I LOVED Weyward. This one was 'meh.' I feel like the magical realism didn't quite flow. I like the symbolism of the sirens as female protectors, but I feel like associating it with a real skin condition was a flop for me. Just OK.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Sirens by Emilia Hart was so engaging and I loved that it spanned centuries. We start with an 18 year-old student in 2019 who was being cyberbullied with intimate pictures being released. She woke up from a dream choking the perpetrator in her sleep. She goes to seek help at her sister's home along the Australian coast - a haunted placed with a sordid past including many men going missing at sea. She finds a diary that takes her back to 1999 and a young woman who is allergic to water. Then, the reader is taken back to the 1800s with twins who started to notice strange bodily changes as they are on a ship for criminals.

I love sister stories... this was so great. Haunting, mysterious, and I appreciated the jabs at the patriarchy! I was left with a few too many questions (no spoilers from me!), but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Barrie Kreinik is a stellar narrator with perfect pitch, changing genders and maintaining consistency throughout. Because there were so many time changes and character changes, her work was especially impressive.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and Emilia Hart for the ALC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Narrator Barrie Kreinik did an excellent job with The Sirens, a book with both Australian POV and Irish POV. The three POVs throughout the majority of the story are Lucy, in modern day Australia, and Eliza's and Mary's in early 1800s Ireland. Eventually Jess's POV is added to the mix, too.

This is a story of female resistance, persistence, and resilience. It beautifully blends the contemporary with the historical, and the modern with the mythical. The mystery was captivating as a plot twist around the 40% mark increases the intensity of the story and the need for Lucy to find her sister, Jess.

I really enjoyed this story and Barrie did an excellent job capturing moments and accents. I recommend this story for anyone interested in a medium pace non-romance, that centers on women and family.

4 1/2 stars

I really enjoyed this book and two different stories from separate time periods that it told. The way everything eventually blended together and wrapped up this overall story was well done and creative. I confess that I did figure things out - - but it took me a bit. It had a strong feministic message - - but really, it was all so valid. There is so much misogyny just by nature in society and there always has been. It was nice to see how the Sirens played into events - - albeit even if it was often in the background. It seems like this book got mixed reviews. I admit it did move slowly at times. But for me, it was all worth it in the end. It had such a solid and satisfying full circle conclusion.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration felt perfect to me. It might have made the story even more enjoyable if that's possible. The narrator is such a solid storyteller, and her voice just pulls you into the story. 5 stars

I thought this book was good but not great. I think for me the slow pace and similarities to 2 other books I recently read resulted in me not loving this one.

What I did like: the narration, the historical respect mixed in with mystery and magical realism.

I was excited for this book, as Weyward was an amazing read. However, this book fell flat.
The story meanders more than is satisfying, and the plot seems to have no purpose.
While Weyward wove the three POVs into satisfying, parallel character arcs, The Sirens missed the mark.
I'm disappointed, but I look forward to reading Emilia's next book! I still consider myself a fan - I requested this book through my library to help encourage them to acquire it, then borrowed and listened to the rest of it on Libby - but I hope her next book returns to some of the literary magic found in Weyward!

Format: 🎧 (Audiobook)
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

I was so excited for this one after reading Emilia Hart’s Weyward at the end of 2024. I had never read a siren/mermaid story before and was eager to experience Emilia’s atmospheric writing in this setting. There were aspects of her atmospheric style that I really enjoyed, particularly in the secondary setting aboard a convict ship traveling from Ireland to Australia, where twin sisters Mary and Eliza begin to notice unexplainable changes to their bodies as they journey across the sea.

The primary storyline focuses on two sisters, Lucy and Jess, who are searching for answers from the past while also finding their way back to each other.

The audiobook played a big role in keeping me engaged through to the end, as I really enjoyed the narrator. However, I do wish there had either been two different narrators for the dual timelines/POVs or a greater distinction between the two parts. While listening, I often found it difficult to tell the characters and timelines apart.

Overall, if you're a fan of Emilia Hart's writing and are looking for a slow-burn mystery with fantasy elements, I would suggest picking this one up.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and Emilia Hart for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

you ever read a book and you’re just like “yep, that was a book”? that was this. i enjoyed the story and aspect of it, but it wasn’t anything life altering or memorable for me.

Thank you to St Martins Press & Macmillan Audio for the review copy!

DNF - 25%

I just love Emilia Hart’s covers. I gave 5 stars to her last release, Weyward, but I wasn’t sure if I was still the same type of reader now as I was when I read Weyward. I remember Weyward being absolutely enraging at first, but very satisfying at the end, and I expected to have a similar experience with this, but with Sirens instead of bugs.

The Sirens reads more like a mystery - we are introduced to Lucy, who seems to have sleepwalked/sleep strangled her ex lover? (Confusing.) She goes to visit her sister, who is missing. And we hear about missing and possibly murdered men. Also some sisters being transported to Australia as convicts.

I found the first few chapters to be really interesting, and was looking forward to getting more answers. But as the book continued, it felt very repetitive. I’m assuming, based on the title and cover, that the big reveal is going to be that they are Sirens? It feels like the story is slowly marching in that direction, but I find myself wishing to understand what the stakes are for each of these characters.

If you like slow burn fantasy mysteries with dual timelines, this may interest you!

The narration matched the mood of the story. I like the narrators voice, and each character felt clear, but I didn’t find her to be especially engaging. This could be because of the content, or perhaps that she was matching the tone of the book.

Running from her own humiliation and consequences at school, a young woman hopes her sister, with whom she has a strained but deep relationship, can save her from herself. When she finds a mystery instead of the woman she thought she knew, she pulls up hundreds of years of history and nightmare, and maybe the possibility of hope and salvation for both of them.

As hard as it was to read, the historical POV sections were the most powerful parts of the novel, even as bleak and simply written as they were. It was sadly easy to get into the minds of these imprisoned and desperate women and to see from their perspectives. The sisters were a little less accessible. Jess was kept from us for so long and we only had her adolescent personality from her journals for most of the book. I would have liked a slightly different introduction to her.

I typically don’t mind a slower pace, but this one bothered me a bit because I wasn’t a huge fan of Lucy’s character and was eager to hear from Jess. Nothing was particularly shocking about the plot or ending, but it was satisfying. I enjoyed it overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This is a very atmospheric dual timeline book about a missing sister in 2019 as well as the mystery of twins from the 1800s. I appreciated both timelines and the way Emilia Hart weaves them together was great! I was looking forward to this second book by Emilia Hart, as Weyward was a hit when I ready it last year! This one does not have that sophomore slump that often happens, it didn't dissappoint!

I had a hard time really getting into the story but I don’t think that had anything to do with the book. I am very much a mood reader and while I didn’t read this while I had it on here, I have got the book since then and adore it! Emilia Hart has such an amazing way she writes her books.

This story was just...beautiful. I had been stuck daydreaming and pondering about this book and the sea.

It was my first Emilia Hart book, and I could say that this book was definitely worth the wait. Left in wonder and awe.

I will definitely be getting myself a physical copy of this!!! <3

3.5* I loved Weyward by Emilia Hart, I had such high hopes for this one. I did enjoy it, but I didnt connect to it in the same way. Emilia Hart tends to have a darker more thrillery vibe than I usually go for, and this one read very much like a journalistic thriller. The writing is great and the story is very interesting, but I just didnt feel connected to the characters (which is something value in a novel). I just have so many questions still. I really enjoyed the narration of this audiobook, though the story was fairly easy to predict.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, eerie, feminist story. But be sure to read the trigger warnings if needed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t remember if this is my second or third Emilia Hart book but either way, I really liked this one. I thought the different POVs and different timelines made for such an interesting story and I loved that Emilia did that in Weyward as well. I love the blending of the past and present and the mystery that this story covers.

I took one star away for the bittersweet feeling I was left with in the end. Some people may think it’s perfect and fitting but I rate books mostly on my gut feeling and this just didn’t sit right with me in the end. I thought it was an intriguing and thought provoking mystery and was definitely an enjoyable read but I wanted something a bit tidier for the ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story absolutely pulled me under—lush, haunting, and filled with raw, feminine energy. The writing was beautiful and immersive, and I *loved* the twist—totally didn’t see it coming. The sea-soaked atmosphere and sense of eerie mystery were so well done, especially in the 1800s timeline with Mary and Eliza. Their arc was the most vivid and gripping for me.

That said, I did struggle with how the three timelines—Mary and Eliza in 1800, Jess in 1999, and Lucy in 2019—connected. The emotional threads were strong, but the literal ties between the sisters from the past and the present-day women felt a little murky. I wanted just a bit more clarity around how Mary and Eliza's legacy trickled down to Jess and Lucy.

Still, this is a powerful story about sisterhood, survival, and the way the past refuses to stay buried. A mesmerizing read for fans of myth, mystery, and generational storytelling, with a haunting sense of magic just beneath the surface.

Lucy wakes up one morning with her hands wrapped around the throat of a fellow first-year uni student - a guy she had hooked up with weeks before. Stunned and terrified, she flees, driving through the night to stay with her sister Jess on the southwestern coast of Australia. When she arrives, Jess is nowhere to be found. All the while, Lucy’s dreams are filled with women - two sisters, prisoners of the British colonies, being loaded onto a ship on its way from Ireland to a penal colony in New South Wales. As Lucy explores the house, she discovers that Jess has been painting pictures of the same women. How are Jess and Lucy connected to these sisters from over two hundred years ago? And how is everything tied to a string of disappearances of men in this small coastal town?

This story is equal parts historical fiction and magical realism. The past and present-day sisters share a condition called aquagenic urticaria, a rare-but-real skin sensitivity to water, sweat, and tears. This condition makes the women feel othered, deformed, but unbeknownst to them, their gifts lie beneath the surface. I can only imagine how difficult life is for people who actually have this condition. I think Emilia Hart walked a fine line rooting this condition in reality while taking the story into the fantasy realm; while it leans into the “disability is a superpower” trope, it feels respectful. I interpreted it as what we share with our family members - our genes - can be a strength that we draw from in times of trouble.

There are some elements of the story I think some people will have issues with - namely, people who are part of non-traditional families (adoption, foster care, etc.). The subtext of the narrative carries a bit of bias against adoptive families that I don’t *think* was intentional on the author’s part, but I picked up on it nonetheless. Without spoiling anything, I think if there had been a scene or two going into how the parental figure had impacted the child figure as part of raising them (the “nurture” part of nature versus nurture), I think that bias wouldn’t have been as noticeable.

I received an e-book and an audiobook for review consideration, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how the audio version enhances the story for the reader. Narrator Barrie Kreinik has a lovely singing voice, bringing the sirens’ song to life within the text. During one climactic scene in the prisoners’ timeline, the melody gave me chills in the best way. Kreinik also handles the Australian and Irish accents beautifully, making it easy to distinguish between the characters as chapters transition from one sister to the next.

In The Sirens, Emilia Hart weaves a story of loss, love, sisterhood, and learning to embrace what makes us different. It feels like a modern day folk tale - one that, for fans of stories that walk the line between fantasy and reality, will continue to echo after the last page has turned.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for providing this e-book and audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

This novel is epic and beautiful. I was thoroughly engrossed for the entire story. There is a dual timeline where we slowly learn more about the present main character from the stories of the past. This is mermaid/ siren lore done well. Each character is well written, their motivations are rational and fleshed out. The mystery plot is more of a sub plot but continues to stay on point, kept at heel by the main characters with a satisfying resolution. Just beautiful.

Anyone who love the lore of the ocean and multifaceted literature will love this novel.

⭐⁣ OVERALL RATING:⭐⁣
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Amazing & Passionately Recommend - I loved it. It struck a chord, I am thinking about it long after the last page, and I want to talk about it. Afterward, you might find me binging all other books by the author or finishing the series in days.

TRIGGERS and CONTENT WARNINGS ahead! Do not read on if you concerned about spoilers. Fair warning, there may be some I've forgotten since reading, but we're all just doing our best here on this blue marble: sexual abuse (not graphic), Magic/ Mysticism, Mental health topics such as panic attacks, PTSD, depression, etc., infertility, adoption, Self-harm, suicide, or suicidal thoughts, Violence/ Murder - not graphic.

Thank you @Netgalley and @macmillan.audio for early access to this ARC in return for an unbiased and voluntary review

Title: The Sirens
Author(s): Emilia Hart
Narrator(s): Barrie Kreinik
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Date Published: March 4, 2025
Date Read: April 6-16, 2025
Format: Audiobook
Free?: This book was received as an Advanced Listener Copy (ALC) courtesy of NetGalley.
Overall Rating: ★★★/5

Spice Rating: 🥛0/5
Fantasy Rating: 🦄🦄/5
Tear Rating: 💧/5
Humor Rating: 0/5

-ˋˏ✄ᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧ⇢

🔍 TL;DR
⤷ In 2019, Lucy flees to her sister’s coastal home after a violent, dream-fueled incident—only to find Jess missing and the town steeped in chilling rumors of vanished men and ghostly voices on the waves. In 1800, Irish sisters Mary and Eliza are exiled to Australia, where strange changes in their bodies hint at a mysterious power awakening. Bound across time by the sea’s dark magic, these women uncover a legacy of sisterhood and resilience that defies centuries.

📣 Favorite quote
⤷ It was the water that protected me. It's the water that makes us strong.

🎥 Synopsis
⤷ In 2019, Lucy wakes in terror to find herself attacking her ex-lover and flees to her sister’s remote coastal home—only to discover Jess has vanished. As eerie dreams and local legends of missing men and sea-swept whispers grow stronger, Lucy begins to suspect something ancient and powerful is at work. Meanwhile, in 1800, Irish sisters Mary and Eliza are exiled to Australia on a convict ship, where mysterious transformations hint at a strange new destiny. Across centuries, these women are bound by forces they barely understand, drawn together by the sea’s haunting call. The Sirens is a spellbinding story of sisterhood, resilience, and the untamed magic that links past and present.

📋 Review
⤷ This book never clicked with me, unfortunately. The premise was unique and interesting, and I was eager to read the next book from Emilia Hart, but I spent 2/3 of the story just trying to understand what was going on.

⤷ To be honest, if this hadn’t been given to me as an ALC, I probably would’ve DNFed it. The plot twists were much more predictable than I would’ve expected from this story, and I didn’t find myself enjoying it until the end of it.

🌟 I wish…
⤷ It had been more engaging. I wanted to like it, I wanted to get into it, but I found myself procrastinating finishing the book. I can generally finish an 11-hour audiobook over 2-3 days at the most, and this took me 10 days—most of which was spent listening to other, more engaging books.

👍🏻 Recommend?
⤷ It could go either way. I can see that some readers enjoyed this book, so perhaps I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it. If you like Emilia’s writing, and the overall story appeals to you, give it a try! You might like it more than I did.

-ˋˏ✄ᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧᐧ⇢

*About Spice scale:
🥛 GLASS OF MILK
No heat: the story contains little to no spice.

🌶️ BELL PEPPER
Low heat: sweet love story with romance that is closed door or fade to black. Mostly fluff or implied spice.

🌶️🌶️ JALAPEÑO
Smoldering: sexual tension, at least one (not especially graphic) sex scene, not much coarse language.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ HABANERO
Hot: generally two to three extensive/detailed sex scenes, and increasing use of coarse language.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ GHOST PEPPER
Scorching: four to five explicit sex scenes, much description and detail, lots of coarse language.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ CAROLINA REAPER
Erotica: is the plot in the room with us? Lots of sex scenes, explicit descriptions. Heavy kink/trigger warnings and/or pure smut.