Wow. Emilia Hart has done it again. I loved Weyward so when I saw that Emilia Hart had another book coming out I knew I had to read it. I’m so glad I did. This book was magical in more ways than one.

Dual time line with two sets of sisters; women fighting back against men who have wronged them; connection to the sea

What worked for me:
- Loved the setting in Australia
- enjoyed the two time lines
- liked how the two sets of sisters/women's stories entertwined
- loved how the sea called to these women
- loved the sirens tie-in

What didn't work for me:
- I didn't love any of these characters. Didn't dislike them really, just didn't connect with them


3.5 stars rounded up

THIS BOOK - there are simply inadequate words to describe the beauty in this writing and within these pages. The way that @emiliahartbooks is able to weave these magnificent and heartrending stories of women across time is truly phenomenal!

This book is truly a genre bender with dual timelines, folklore, magical realism, grit and heart! It follows two sets of women over particularly poignant times in their stories! This is a book that women (and everyone honestly) MUST read!

I will be shouting this books praises from the rooftops forever! An EASY 5 (maybe 6?) ⭐️ and quickly made its way into what I know will be my top books of the year!

Please do yourself a favor and go pick this one up!

Emilia Hart is a master at atmospheric novels. The Sirens transports you to the coast of Australia, to Scotland, to abandoned houses, with such beauty that you could almost paint the scenes from memory.

After a video of her goes viral and she wakes up inexplicably choking her ex's neck, Lucy flees to her estranged sister's house on the coast of New South Wales only to find her sister missing. Lucy searches for her sister, but finds that her vivid dreams are becoming stranger -- dating back to a voyage to Australia from Scotland -- and she feels an increasing pull to the sea. Coupled with the rumors of an abandoned baby left in the sea caves of New South Wales, nothing in Lucy's life is as it has seemed. And she is left wondering whether all of these things -- the dreams, the rumors around town -- having anything to do with her missing sister.

audiobook review: Great narrator -- I usually have trouble with accents in an audiobook, but I loved Kreinik's voice throughout this one.

This cover is beautiful -- I feel like it deserves five stars. The book, and the mermaid-adjacentness of it all was beautiful as well. 4 stars in total for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this author's debut, Weyward, and I loved this one EVEN MORE.

Mermaids and Sisterhood and Vigilante Justice and PUT THAT ISH IN MY VEINS.

I loved the multiple timelines, the distinct voices of each complex character, the interwoven Irish folklore, and the feminine rage.

THE FEMININE RAGE

Was I disappointed Ben didn't go for a final swim? Yes, but I'll content myself with the other nine (+) bits of retribution.

Here’s to many more.

This was my first read from Emilia Hart and it will not be my last!

This had the perfect blend of honestly so many amazing genre’s and themes: its fantasy/magical realism, mystery and suspense, historical fiction, and family drama. It’s about feminism and sisterhood and women who protect eachother. It’s paced beautifully and kept my attention, and while it felt complex, it also wasn’t so much so that it lost me via audio. The narrator was AWESOME as well, she really transported me into the story.

If you enjoy books that keep you guessing, are full of tension, have many timelines, family secrets, missing people and murder, mythology and historical contexts, I think you’ll adore this as much as I did! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this early audio copy!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my copy of THE SIRENS. This one is out April 1.

I really loved Emilia Hart's previous novel, WEYWARD, and was super excited to get my hands on THE SIRENS. This one just didn't meet my expectations after her previous novel. I didn't really enjoy the characters and I felt myself dreading reading this one. I do not recommend it.

I really enjoyed Weyward last year. I was very excited to read Sirens!

However, this book was a little slower. Took a little longer for me to get into this book. I thought this was a little slower in the middle.

Emilia Hart did a fantastic job portraying different time lines. I feel like she really put her research into 100 years ago and comparing it to the events she portrayed of modern times. This is definitely a magical realism book, and i thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the Sirens. The Sirens are definitely the hero’s of this book. Very strong female characters.

There are very complicated bonds between characters. Especially Jess and Lucy, with a 20 year age difference and not seeming to be connected at first. But the “blossoming” of their connection was well worth the read.

Barrie Kreinik did a fantastic job with the narration! Flipping from Irish to Australian accents was absolutely seamless. And she sings beautifully as well! Loved the difference she brought to each character!

Overall, i really enjoyed this read. It’s definitely a step outside of my comfort zone. Complex characters, relationships, and jumps to the timeline. Definitely worth the read if you want to branch out a little.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review!

Dear The Sirens,
You were enchanting and magical and I lost myself in the world of Lucy and Jess, as well as in the past with Mary and Eliza. You were a beautifully written story with a fascinating mystery at your core. I was really able to lose myself in everything that was happening, in both the past and present, in the real world and the dream world. There was such perfection in your language, as you built these intricate pictures for me. A story of complexity and layers that was about the simplicity of a relationship between sisters and how deep it can be.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for an Advanced Listener's Copy of this title!

The tides of time ebb and flow, and return us, the reader, to a secluded cave once more. In 2019, college student Lucy awakes with her hands around the throat of an ex-lover, and flees for the coast and the safety of her sister in rural New South Wales. Armed with a podcast and her own budding sleuthing skills, the absence of her sister and presence of alarming clues lead Lucy on a wild goose chase into the past, and the murky circumstances behind her sister's behavior, the town's dark history, and the bizarre dreams and ailments they seem to share. In 1800, Irish sisters Mary and Eliza are forced aboard a convict ship headed for a brittle new world across the sea. Their harrowing journey is one of heartache, regret, and mysterious changes to their bodies the closer they come to shore. Through these two timelines a stunning tale of female resistance, patriarchy, and change is washed ashore, where only the water knows if sisterhood and the magic of the sea can ever make things right again.

I absolutely love a well-crafted contemporary fantasy, and "The Sirens" was right up my alley. Told through multiple first-person perspectives and following an ambling journey through past and present, this overarching tale of feminine rage and power was spellbinding. I sometimes think it's hard to bounce between multiple narrators, let alone timelines that are hundreds of years apart, but the way in which the author moved from Lucy, to Mary, to Jess, really kept a pulse on the tension that built as each respective set of girls moved towards their denouements, and set up for an absolute pummeling of twists towards the end. I also like the parallels each timeline was able to draw regarding female treatment in regards to assault - through we should expect that Mary and Eliza's time was particularly harsh to women and have record of that, Lucy and Jess in some ways hardly fared better than their 1800s counterparts. I also loved the author's notes in the beginning about the colonization of Australia (including the decimation of First Nations peoples), and while I had a vague idea of Australia as a country of prisoners, I feel like I learned a lot and am motivated to go do more research on the subject in my own time. I think this was a fantastic, tense, and delicate book all at once, and will certainly be seeking out more books by Emilia Hart in the future!

I highly recommend giving the audiobook version of this title a listen - the narrator did a stellar job of moving between accents across each voice shift and I really had a hard time putting the book down to attend to rea life matters!

The Sirens is a story about women and sisters and the lengths we will go to keep each other safe. Hart's writing is beautiful, descriptive, and atmospheric, reminding me a little of Adrienne Young. For me, the writing was the best part of this story.

Unfortunately, I struggled through most of this story. I just kept waiting for something to happen. Perhaps I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected violence, rage, and savagery. Instead, I read a slow-burn fantasy mystery that never quite hooked me. The ending seemed evident from the beginning, and the two timelines failed to distinguish themselves.

Overall, I wanted more tension and risk. I wanted mermaids that bite. The Sirens is not that story, and if you have any recommendations for books like that, please drop them in the comments.

Many of my friends love this story, so if you are interested, you should read it. I have not read Weyard, so I can't compare the two.

I do want to point out that I listened to this via audio, and despite my issues with the story, the audio production was exceptional. Barrie Kreinik does a fantastic job of distinguishing the points of view.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It creatively explores the origins of mermaids and sirens through the story of women with a family history of becoming mermaids while living on land. The narrative unfolds across different timelines, weaving together the stories of Lucy, her missing sister Jess, eight missing men, and a shipwreck from the 1800s involving twin sisters Mary and Eliza. The connections between these stories are masterfully told, keeping me fully engrossed throughout.

The audiobook was fantastic. The narrator was perfectly cast, bringing each character to life with distinct voices and flawless pacing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for the audiobook.

The captivating novel, The Sirens by Emilia Hart, skillfully weaves multiple narratives and perspectives. The audiobook narrator, Barrie Kreinik, enhanced the story with phenomenal transitions between Australian and Irish accents.

4.25 STARS

This book took me on quite the wild ride, but I loved every second of it! The back and forth between povs was a bit confusing, but the way everything pieces together in the end was *chefs kiss*

The Sirens by Emilia Hart beautifully explores sisterhood, family, and self-discovery. Barrie Kreinik’s captivating narration seamlessly weaves together the novel’s multiple narratives and perspectives through regular vocals, accents, and even singing.

Emilia Hart knows how to write female resistance. This book crushed me and filled me with hope. The audiobook narrator was extraordinary and made me feel even more immersed in the story, which already did an incredible job of pulling me in. The incorporation of Irish folklore really worked for me. The bond between Jess and Lucy is so genuine and I really appreciate the care Hart took when writing Jess. I will not ever shut up about this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC of The Sirens by Emilia Hart.

I really wanted to love this book. The concept is fantastic with three women across different time periods, all connected by a shared legacy and a supernatural thread. I especially appreciated the narrative structure: three POVs, weaving through history, with hints and echoes across time. That part was beautifully done and kept me engaged.

Unfortunately, that’s where my enjoyment stopped. The characters felt flat and emotionally distant. I never really connected with any of them and none of them had personality. Their voices didn’t feel distinct, and their arcs lacked depth or growth. Each was just carried along by the plot without guiding it. The mystery of them being sirens is treated like a big revelation, but honestly, the title gives the whole plot away. There’s no real tension or payoff because it’s all telegraphed from the start.

The book is also heavily inspired by the Me Too movement, which I don’t inherently mind, but it doesn't bring anything new or nuanced to the table. The themes felt one-dimensional, more like a slogan than a story.

In the end, The Sirens had potential, but the execution just didn’t deliver. Great idea, well-structured, but ultimately hollow.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart explores the ocean’s mysteries and Australia’s disturbing origin story. The narration alternates between Lucy in 2019 and the late 1700s on a ship full of women exiled from Ireland to New South Wales.

Lucy flees college seeking solace at her older sister Jess’ new house in a small seaside town. Lucy, an aspiring journalist dives in to the mysterious disappearances of men that the ocean has claimed over the years. Meanwhile two sisters, Mary and Eliza haunt her dreams as they survive abhorrent conditions upon an exile ship headed to the same shore Lucy’s now living at. She’ll uncover not only the ocean’s secrets but those of her family. The story will keep readers staying up late and turning the pages quickly to the very end. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The audiobook was well done and I loved the addition of the siren song. What a treat!
Fans of Kate Morton’s Homecoming will enjoy this novel too.

Finished Reading

Pre-Read notes

Sirens and mermaids are my favorite mythological creatures, so this was an obvious choice. I requested and received a digital copy, and then I was sent a widget for the audiobook. I'm really enjoying Hart's style and the audiobook narrator's delivery.

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

Well, I definitely liked this book! Weyward wasn't a favorite for me, but this is one suspenseful, Gothic, beauty of a book. The twist surprised me but it was well-plotted and fitting to the story. The themes Hart visited here, such as violence against women and children, mental health stigma, and forgiveness in broken, toxic, or dysfunctional families made for a gripping story.

I was so fascinated with the characters belonging to the contemporary timeline. You could comfortably call this book character driven, and Hart provides characters with depth and complexity. I was so fascinated in learning more of the sisters' story that I hardly even noticed the plot, which didn't move much from beginning to end.

I recommend this one to readers of magical realism, contemporary mythology, suspense, or women's fiction. Also, fans of human transformation in metaphor and the flesh, captivity (this word represents a fabulous leit motif that operates throughout the book, from beginning to end, and complex female characters.

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The opening of the audiobook, with the music, which is haunting and gorgeous, sets a mood for the book. On the audiobook, the author reads her own introduction about some of the history she discovered in her research but didn't include in her story. I highly recommend.

2. Some gorgeous descriptive writing here, which I remember about Weyward also. A prickle starts at the base of Lucy’s spine. Maybe it’s the knowledge of what the water would do to her skin. She imagines the waves lapping at her like tongues, stripping her of flesh until she is nothing but bone, gleaming white. p37

3. I think it's challenging for writers to juggle both alternating perspectives and multiple timelines without affecting clarity, but Hart manages this technique well.

4. I'm so happy that this book takes on the experiences of students who accuse their classmates (or teachers) of SA. Trigger warning for SA, rp, and victim suppression. When she sought help through the proper channels, the procedures, no one gave her a gold star or thanked her for asking nicely. Instead, they wanted her to keep being nice, to put Ben’s feelings—his reputation, his future—above her own. They wanted her to go away. p131

5. Capture. It’s the perfect word, isn’t it? You paint them and it’s like you own them, like you’ve taken their soul from their body and put it right there on the canvas. p153 I love the repeated use of the word "capture" in the text. This doesn't always work, but it does here. I love all the subtext Harr builds into this word.

6. I love sister stories. I find if very moving when the depicted relationship demands a dreary tone, like it does here, with the sisters being separated. She will stand here, her hands on Jess’s artwork, as if she can soak up her sister’s thoughts. p208

7. "...So, he’d put his hands on the button of my jeans, and kiss my neck and beg for more, and I’d say no, even though sometimes I felt like it’d be easier to say yes. Just give in, I’d think. Get it over with. It can’t be that bad. But still, there was that little seed of fear.” Hart writes brilliantly about what it means to be a young girl.

8. I wasn't much for the plot here, but I also thought that didn't matter because of how well all the elements came together. The climax itself is wonderfully fantastical and fulfilling and I think it strengthens the plot, as it gathers up many ends here at the climax, which is my favorite place in a plot to receive new information that settles a question or conflict. The denouement is too late. She does a great job with this.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Hart's definitely wrong about tongue-rolling being entirely genetic, it's not. A simple Google search would have revealed this. But she pils all the eggs in the plot basket on that pseudoscientific idea. *edit Yeah she already knew this lol, but if this point bugs you, i encourage you to keep reading!

2. I nodded, but I couldn’t stop trembling. He got me a glass of water from the art room’s clanking metal sink, and while I drank he put his hand on my shoulder, just for a moment. I was wearing a long-sleeved top under my school uniform, stiff and probably stinking of sweat, but I still felt an almost electric charge, as if his bare skin was touching mine. Then he took his hand away. p153 The main character of this book, a teenage girl with few quality connections, befriends her teacher, a man in his thirties. I love how Hart handles this relationship, gracefully depicting how the very nature of their relationship suggests impropriety, even where none exists. It's as though Hart is saying, I know you're squicked out by this friendship, but that's a you problem.... until it's not. Perception is often flawed.

Rating: 🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️ /5 sirens, not mermaids!
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 19 '25
Format: digital, audiobook, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪢 alternating povs
⌚️ alternating timelines
🙎‍♀️ girl's coming of age
🕰 historical fiction

Thank you to the author Emilia Hart, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for advance digital copy and an advance audiobook of THE SIRENS. All views are mine.
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I don’t read very many ‘women’s fiction’ novels but something about the cover and blurb of this one called to me.

Dual timeline of sisters, bonds, tragedies, self/discovery, and magical realism. The audio was SO GOOD. I probably wouldn’t have picked up the book, but the audio took me outside my comfort zone and I really enjoyed it!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC.