After loving her debut, Weyward, I knew I had to jump on Sirens. I was so excited to read another book by this author. Hart's stories are so different from others and they suck you in from the start. Following these two time lines, it was exciting as they started to come together.

Hart does a great job at character development, and it's so easy to fall in love with them!
It is easy to related to these women, as they are working through their struggles of feeling different than anyone else.

Sirens definitely lived up to my expectations, and I can't wait for more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emilia Hart for an ARC of this book!

At it's heart, The Sirens is a book about sisters, men abusing women and resiliency. Colonialism is a sidenote to this tale but definitely one worth research. Nice of Emilia Hart to start the book with an introduction acknowledging the facts of that era. Emilia Hart is skilled in penning characters so real that the reader starts identifying with them. I felt that with both Lucy and Jess.

Here's what I liked: Cliff House and Emilia Hart's decrepit, almost gothic, descriptiveness of it. I loved the beginning of the book, where Lucy wakes up with her hands around Ben's neck and the podcast/true crime angle. The gorgeous, eye catching cover is amazing. Reading Jess's diary is a smart and intimate way of getting to know both sisters.

I did not care for the Nonlinear Timeline, despite how well it's done. I didn't get really confused as to who or when the chapters took place until the end and kept having to flip back to the chapter headers to see who was narrating. It felt like the paranormal part of the story, that the book is named for, was a side note until the very end.

There were small inconsistencies like the postcard and Jess's return address. It took me out of the storyline. Lucy is supposedly using the address on this postcard to find Jess's house. Then the author goes on to transcribe exactly what the postcard says, also no address because postcards don't have return addresses. It's a small thing and could be fixed by calling it a letter but distracting none the less. (It should be noted however that I'm reading an uncorrected proof.)

I found this book to be a mixed bag. The parts I liked, the in-depth character based plotline of Lucy's story and the author's masterful descriptiveness, I REALLY loved. There were parts that lost me a bit and some that fell short but overall I appreciated reading The Sirens. It is not some whimsical fairytale retelling. Enjoyable isn't the right word for this book. There are multiple forms of trauma delved into here and overall I think it was done pretty realistically. Trigger Warnings aren't needed but this was a depressing book. Be prepared for that. I liked it but don't feel like I need to buy a physical copy. If you enjoy intense, well written character based plotlines give this one a try at your local library.

Another whimsical & heart-wrenching story of female resiliency, love , and deep familial bonds spanning the ages from Emilia Hart. Her writing style has a way of driving emotion from the reader making it nearly impossible to be disengaged. How Lucy, being pulled by an innate force, uncovers her roots through her journalistic eyes -particularly with Jess's diary - was deeply moving. The story of Mary and Eliza driving toward the future of Lucy and Jess and how it slots in the puzzle pieces for how things came to be as they are weaved the story beautifully. I really loved this one.

As written on Goodreads:

“The Sirens is a feminist fantasy in the realest way: sisterhood, strong female characters who save themselves, and VENGEANCE. In fact, there’s really nothing about this book that I DIDN’T like - the pacing is great, the storyline hooked me in, the characters were well written and complex, and I enjoyed how the diary added a third perspective partway through. It was everything I would have expected from Emilia Hart after reading Weyward - right down to another gorgeous cover.

That being said, I do feel as though a lot of the twists in this book were tossed low and slow right down the centre so we could easily see them coming (not all, but a few at least), and while that didn’t bother me it did seem to make me read faster so I could get to the “aha moment” and Emilia could prove me right.

At the end of this book I can once again confirm that I will read anything Emilia Hart writes, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. ”

This was not it for me.
there was so much unnecessary things happening with these characters that in the end had no impact on the actual plot of this book. I had to fight hard not to dnf. Very very slow. Did not connect with the characters and the plot didn’t hit until at least 75% of the book.

Sirens is the second novel by Weyward author Emilia Hart. I loved the first book and was looking forward to this one.

Lucy wakes from a dream with her hands around a boys throat, with no recollection as to how she got there. While it is easy enough to imagine she had sleepwalked in a rage over him sharing intimate pictures of her, Lucy can't help but fee there is something more.

Fleeing to find her sister, the only one she feels she can turn to, Lucy is drawn into a mystery of a town and herself .

Similar to Weyward, Sirens time jumps between multiple characters who are connected in some capacity. While I felt the premise was interesting, particularly the connection to the sirens of Greek mythology, I was never as connected to the characters as I had been in the first book. It felt like something was missing.

That said, it is a decent read and does seem to pick up in speed closer to the end

The Sirens is a captivating story that seamlessly moves between past and present, offering a unique blend of history and fantasy. The family dynamics are heartfelt and relatable, and the characters are well-developed, making their journeys engaging to follow.

While the book starts off a bit slow, it quickly becomes compelling as the mystery and magical elements unfold. The surprise twist adds an exciting layer to the story and keeps you hooked.

That said, I would have liked more focus on the siren mythology, which felt underexplored. Even so, The Sirens is a well-written and thought-provoking read that fans of the author’s previous work, Weyward, are sure to enjoy.

Emilia Hart has lovingly crafted a tale of women’s fiction involving mysterious mermaids, women overcoming impossible odds, and transforming the remains of trauma into a personal Renaissance. Lucy and Jessica—sisters living in present day Australia—are dreaming of twin sisters, Eliza and Mary, who both lived over 200 hundred years ago. The twins were forced to travel to Australia on a British convict ship with other women and their story is one of sadness and transformation. Each time Lucy and Jessica dream, they learn more about the twins’ story, but they also begin to sleepwalk, dangerously being guided to the water. Both stories lead us to a seaside town called Comer Bay, where men have gone missing without a trace so many times over the years, it’s called the “Bermuda Triangle.” It is here that Jessica, Lucy, Eliza, and Mary’s stories converge to provide answers about their heritages and identities; more excitingly, this is where each character transforms into their own powerful self, which is only achieved after reaching out to one another. This deep-sea saga is salted through with magical realism and a generous helping of decadently dark and rich Irish folklore; merrow, which are mermaid or siren-like creatures, are known for being able to freely transform into humans. In traditional Greek mythology, Sirens are typically portrayed as rather villainous. They are beguiling temptresses, luring men to their watery graves with beautiful enchantments woven into song, as depicted in ancient tales such as The Odyssey. The sirens in this story have a vengeful protectiveness over women, which is a refreshing, feminist variation on the lore.

After reading both of Emilia Hart’s books, I have noticed a strong thematic presence involving the female experience, specifically as it relates to trauma and the healing process. Personally, it was difficult to read about the tremendous amount of trauma each female character faces, so I recommend being familiar with the trigger warnings. The story was beautifully written, so when I felt like my soul was being broken apart yet again, the author at least painted a painfully exquisite picture with her emotional writing style. I honestly struggled with disliking the female main characters as much as I did. However, I am also able to see how each woman being written as a considerably flawed individual is integral to a story hooking together the intricacies of change, self-enlightenment, and self-acceptance in the face of hard truths. While cognitively complex, it can also make it challenging to prevent the characters from becoming wholly unlikable. The author had several characters to navigate and multiple story lines to simultaneously weave together; in this, she was successful at showcasing female tenacity and resilience. However, I concluded that the pacing was bogged down by these alternating points of view and shifting timelines. Additionally, it seems like significant moments for characters were forgotten altogether as we progressed between the various viewpoints. Clearly, this nautical tale is one of female empowerment, embracing the tides of transformation, and a sisterhood so powerful it connects generations of women across time. I recommend embarking upon this seafaring, feminist odyssey if you enjoyed Hart’s previous book or enjoy works comparable to those from Kristin Hannah.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Instagram accounts.

An eerie story about family, coming of age, mystery, feminism, and bit of fantasy. Lucy finds herself in some trouble after sleepwalking one night. She flees to the only other person she knows who sleepwalks, her sister. But her sister is not there and now she is alone in her new home with these strange dreams and no idea where her sister is.
While somewhat dark and eerie, there is also a heartwarming aspect about family and the power of sisterhood (family or not).
At a few points, I felt there were 1 too many things going on and some of the “women power” notions were a bit too on the nose for me.

A powerful story of righteous female anger, a mystery that spans centuries, and the strength of love. The Siren is full of raw, complicated human emotion that drew me in, with a mystery that kept me up all night to finish it. A touching exploration of family ties, and the complexities of familial love.

I LOVED this book!! Emilia Hart does such a great job weaving an intriguing story that readers will fall in love with like I did!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy books!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a story about family, sisterhood, and the cruel world that tries to break that apart. Each character, Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza are unique in their own right, but connected by the struggles they face. I can't say much about the plot to give a synopsis without spoiling anything, but I can assure you that all of its layers and mysteries are worth reading about! This novel had a bit of a slow start, just getting on board with the characters and what was going on, but once I got acquainted it was addicting. Every page added to the mystery and legend of Comber Bay and more importantly the women of this story. I felt just like Lucy, using all of my detective skills to try and piece together what happened all of those years ago. This book definitely rewards readers with a sharp attention to detail.

I highly recommend this book and would rate it a 4.25 out of 5 stars. My only struggle with this book was the beginning as I mentioned earlier, but the latter half of the novel was a treat that I keep thinking about after I finished it. Trigger Warnings for this book would be: death, grief, violence, sexual assault, pregnancy, murder, and some language.

4.5⭐️ The voices, the sea, the songs. The strength of women across time.

I loved the way that this wrapped up. It felt very complete.

🐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 :
~ mermaid folklore
~ stories about sisterhood
~ family secrets
~ historical fantasy
~ seaside Australian setting
~ journal entries
~ The Thirteenth Year

🐚 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 :
Her debut novel, Weyward, was a 5★ favorite of mine last year so I was really excited to dive into this new book by Emilia Hart (pun-intended🌊)

I found The Sirens to be underwhelming. I feel like it’s in the wrong category being marketed as fantasy/historical fiction. The vast majority of the story is present day & it felt more like a family drama than anything. Also, the magical realism aspect was less enchanting & more just… weird?

The mermaid lore needed more information, & there were several plot points that go completely unexplained.

I did enjoy Hart’s lyrical writing style, & the audiobook narration was very well done. It followed a similar formula as Weyward, with the characters having virtually the same motivations, but the execution was less effective.

Ultimately I was left with more questions than answers. I feel like this book just skimmed the surface instead of a giving a deep dive into what made these characters tick which made it hard to be fully invested. I think the idea behind the story had promise, but I would still recommend Weyward over this one.

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, + @macmillanaudio for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈

Obviously, by its title, I knew this was going to be a mermaid story. But what I wasn’t expecting was a devastating glimpse into a piece of history I didn’t know about.

Hart begins this book with a historical note that I found extra helpful and relied on to feel and understand the gravity of situations along the story.

The Sirens is a story about two sisters, Mary and Eliza, in Ireland during 1800 forced onto a convict ship headed for Australia. The passage is gruel and suffering. The story flips back and forth from 1800 to modern-day 2019, following another set of sisters, Jess and Lucy. Lucy runs away from university to see her sister, but when she gets there, she finds that her sister is missing, in a town notoriously known for missing men.

Lucy struggles to find her sister while learning bits and pieces of her sister’s past which brings more questions about herself and their family’s secrets.

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed Hart’s other book, Weyward, too. Her writing pulls you into the atmosphere. You can almost taste the salt in the air as Lucy stands on a cliff of dangerous territory.

Add this to your TBR!

PUB DAY >>> April 1, 2025

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Emilia Hart's debut novel, Weyward, a story about three women from different time periods who are all perceived as "witches" because of their ties to the natural world. Her upcoming book, The Sirens, is equally enchanting and explores the legend of the merrow, the mermaid-like creature from Irish folklore.

The Sirens is a dual-narrative historical fantasy that focuses on two sets of sisters, one in the past and one in 2019. In Ireland in 1800, Mary and Eliza are sentenced to transportation to Australia, and their story is set primarily during their long voyage on the convict ship from Ireland to New South Wales. Ms. Hart does such an amazing job bringing all of the characters to life, especially the sea, which functions as an important character and enhances the mysterious tone of both narrative threads. In the modern day story, Lucy abruptly leaves her university after an upsetting relationship and drives through the night to her older sister's house. When Lucy arrives at Jess' house by the sea, there is no sign of her sister--only a beautiful painting of mermaids. While she is searching for her sister, Jess has haunting dreams about Mary and Eliza and learns many secrets about her own family.

The story is gripping and haunting, and this is a book to savor. The mysteries unfold slowly, and the beauty of Hart's poetic language elevates the journey to the satisfying conclusion of both narratives. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Barrie Kreinik's wonderful perfomance (including beautiful singing!) and highly recommend the audio version. Thank you to libro.fm and Macmillan audio for the librarian preview copy of the audiobook, and to Netgalley, St. Martin's, and author Emilia Hart for the librarian preview ebook!

It's only the second week of January, but I think I may have read one of my favorite books of 2025. This book is a mediation on the quiet strength of women, the bonds of sisterhood, and the discovery of one's identity. The two sets of sisters in this book have not only suffered at the hands of men, but they have had to endure the consequences of systemic sexism. The characters must struggle with the concept of stealing justice in a world that has taken justice away from them. While I was disgusted at the trauma these women faced, I was moved by their journey of discovering and believing in their own strength and power. The writing lends itself well to this haunting, mysterious, and eerie story. I was enthralled from the very first page (the main character strangling her ex-lover whilst sleepwalking) and my interest was held until the last page. Regarding the end, I do think that the epilogue upended some of the message the book was trying to convey. However, despite this, the book will evoke feelings of sadness, anger, and most of all, hope.

I have not read Emilia Hart's other book, but based on the strength of this, I will definitely read her previous book. Further, I also look forward to her next.

2.5 rounded up -- I loved Weyward, so I was really looking forward to Emilia's sophomore novel, but The Sirens just didn't really do it for me. Most of the novel was quite slow, not a lot was happening, just a lot of telling instead of showing. I guessed the twist before I was halfway through. The last 25% was the most enjoyable when everything started happening, but it was a bit of a slog to get to that.

I loved Weyward, so I was really excited for The Sirens. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me and I wasn’t able to force myself to finish it. I got 38% through by sheer determination, then I skimmed and jumped chapters to get the gist of the rest of the story.

This book moved so, so slowly. In the more than 1/3 that I read, barely anything happened. Some books with little happening work because we dive deeply into the characters’ thoughts and really get to know them, but this wasn’t like that. This was just extraordinarily slow. I was shocked to see that it has a similar page count as Weyward because I finished that one in just two days, whereas I’ve spent weeks trying to read the Sirens.

After skimming and jumping around through the chapters to the end, I know I made the right choice to stop reading. It didn’t become interesting again until the last few chapters. The book would have benefited from a very thorough edit with big sections taken out and sped up.

I really wanted to like this book as I devoured and loved Wayward, sadly that was not the case. The book was long and at times seemed to drag. While I did finish it, I also had no problem setting it down. This is no fault of the writer, her writing is wonderful i was just expecting something closer to her first novel.