The story of women's resilience across time is masterfully told. It was a good blend of genres with the folklore tie-in. I really enjoy reading books about complex family dynamics, and this one was no exception. I became engrossed when the historical viewpoints and magical/folklore elements were added.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Emilia Hart for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Set against a richly woven backdrop, the story follows the lives of three women across generations, each experiencing their own struggles and triumphs connected by a mystical bond with the sea.

The writing in this book is both lyrical and immersive, I was immediately drawn into the atmospheric world. The characters are well-developed, showcasing their vulnerabilities and strengths as they navigate love and loss. The interplay between the supernatural elements of the story and the very raw emotions of the characters adds depth and intrigue.

This is a story of women, family bonds, fierce friendships and the power of the sea.

Emilia Hart writes the most beautiful, haunting reads. I was a huge fan of weyward & the sirens did not disappoint. I love the perspectives of so many different women connected through time and history. another amazing book!

The story takes place in two timelines-1800s and 2019. Mary and Emilia are Irish women being transported on a convict ship to the Australian penal colony. Jess and Lucy live in the present day. They are all women who have a hard time fitting into society, partly because they all have a skin condition (Aquagenic Urticaria) that makes them allergic to water. I have to say that I thought this was made up, but when I did a little research I found that it is a very real, rare condition. To be honest, for much of the book, I thought it was a three star read, but I absolutely loved the ending enough to raise it to four stars.

I’m always looking for the next female revenge story and I love to see it here. I loved Weyward so I was excited to get to her new novel! This had all of the elements I loved from her last novel, including multiple POVS, revenge, and interconnected perspectives across time. I enjoyed the plot and pacing and was ultimately satisfied with how the story concluded. I also enjoyed that the author chose to lean into a version of sirens that is more aligned with folklore and ferociousness and less dainty and pretty. Overall, really enjoyed it! Go women!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a masterful narrative that entwines three separate timelines, each brimming with suspense, mystery, and the strength of sisterly bonds. In 2019, Lucy's story starts with an unsettling dream that drives her to seek refuge at her sister Jess's coastal home. The eerie rumors of missing men, mysterious findings, and haunting voices set the perfect stage for a thrilling investigation. Lucy's journey through Jess's diary and her quest for answers keep the suspense alive. The 1999 timeline offers a deeply emotional glimpse into Jess's life as a sixteen-year-old grappling with a unique water allergy. Her sense of isolation and the budding connection with her art teacher add layers of complexity and poignancy to her character. Going further back to 1800, we meet twin sisters Mary and Eliza, who are forcefully taken from their father and transported to Australia. Their fear of the ocean and the mystical changes they experience aboard the convict ship bring a supernatural element to the story, captivating the reader's imagination. Hart's storytelling seamlessly weaves these timelines together, exploring themes of resilience, identity, and the enduring bonds between sisters. The sea itself becomes a character, adding to the novel's enchanting and mysterious aura.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Weaving together the current story of Lucy & Jess and the past story of Mary & Eliza, Emilia Hart took us on another emotional journey. It took a little bit for me to become invested in the Lucy/Jess chapters. I really felt like things started to intrigue me after the addition of the diary. My mind was trying to piece together all the little details. I tend to enjoy stories about sisters (as an eldest sister myself) and strong women standing together. I enjoyed the tying in and wrapping up of the 2 stories together, but it seemed a little odd that one of the main plot points through like 99% of the book just went away at the end. It left me wondering why until the very end it seemed so critical to the entire story, but it didn’t cause me to enjoy the journey any less. I think this will be a hit, just like Weyward!

After absolutely loving Weyward, I had high expectations for The Sirens, and I’m happy to say it lived up to the hype! Emilia Hart has such a gift for weaving together history, nature, and deeply compelling female characters, and this book is no exception.

The dual timelines were beautifully executed, and I was completely swept up in the atmosphere—haunting, lyrical, and immersive. The setting, with its wild cliffs and restless sea, felt like a character in its own right, adding to the novel’s rich, almost mythic quality. While the pacing was a little slower in parts, the payoff was worth it, and I found myself deeply invested in the fates of these women.

I will say, I found some of the plot twists to be incredibly predictable and at times felt like I was treading water waiting for them to be revealed. I also was not a huge fan of the epilogue. I understand why it was included, but felt the novel ended stronger without it.

If you loved Weyward, I think you’ll find a lot to appreciate here. It’s a story of resilience, mystery, and the enduring power of the past. A truly captivating read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

Having read and really enjoyed Weyward I was really looking forward to reading The Sirens. The premise sounded fantastic, but I found myself struggling to connect to the story.

The Sirens take place during different timelines and narratives. 1800"s twin sisters Mary and Eliza are being trransported from Ireland on a convit ship heading to Australia. The conditons aboard the ship are terrible and when the twins skin are changing with each passing day. Eliza and Mary are feeling the sea call to them more and more as the days pass by on the ship. 1999 Jess a 16 year old has that has a rare skin conditon and is just wanting someone to connect with. An aspiring artist Jess is drawn to her art professor for more than a student /teacher relationship. Jess feels that he can actually see who she really is and this by far is a comfort to her. Jess has secrets that are not ready to be shared. 2019 Lucy is in college for journalism and she has been sleepwalking and awakes to find her strangling her former lover, In a panic Lucy flees college and heads to her sister Jess for help. The trip reveals more clues than answers when Lucy is now looking for information into Jess's dissapearance. The Sirens was a fascinating read that also touched on the myth of mermaids. I loved this book just like with Weyward Emilia Heart weaves together both mystical and mystery flawlessly. I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read to an advanced copy of this novel.

3.5/4 stars—This is a beautifully written story with an interesting premise wherein we follow four women as they come to accept who they are. I don’t believe I have read a book quite like this one which interweaves Irish folklore with Australia of both the past and present. For that reason alone, I found The Sirens refreshing in that it took a topic I already love but placed in in a part of the world I rarely read about. The fantasy elements were well executed as they were used to push the themes of identity, familial bonds, and autonomy. And, again, this was a beautifully crafted novel.

However, I did have some issues with parts of the story, including how predictable I found it to be. I knew exactly what was going to happen so it was more the anticipation of how the characters would uncover the truth which created momentum throughout. The one point I didn’t see coming (and am still not sure how I feel about) is the revelation in the epilogue. I’m still digesting that one. Often, due to the constraints Mary and Eliza faced, the chapters dedicated to them slowed the story as it was all very reflective or highlighting moments of cruelty, though ultimately also depicting a type of found family.

I liked a lot of what was going on symbolically and within a historical sense, but the skin condition and link between the four characters just made it TOO obvious for me—though the author may not have intended for it to ever be a secret to anyone but the main characters as a sort of self-denial/self-diminishing? Either way, it was a fine story that was entertaining and novel to my reading experience.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy to read and review.

The Sirens was just lovely. It's a beautifully told story of female resiliency through the ages. With the tie in of folklore, it was a nice mixture of genres. While three storylines felt like a lot, it worked.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

The Sirens is a suspenseful mystery seeped in folklore, following two sets of sisters separated by hundreds of years. The sisters feel like outsiders but find a shared connection to the sea. Hart beautifully describes how it feels to be drawn to the sea in a way that lets the reader really experience it, feeling that deep connection alongside the characters.

Dual timelines and multiple POV’s echo each other, amplifying the themes of sisterhood. I loved the connection between the 1800’s and modern day timelines and could have read an entire book about the fascinating and dark historical aspects. The modern timeline had enough going on with family drama that the love interest aspects were less interesting to me. The slow burn, atmospheric vibe is exceptionally well done and I was fully invested as pieces of the puzzle started coming together. The Sirens is ethereal and emotional and I think fans of Weyward will be really pleased with this book!

Emilia Hart's writing is beautiful and the scene she set in this book is so transportative. The plot here is a slow build, dual timeline. It was obvious the amount of research that went into telling the story of imprisoned women sent away to colonies. This was a subject I honestly did not know much about. This novel was a little bit historical fiction, a little magical realism, and a dash of female empowerment. I enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc.

Emilia Hart never disappoints! This book was fantastic, kept me invested the whole way through, and made me really feel for the characters in the story.

I love a book about complicated familial relationships, and this one really hit that right on the head. Add in the past perspectives and the magical/folklore aspects and it had me hooked.

I don’t want to say much to avoid spoilers but cannot emphasize enough that you should read this book. You won’t regret it.

I like magic realism. I like a dual timeline. I like a mystery. I liked Hart's debut novel, Weyward. However, I am in the distinct minority as I did not like this book AT ALL. Billed as a "...breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea." But this [description, especially extraordinary!] is NOT the book that I read!

I preferred the 1800 story where the sisters Mary and Eliza are on a convict ship headed for Australia. The 2019 story--of sisters Jess and Lucy, not so much.

I learned a few new words:
fetters are chains/manacles and
merrow is Anglicized for mermaid
farls are inedible black berries

There were many "OY" moments and many grimaces. I pushed myself to finish it so I could read something else [and hopefully much better!].

I don't have much to say about this book as I didn't care for it/was never engaged.

On a positive note, I did like the cover.

What an amazing and beautiful story. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Really struggled to get into any sort of groove reading this one. I felt the characterization could have been stronger, the multiple perspectives more interesting, and the plot more gripping. I did like the setting and the themes that we set out to explore. I am always here for women fighting back against their oppressors.

But unfortunately this was not my cup of tea. This feels like a safe option for a workplace book club or a group just forming, but I don’t feel that it lives up to the depth I was anticipating.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this so much! Thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Sirens! Can’t wait to see more from Emilia Hart!

I'd like to thank NetGally and the publisher for this ARC.
3.75 / 5
The Sirens is beautifully woven together with mystery and mythology, creating a story that felt both timeless and haunting. The dual POV structure worked beautifully, allowing the past and present to echo each other in meaningful ways. While the first third of the book moves at a slower pace, it lays a strong foundation for the rich, immersive narrative that follows. Emilia Hart excels at exploring themes of generational connection and the resilience of sisterhood, and those elements were particularly strong here. This was an artfully written, atmospheric novel that made me feel as if I could smell the sea at times and kept me engaged from start to finish. If you enjoyed Weyard by Hart, you'll find a lot of familiar thenes in these pages, and I definitely recommend giving it a read.