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.

Oh I loved this from start to finish! It was such a fun read that I read it in only three sittings. It's definitely a departure from her earlier work, but I love the way she captured what it means to live as a woman the trials and tribulations

After reading and loving Weyward, I have been dying to get my hands on her next book. And this did not disappoint! Loved the meaning behind it and the thought provoking story

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Sirens is an engaging, multi-faceted story following two sets of sisters in dual timelines, the early 1800s and near present day. This story weaves together true historical fact with magical realism, a bit of folklore, and mystery. The author does a great job at building a sea-centric, mythological, and mildly haunted atmosphere, which boosted the quality and emotion of the overall story. There is a fair amount of action and activity ongoing throughout this book but, it definitely kept the pages turning.

I did enjoy the present day timeline more than the historical story but, I can appreciate the connection that the author was forging here and the importance of sharing the history of the people and land in the novel. This book was propulsive and engaging overall but, I did feel a bit underwhelmed at the ending. I think this is because there was so much buildup and so much happening at once, in so many directions, that it felt a bit disjointed once the final direction of the plot became clear. Additionally, I struggled a bit to connect to the characters but, was invested enough to see how the plot and their storylines would pan out.

I do think that this is a book lots of readers will enjoy- it’s got a little something for everyone and the female strength and stories that shine through here will certainly find its readership. I would recommend this book to fans of the authors previous works and to contemporary/historical fiction fans, especially if you enjoy a bit of magical realism!

Thank you to Emilia Hart, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review The Sirens in advance of the release.

Another beautifully atmospheric story from the author of Weyward. The first chapter pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The story builds between the past and the present, creating an eerie, unnerving vibe of mystery. The bonds of sisterhood are strong throughout. You will be able to stop turning the pages. A wonderfully layered and masterful tale from Emilia Hart.

Wow, what a story! The Sirens kept me up at night with its words weaving images in my head. What a fabulous combination of realism and fantasy. The strength of the women, the beauty of the places, the fast moving plot, all made for an excellent read.

This book is for people that like dual timeline stories. There are three points of view. You have Mary who is an Irish convict being transported to Australia with her sister, Eliza. You learn their stories as you go through the book. Then you have Lucy and Jess who are sisters in present time. They are linked in a mysterious way to Mary and Eliza. The discovery of learning how they are actually strong females, and the coast of Australia draws you in to the story of The Sirens.

The pace was very uneven in this book, which made it hard to stay engaged. There were a few interesting plot twists, but the book, overall, felt like it was trying to do too much. True crime, historical fiction, mystery, magical realism ... all mixed with The Little Mermaid. It made the story seem a bit disjointed.

I loved this book. The writing style really worked for me, it was atmospheric and vivid. I will say I did guess most of the twists fairly early on but I didn’t mind since it felt like this novel was more about the relationships between women and the struggles and challenges they face in their lives. The story was well paced and engaging and I never felt bored with the POV changes even though I’m not always a huge fan of POV/timeline jumping. I also loved how everything was interwoven and all tied together in the end, that always makes for a fun second read. Overall a solid read for anyone who enjoys mysteries or historical fiction with well written and relatable female characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Emilia Hart’s prose is amazing! The writing, the atmosphere, the story… EVERYTHING. I loved how unique this story is, and how the whole thing played out. Hart is now an auto-buy for me. If you enjoyed Weyward, you will love this!

3⭐️

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC and the chance to read and review this.

This is a tale of feminine resilience. Coming from reading Weyward not too long ago and having enjoyed it, I was excited for this. This, however, felt completely different and it almost didn’t feel like it was the same author. With the title, I was expecting some more mermaid/siren lore but I feel like it wasn’t explicitly obvious or none was really shared. It also almost read like a mystery/thriller which I wasn’t fully prepared for and had to put this down a few times to take breaks when it was too dark. Additionally, the end didn’t make sense- was the dad actually the dad and * - - - - redacted for spoilers* the mom? Finally, there were a few main plot holes not tied up. I think this has an audience, but I’m not entirely sure that it was for me, although I did want to and try to love it as I did enjoy Weyward.

This was a beautiful story of generations of sirens. Emilia Hart has become one of my favorite authors. Her story telling is effortless and she finds ways to connect these story lines together. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

The Sirens was a eerie read filled with hardships and nightmares. There is a bit of a slow start and the ending disappointed me however. In spite of those two things, I really did enjoy this read. I think that Emilia did an excellent job of setting up the world, story, and characters.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed a lot about this book. The setting was fun and I really love mysteries with multiple points of view. I feel like it adds to the suspense of the mystery. I did find a lot of the plot to be predictable and the hints a little heavy handed. The final plot twist was unexpected but the more I thought about it the hints were there. I think if you enjoyed Weyward you will enjoy this book too.