Another spellbindingly atmospheric multi-timeline novel about the bonds of sisterhood and the magical lure of the sea. Spanning centuries, this newest novel from Emilia Hart follows two Irish sisters in the 1800s who are sent to the penal colony in Australia and their terrible experience aboard the cargo ship at the hands of the crew.

It also follows two sisters in modern day Australia as younger sister Lucy travels to the coast to visit her older sister Jess only to find her missing. Both sets of sisters have a link with the sea and a severe allergy to water that causes their skin to react horribly and both are treated badly by men who take advantage of their situations.

Amazing on audio narrated by one of my favs, Barrie Kreinik, with an interesting author interview included at the end. Highly recommended for fans of books like The exiles by Christina Baker Kline or The museum of extraordinary things by Alice Hoffman. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Having loved Weyward, I was very excited to read The Sirens. I was not disappointed in the least. In fact, I think I have found my new favorite author!

The beginning of the story is replete with mysteries. Hart does a great job of building tension throughout, as we try to figure out the different pieces of the puzzle. Some of the themes are similar to Weyward, including women overcoming hardships, especially at the hands of men. I loved how the mysteries are revealed bit by bit and developed to a feeling of resolution at the end.

I think you will find that this is a book that is always calling to you to read - like a siren’s call.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

A blend of fantasy and historical that remains more serious and upsetting than the cozy, whimsical feel the promotion and cover evoke. A good read but plenty of triggering situations.

Absolutely loved this novel. It is so beautifully written. The story draws you in and keeps you there! Full of emotion, and keeps you needing to flip the page.

This book started off promising. The dual timeline was not my favorite and neither was the mermaid part. But overall a decent book.

Eliza and Mary are considered criminals in Ireland and forced on a convict ship for Australia. They are packed like sardines with other women. We learn of their time in Ireland and what led to their arrest. Then we learn of Jess and Lucy in 2019 and their life. What a hauntingly poignant story of sisters and history. This story will sit with me for quite some time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publishing: April 1, 2025
Pages: 352

“The Sirens” is a first time read by author, Emilia Hart for this reader. Having been in a reading slump, this book put me back into the frame of why I love to read. Although it has a bit of creepiness to it, I could not put it down until the end. The heroine suffers a traumatic event in her life and sets off the visit Cliff House to visit her sister and someone who might be able to guide her through what she is going through. I found the story to be haunting and quite frankly thought it to be just another mystery type of read. The plot was good, and it is a well-written book about the bonds between two sisters and uncovering secrets of their family. My only drawback is the flashbacks. I tend to shy away from novels such as these, but this one was worth the read. Enjoyed and highly recommend.

The characters were kind of bland. The story line was interesting it just didnt move quick enough or snare me the way I needed it to keep me entertained.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒔 was a story of strength, grit and resilience…absolutely a female empowerment novel, as was the case with Weyward. In 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒔, Emilia Hart’s 2nd novel, she weaves a tale of fantastical feminism and sisterhood. Emilia’s writing is captivating and with this 2nd novel she has proven she’s here to stay. I can’t wait to see what she writes about next.

This was a very atmospheric novel with a slow and steady pacing, which really suited the story.

Things you’ll find in this story…

🧜🏻‍♀️Trafficking / Kidnapping / Slavery
🧜🏻‍♀️Murder
🧜🏻‍♀️Grooming
🧜🏻‍♀️Gaslighting
🧜🏻‍♀️Sexual Assault
🧜🏻‍♀️Family secret
🧜🏻‍♀️Sisterhood
🧜🏻‍♀️Strong Female MCs

I loved the audiobook for this one because the song they sing is so calming that I’d like to listen to it to fall asleep. This would be a perfect book to read while sitting on the beach with the sound of the ocean waves in the background, just immersing yourself in the story. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒔 definitely should be shopped for a movie adaptation for sure.

I love Emilia Hart’s prose and how she weaves a story. I was a bit apprehensive about The Sirens because Weyward was difficult for me to finish. I did not have that same issue with The Sirens, if anything I plowed through this one in no time because I was so invested in the story!

Some parts were a little predictable, though well executed. I enjoyed how Mary and Eliza’s story was intertwined with Jess and Lucy’s, though I wish there had been a little more “meat” to Mary and Eliza. I really enjoyed the otherworldly vibe of this story,

Thank you to NetGalley, SMP, and Emilia Hart for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC! Going into this book, I was excited because of the synopsis but I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t particularly resonate with or find myself interested in the characters all that much. However, if your reading vibe is the dark, mysterious, historical fiction realm, this here is for you!

I really loved Weyward so I was excited to get approved to not just read this but I was also approved for the audiobook, so I will be reviewing both.
Sirens has a very similar vibe to Weyward, so if you were a fan of that you will not be disappointed. This book has it all, strong female leads, mystery, fantasy…it’s an epic tale and a real page turner.
It follows two timelines. In 2019, we meet Jess and Eliza, sisters who have a lot more in common than they realize and a lot to learn about each other. Each sister is being called and on a strange journey of their own.
In 1800, we meet Mary and Eliza, similarly afflicted sisters who are making their way on a convict ship heading to Australia. They will face great peril and many obstacles to learn the truth about themselves and why they are called to the sea.
Female empowerment is the over encompassing theme of this book. It is told in an engaging way with well developed characters that you really care about.
The audiobook by Macmillan Audio is a joy to listen to and is narrated by Barrie Kreinik. She does an amazing job and even sings in part of it and she has a gorgeous voice! I highly recommend it!

I love Emilia Hart’s writing. Although this book was easy to guess what would happen I still enjoyed the story. The historical connection was interesting, and the relationships between these family members will be relatable for people.

I really enjoyed Emilia Hart's first book, Weyward, and The Sirens was an excellent sophomore novel. I loved the sections from 1800, following twins Mary and Eliza, who are Irish convicts bound for Australia. There's always a suspension of disbelief when an author has one character read another character's diary in bits and pieces, instead of all at once. So while I was able to figure out most (but not the last) of the twists and revelations before the characters did, I still found the various timelines and Hart's writing compelling.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

I devoured this book in two days. I had so many questions that needed to be answered. I love multiple timelines and when narration switches in stories so going back and forth between Lucy and Mary and then eventually Jess was so fun to read. I will give a heads up that it’s a slow start but, it’s all necessary information for the story that follows. One thing that bugged me is that Hart foreshadowed enough to the point where when I first heard of the cave I immediately thought “oh just look there”. I see why she didn’t now but…I still would have looked lol. Regardless, such a great plot. I enjoyed learning about these two set of sisters and how their bond through extreme turmoil remains resolute. Books like this can’t help but make me wish I had a sister but luckily I can settle for reading books like Hart’s. If you enjoy reading books with suspense, historical fiction, and sisterly bonds this will be your next read come February.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley.

I was really excited to get an early copy of The Sirens, as I enjoyed the author's last book, Weyward so much. Unfortunately this one fell flat for me. The story was told in a similar way to Weyward in that it was told from two timelines in alternating chapters. I really enjoyed the start of the book, but as I read on there were a lot of things that were confusing to me, and I didn't really feel like the end was tied up nicely. The plot twists were predictable, and the story seemed very slow.
On a positive note, the writing is gorgeous, but this book was just not for me.

I loved Weyward so I was beyond excited to read this one. And if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I was a bit worried that it wouldn't hit me the same way Weyward did. I shouldn't have worried. Siren's brings all of the feminist revenge and redemption that we loved from Weyward. With multiple POV and timeline, the story is expertly woven with the twists perfectly placed. Highly recommend!

The plot of the “The Sirens” follows 4 females- 2 sets of sisters- over multiple generations with alternating POV. I enjoyed the change in timelines and seeing the different sides to the hardships and challenges that women were facing among different time periods. Some of the earlier generation POV's were quite graphic, but needed to be told.

I have to say that Lucy in present day (2019) was definitely the character that captivated me the most. Potentially because she was the most relatable, but I also found her situation of sleep walking and her distant and strained relationships with her sister and parents to interest me the most. I figured out the gist of the story pretty early on- but I'm not sure it was supposed to be a 'big reveal', given the title of the book.

It took a little bit for the story to get going, but once it did, it really captivated me and I couldn't put the book down. I also loved the folklore surrounding mermaids throughout history and the curious nature of the small sea side town. The imagery was well written, as well.

I like this author a lot, and will continue to read her.

Sirens get a bad rap. The patriarchal myth casts women as the evil temptation leading good men to their death. Emilia Hart gives them the cut direct with a small Australian town that has a way of punishing bad men. I love how timely it feels as we follow college student Lucy. Her first sexual partner has leaked intimate photos and the university turns against her to protect his future. The shame and betrayal triggers a sleep-walking episode that ends violently. Lucy runs away to the only person she knows who has experienced this - her sister Jess.

The tone shifts back and forth between women's lit and small town mystery because Jess is nowhere to be found. Lucy tries to piece together her sister's intentions by following the research she's left behind. Everything seems to revolve around this small town, the men who disappear here, and the prisoner ship that sunk in the bay centuries ago.

Magical realism comes into play as these sisters share dreams of two sisters who were on that ship. The POV flows between timelines, but all telling one story. It was incredible to read and I loved the resolution each woman found. There's one final secret that isn't revealed until the epilogue and I was screaming, I KNEW IT!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I recently finished The Sirens by Emilia Hart, and I have to say, it really captured my attention. The novel beautifully intertwines two timelines: one in the late 1990s with a young girl named Jess, and the other set in the 1800s aboard a convict ship traveling from Ireland to Australia. Both timelines are connected through Irish folklore, particularly the myth of the "merrow," which gave the story a fascinating magical realism element.

I really appreciated how the author blended the mythical siren theme with deep emotional storytelling, focusing on the bond between sisters and their resilience in the face of adversity. The way the ocean is portrayed—both as a source of healing and danger—was captivating. The writing drew me in with its atmospheric quality, making the setting feel alive.

Some might say that the book shares similarities with other works in its genre, but I found it unique in its exploration of female strength and identity. If you're a fan of historical fiction mixed with magical elements, I think this book will definitely resonate with you. Overall, it was a haunting and emotional read that kept me engaged from start to finish.