Solid 4.5 melodic stars

This audiobook is incredibly well narrated, including the use of both Irish and Australian accents, and singing of the songs.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault and youth/adult relationships.
As a survivor, I was able to deeply enjoy this book, though it may be entirely too much for others (and was very uncomfortable at times).

Emilia Hart's powerful writing does it again!! This story really got to me, and brought up so many emotions - including sadness, anger, feminine rage, shame, curiosity, doubt and fear. She is a master at describing the feminine experience and excruciating family secrets, with a hint of the mythological.

Following the stories of two sets of sisters through their separate timelines (1800, 1998, and 2018), the story slowly begins to intertwine into a tale of legendary proportions. Some bits are subtle, while others reach through the story to smack the reader right in the face. Being able to balance the two different sets of stories is essential.

If you are someone who enjoys multi-timeline historical fiction, long-unsolved mysteries to be solved, feminine rage, a touch of the otherworldly, and the vulnerability of true secrets, this book is absolutely for you. I also recommend experiencing it via the audiobook, if at all possible.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley, and the publisher Macmillan Audio, for an Audio-ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

I unfortunately DNF'd this at 20%,. I'm sure people who love historical fiction and dual timelines might love this but I had a hard time getting engaged with both storylines and the different points of view. Thank you for this ALC!

I did not love this as much as the author's Weyward. I struggled getting into this one and found it too boring to continue.

While I enjoyed the feminine rage aspect, I feel like the story was dragged out and was hard to connect with. The dual timeliness weren’t different enough to be distinguishable. I would have liked to have more parts on the background of the sirens, it was a lot of build up for a small explanation

This was an ok novel, it took me almost a month to finish. It just didn't capture my attention like Weyward did.

I absolutely loved this book. The narrator was fantastic. This story is so so good! I can't wait to read more from this author!

I love the premise of this book. I'm always down for a female rage story. I did wish that this story had more bite to it though. The meandering pace watered down any feelings that came up so it made it hard for me to stay invested. However there were some plot points towards the end that pulled me back in and got me invested again. If you enjoy mysteries that simmer for most of the book then you might enjoy this book.

I adored the Barrie Kerinik's performance! They effortlessly switch between Australian and Irish accents and made each side character distinct. They also sang the song portions of the audio with such a haunting way that it really brought the magic to life. If you're looking to pick up this book the audio is 100% the way to go.

Easily one of the best books ive gotten the opportunity to get my hands on. It captivated me from the very beginning until the last sentence. Listening to it on audio was a bigger treat.

I love stories with alternating timelines where I'm anticipating how they are going to meet or connect. It was pretty clear once Mary and Eliza were on the boat how they would be connected to Jess and Lucy, with their 'mysterious' skin condition. I enjoyed finding out how the girls got their revenge on the men who had wronged them in their individual lives, though the beginning of the book was a big of a slog, I think the endings were worth the wait.

Barrie the narrator was wonderful, I loved how she was able to alternate between australian and irish accents, it helped to really get immersed in the story.

This book is told in multiple timelines including 1800, 1998, and 2018. The 1800 portion features twin sisters Mary and Eliza. They were transported from Ireland to Australia on a convict ship. The part set in 1998 is about Jess as a young student and her relationship with her art teacher. In 2018 we meet Lucy the younger sister of Jess as she leaves school to visit Jess during a tumultuous time in her life. When she arrives Jess is gone. Lucy finds journals written by Jess and starts reading them to find clues to where she might be. She discovers something that changes everything she thought she knew about her family and herself.

Once again Emilia Hart delivers a beautifully written novel filled with feminine rage, myth, and sisterhood. I loved this magical story and couldn't put it down.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was well-performed and highly engaging. I'm eagerly anticipating what Emilia Hart delivers next!

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Sirens follows modern-day sisters, Lucy and Jess. It juxtaposes their story with the story of sisters Mary and Eliza, who were shipped to New South Wales from Ireland with a ship-ful of women after being convicted of a crime. Ultimately, the Sirens is a story of discovery, new beginnings, and finding your true self.

I got very wrapped up in this novel, and just NEEDED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDED, which I alway take as a good sign. I actually listened to the audiobook copy of this book, which I think helped me get in the character's heads, with the various accents, etc.

This was a surprising find, but overall I really enjoyed it. I'd recommend if you are looking for something different, and enjoy both historical fiction and fantasy (SIRENs etc.)

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for review

I've tried to listen to this so many times but I just am not enjoying it and don't want to keep going 🫠

I started listening to the ARC audiobook thanks to NetGalley. It was awful. I couldn’t get into at all. I didn’t know what the book was about (read it only because I enjoyed Weyward) and wasn’t expecting the Australian narration. The ebook was much better! Loved the storyline. Very similar to Weyward but sirens instead of witches. Strong family values that are the lead story over fantasy.

My expectation of The Sirens was pretty simple - Mermaids. But it turned out to be so much more than just mermaids.

Split between two timelines, The Sirens follows two sets of sisters. Mary and Eliza on a women's convict ship from their home to Australia in 1800, Jess and Lucy both struggling with a 'skin condition' and plagued by dreams of Mary and Eliza in 2019.

The Sirens is overall a slow paced, slow burn plot. Only the last 25% or so did the story start to pick up and really hold my attention.

I really wished I like this more. It's about family, self-acceptance, protecting women, and finding one's purpose. Jess and Lucy's relationship is my favorite thing about this book.

Read If You Like:
• Multi-generational narratives with intertwining timelines
• Feminist historical fiction infused with folklore
• Mysteries rooted in family secrets and ancestral legacies
• Atmospheric tales set against the backdrop of the sea
• Stories exploring transformation and the supernatural 

Emilia Hart’s The Sirens is a spellbinding exploration of sisterhood, transformation, and the enduring pull of the sea. Spanning three distinct timelines—1800, 1999, and 2019—the novel weaves together the lives of women connected by blood, secrets, and a mysterious call from the ocean.  

• 1800: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza are torn from their Irish homeland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. As they journey across the ocean, they begin to experience inexplicable changes, feeling an uncanny connection to the sea that once terrified them. 

• 1999: Sixteen-year-old Jess, isolated in a rural Australian town due to a rare allergy to water, finds solace in her art. When a charismatic teacher takes an interest in her work, Jess’s world shifts, revealing hidden depths and dangers. 

• 2019: Lucy awakens from a disturbing dream to find herself attacking her ex-lover. Seeking refuge, she retreats to her sister Jess’s coastal home, only to find Jess missing. As Lucy delves into her sister’s past, she uncovers a tapestry of myths, disappearances, and a legacy that challenges her understanding of reality. 

Hart masterfully intertwines these narratives, creating a rich tapestry that examines the complexities of female relationships, the weight of history, and the transformative power of the natural world.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ALC and ARC!!!

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The two different accents were incredible and the quality of the audio was great! I liked the story, but I do not usually gravitate towards mysteries, which this was a big one. Still enjoyed it! 3.5 stars from me! Thank you so much NetGalley!!

I quite enjoyed reading THE SIRENS by Emilia Hart! I really enjoyed the dual timelines of two sisters Lucy and Jess in 2019 Australia and Mary and Eliza in 1800 traveling from Ireland to New South Wales. The 2019 story featured TikTok and a true crime podcast. I liked how this novel had interconnected storylines, focused on women’s perspectives, had a touch of magical realism, lots of family secrets and delved into the sea. This would be a great beach read this summer! Hopefully we get some nice sunny weather again soon in Vancouver. I’ll definitely continue to read this author as I really enjoyed her other book Weyward too!

Starting this one and the narrators voice is amazing! I can't stop hearing it, certain parts of it seem a bit to drastic though, like the Girl going to see a sister she's never really interacted with.

I really enjoy Emilia Hart books. They are well-researched and tell a story that might otherwise go untold. The Sirens is a story about multi-generational women who have struggled being different and felt a calling to the sea. The story intertwines these women’s lives, although they span hundreds of years. While the story of Mary and Eliza, and other enslaved women, is heart-breaking, the story has hope, especially with modern-day Jess and Lucy. Like in Weyward, Emilia Hart beautifully describes scenery, making it a character in itself.

I loved Weyward, so when I saw that Hart had a new book coming out the combined magical realism, historical fiction, and mystery elements, I knew I had to read it. While beautifully written, I unfortunately struggled to connect with the characters enough to ever be fully drawn in.

Thank you Emilia Hart, The Borough Press, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.