A highly original story, unlike one I’ve ever read (or am likely to read). The writing itself is top-notch, beautiful writing—almost poetic at times. I found it oddly peaceful despite tackling very unpeaceful topics. That said, it didn’t always hold my attention. I found this to be one of those reads where I frequently had to go back and re-read parts after realizing my mind must’ve wandered and I missed something important to the plot. (Though, this may speak more to the narration of the audiobook, as I alternated reading platforms, but primarily listened to this one.)

I really wanted to fall in love with this story and these characters, but I just never got there. For me, it is a bit too slow, sorrowful, and mysterious (in that I feel like a lot of things are never explained, leaving a reader potentially frustrated). But I think others will be fascinated by the unique mermaid-esque lore told through alternating perspectives that almost feels like a historical fiction.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

The Sirens is a captivating historical fiction fantasy filled with magical realism. The story revolves around two sets of sisters: Lucy and Jess in 2019, and Mary and Eliza in the 1800s. Lucy flees to New South Wales to seek refuge with her sister Jess when her life falls apart. Meanwhile, in 1800, Mary and Eliza are convicted and aboard a convict ship to Australia, enduring brutal conditions and experiencing mysterious physical changes along the way.

When Lucy arrives at her sister's place, Jess is nowhere to be found. As she waits for her sister's return, Lucy uncovers the remarkable connection they share, along with the intertwining local history and lore. Using Jess's abandoned journal, she pieces together their past and its significance to her own story. This novel beautifully blends family dynamics and mystery, creating a unique and enchanting tale.

I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook by Barrie Kreinik. The narrator conveyed the emotion and confusion that the women in the story were facing is both timelines. I recommend enjoying this book as an audio book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy. This is my honest review.

I really enjoyed Hart's firts book Weyward, and wanted to give her new story a try.
This book has time skips between three characters but does a great job keeping them separate and easy to distinguish.
The narrator does an excellent job reading in both an Irish and Australian accent.
This book seemed long to me, and maybe that is because I read it in chunks over a longer period, but it felt like it dragged a lot.
This book repeats itself a lot as the protagonists think back on sayings or earlier conversations, or excerpts of diary entries. This is not a bad thing, but it is something I noticed. Maybe if I read it instead of hearing it, it wouldn't've stuck so much in my mind.
This book has a lot of stream of conscienceless and inner battles stretched out, so if you don't like that, steer clear.
This book has magical realism involving mermaids, and I really enjoyed how the story built on itself but kept me feeling impatient as to what was actually going on. It kept me wanting to read more and find out the ending!

3.75 stars // This was a beautiful book full of magical realism with one foot in the past and the other in the present. The women in this story are strong and beautiful and overcome all that life throws at them. The sea calls to them and they listen.

The Sirens is a creative story. I was very intrigued by the premise of sisters and the mystery of the sea and dual timelines. There are multiple stories being woven together and while I appreciated everyone’s point of view, in the end, I was slightly confused by it all. It reads as a young adult novel and there are some heavy social issues throughout. I felt there were some points in the story not well explained or wrapped up. I also received an audiobook version and did find the narrator did a great job with bringing the story to life.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This was a great novel and I just love the little touch of magical realism in her storytelling! The story took a lot of time to move forward in the first half of the book. I think it was the journal reading and flashes to the past that didn't keep my interest. But the pieces started to come together after around 60% and I started to get sucked in and loved the little twists! I enjoyed hearing the author interview at the end of the audiobook to add to the historical portion of the storyline.

A story unfolding over various time periods ranging from the 1800s to present, The Sirens follows four young women as they seek to better understand themselves and their roots, all while feeling as though they are being pulled toward the Australian waters.

In the early 1800s, twins Eliza and Mary are being sent from Ireland to Australia as prisoners, after having attacked a man who was attempting to assault them. The further they get from land, the more both girls feel the call of the water to them and notice some changes in their bodies as well. In 2019, Lucy finds herself in a devastating position - she awakens from apparent sleepwalking to find that she is straddled and strangling her ex-lover. She runs to Jess's home to avoid facing the consequences of her unconscious actions. While at her sister's home, Lucy finds that her big sister is missing but her home is filled with haunting images of two women walking into the ocean. She finds herself engrossed in her sister's diary, written in 1999.

While the story was interesting and engaging, I feel that the initial plot of the story (Lucy facing the consequences of her actions and understanding why she attacked her ex) was completely lost as the story continued. All four women's lives become increasingly intertwined as the story plays out, but I found myself missing some explanation or closure for earlier plot points.

3.5 rounded

Thank you to NG, Emilia Hart, and MacMillan Audio for an eALC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent premise, plot and suspense. The creepy sea cove, the long history of tragedy - well done. Just a great assist to the plot.
I also enjoyed the complexity of female lives and relationships. Women who wanted, desperately, for a life of their own. Women who deserved to be safe. Targeting and grooming young women. Hart does a great job calling for accountability while showcasing the problem.

This novel was phenomenonal. The story was almost gothic in atmosphere. I loved the mystery and the flashback to the ancestors. I wasn't expecting any of the twists. Very well written and I was not disappointed.

I LOVED this author's debut novel, so I was super excited to get her next release early. I didn't end up loving this one quite as much though. I think the title is a bit of a spoiler, I kind of wish that this aspect was more of a mystery that we got to figure out along with the character instead. It would have kept the first half of the book from dragging so much. I did love the multiple timelines and they were both engaging. I just didn't connect with this one on a deeper level like I did with Weyward. I think readers who love a family-focused story with magical elements will really enjoy this one. The audio was done well and easy to follow. I had no issues with the narration, just simply didn't connect with the story as much as I hoped.

I love the performance of this audiobook! The book itself is a bit bland up until the end, but the narration really keeps your interest until the book picks up!

I listened to The Sirens on audiobook. The narrator can make or break a book for me, and this one was captivating! The narrator’s voice was eerie and truly told the tale the way I believe it was meant to be told.

The Sirens is the story of four strong women in two different time periods. Two sisters are being transported on a ship of convicts; the other two women do not find each other until near the end of the book. When one of the women has an issue at university, she travels to see her sister. However, her sister is not home. This begins the mystery of where she is and what she has been going on in her life. I enjoyed both timelines and the plot.

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I am definitely a fan of her writing!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

The Sirens can be heard by women and girls who need a way out of a bad situation. In this story, Irish sisters were put on a boat with other women bound for the penal colonies in Australia in the 1600s. Life on the ship was hard but better than staying behind and being killed for the curiously female crimes of asking too many questions or acting in self-defense. The sisters and other such "cargo" were treated as such and their lives were deemed not worth saving when the ship started to break apart.
Flash forward to today, and two sisters are drawn to the island when their lives are falling apart. There is something about the water, the voices, the cave by the sea that compels them. This interesting novel is part historical fiction, part magical realism. There are secrets to uncover and evocative writing about nature, art, relationships, and love. Solid storytelling in a well-narrated audiobook.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: April 1, 2025.

I loved Weyward and was so excited to read Hart's next novel! This is told in dual timelines. In 1800 sisters Mary and Eliza have been torn from their family in Ireland and are forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. As the boat bears them further and further from all they know, they begin to notice changes in their bodies that they can’t explain, and they feel the sea beginning to call to them. In 2019, Lucy flees to her sister's house on the Australian coast in a town where numerous men have gone missing at sea. The Sirens is mysterious and atmospheric, with a slow build in both plot and character development. The plot twists were telegraphed early on, so readers will likely guess most of them well before the characters become aware of them. The audiobook narrator did an incredible job switching between Irish and Australian accents! My biggest complaint is that there were so many similarities to Weyward - I would have preferred something more original rather than reworking the same structure and concepts as her previous novel. Overall this book will be enjoyed by readers who like atmospheric magical realism.

Genre: magical realism
1st or 3rd Person: 3rd
# or POVs: multi
Book length: medium
Chapter length: slightly long
Narration: excellent
Plot Movement : slow-medium
Character Development: strong
Lovable Characters: yes

The narration on this audiobook was great. The story was captivating and in line with previous books written my Emilia Hart. I do not think I am the intended audience for this book based on my taste, however, I do think the book was engaging. I would definitely recommend to Emilia Hart fans and those who like the magical realism genre.

This is a feminist tale of resilience, sisterhood, and family secrets. Told on a dual timeline from the perspective of 4 women, two sets of sisters.

Lucy is having sleep walking episodes, so she goes to her sister’s house in search of answers because Jess used to have problems with sleep walking as well. To her surprise she finds Jess missing when she arrives and the house is in a state of disorder as if Jess left in a hurry. Lucy goes searching for the answers through Jess’s old diary and uncovers some deep family secrets.

This book was incredible! The mystery had me hooked from the very beginning.

I absolutely loved Weyard by Emilia Hart when I read it last year and was a little nervous when I picked up The Sirens that this book would not live up to my expectations. Boy was I wrong! We've got multiple timelines, multiple POVs, strong female characters, magical realism, and the love of sisters. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator and her ability to go back and forth in the timelines and change her voice so effortlessly so that you could feel the authenticity of the time. Emilia Hart is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc of The Sirens in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the hints of magic realism and the way the magic builds slowly over the course of the book. This book was atmospheric and had good character development. I did feel like it was too long and we could have had the plot twists revealed earlier. The audio narrator was great, and hearing the accents and names read aloud added to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced audio copy of this novel. This was a highly anticipated novel for me. The author's first novel, Weyward is one of my all time favorite novels. This newest novel from Emilia Hart did not disappoint.

I think the dual timelines with the two separate story lines of sisters was very well done. Sometimes with audiobooks it can be hard to decipher which historical perspective are we hearing, but it was quite clear for this novel.

Anyone who is a fan of magical realism and mermaids will most likely love this story. It has just enough historical fiction sprinkled in to keep you utterly captivated by both story lines about sisters and strong resilient women.

I would definitely recommend to young readers.

Thank you @netgalley for the audio book in advance for my review.

This book beautifully blends elements of mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction, creating a truly immersive reading experience. I was particularly drawn to the character of Lucy in the present-day (2023) storyline. I found her relatable, and her struggle with uncovering long-hidden family secrets kept me hooked from start to finish. The way her past and present collide, especially with her search for answers about her family’s mysterious connection to an ancient legend, was incredibly intriguing.

The book also does a great job of exploring the rich history and mythology of the region, especially its ties to the legends surrounding lost civilizations and hidden treasures. The blend of local folklore with the more mystical elements of the story added an extra layer of magic that I couldn't get enough of.

I'm eager to see what this author will write next. Her ability to weave historical stories into modern narratives, while focusing on strong, complex female protagonists, really sets her work apart.