I had previously read an ARC of The Sirens, so was curious to listen to the audiobook. I felt the narrator breathed extra life into it! Definitely worth a listen. I'm getting close to 50 % audiobooks 50% books and this is why--a strong narrator can really add to the emotion of the book and help to differentiate characters / time periods. Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the copy of audiobook for my honest opinion.

The Sirens was an enjoyable read, it did have a slow start, but I really ended up enjoying it towards the end. Overall the character development was pretty good, but I can't honestly say I liked the main character, Lucy. Lucy was kind of unlikable in certain areas, I don't feel like I really connected with her and some of the decisions she made were odd, but the other characters kind of made up for that. I liked the 1800 story line better than the 2019, but they were both good. The narrator was a perfect choice, I could listen to her all day. The ending was good, I thought that there were going to be some questions unanswered, but it was wrapped up nicely. I'm giving it 3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 because the second half was better than the first half.

“The Sirens” by Emilia Hart and wonderfully narrated by Barrie Kreinik tells the story of two different sets of sisters in three timelines: 1800 on a female convict ship to Australia and in 2019 Australia with some flashbacks/diaries to 1999. Lucy and Jess suffer from nightmares and sleepwalking, and both have a rare skin condition they believe is caused by an allergy to water. Lucy goes to see her sister after an event happens at her university that causes her to become expelled. But her sister is nowhere around. A neighbor tells her that Jess has gone away for a few days to rest before an art exhibition, and while Lucy is in Jess’s house, she finds her sister’s diaries and begins to read. Like Jess did in 1999, Lucy discovers her entire life was built on lies. She also discovers that she and her sister have had the same nightmares. What exactly is the connection between these two modern-day women and Mary and Eliza who were born more than 200 years earlier?

This is a spellbinding story that had me doing almost nothing else for two days. Highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher of an arc of this audio book. My opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Weyward so I was excited to read another book by Emilia Hart, and I think I liked this just as much.

Hart returns with yet another beautifully written novel. I felt that she really brought the characters and setting to life, the same I felt with Weyward. The characters were likable and I was interested in Lucy's discoveries and the interwoven stories from the past. It did feel a little bit slow-paced, but once I got to know the characters I grew intrigued and interested in their self-discoveries. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the mystery of Comber Bay and the magical realism of the story, and the themes of relationships, friendships, and family secrets.

Plus, I like anything that has to do with mermaids!

I listened to the audiobook version of this as well and thought the narration was great!

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
The Sirens was not what I expected. I don’t really think the synopsis did a great job at describing the content. While this was not a bad book, I know I am not the target audience. This was part mystery, part historical fiction, and there was a lot of SA that I wasn’t expecting. I can definitely see why other people would love this, but for me? I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I found it long and drawn out and pretty boring. The “sister” aspect of this book was largely missing for me. It was beautifully written though, and well narrated. I do feel like I learned some new things for having listened, too.
2.5⭐️

I was a fan of Hart’s debut novel, Weyward, but this novel surpassed that one to me.

This book completely absorbed me and I finished it in less than 24 hours while still several other books to finish. It looks like I might be in the minority with that, but I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Between the atmosphere, familial bounds, and the music of the ocean, I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this novel.

I've been dreading writing this review for weeks, not because I disliked the book but because I just wasn't sure what to say. This was my second Emilia Hart book and it did not disappoint. The same historical, somewhat fantastical, but oh so personal feel that I got from Weyward was done just as well in this one. I love having multiple POVs and timelines and seeing how they bleed into each other. While this story did feel like it took a little bit longer to find itself, it still was worth the build-up and I enjoyed seeing how all the details started coming together. Some of the reveals really got me too!

The narrator was a really good fit as well so I'm glad I chose to do the audiobook again. Hart has really endeared herself to me with Weyward and The Sirens, and I can't wait to see what comes next. I'll jump right on whatever it is!

The Sirens drew me in with its promise of an interesting plot. I truly enjoyed how the plot was structured; between the two timelines and the journal entries, the story flowed well. It was a very atmospheric book, the settings of the story were very vivid and interesting.

The pacing didn't always work for me; it seemed like the more current timeline was a plot device for something to happen to the main character, instead of her taking action or investigating herself. In addition, the journal entries read more as prose than an actual journal, which was weird.

Then a lot happened at the end! Some of the twists in the story actually dropped my jaw. And the audiobook narrator was amazing; switching between (to my ear) flawless Irish and Australian accents. Overall, I'm on the fence about recommending this, although I do think those who enjoy historical fiction will likely enjoy this, since it's well-researched and an aspect of history we don't hear a lot about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. This story was perfectly laid out to keep intrigue up while still progressing through the generational story line. The narrator did an amazing job with the different voices and accents of each character as well as singing the siren songs sprinkled throughout the book. I very much enjoyed listening to her.

The storyline development told through personal perspective, familial flashbacks, and diary entries slowly incorporated how each individual contributed to the overall plot. While a lot was revealed on how each character was connected by the end of the story I didn’t love how some of the timeline and personal drivers between the land above and below the sea was left up the reader to determine and fill in.

I would recommend this story to those that like historical fantasy with a dose of women empowerment. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this one. I loved the different timelines and how gruesome it got. Excited to see more from this author

The story of Lucy & Jess and of the sisters from the Niad are amazing! So many emotions! I did not find this book predictable at all, Secrets were revealed right up to the end!!
The narrator did a fabulous job!

Advanced Listening Copy

The Sirens follows three timelines - aboard a ship in the 1800s, a teenager discovering her origins in 1999, and her sister trying to deal with a recent trauma in 2019. Throughout the timelines, all the women discover a relationship with the sea. A book full of intense detail, multiple plots, and magical realism.

I was not the target audience for the book, but I wanted to stretch my genre wings after hearing raves for the author's last best-seller. She is an accomplished author with amazing and imaginative world-building abilities. However, for me, the story was overcomplicated. I'm still not super clear on the 1800s boat storyline. Jess & Lucy's storylines dealing with trauma were easier to understand, but still cluttered with too many layers and a few dropped plotlines.

I'm sure many will find more in the connecting of the storylines than I did. At minimum, you will walk away saying "well, hmmm, that was different!"

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This book was really interesting and a way to link in some historical fiction with modern day times. I loved the connection with the sisters from the past and the modern day girls. It has some dark concept of female suppression in it and may be a trigger for some. But overall it’s a great story. The narrator was also great to listen to.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 4/1
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The Sirens was an interesting read. This story spans between three different time periods and form the POV of three different characters; Mary in the 1800s, Jess in 1999 and Lucy in 2019.
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The story starts in 2019 where Lucy wakes to find herself hurting her ex lover. She then runs to her estranged sister Jess’s house to find that she is missing which then forces her to take a deep dive into Jess’s past. My favorites parts of this story were the 2019 and 1999 timelines. I didn’t really care much for the 1800 timeline if I am being honest. Hart does eventually fuse all of the timelines together to create a cohesive ending but again, I could have done without the 1800 timeline.
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This has a mystery, mystical, folkloreish, historical fiction feel which made this one even more appealing. It’s a slow burn in the beginning but towards the end when the mystery is unraveling the pace picks up.
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I listened to this via audiobook while reading the ebook. It was narrated by Barrie Kreinik and I think that it was a great performance. I think that if I didn’t have the audiobook I wouldn’t have wanted to finish this one. If you want to read this one - check out the audio for sure.
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Overall, this wasn’t necessarily my favorite but this was a good read!! I think that people will love this one! Give this a shot! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for both the eARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for the audiobook.**

4.5 stars (rounded up). I really enjoyed this book. I had the privilege of reading an eARC and the audiobook and I highly recommend the audiobook. I read The Sirens but also listened to the audiobook and the audiobook was helpful when it came to the pronouncing names/unfamiliar words. I also enjoyed the narrators soothing voice and the change of her accent (Irish/Australian accents) when appropriate.

For the story itself, I loved the magical realism within this book and the beautiful writing. Emilia Hart has a special way of storytelling and I love how she brings together historical aspects with magical realism in such a unique way. The bond between sisters was nice and the sisterhood element was refreshing to see amongst the women throughout this story. I also liked the analysis of the unique bond between parents and their children. This was a heartbreaking story at times but it had a beautiful ending and is one that will remain with me.

This book had such an intense atmosphere, I felt completely pulled into its world. I was so invested in uncovering what happened in the 1700s and how it all connected to more recent events. The journey from Europe to Australia must have been brutal at the time, and the way the book captured that struggle really stuck with me.

Some details felt a bit unclear, and I wanted certain things to make more sense, but I decided to just let it go and enjoy the experience. The mix of audiobook and Kindle made it even better—I loved being able to switch between the two.

It’s the kind of story that lingers, one that leaves you thinking about it long after it’s over. If you love historical fiction with mystery woven through it, this is definitely worth reading.

Overall, I would give this book 4.5 stars. Usually, I am not a fan of magical realism, but I really enjoyed the story, the dual timelines, the mystery of the missing sister, and the representation of female resilience. This book contained enough twists and turns to keep my interest. I also loved the representation of aquagenic urticaria, I first learned about this in my teens and have been fascinated by this allergy. The one thing that I really missed was closure on the whole Lucy and Ben situation. Barrie Kreinik did an amazing job as the audio narrator, really liked the singing of the sea shanty.

Format: audiobook and ebook (started on ebook and then toggled back and forth)

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the advance audiobook and arc!!

The Sirens tells the interconnected stories of Lucy in 2019, Jess in 1999, and sisters Mary and Eliza in 1800. The novel starts with Lucy finding herself in some trouble. She decides to seek out her sister, Jess, for help and ends up learning more about herself than she expected. In a very different time, Mary and Eliza are sent from Ireland on a convict ship to Australia.

I enjoy the way Emilia Hart weaves stories together and her writing style is lyrical and interesting but in the way I felt that Weyward could’ve used more witchiness, I wanted this to have MORE mermaids. There’s something that might be considered a twist in this book but if it is, it was easily figureoutable almost immediately. I also would’ve liked more about Mary and Eliza.

Overall, it’s a pretty story. And boys go missing which is always nice.

Thanks so much NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced audiobook!

After reading (and being really impressed with) Weyward, I was so happy to receive an invitation to read and early copy of Emilia Hart’s new novel.

I started both reading and listening to an audiobook of The Sirens (the audiobook won out ) and Barrie Kreinik’s narration of this beautifully written novel is wonderful; she voiced each character uniquely, making them easy to differentiate and I found her performance really elevated the story.

Listen (or read) this one for

*well researched historical fiction
*strong female characters
*sisters
*secrets and mystery
*magical realism
*dual timeline



Thank you to Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press along with NetGalley for the ALC and DRC

This is only my second book by this author and I love her. Her first book was so powerful and this one was too, but quieter. The story wove the stories of two sets of sisters, and we learn more about them as we watch them face hardship.
There are family secrets and heartache, with tension throughout. I kept thinking how unfair everything was. Lucy can't find her sister Jess, right when she needs her most. The sisters from the past, Mary and Eliza,go to Australia on an 1800s convict ship.
The narration was wonderful and I was fully invested in their lives. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.