A slightly different book from Emilia Hart from Weyward which weaves present time with a historical fiction account of the “beginnings” (read as colonization) of Australia. I should note that there is a trigger warning of SA/grooming. Overall the story (both present and historical) were very engaging and I felt drawn to wanting more of them. An emotional read but a fun story with a hint of magic with makes thing fantastic. Great read and fully recommend.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful mystical book that brings the ocean and it's life to your soul. Emilia Hart did it again, combing fantasy and magical realism into real life. I was captured by the strong, brave and wild feminity of Lucy, Jess, Eliza and Mary. This book was part mystery, part family and the totality just felt like love. I soaked up the salt air and female bonds. I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author, Emilia Hart for this ARC. It is released on March 4, 2025 and seriously, this is one book you have to get and read ASAP. So run, don't walk to your local bookstore on March 4 for this salty goodness.

5 STARS ⭐️

Hart’s writing is so captivating, every word steeped in a sense of magic and mystery. She effortlessly intertwines multiple perspectives, layering each one with just the right amount of intrigue, all while keeping you guessing how the characters are connected until the very end.

I was particularly drawn to the elements of magical realism and the rich historical fiction atmosphere that grounded the story in both the past and present. Hart masterfully shifts between Lucy’s search for solace in the eerie town of Comber Bay, with its notorious disappearances, and the mysterious 1500s setting aboard a ship where Mary and Eliza navigate strange occurrences. The dual timelines were mesmerizing, and I loved how the sea seemed to beckon to all of the women, creating a haunting connection between them.

The feminist undercurrent of the story was empowering and moving, showcasing the strength and resilience of women across time. The way Hart emphasizes the deep bond between these women, and their growing awareness of the power they hold within, is beautifully done. Overall, The Sirens is a gripping, atmospheric read with a perfect blend of mystery, magic, and history.

Emilia Hart is an auto-buy author for me - absolutely phenomenal!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emilia Hart, and the publishers for providing me with the e-ARC!

I wanted to receive this ARC because I really enjoyed Emilia Hart’s previous book, Weyward. I liked this one even better!

The book tells two stories of two sisters, past and present. The sisters in the past live in Ireland with their father, their mother has left the family. They get into trouble and wind up prisoners on a ship headed to a new land.

The sisters in the present love each other but rarely see one another. All four girls have something in common. They all have a skin condition that makes getting water on their skin painful.

These four girls stories are told wonderfully and you empathize with all of them. This is a story of the sea and of the love of family. It really resonated with me. Highly recommend!

The layered mysteries of The Sirens are what kept me reading—that, and the great writing. I will admit there was a point when I thought I would abandon it because I’m not a huge fan of fantasy. But the element of fantasy was handled beautifully and believably.

This story of two sets of sisters takes place in the 1800s, 1999, and 2019. In the 1800s in Ireland, twin sisters Mary and Eliza are convicted of killing a man and are banished to a convict ship that will take them to Australia where their fate may be worse than prison. In 1999, sixteen-year-old Jess grapples with a rare allergy to water and how it makes her feel like an outsider until her art teacher makes her feel seen. In 2019, Jess’s sister Lucy flees college after a devastating sleep-walking incident.

When Lucy arrives at her sister’s home on the coast of Australia, her sister is gone and no one knows where she is. The longer Lucy is there, the more mysteries develop. Atmospheric, immersive, and poignant, the stories of these four women weave together as fluidly as the seawater that connects them.

Although each woman overcomes tremendous odds, the fate of Mary and Eliza was most captivating to me. While I knew about convict ships, I didn’t know the particular problems female convicts faced. Bloodcurdling. The more modern-day storylines were just as compelling. With themes of sisterhood and victimhood, a plethora of secrets, and a dash of magical realism, The Sirens was a rich escape from reality.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy. The book will be published March 4, 2025.

The Sirens was one of my most anticipated upcoming releases and so it is no surprise that I absolutely devoured, yet savored, this book. If you loved Weyward you will absolutely love The Sirens. Strong female characters, a great storyline that is fully developed, twists and turns that leave you turning the page and an ending that is both satisfying and unique.

Written with multiple different POVs and timelines, Emilia Hart does an excellent job keeping pace with the book and not confusing the reader. The multiple viewpoints adds and does not distract from the narrative; a hard thing to do with this type of book. In 2019 we find Lucy, a journalism student plagued by bad dreams of 2 sisters in the 1800's, sleepwalking and other issues. It finally comes to a head when she sleepwalks to a fellow student's room and begins choking him in his sleep. She flees school to her sister Jess's home on the coast to settle and determine what she should do next. But when she arrives, her sister is gone leaving Lucy with so many questions and mysteries to explore. How does the story of the two sisters, Jess and Lucy all weave into each other creating a beautiful tapestry of love, love, disaster and finding strength in adversity?

Beautifully written book! Please be aware of some triggers such as student/teacher relationships and assault.

The Sirens is the story of Lucy and Jess - 2 present day sisters in Australia,
and Mary and Eliza- 2 sisters being transported from Ireland to Australia in the 1800's for murdering the man who was trying to rape them.

The ship Mary and Eliza travel on gets wrecked off the coast of Australia near the town of Comber Bay (where Jess is living in present day.
The story is a bit convoluted, and a couple of plot threads never get tied up.

The story held my interest, and I liked the author's previous book, Weyward.
It jumps around a bit, and eventually we're meant to see all 4 women as empowered by strange transformations.
An interesting read-

Thanks to NetGalley and Ms. Hart for an ARC of this book.
My opinions are my own.

This was the first Emilia Hart book I’ve read (I will be reading Weyward ASAP). Emilia’s writing invokes many emotions. I really enjoyed this book. I love any story involving mermaids. This novel focused on 3 different periods in time and sisters. The earlier story time focuses on 2 twin Irish sisters that are imprisoned and sent on a convict ship to Australia. Their timeline follows their journey from Ireland to Australia and the other women who are prisoners on the ship with them. The second storyline follows Jess from 1982-1999 (I won’t give many details on her to avoid spoiling anything). And the third storyline is about Lucy and Jess who are sisters in 2019. The story follows Lucy the majority of the time. It is somewhat eerie in the first half, you don’t know exactly what is happening but can theorize what’s happening.

The epilogue also wrapped up the story beautifully and answered some of the questions I had on how all the characters and storylines were connected.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers for this ARC! Can’t wait for the release in March 🧜‍♀️

I downloaded this book several weeks ago because I noticed it was by the same author who wrote Weyward which I had read however I did not read it immediately because I was afraid of too much fantasy But I discovered as I began to read the book that the fantasy and the realistic parts of the book are so tied together that it is very difficult to put-down. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. Thank you Emilia for being so tenacious.

Emilia Hart’s "The Sirens" is an engaging tale about three generations of women dealing with their pasts and the pressures of society. The writing is beautiful, pulling you into a world where magic and reality mix seamlessly.

The characters are relatable and well-drawn, each facing their own challenges. While the story can sometimes slow down, the themes of empowerment and sisterhood are strong and resonate throughout.

Overall, "The Sirens" is a thought-provoking read that highlights resilience and the power of female bonds. It’s a worthwhile book for anyone who enjoys a mix of magic and real-life struggles.

My feedback is very simple; immediately add this book to your TBR list, mark your calendar for the publication date (March 4, 2025), buy it, read it and enjoy. The writing is simply magical. Most of Mary and Eliza’s story occurs in the dark hold of a ship, but the author manages to paint a picture that allows the reader to be a part of the horrible experience. Their is enough mystery in Lucy and Jess’s story to make you wonder, even though you can feel where the story is leading. I frequently skim through books when the writing becomes too descriptive and flowery, but I read every single sentence because they all mattered. I loved the authors first book, “Weyward” and this one is even better! I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley, this did not influence my opinion.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is an intriguing novel set in two time periods. In 2019, Jess lives in an Australian coastal town where men have often gone missing and there’s tales of singing coming from the ocean. Lucy discovers her sister Jess is missing when she goes to visit her. Both of the young women have nightly dreams of being on a ship as if they have traveled back in time. Mary and Eliza are sisters from Ireland in 1800 who have been condemned to a convict ship to Australia. The conditions on the ship are deplorable and the story of their family is slowly unraveled while on the ship. I felt immersed in the interconnected stories of these women, the sisters from 2019 and the sisters from the 1800s.

I would recommend this book for fantasy and historical fiction fans. The convict ships that traveled to Australia often were carrying the people to their deaths, either from illness or shipwrecks. Their stories are not often told from a perspective that has you imagining yourself right there with them like this book. There are many layers to the themes of sisterhood, survival, family secrets, and women supporting each other in this novel.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was an absolutely FANTASTIC read! I could not put it down! A wonderful story of love and sisterhood. I cried when it was over. "I haven't seen you this excited about a book in a long time"~my husband

This book was a little too slow moving for me. I really enjoyed weyward so I wanted to read this next book but I didn’t love it as much. I thought the story was interesting but it was just too slow moving for me

Just like with Weyward, this book is full of haunting prose and feminist messaging, and I loved it. She writes in a way that just sucks you right in and spits you out at the end. I loved this one. Go in blind and get lost in it!

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Sirens, by Emilia Hart, from St. Martin's Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Liked this second novel by Emilia Hart a lot more than I did her first one, Weyward, which was basically a retelling of the story of Lilith.

Spent a little bit noodling on why……and, honestly? I think it’s because I’m not as familiar with the story of the (supposedly mythological) Sirens as I am that of Our Lilith. And because, let’s face it: At some point, I, too, wanted to be a mermaid.

On a more serious note: I thought the telling of the story of convicts sent to Australia (then New South Wales) was done extremely well.

I do think there was some repetitive repeating of things again and again, repetitively, and that the book could have been helped greatly by a copy editor from Ye Olde School For Benevolent Dictators. But, by the same token, I really don’t think that I was the target market for this book. You’d need to subtract at least 30 years from my age, if not 40.

Oh Dear God In Heaven: I have been out of high school for 40 years.

[takes a moment]

Excuse me. I was verklempt.

Yeah, Future Kristi, go ahead and read the next one by this author. She seems to be getting better as she goes along.

DESCRIPTION
A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea, from the author of the runaway New York Times bestseller Weyward

2019: Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. Horrified, she flees to her older sister’s house on the Australian coast, hoping she can help explain the strangely vivid nightmare that preceded the attack—but Jess is nowhere to be found.

As Lucy awaits her return, the rumors surrounding Jess’s strange small town start to emerge. Numerous men have gone missing at sea, spread over decades. A tiny baby was found hidden in a cave. And sailors tell of hearing women’s voices on the waves. Desperate for answers, Lucy finds and begins to read her sister’s adolescent diary.

1999: Jess is a lonely sixteen-year-old in a rural town in the middle of the continent. Diagnosed with a rare allergy to water, she has always felt different, until her young, charming art teacher takes an interest in her drawings, seeing a power and maturity in them—and in her—that no one else has.

1800: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza have been torn from their loving father in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. For their entire lives, they’ve feared the ocean, as their mother tragically drowned when they were just girls. Yet as the boat bears them further and further from all they know, they begin to notice changes in their bodies that they can’t explain, and they feel the sea beginning to call to them…

A breathtaking tale of female resilience and the bonds of sisterhood across time and space, The Sirens captures the power of dreams, and the mystery and magic of the sea.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early read of this book!

THE SIRENS follows sets of women from different eras who are all connected by one place. In the present time, Lucy is running away from a personal situation at college, and is planning to crash at her sister, Jess’s house, even though the two have been out of touch recently. When she gets to the house, her sister is not there - but her phone and purse are.

Jess lives in a town off the Australia coast where several men have gone missing over the decades. It’s also the where a convict ship traveling from Ireland to Australia in the early 1800s crashed, with no survivors. In the alternating story, we follow sisters Mary and Eliza who were aboard that ship. The novel is part historical novel and part folklore, with some a little bit of mystery, some twists and turns, and a lot of strong sisters.

This is one of those books that sent me down a Google rabbit hole, wanting to know more about all of these fascinating topics. It's apparent from the writing that Hart is passionate about these topics herself.

Similarly, her passion for nature shines through again, focusing especially on the sea, with some cool bird facts mixed in from time to time.

After all of the revelations were made, I felt like there was a missed opportunity to really seal the connection between these women, but instead the connection was just severed as "they didn't need the connection anymore." I would love to have known more about how the connection began and how it will continue now that these women are visiting the sea, but instead we get an epilogue that, while very endearing, opens up more questions.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it as an intriguing, fun, and quick read.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart will haunt your dreams.
This seaweed-tangled story of two sisters in the 1800s in the Cove of Cork, Ireland, Mary and Eliza,
supernaturally intertwined with another set of sisters (?) Jessica and Lucy from Australia in 2019.
There is a delicate balance between the times and the happenings of the two centuries and Emilia Hart works her magic well.
The Sirens had very few slow spots in it for me, but it did have several hold-my-breath spots!
It is a solid 5 stars for the intrigue, imagination, and life-changing events told with respect and humanity.

This book had me sold on the cover alone, but the fact it was also by Emilia Hart, I immediately needed to read it. Weyward being one of my favorite books last year I knew this one would also be gold, but somehow I still was not prepared for the ride this book took me on. The exposition on this one is worth wading through to get to the heart of the story. I love how she wove these tales together was so beyond well done. I cannot stop thinking about the ending. So happy I got a chance to read this early from NetGalley, I cannot wait to buy this gorgeous book!

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC! OMG! Loved the writing style. I loved Weyward by this author, so I knew I would enjoy this one. Beautiful story!