Okay, wow! This was a feminist magical realism with historical elements and a mystery set in two different timelines, and seriously, wow, what a fun combo!

Two sets of sisters, one set from 1800 and one set from 2019, whose stories converge in such a unique and unexpected way! I loved both timelines and the themes of sisterhood and feminine resilience throughout. The narrator was fantastic, whimsical and really brought this story to life for me!

I loved Weyward so I was really excited for this one. Unfortunately, it just did not live up to its predecessor. The Sirens is full of magical realism and has a fairy tale feel to it. Lucy wakes up finding herself doing the unthinkable. As she is shaken up, she decides to escape to her sister's home on the coast. However, when she gets there, Jess is nowhere to be found. Thus starts a mystery that jumps back and forth in time. We also follow Mary and Eliza, young girls who have been convicted of crimes and shipped out to New South Wales in the 1800s. There are threads in here that I really enjoyed and that echoed the atmosphere I loved in Weyward. Hart pays a lot of tribute to the natural world in her writing. This one was just a bit too choppy for me and we spent way too much time in Lucy's head. I wanted more from the story and found many sections to move slowly. The audio is well done. The narrator's voice was perfect for this book which had a very nautical feel. It just wasn't enough to keep me engaged. I'm sure, though, I would have struggled more had I read this in print. I do think those who like stories about women, sisterhood, magical realism, and stories of the sea will find a lot to enjoy in this book. It sadly was not for me.

The Sirens is swimming with mystery and eerie underwater terrors. Dark dreams and feelings of disconnection plague Lucy as she struggles with cruel acts committed against her. When she tries to escape to find a safe place where she feels like she belongs, things only get more complicated and confusing.

Mary and Eliza are taken from their home and their father and thrust into a life almost not worth living. They wake each day, not knowing if they'll live to see the next.

These stories are driven by strong family bonds and the striving for finding yourself and the people to whom you belong. With Lucy and Jess, and Mary and Eliza, we see how much stronger we can be if we're together.

Hart expertly intertwines the lives of these women and their journeys and leaves us with a tale that will burrow into our hearts like the sound of the ocean nestled inside a seashell.

ARC audiobook from Netgalley and Macmillan audio. Thank you

I don't think this was for me.
This story had a lot of plots and twists to it. It's a very slow novel and I'm not used to that but I enjoyed it. The story was told through a very visual aspect through words it gives you that creepy vibes. If you are into slow historical fiction, magical realism stories about the sea, I definitely think this is for you. The narrator did a great job.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio. I really enjoyed this audio. It's by the same author as wayward, which I was also really into. This follows sisters who are separated by centuries. This was magical and emotional. I loved it very much, I highly recommend the audio.

I had high hopes for this book after loving Weyward so much. The audio narration by Barrie Kreinik was very well done. The eerie vibes of the seaside town, the feel of the mystery, the peril on the ship, and even the singing added so much to the experience of listening to this story. Emilia Hart's prose is beautiful and she is an evocative storyteller.

However, I struggled with this story. I found the character Lucy difficult to connect with and I had a hard time getting invested in her motivations or her journey. I also struggled with the pacing, as the start of the story was very slow with a considerable amount of backstory then picked up toward the end of the book as the two storylines came together. The ending was disappointing as it seemed to lose focus. Finally, I had difficulty connecting all of the aspects of the magical realism in the story with the central plot line and, while those aspects did help to reinforce the themes of feminine power, they were sometimes confusing and pulled me out of the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers St Martin's Press for allowing me to listen to the audio book of The Sirens by Emilia Hart. This was a beautiful historical fiction with the lore of Sirens. I really enjoyed the aspects of the mystery that surrounded much throughout the story. You found yourself immersed in the world of these characters; Jess, Lucy, Mary and Eliza. I felt the narration was very well done and beautiful. I found myself invested in the characters and truly enjoyed their self-growth. The book left me feeling tragic, angry, relief, bittersweet and resolved. There were a lot of moving pieces and characters to follow, but each was necessary to the plot. I especially enjoyed the description of the sea/creatures and the description of smells associated. It felt is if you were there, in that cave and on that ship. The pace was slower and easy to follow. There was a point in this book where I gasped “Oh my gosh!”. Even after I finished, I sat down to think about our 4 MFC and only wish I could sit by the sea doing so. I remember their Siren Call. This met my expectations and more, so grateful I had the opportunity to voluntarily listen to this! Thank you!

I received an ARC from NetGalley to review. These are my honest thoughts.

“The Sirens” by Emilia Hart is a hauntingly beautiful book about two sets of sisters in different timelines. It hits a wide range of emotions, is dark and mysterious at times, and lightly comical at others. I will say that I enjoyed the perspectives of Lucy and Jess more than Mary and Eliza, but both were mesmerizing in their own right. It offers an interesting mix of mythical, historical, and familial perspectives, and paints some truly beautiful and fascinating images, while also highlighting important, controversial issues. Worth checking out!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’d give it 4.5/5.0 stars. I read Weyward a few years ago and was looking forward to this. The historical aspect was a plus. I love dual timeline. I learned a bit about Australian history as well and I will read more. I especially liked the magical realism aspect of this story in both timelines. Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it for my bookclub and other friends. I didn’t see the Jessie/Lucy plot twist coming. I love that.

The ending seemed abrupt, was a parr missing? Thank you.

This is such a wonderful, lyrically written story. It grabbed my from the very first word and had me turning the pages, had me tumbling into the stories, needing to discover more and loving everything I was reading. Just amazing.

Whew this one took me for quite a ride! I love how the writing intertwines multiple POVs and time periods. In the most modern timeline, the reader follows Lucy who is a college aged woman. She mostly accepts herself and knows what she wants to do with her life, but she has some questions and situations that she needs to uncover and come to terms with. Jess' storyline takes place mostly a couple decades before and mostly centers on an angsty teen with lots of questions. Then in the much distant past, the story follows two sisters as they go through a very traumatic situation. The author does a beautiful job of weaving these storylines together into a tale of female empowerment and the bonds between womankind.

I am always intrigued with magical realism with some feminine rage.

Unfortunately this one just never hit the way I was expecting. It was very slow and often confusing in a way that felt like something was missing or just muddled plot that was hard to really be excited about. Probably should have dnfed but wanted to finish the arc.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan for an alc

"The Sirens" is the story of two sets of sisters, centuries apart, mysteriously linked by the wonder of dreams and the allure of the sea.

In 2019, the primary setting is on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, where two sisters, Lucy and Jess, are searching for answers from the past...

In 1800, the secondary setting is on a convict ship traveling from Ireland to Australia, where twin sisters Mary and Eliza begin to notice unexplainable changes to their bodies as they get further and further out to sea...

"The Sirens" is a genre blend of Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, and Mystery, and Hart takes it up a notch by sprinkling in a fair amount of Family Drama to tie everything together. Similar in format to her impressive debut novel, "Weyward", this has a contemporary timeline intertwined with timelines from the past. And like her previous book, I cannot take my eyes off the gorgeous cover.

I love how this author's storytelling builds with intricate details and emotions given to the characters. You clearly understand the depth of the research effort to create this intense story. An unexpected twist dropping at 70% was a pleasant surprise, and I flew through the remainder of the book.

This was an immersion read; the audiobook was read by Barrie Kreinik, one of my favorite narrators. She recounts the story flawlessly, switching from English to Australian accents as necessary. Her gender voicing was also discernible, making this a pleasurable listening experience.

"The Sirens", Emilia Hart's sophomore novel, does not disappoint, and I will patiently await her next book!

4.5⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for a DRC and an ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Sirens begins with a horrifying chapter of women being exiled from Ireland to Australia, marking the ‘convict era’ that shaped the country. It then cuts to modern-day, where we follow two sisters with their own dark secrets. It toggles back and forth in time in seamless fashion, leading the two stories to a twisted connection. It is steeped in themes of sisterhood, strength, secrets, and determination.

Barrie Kreinik’s narration of this audiobook was subperb! Her ability to perfectly capture each character’s personal accent and convey their tragic emotions was magical.

This is my first Emilia Hart novel, and I must say, it pleasantly surprised me. I’m already looking forward to exploring more of her books.

So fantastic! I loved the dual pov & timelines. & the diary entries. Such a beautiful story of love, family & I absolutely LOVED the lore of the sirens.
Lucy goes to the coast to find her sister is missing. She finds her diaries and learns the true origin of there skin condition….they cannot touch water! The Audi was FANTASTIC, the narrator did a great job.

A beautiful historical fiction full of lore that follows multiple POV’s and timelines. The story starts with a sleep walking dream that takes us on a journey of self discovery and feminine rage. Mysterious happenings are at every turn, will we find the answer to our questions?

3.75 Stars rounded up

The Sirens is a dual-line novel that encompasses a variety of genres, including Magical Realism, Mystery, Coming-of-Age, Historical Fiction, Folklore, and Women's Fiction.

In 2019, the primary setting is on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, where two sisters, Lucy and Jess are both dealing with a personal crisis. Lucy finds herself under accusations of physical assault after sleepwalking into her ex-boyfriends dorm room. She flees campus to go visit her sister, only to discover her sister has seemingly disappeared.

In 1800, the secondary setting is on a convict ship traveling from Ireland, where twin sisters Mary and Eliza are on their way to Australia after having been excommunicated from their homeland. The further they get out to sea, they begin to notice unexplainable changes to their bodies.

After having read and loved Hart's novel Weyward, I was beyond excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, this book just had too much going on for me to really love it. I feel like the author was just trying to tackle too much at once, and wasn't able to fully invest in any one storyline. The dual narratives weren't well connected, and the historical fiction portion of the book felt mostly like a distraction from the modern day storyline.

If you have access to the audio book for this story, DO IT! The narration is beautifully done, and the narrator's singing adds so much extra flair to the storytelling.

This is a slow burn, and I feel like the reveal could've been done much earlier in the book, with a larger portion of the book focused on the "after." (Trying to avoid spoilers).
The set up for the story was a bit forced and unbelievable, but sometimes in magical realism books you just have to suspend disbelief and let the story take you. I didn't find it too distracting, just mildly frustrating.

Trigger Warnings: abuse, assault, teacher-student sexual relationships
Themes: sisterhood, family secrets, female empowerment, mermaids

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The opinions presented in this review are strictly my own.

Secrets and history haunts four women in three timelines. In 2019, Lucy flees her University after waking up choking her Ex-lover. In 1999, Sophie exists as a lonely teenager navigating family secrets. In 1800, Mary and Liza travel to Australia in the hold of a convict ship. As the novel progresses, their stories twist around each other, feeding each timeline with new meaning. 

The story kept me engaged.  I felt deeply for each character, and I wanted them to succeed. This story touches on dark histories including colonization, sexual abuse/rape, infidelity, adoption, and abuse of power. 

It's a story about discovering your truth and the truth of your history. It's set in a world when some predators get their due. 

While there is a low fantasy tale, the fantasy component is revealed towards the end of the book, and it casts a long shadow over the rest of the book. Some readers might have wanted more fantasy, but I loved how it functions within the story. 

Thank you St Martin's Press, @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the advanced audio copy. Thoughts are of course my own. #bookstagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHZiyupA7oI/?igsh=NW9oamxlcm5ueXZm

3.5 stars. Weyward by Emilia Hart was one of my favorite reads in 2025 so The Sirens was an instant-request for me and I was very much looking forward to it. I really struggled to stay focused while listening to this on audio, unfortunately. At about the 50% mark I switched to my digital copy. There was nothing wrong with the narrator; I just found it hard to focus on the storylines through audio and had a better experience eyeball reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook. The Sirens hits shelves on April 1, 2025.

I loved this story. The magical realism was so interesting and the blend of past and present was seamless. I really enjoyed the different narrators for the different characters.