Honestly so sad to say, but dnf’ed this one around 40%. I’m not sure what it was but maybe her style of writing or the way the writing was wound just could not keep me interested enough to keep going :(

I had heard great feedback on Emilia Hart's previous book and I went into The Sirens with high hopes. It was very dark and I found that the story was slow until the end where there were some good plot twists. I enjoyed the multiple points of view of each chapter. I also liked the mystical elements of the story and thought that the author did a good job weaving those into the book without them being overly unrealistic.

I thought that this book was very good! I love how they were multiple timelines, and how they all ended up connecting in the end. It was hard while reading to imagine how the stories were intertwined, but the author did a good job with connecting them. I also love the themes of sisterhood, relationships, growth, and love.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I love the concept but I wish there were content warnings before the book. Unfortunately, this is not for me.

Emilia Hart does not disappoint with her follow up to Wayward! The Sirens hooked me from the start and literally could not put down until the very last page. It is a very haunting read with some twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged through out. I LOVED this book and highly recommend.

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is an enthralling, atmospheric novel that pulls you into a world of mystery and myth. The story follows marine biologist Lena as she unravels the secrets of a remote coastal town with a haunting past tied to siren legends. Hart’s writing is lush and suspenseful, blending folklore with a gripping modern-day mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved how Hart wove the mythology of sirens into a story about identity, resilience, and the power of the unknown. The coastal setting feels almost alive, adding an eerie beauty to the tale that lingers long after the final page.

If you’re drawn to mysteries with a supernatural twist and richly crafted worlds, The Sirens is a captivating read that won’t disappoint.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "The Sirens" by Emilia Hart

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected publication February 13, 2025

A beautiful saga of love, water, and bonds that outlast all our lives. Starting in 2019, readers meet Lucy, who is scared and running away from her college after sleep-walking and attacking a boy who previously hurt her. She flees to her older sisters' new house in New South Wales, but after arriving Lucy finds that Jess is gone. The house is in shambles, full of Jess's artwork while it appears to Lucy that Jess is searching for something.  While waiting for Jess to come home, Lucy uncovers rumors of missing men from decades prior that plague this small town. And then Lucy begins to dream of an abandoned baby hidden in a seaside cave, and she knows she needs her sister to figure all this out. 

Early 1800s two sisters Mary and Eliza are sentenced to Australia after killing a man in self-defense in their village in Ireland. They are convicts and under English rule, kept with other women prisoners in the bottom of the ship destined for a land they have never heard of. As months at sea go by they begin to notice small changes to their bodies- starting at their feet. 

I loved Mary and Eliza's story and constantly wanted more of their story. The bond of these twin sisters and their fear of the sea and its power confused me until all was revealed. A beautiful tale and one that I can't wait to recommend to friends in February when the book is published. Thank you @Netgalley and for the digital ARC

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THE SIRENS BY EMILIA HART 🧜‍♀️

I devoured this book! From the first chapter I was absolutely HOOKED. I loved the multiple POVs - the past and present, as well as the diary entries for Jess’s POV. The mystery of cliff house, the missing men and the sunken ship had me turning the page trying to see how they all connected.

In the end, this was a beautifully written story of 4 women, from across time all finding and becoming who they were meant to be. Save this - it’s going to be the book of spring!

Thank you @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review. PUB DATE: 3/2025

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Emilia Hart's first novel, Weyward, has been a slow burn at our library, gaining in popularity. Fortunately, readers will not be disappointed by her second novel, The Sirens. Drawing on Celtic mythology of Merrow and Selkies, The Sirens follows two sets of sisters as one set is transported via convict ship from Ireland to Australia in the 1800s, and the other retracing the ship's landing in the present day. The supernatural elements are beautiful and yet believable, and Hart's ability to world-build is striking.

This was such an eerie and haunting read that captured my attention from the beginning! I love how in all of Emilia Harts books she follows different generations of women and then weaves the story lines together throughout. The character development and the mix of history, history, and magic was fantastic in this book. The only reason this gets a 4 stars instead of a 5 is because the pacing wasn't consistent and got slow at some points versus her previous book Weyward. However, I still highly recommend this and will continue to read more from Emilia Hart in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for the ARC. This book was wild. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect but after the first few pages I was hooked. i loved the story of these two sisters.

First off I adore this cover, it is so colourful and eye catching.
Two sets of sisters, separated by centuries, connected by the ocean and their skin. Ireland, 1800.
Sisters, Mary and Eliza, are boarding a convict ship headed for Australia. They know they will never see their beloved father or homeland again. What’s more their skin breaks out in red, scaly, itchy patches if it touches water, and they are about to be surrounded by it for months.
Australia, 2019. Lucy has run away from university to seek safety and comfort with her estranged sister Jess. But when she arrives at Jess’s house it’s empty, and the neighbour says she left and won’t be back for about a week. Worried about the hasty way her sister seems to have left Lucy starts digging into her sister’s life. Jess recently moved to Comber Bay, who’s claim to fame is a series of mysterious disappearances of men in the nearby water and a shipwreck of a convict ship from Ireland in 1800. The more Lucy digs into her sister’s and Comber Bay’s past the more worried she becomes about her missing sister.
I didn’t hate this book, I didn’t love this book, it was okay for me. I think maybe this just wasn’t the book for me. I do see where another person could get a lot more out of it then I did, it just didn’t sing for me. I did appreciate some of the duality between the two timelines, but I would have happily sacrificed one for a more fleshed out story for the other one. It definitely had an interesting concept and wrapped everything up really well.
Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for letting me have an advanced copy of #thesirens for review. Look for it April 1 2025. #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #read #readersofinstagram

I am rarely at a loss for words, but find myself profoundly awestruck by this hauntingly beautiful story. It is told in multiple POV, multiple timeline format, and centered around the lives of four women, blending the history of the Australian convict ships with the struggles of modern-day women. Emilia Hart has written a powerfully immersive story full of so much mystical wonder, you won't want the story to end.

This was my first time reading Emilia Hart. It won't be my last! This story was amazing! I loved it! It had me from the first page to the last.

I loved Weyward so immediately I was itching for more by Emilia Hart. I was a bit worried that the premise of the book was too similar to Weyward, and that the book would not provide anything new or different, but that was not the case! Although there are similarities between the books, the plots and characters are quite different. I was intrigued and wanted to keep reading. I was able to guess a couple of the “plot twists” very early on, but that did not deter me from wanting to find out what was going to happen or from continuing to read. I really liked how the epilogue tied together the whole story, and every loose end was answered and you were not left questioning anything.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I believe Emilia Hart did a great job on writing a book that was just as good as Weyward. I look forward to reading future books by Emilia and would recommend both The Sirens and Weyward to anyone looking for feminist stories with elements of magical realism and really great, descriptive writing!

This was a unique and interesting read that incorporates elements of fantasy, literary fiction, mystery, historical fiction, mythology, and more. The book is told from the perspectives of different characters throughout different periods of time and as the novel progresses, you learn how these characters and their stories are connected. I think this is the perfect read for fall/winter time because of the eerie elements and mystery. Definitely interested in picking up more of Emilia Hart's books.

This novel was a slow burn with detailed storytelling and vivid imagery. It was a little too long for me but the story was well written; a haunting mystery of women and motherhood.

The Sirens is part historical mystery and part magical realism. Hart does such a beautiful job blending the two. It leans much more as a reimagining of historical events than a fantasy novel. In present day, Lucy runs away from college after sleepwalking and strangling her lover. She drives to Comber Bay to stay with her estranged sister, Jess, only to find that Jess is missing. In the 1800’s, Mary and Eliza are twin sisters being transported in Comber Bay on a convict ship. Lucy staying alone at Jess’s dank and messy Cliff House in haunted Comber Bay made for an eerie setting.
The Epilogue was tough for me. I understand why it was included, but I wish the story had ended without it. It didn’t ruin my overall enjoyment of the mystery, but it left me feeling sad. This book is jam-packed with gorgeous prose. I highlighted so many thought-provoking quotes. I will still pick up anything Emilia Hart writes, and I would absolutely recommend if you read and loved Hart's debut novel, Wayward.

I am SUCH a fan of Emilia Hart. Her debut novel, Wayward, was my favorite read of 2023 and I have since been singing its praises to anyone who will listen. When I heard about her new novel, The Sirens, I knew I had to read it ASAP! Thank you to Netgalley and St, Martin's Press for this ARC. This was another "stay up until 2am reading with one eye open because it's so good and I can't stop" read! The beautiful and descriptive landscapes Hart is so good at painting are really on display here. We once again follow different women at different times in history with unique stories that make you love them and hurt for them at times. On top of the rich story telling, I was also pleasantly surprised at the mystery(ies) that unfolded as the story progressed. If you like magic realism, and if you love reading stories of women finding their way in this messy world, Emilia Hart and The Sirens is for you! This is an author who's books I will always look forward to!

*The Sirens* is a haunting, multi-generational tale that weaves together themes of resilience, womanhood, and mystery against the backdrop of eerie folklore and secrets buried in a small seaside town. The story follows a cast of female characters, mostly sisters, across different eras, exploring their unique struggles and perspectives. The alternating timelines give a rich view of the evolving challenges these women face, from the weight of historical expectations to the complexities of modern relationships.

Among the characters, Lucy—set in present-day 2019—stands out as particularly relatable and compelling. Her strained relationship with her sister and unsettling experiences with sleepwalking add an air of suspense and mystery that drives much of the story’s tension. The atmospheric writing does wonders to convey a sense of coldness and dread that keeps you on edge for a good portion of the book. It’s a dark, chilling read that balances historical and contemporary issues with a powerful feminist undertone, celebrating resilient women across generations.

However, the plot’s conclusion might leave some readers wanting more. After a buildup that leans heavily into the mysterious and supernatural, the resolution feels a bit abrupt, skimming over some of the key elements introduced earlier. For readers invested in the more eerie aspects, this might feel unsatisfying, and the unresolved threads around Lucy's nightmares and sleepwalking feel almost sidelined. Additionally, certain relationships are handled in a way that feels jarring, particularly due to an early prologue that casts a bittersweet shadow over the story.

Nonetheless, the author’s storytelling shines through in the way she artfully blends historical folklore with modern themes. Her knack for centering stories around womanhood and resilience is evident, and for readers who love a dark, atmospheric story about complex women, this one offers plenty to appreciate. With the author’s unique style, I’m looking forward to her future works.