4.5 stars

Just like Weyward, this completely sucked me in in the best way. I love the time jumps and the little bit of history you get with both based on the time period. The only thing that took me out a bit from the story, and this is just based on personal preference, was the use of modern apps like TikTok and WhatsApp. I don’t love having those included in books but I get it furthered the plot some.

I did shed a tear the last few chapters and it’s always great when a story can do that. Emilia is an auto-buy and read for me, and this lived up to it!

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

A great mystery involving two timelines. This book catches your attention right out of the gate! A thrill of a ride with two mysteries in one. I enjoyed every bit of this book. I would love a prequel to give more in depth story of how these women became Sirens.

I loved this book! I loved the witchy vibes without it being about witches. I loved the dual timelines and POV. I loved the message of female empowerment.

I loved Weyward so I was very excited for this read and beyond grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read it early.

I will be updating this review with my complete thoughts once I am finished, but so far I am loving it.

I will be returning in a couple of days!

~ ARC Review ~

*The Sirens* by Emilia Hart

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Release Date: April 1, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: historical fiction, women's fiction, mystery

Spice level: N/A ~ do check content warnings before reading!

When Lucy, a true-crime enthusiast who's always wanted to be a journalist, wakes up from sleepwalking and finds herself strangling the boy she'd liked, her future comes crashing down around her. With nowhere else to go before the consequences start falling into place, Lucy flees to her sister Jess's waterside house, hoping for help…and finds the house empty, with her sister's phone and keys left behind. To begin unraveling the mystery of her whereabouts, she cracks open Jess's old diary and dives in.

Meanwhile, she's also intrigued by the mysteries of the island- of the shipwrecks in its history, the oddness of the town. Told in multiple timelines and perspectives, we see not only Lucy's present, but the life of sixteen-year-old Jess twenty years ago, and the circumstances of Mary and Eliza, twin sisters and convicts facing their fate in 1800- while feeling the sea call to them incessantly.

*The Sirens* blends historical and contemporary fiction with an enthralling mystery and constant twists, perfectly entwined with the eerie tone and breathtaking imagery Emilia Hart creates. I'm not typically a mystery/thriller lover, but this premise was too good to pass up- and I'm SO glad I requested this book! Lucy and Jess's relationship, while strained, undergoes so much development throughout the book, and Mary and Eliza's storyline adds such an interesting plot line of how far through time bonds can stretch. I could not put this down no matter how hard I tried- I absolutely NEEDED to know what happened, and I wasn't disappointed by any of the plot twists. Emilia has quickly become an author I need to read more of!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:

~ haunting, coastal settings

~ multiple perspectives + timelines

~ true crime + mythology

~historical connections

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy of this book through Netgalley!

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost this story has feminist themes, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as it is well written and connects with this reader.

There is some trauma involved regarding male misconduct against women. This is assault in many forms, from displaying private pictures without consent, grooming, and attempted grape. Please keep these themes in mind as it may be triggering.

The mystery is enjoyable as it begins with a true crime feeling to it. As the story progresses the fantasy of the past deepens the mystery in a new way.

I enjoyed the multiple POV and found each character enjoyable. The twist of the epilogue is enjoyable but left me with more questions than answers.

I hope this is a series because I don’t feel the story is quite done yet.

As a fan of Emilia Hart’s debut novel Weyward, I was beside myself to receive the eARC for The Sirens. I can say confidently that Hart will be an autobuy author for me!

The Sirens delivers a magical story about sisterhood, female resilience and the beauty of the sea.

This story is told through two sets of sisters one in the past- Eliza and Mary on a convict ship from Ireland to Australia and Lucy and Jess, our modern day main characters that delve into the past to discover the truth about their own history. The dual timelines and the different points of view were done so well! I loved how it all came together at the end.

This writing is wonderful- from the descriptions to the history. I was completely immersed in this book. Similar to Weyward, the men are awful in this book and honestly, they had it coming.

The relationships and bonds the women build in this book stole my heart and I would recommend it to readers that enjoy books centered around sisterhood.

Beautiful, eerie and magical!

Thank you to the publisher, Emilia Hart and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Thank you first to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Sirens was an intense read with notes of feminism and the strength and perseverance of women when put up against the worst and the lengths they’re willing to go to for the people they love.

This was my first Emilia Hart (Weyward is on my tbr) and I found it extremely engaging and readable. I think The Sirens is similar to Weyward in that it’s feminist fiction, told in dual narrative, centuries apart, with a focus on magical realism/fairy tale(ish) characters and lore. It’s an extremely specific wheelhouse that Hart thrives in and it’s clear she does her research for her writing. This one revolves around two sets of sisters - one duo in 2019, the other in the early 1800’s. The sisters’ from the 1800’s are Irish prisoners being forcibly sent to New South Wales and the sisters from 2019 have drifted apart, but find themselves bound together by sleepwalking and dreams that involved the sisters from our other narrative. There is also a beautiful bay that is a location for past tragedies, men disappearing with no trace, a baby left untended and unexplained occurrences. Hart writes her characters well, with depth and faults and kindness. She also combines a lot of genres into her stories - this one felt like it had shades of magical realism and fantasy and historical fiction and mystery and literary fiction throughout the entire novel. This was compulsively readable, heartbreaking and remaking, and very empathetic towards women who society deemed as somehow insufficient.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

One thing about me is I get scared easily and this creeped me out for a good 60% of the book. It was so eerie and dark and cold. The author’s writing was definitely captivating and compelling. This was definitely a feminist tale and depicted resilient and strong women.

I will say that I didn’t expect this type of story with the premise. What disappointed me was how the entire plot is swept under the rug at the 98% mark. I was so disappointed by this. I wish the author would’ve went more into depth with that because it made all the nightmares and sleepwalking absolutely useless. I was just wondering why I spent the whole book reading about this when it’s barely mentioned at the end. It just felt convenient to end it that way.

The other problem I had was super subjective but the teacher thing I just couldn’t. I can’t go more into details without spoiling but it was very hard to look past that. It didn’t impact my rating but it impacted my enjoyment for sure.

And this is the first time this happens to me but the prologue completely ruined the book for me. It was going to be a 3✨ read but the prologue? … why ruin the relationship this way? It was just painful to read and I’m left feeling very bittersweet.

That being said, reading is subjective and those are just my thoughts!

You've certainly heard of the Sirens call . . . this book embodies the sentiment. If you are inexplicably drawn to something, there is probably a reason.

The Sirens was a huge departure for me in book choice, but it was fun to delve into the fantasy world for a bit. It leaned a little too far for my taste, but I think fans of this genre will be sold. It was the author's storytelling that had me hooked and kept me turning pages (albeit on my electronic device). When Lucy wakes while attacking another college student, realizing she was sleepwalking and flees to find her long-estranged sister. Jess will surely be the only one who could understand. When Lucy finds an empty house, it's only questions that continue to arise after finding out her sister has suffered from a rare water-allergy just like her. But it seems there could be more to meet the eye, especially as the dreams start.

It's a mystery wrapped up in a fantasy dream filled with family drama and escape. An easy read for fantasy fans.

I adored Weyward by Emilia Hart and was hoping that The Sirens would be another gem but found that this book's premise just wasn't for me. While Hart included a dual-time POV which I have enjoyed from her in the past, I didn't find either POV captivating enough to finish this novel.

I’ve been longing for a mermaid/siren book for a while. I definitely think this is an untapped market. This was fantastic! While I quickly realized Lucy was Jess’s daughter, the revelation at the end had me shocked. The use of telling Mary and Eliza’s stories through dreams was really interesting. The pacing on this was perfect, the writing was great, and I loved the story. 4.5/5 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I struggled with this one. It felt creepy and cold, almost eerie. It made it seem like we should be interested in the mystery, but since the book is called „Sirens“ the outcome was rather clear. SKIP the epilogue is ruins the whole book. I dont know why that needed to be added. Yes, its feminist in the sense of stories of strong women, but it feel into the „all men are bad“ trap. Show me a good, supportive, kind man that is a feminist. I dont know. I really like Weyward, but this was rough.

The writing in this was beautiful, but the plot was of then too predictable. I wished there had been more explanation of the fantasy elements of the story. I also did not like the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT. A. READ. Wowie zowie! Okay, so I just read Weyward like a month ago, and as soon as I saw this galley I thought “oh okay I have to try for this one.” A part of me was biased because I was expecting a weyward-type novel, but this one is SO MUCH MORE. I loved the way the story was told - Lucy and Jess had such compelling stories and its so hard to review without spoilers but ill leave it at this: I called half of it, but not the rest. And if I hadn’t been so tired staying up late finishing this book, the foreshadowing would have gotten me good. Ten out of five stars - NEED TO READ.

Beautifully written and impeccably crafted, this story of sisterhood and motherhood and the sea captivated me from the first page. The way Emilia Hart weaves together the stories of these women across centuries shows a true mastery of her craft. This is going on my favorites list, for sure!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for eARC!

Very similar vibes to Weyward. Has that eerie quality that makes it a perfect fall read. The plot was enjoyable, but pretty predictable.

• Multiple POV/timelines
• magical realism
•sisterhood & family

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Sirens.

I feel like this was definitely a case of right book, wrong reader. It was beautifully written and well told, but was just too historical fiction-y for me to love. I did also guess most of the surprise reveals early in the book. It wasn't the right match for me, but I would definitely recommend it to others who thrive in the historical fiction genre.

4 stars

I enjoyed this read overall, though I’m still a bit torn over the ending—I can’t decide if I loved it or if I would’ve preferred a little less of the supernatural element. Things I loved: the relationship between the sisters in each timeline, reflections on Irish and Australian pasts, and the mystery element of it all. Some points felt a bit unfinished, like the sleepwalking incident from the beginning—though maybe I missed it getting resolved outside of being done with college.