I first fell in love with the book cover of The Sirens by Emilia Hart. I enjoyed this slow burn story that touched on Greek mythology and Australian history. I appreciated the author’s note about the history that inspired the book. The story was centered around two sisters in a dual timeline. The novel had all my favorite elements of mystery and magical realism. If you enjoy reading about secrets, sisterhood and female resilience, be sure you pick this one up.

I enjoyed the audio for this novel which was narrated by Barrie Kreinik. I listened at 1.5x speed. This is my second book she has narrated that I have listened to. Barrie narrated Migrations by Charlotte McConaughey which was also well done!

3.5⭐️ rounded up for audio narration
Historical Magical Realism • Dual Timeline
Expected Publication • 1 April 2025

Thank you @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for the ARC & ALC. ♡

*ೃ༄*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Blend family secrets, mysterious disappearances, convict ships sailing for Australia from Ireland, and female resilience.

⚓ I enjoyed the atmosphere and the setting on the shores of a remote Australia coastal town. This one had a slow start and took over half of the book to hook me.

Lucy and Jess are sisters in present day, while Mary and Eliza are twins in 1800s Ireland. In the style of The Lost Apothecary, these will converge as justice is served outside of the law, with a flair of magical realism.

I appreciated the twists, but I wish I connected more with any of the four sisters & the plot.

🎧 Narrator Barrie Kreinik has a wonderful range bringing to life multiple accents of the British isles + Australia, fun listening experience including sea shanties! 🇦🇺🇮🇪

TW: Sexual Assault, Murder, Infidelity (off page)

Emilia Hart has done it again! While Weyward is still my favorite of the two books, I loved The Sirens. Nobody gets so many visceral emotions from me like Emilia Hart. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook. It was a particularly good read and the narrators were great!

I loved Weyward when it was published and high hopes for Emelia Hart's latest novel The Sirens. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

The story weaves Irish myth with a murder mystery and a sister's mysterious disappearance offering strong feminist themes. I enjoyed the past timeline with Mary and Eliza who have been forced onto a convict ship bound from Ireland to Australia. But the present setting from Lucy and Jess's perspectives was less engaging and far too predictable. Overall, it didn't have the emotional resonance that I expected.

I was approved for the audiobook and the arc of this book and I really loved listening and reading this before bed. I am a sucker for mermaid media and this really itched the spot. I do think it is a slow burn but it kept me interested the whole time and I never found this boring. I loved the setting and the switching of the location and time periods between all the girls. I found that it gave a lot of depth to the story and made it very intriguing. I really loved the readers accents and how she sang the songs. It really was immersive and I liked that better than if it was just read flattly.

I normally fly through audio books and for some reason this book was not for me. It took me almost three weeks to listen to this novel. It did not keep my attention and I found the entire premise to be odd and disjointed. I’m not sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it. Even the narrator began to irritate me. I’m not sure if it was her accent or what, but I began to notice an emphasis on the s sound in her speech that reminded me of a snake hissing. Overall, I was not impressed and found myself disappointed based on the blurb. If I had not received an arc, this would have ended up in my DNF pile.

🐚 Sirens by Emilia Hart 🐚
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

In Sirens, we travel between three time periods and three sets of characters.
In 2019 we meet Lucy, who is expelled from Uni when she starts to sleep walk and lucid dream endangering someone’s life in the process. She flees to her sister’s home off the coast of Australia to seek advice, but when Lucy arrives, her sister is no where to be found. The search for her sister uncovers strange lore about this small town that seem a little too familiar to Lucy and the eerie dreams that brought her there.
In 1999 we meet Jess, a reclusive 16yr old who finds comfort in drawing. When her art teacher starts to pay extra attention to Jess’s skills, she begins to trust him and feels less alone.
In 1800, twins Mary and Eliza are taken from their father in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. Their whole lives have been filled with fear of the sea, since their mother’s sudden and tragic death by drowning.

Their stories intertwine with one another as each of these women are, in one way or another, called to the sea.

Sirens is Hart’s second novel and it is apparent from the start the story structure and layout mirrors her debut. I personally found it to be very comforting, as that plot structure is what I enjoyed most about Weyward. I was happy to see it duplicated in Sirens.

I was completely transported by this story. I love mermaid lore and realized after finishing this book that I need more of it in my life! Hart is so descriptive in her writing style, making it so easy to get lost in these worlds. The narrator, Berrie Kreinik did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Both Irish and Austrian accents were flawless. Highly recommend!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the audio ARC of this book!

3.75. This book does feel like classic Emilia Hart. In her follow-up to her powerful debut (Weyward), she gives us another set of interwoven lives of women, but this time with a mystery at the heart of it. We don’t get to know how the women are connected until the end but the journey she takes us on is emotional and well thought out.

Overall, I thought the story was well plotted, with exception to the first 20-30%. The first 1/3 of the book opens with a conflict/challenge for one of the women that just doesn’t get properly addressed despite the anxiety and depth of set-up in the intro of the book. I can see why some of the reviews are mixed as some readers are dissatisfied with “plot holes”. I don’t think it was a plot hole per se but I definitely think the resolution could have been more comprehensive and satisfying.

This was a solid read that I enjoyed, but not quite as satisfying as her debut.

P.S. if you listen to audio the narrator sings to you!!

I really like this author. I really liked this book about Sister’s reuniting. It’s a fantasy which I like. Characters excellent. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for providing this advanced

This was a really interesting mix of contemporary and historical fiction with some magical realism added in. The beginning of the book really had me hooked, what with Lucy waking up with her hands around the neck of a guy, having no idea how she'd ended up in his room. When she ran away from campus, afraid she'd get in trouble for attacking him, I could understand her dilemma as most people would find sleepwalking a little hard to believe, especially as she revealed more of her history with Ben (a history which made me want to punch Ben, her friend Em, and all the administrators at the university but especially the woman who told Lucy that she should "ruin Ben's future". ugh). There were a few times towards the middle that the book felt like it dragged a bit, especially once Lucy found Jess's diary. It just seemed odd to me that she didn't power through reading that super quickly wanting to know what had happened to Jess (especially given that she had suspicions as soon as Jess's crush on her teacher was revealed), but then I really wanted her to power through it because I wanted Lucy to figure out the truth about herself as well (which I thought was fairly easy to figure out but then I grew up watching countless Lifetime movies and maybe Lucy didn't). I did enjoy the twist behind the mystery of the disappearances in Comber Bay, especially the epilogue at the end that explained the baby that was found. And the historical portion of the book was well done and made me both want to know more while also not wanting to hear more about the women's deplorable conditions, especially knowing what would happen in the end. However, I did find the ending a bit rushed, though there was some decent payoff at the end thanks to the ultimate demise of one character. And the final reveals were a nice twist that I did not expect.
I really enjoyed the narrator. She did a fantastic job switching between characters and between the dual POVs and had such a beautiful singing voice when the folk song parts came up. I would definitely love to listen to more audiobooks that she narrates.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 34%. Ugh it pains me to write this because this cover is STUNNING and the writing is beautiful and so atmospheric. But this is just not the story for me.

The audiobook seems like it would be wonderful for someone who would enjoy this story. The accent of the narrator is so calming and really fits the magic of the story.

Unfortunately, though, I just could not get my mind into the story. It was not holding my interest despite multiple attempts to restart it. I do believe those that love mermaids, magical stories, and the ocean may enjoy this much more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the complimentary ARC and ALC.

4.5 stars
This book was such a gem! I love feminist retellings of Greek myths. This was a modern day tale of Scylla & Charybdis, with a glimpse back to a previous time that tied things all together. I liked the contemporary timeline as we learn about Lucy’s situation, past and present, after she flees to find her sister after disturbing events at university. What’s going on with their family’s weird situations? How is this connected to the Irish family transported to Australia in the 1800s? When Lucy finds her missing sister’s journal, more questions arise but many answers are found. Everything ties together so well in the end that I rank this among the top of the modern day retellings I’ve read!
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an advance listener copy of The Sirens by Emilia Hart in exchange for my honest review. This audiobook, set to be released on April 1st, held significant anticipation for me as a reader who greatly enjoyed Hart's previous work, Weyward, and I was particularly intrigued by the novel's exploration of mermaid lore.

The Sirens intricately weaves together the stories of two sets of sisters across time: Lucy and Jess in 2019, and Mary and Eliza in the 1800s. The present-day sisters embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries surrounding their historical counterparts.

I must commend the author on the evident depth of research undertaken for this novel. The thoughtful acknowledgement at the beginning, expressing respect for the Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, was particularly impactful and contributed to a broader learning experience within the narrative. Additionally, Barrie Kreinik's narration was truly impressive, showcasing a remarkable ability to deliver a diverse range of authentic-sounding accents.

The initial portion of the book established a surprisingly eerie atmosphere, and the novel's unique and fascinating reimagining of the traditional siren narrative left me with a palpable sense of unease and anxiety. This flip on familiar tropes was a compelling aspect of the reading experience.

Ultimately, while the book offered many engaging elements, the central plot twist prompted a reevaluation of the novel's overall purpose, which proved somewhat frustrating. However, readers who appreciated the atmospheric storytelling of Weyward or the emotionally resonant narratives of Kristin Hannah will likely find themselves captivated by The Sirens. Overall, I am rating this book four out of five stars

This is my second Emilia Hart book and again she does a great job of showing the strength of women. The story felt a bit rushed and made it a little more difficult to relate to all the characters unlike in her other novel, but I did enjoy the writing.

🎧Barrie Kreinik did a great job narrating this story. She really captures each character perfectly.

Thanks to the author @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. Emilia Hart knows how to write strong and complicated characters and vivid imagery. I have no problems imagining the scenes playing out before me, even when they are set in a time and place that I’ve never been. I absolutely love that about her story telling.

There are multiple timelines and POV’s going on in this book and I liked all of them equally, which is a big plus for me. I think my only real complaint with this one was the pacing did seem off at times, there were moments during Lucy’s POV that felt like they dragged a bit in the beginning. Somewhere around the half way mark things picked up and I ended up zooming through it.

🎧Barrie Kreinik did a great job narrating this story. She transitions beautifully between characters and really captured each character perfectly. I could honestly listen to her talk all day!

Hart has again given me characters and a story to love and ponder over. The historical part of this book is one I have not read about before and intrigues me. The fictional part is captivating with the duel timelines being seamlessly knit together.
The trauma and feminist aspects might turn many off. Please research trigger warnings before reading. Life is messy and hard in so many ways. The ending isn’t necessarily ‘happily ever after’ but still satisfying.

Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Adult, Fantasy

I loved listening to this book, the music in the intro was a nice touch, and adding the historical note learning about Australia was great.

It started off strong, a baby was being born in a weird cave area?? too the main character chocking her ex lover?? like how awesome is that.. i mean not awesome but the meaning behind it sends off “what the heck is happening vibes”

This storyline the author was trying to share was heartaching with how men treated and still treat woman to this day.

I think though i got lost along the way with the two timelines as it felt like the past timeline had nothing to really connect the present timeline with.

Overall i did enjoy my time with this and i feel if you love mermaids and two timeline stories you will love this.

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

The Sirens by Emilia Hart
Publishing: 01/04

3.5⭐️

I was immediately drawn in by this story about two sets of sisters, their eerie connection to the sea and the mysterious disappearances that surround them.

The Sirens rotates between three timelines and POV’s, each of them were very well developed and contained a vital piece of this entangled story. I found the present day timelines to be a bit more interesting, however by the end of the book I fully understood the significance of the past timeline and the approach that was taken. It is kind of a “trust the process” plot.

The writing was phenomenal! I felt the sense of uneasiness and eeriness in my bones, just so so good and I would argue that the audio made this even better! 😍

Where this book lost me a little was at the very end… SO DEVASTATING! I felt confused by the last few scenes and I don’t think this was just an audiobook issue. I was really hoping for a sound conclusion to tie all of these fascinating components together but ultimately was left feeling dissatisfied by the amount of assumptions that had to be made to explain what (potentially???) happened here… I’m still not 100% sure!

Nonetheless, an engaging read that had me on the edge of my seat for 90% of the book - perhaps one of you will read it and be able to explain the ending to me?? Please?? 😂

Thanks to the author @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The Sirens follows three timelines from 1800's Ireland to the current day in 2019 telling the tales of four young women who discover their strengths and unity to overcome those who harm them and other females who live near them. The youngest in the present-day story seeks her older sister to help and confide in her with issues she is struggling with only to find her missing. Her disappearance is strange and her sister starts to grow concerned that something terrible may have happened to her. As she stays in her home waiting for her sister's return, she discovers her journal, and things she has been questioning slowly start to make more sense. A long-time mystery about missing people is resolved, and the women eventually understand their roles in this life and why they never quite fit in.

Although the story was slow-paced, it unfolded to answer the questions these women have in common. They discover their self-worth and importance in helping keep women safe from true monsters in their and other women’s lives. It touches on how hard it can be for young women who don't look perfect and may have some physical differences to be treated poorly and the impact it has on them mentally. It also touches on how sometimes women are treated lesser than boys/men as if they are more important due to their gender which historically has been and in many cases still is an issue.

The ending wrapped up the story well with a satisfying outcome.

I received an audiobook from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s probably not fair to compare The Sirens to Weyward, but I also can’t help thinking about the latter book while writing this review. Hart masterfully wove together three different timelines in Weyward in a way that was poignant and compelling. Her character work was fantastic, and the storytelling was brilliant. I was fully immersed in that story and those characters. Unfortunately I feel like The Sirens fell short of my expectations because I was expecting the same level of investment and it just wasn’t there for me. The book had an interesting concept, weaving two separate timelines together, something I know Hart can do really well. But it felt a bit disjointed and rushed, and as a reader I wasn’t as invested in the big reveal(s). The character work wasn’t as strong as it was in her previous book either.

On the plus side, Hart does have beautiful prose. Her writing is interesting and she sets up the mystery in a way that holds you and makes you want to continue reading. I also think that the exploration of the abuse and oppression women have faced throughout history was really well done. Be sure to check content warnings before reading this book. The audiobook narrator was also fantastic. I definitely recommend reading the book that way. Ultimately not a new favorite, but I do still love Hart’s writing and will be picking up her future releases.