolutely loved Christina Baker Kline’s novel, The Exiles, which delves into this topic. I wanted more from the past timeline and how it related to Lucy’s present day story. In the present day, Lucy finds herself suspended from college surrounding a scandal with her boyfriend. She travels to Comber Bay, an infamous place where men over the decades have mysteriously disappeared to reconnect with her sister. When she discovers her sister has gone missing, she has to uncover long held secrets to find out what happened to her and how it relates to the missing men. I love how Emilia Hart effortlessly weaves in magical realism and her portrayal of strong female protagonists. My one issue (as a dermatologist) is her skin condition, which is described as aquagenic urticaria (but the descriptions of her skin are not accurate— maybe an ichthyosis would have been a better diagnosis).

Overall i recommend this for those you enjoy novels with strong female protagonists, beautiful and accessible writing, historical figures shaping the present, and who want a blend of mystery and magical realism.