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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

4.75 stars
Emilia Hart's writing really draws you in and makes you feel for the characters. There are a few time-lines in this book that you follow and it deals with some of the struggles of being a woman. There is a historical fiction aspect with the sinking of a prison ship full of women as well.

The narrator for the audiobook is excellent and helps to separate the characters by having different accents.

This book was so interesting, it had many twists and such well developed and interesting characters, I listened to the audiobook in one sitting! At first the time jumps made it somewhat hard to keep up with what was happening, but you get used to it. There’s a lot of things I wish I could say about this book but I want to keep this spoiler free, so to make this short, definetly give this book a read or listen!!!

With lyrical prose, The Sirens tells a tale of two sets of sisters bound by family secrets and by the sea. This folkloric coming-of-age story is a stunning meditation on female beauty and power that carefully examines the nuance of violences that women face—that women have always faced—and rejects notions of "good/bad girls" and "boys will be boys" that continue to dominate society's treatment of survivors.

Although it is not a novel that all readers will enjoy, the complex characters, dual timelines, atmospheric setting, and themes of agency and consequences makes The Sirens an excellent book for discussion—a perfect book club pick.

For an extra treat, grab this one as an audiobook. Barrie Kreinik's performance elevates the storytelling, enhances characterization, and creates wonderful distinctions between the timelines. I will definitely seek out other titles read by this narrator.

4.5 stars

This was my first audiobook from NetGalley and it did not disappoint. The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, did such a beautiful job telling the story and switched seamlessly from Australian to Scottish accents.

This book itself was a beautiful mix of genres - fantasy, magical realism, historical fiction - and switched between multiple timelines and POVs. We hear from modern-day Lucy, who has recently begun sleep walking and having odd dreams. We hear from Mary, a woman aboard a female convict ship in the 1800s. And we hear from Jess, Lucy’s older sister, who has gone missing. All three women possess a unique allergy to water and a unique connection with one another. The way the three stories intertwine is incredible and beautiful.

This book features a lot of trauma but ultimately allows these women to triumph in fantastical ways. While the subjects tackled in the book are difficult ones, I finished the book with a sense of hope.

I really loved this story and this audiobook and I highly recommend it. This audiobook releases on 1 April 2025. A giant thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I think the author is a phenomenal writer but I didn't quite enjoy this one.

I loved 'Weyward' and so I was so excited when I got approved for this audiobook. Unfortunately, I did not quite love it. I didn't get sucked into the story at any point, and I did not feel any connection to the characters whatsoever. I also feel like the narrative style was pretty monotone.

The sleepwalking ordeal also seemed to have been completely forgotten towards the end, which I thought was strange. I felt like things that needed to be addressed, weren't.

Thank you so much to the publisher and author for my ALC. This one didn't quite work for me but that doesn't mean YOU won't enjoy it.

Emilia Hart's Weyward was a smash hit. Atmospheric and thrilling, readers could not get enough of it.

The Sirens is Emilia Hart's follow-up. It's very different from Weyward. It's still dark and mysterious but it goes in a different direction. Jumping around in different POVs and different timelines, The Sirens tells the stories of women who find themselves in the grip of a mysterious power. Both timelines revolve around a set of sisters. The reader is kept in the dark and begins to understand little by little as the book progresses. I found this effective and I think Hart has a great knack for building intriguing characters. The pacing is a little bit off in this one, compared with Weyward. The story takes a while to get going but once it does, I was really reeled in. A dark, powerful story for our complicated times.

I really enjoyed the narration and I'm glad that I chose to read it in the format. The narration was good and the story was very easy to follow.