I love the magical realism + underlying feminist themes this author consistently publishes. While I did not love it to the extent that I loved Weyward, I still enjoyed and would recommend. Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

When I saw that the author of Weyward had written another book, I knew I had to read it. The Sirens is just as unforgettable and unique as Weyward.

The book takes place in three timelines, and the author slowly weaves them into a coherent, connected story. Two sisters are convicted of a crime in Ireland in the early 1800's, and are being transported to what is now Australia.

Two hundred years later, Jess and Lucy are sisters 16 years apart in age. Jess is the older sister, has had a lifelong allergy to water, and is an accomplished artist. In 2019, Lucy wakes up to find that she has been trying to strangle her boyfriend. Horrified, she leaves college and travels to her older sister's house to find her gone. While she is waiting for her sister's return, she studies her sister's paintings and realizes that both of them had dreamed about the images in the paintings.

I received an e-arc of this book from St. Martin's Press and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Note to publisher: this review was rejected on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca without explanation. It was originally accepted by Amazon.com. I was not able to get a reason from anyone at Amazon.

The Sirens was probably one of the top books I had been looking to reading in 2025, and I was so thrilled to get my hands on an advance copy.. Weyward was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and probably from the last few years. Emilia Hart has a way of writing magical realism that doesn't feel like you are reading something fantastical but actually buy into the magical aspects as if they are your reality. I loved the interweaving of Irish folklore with Australian history, the bond of sisters and sirens, the aspects of feminism, and how the past reached out and haunted the present. Plus, I can't remember the last time I read of mythical creatures of the sea, so it felt new to me. But, Weyward has big shoes to fill. While I enjoyed The Sirens, I did not finish feeling gutted like I did with Weyward. It felt a little slower in pace to me, and the interconnection of stories took a little more time to unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The Sirens lived up to its name by drawing me in with mystery and a captivating setting. Lucy wakes up one morning with no recollection of how she got to an ex's dorm room. The dominoes that fall lead her to questions she didn't even know she needed to ask about her families history.

As with Hart's previous work, there is mystery and dual timelines, strong women and bad men. I was captivated by the story but then the magical realism aspects started to be too much for me. I wasn't a huge fan of how they mystery wrapped up or with the epilogue. That being said I do like Hart's writing and I'll continue to give her books a try!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Sirens is a compelling, women-centered story, shining a light on the history of transporting women convicts in Ireland to Australia. Using dual timelines, a mystery slowly unfolds as we follow two pairs of sisters. I enjoyed the nod to true crime podcasts and mermaid mythology. The ending, in Emilia Hart fashion, comes full circle and is extremely satisfying. Gripping, original, and full of feeling.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and Emilia Hart for the eArc of The Sirens.

After reading Weyward by Emilia, I was really looking forward to reading The Sirens. This narrative is set on three timelines and from 3 perspectives. All very clearly marked out in the writing. Sometimes, with historical fiction, it can be hard to get these timelines to slot together and flow. Emilia did a wonderful job of character building throughout these timelines as well as a flowing plot line.

We flow Lucy, who after releasing she's in the wrong relationship, flees to find her sister, Jessica on the Australian coastline. Finding her sister isn't in, she makes herself at home and stumbles on her sisters diary. Lucy begins a journey of not just her sisters past, but her own too.
Emilia cleverly leads into the life of Jess, back in 1999 in which we delve into her insightful life and her allergy to water.
Our 3rd perspective is set in 1800, we follow 2 sisters who were forced onto a ship bound to Australia.

This book is so beautifully written. It's poetic, insightful and holds all kinds of mystery. Overall, the book is a slow burn, building up like a storm over the sea, The last 3rd of the book, coupled with the subtle foreshadowing gets intense and emotive.

5 stars

4.25 STARS

This book took me on quite the wild ride, but I loved every second of it! The back and forth between povs was a bit confusing, but the way everything pieces together in the end was *chefs kiss*

I hardly know where to start, but this novel is truly an exhilarating adventure! It weaves between three timelines: Lucy in 2019, Jess in 1999, and Mary and Eliza in the 1800s. Each character offers a unique perspective and story, and I genuinely enjoyed how all their narratives intertwined seamlessly. They are all connected by the sea, specifically one particular side of it, creating a rich tapestry of experiences that draws you in!
Jess is the baby who was saved from the Cove in 1982 and later adopted by her parents. Although her origins remained a mystery, there was much speculation. Growing up, she always felt different, and an older teacher eventually groomed her, marking the beginning of her troubles. Lucy, on the other hand, is at university and has found a guy she likes. They slept together and kept in touch over the summer holiday. Eventually, she sent him a picture, which he shared with a group of friends, causing it to go viral with some nasty comments. Lucy then sleepwalked to his room and began choking him in her sleep, which led her to seek help from her sister Jess, as she had never sleepwalked before.
Meanwhile, someone places Mary and Eliza on a prisoner ship, where they face a grim future of working on a farm, becoming a stranger's wife, or worse, being forced to sell their bodies. All the girls share similar experiences of being taken advantage of by men in power, with their fates largely out of their control. This story, with its multiple timelines, is definitely worth the read. I loved the ending a lot! Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. It has been an adventure.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart tells the tale of two sisters who are separated by centuries but connected in ways they never could have imagined. This evocative and compelling novel delves into a deeply layered mystery, serving as a luminous tribute to the sea and the bond of sisterhood. With Emilia Hart's assured and shimmering prose, the story is both hopeful and heart-wrenching, leaving readers captivated until the very end.

This was fine! Totally different vibes from Weyward. Really liked the mystery aspect but the rest 😵‍💫 also got a little bit of Shark Heart vibes in this one (which I did not like lol). I enjoyed Weyward much better from Emilia.

****Spoilers below****

I felt like the resolution was weak. The family reveal was ugh. Was hoping for something a little different. For Jess to be missing but just in the cave the entire time? Please.

After how much I loved Weyward, I was optimistic but fearful about The Sirens measuring up. I need not have worried.

I'm going to keep this review spoiler-free and talk about the things I loved about this:

1. Emilia Hart put the research time in for this book. It was clear to me that she had immersed herself in the history and lore, and through that I ended up learning a lot about Irish myth and the history of shipping prisoners to Australia. I also deeply appreciated the historical note and acknowledgement of country at the beginning of the book that called attention to Australia's First Nations People.

2. The characters are well-developed, and the relationships they form are strong and sometimes devastating. From Mary and Eliza to Jess and Lucy, I was invested in all their lives and how they were connected.

3. I'm not sure it can be called a magic system, but I thought the connection of an incurable skin disease to literal scales/aquatic features was pretty brilliant. I also loved that the sirens weren't classically beautiful. They're beautiful in an ethereal way, but they've got scales, fins, gills, and all the things you'd expect to have to survive underwater.

4. I think this one's my favorite: community and how we protect that community. This theme is present in every aspect of the book and drives all the characters motivations. From the family Jess and Lucy's parents created to the bond formed by the female prisoners on the ship to the small community Jess found in Comber Beach, this book is about love, protection, safety, and family - the ones you're born into and the ones you create.

5. Who doesn't love a little "good for her" retribution. These men f*cked around. And they found out.

Can't wait to see what Emilia Hart does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review - its easy to provide one when I loved about book this much.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how this book felt like a mixture of the past and present! It takes place in current times but has so many glimpses into the past via stories, dreams, and memories. It’s was an interesting setup into the main plot, and I appreciated how real it all felt before diving into the fantasy world. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys science fiction about sirens, set in current times and diving into the past!

3.5 stars. I think I liked The Sirens a bit more than Weyward but neither one was entirely enthralling. I liked the descriptive setting a lot in this one; the description of the sea and the Australian coast was vivid and atmospheric. The story itself feels like a folk tale and I enjoyed that also. I loved Christina Baker Cline’s book The Exiles so the 19th century timeline with female convicts was interesting here as well. My main criticism is that the plot felt very slow and uneventful for the majority of the book. There was a good portion of the plot that felt like repetitive angst with no momentum. Also, the main conflicts (beginning sleepwalking incident, their skin issues and the ending) either happen off page or are just completely abandoned or explained away in unbelievable ways. Overall, I did mostly enjoy this and would recommend it particularly for anyone who enjoys modernized folk tales.

This was a charming story with a heartfelt premise, centered on sisterhood and the complexities of family—easily my favorite aspect of the book. That theme had so much promise, and I appreciated how it aimed to explore those bonds with warmth and sincerity.

That said, it took me longer than expected to feel invested. I struggled to connect with the characters, which made it harder to fully sink into the story. While I admired the intent and the emotional foundation, something didn’t quite click for me on a deeper level.

In the end, I liked it—but I can’t say I loved it.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart explores the ocean’s mysteries and Australia’s disturbing origin story. The narration alternates between Lucy in 2019 and the late 1700s on a ship full of women exiled from Ireland to New South Wales.

Lucy flees college seeking solace at her older sister Jess’ new house in a small seaside town. Lucy, an aspiring journalist dives in to the mysterious disappearances of men that the ocean has claimed over the years. Meanwhile two sisters, Mary and Eliza haunt her dreams as they survive abhorrent conditions upon an exile ship headed to the same shore Lucy’s now living at. She’ll uncover not only the ocean’s secrets but those of her family. The story will keep readers staying up late and turning the pages quickly to the very end. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Fans of Kate Morton’s Homecoming will enjoy this novel too.

The author's writing is undeniably captivating and draws you in from the start. This is a powerful feminist story, showcasing resilient and strong women at its core.

That being said, I wasn’t quite expecting the direction the story took, given the premise. What truly let me down was how the entire plot seemed to be swept aside at the 80% mark. I was left feeling so disappointed. I really wish the author had delved deeper into that aspect because, in the end, it made all the buildup surrounding the nightmares and sleepwalking feel completely pointless. I found myself questioning why I had invested so much time in those details when they barely got a mention toward the end. It honestly felt like a convenient way to wrap things up.

This book completely drew me in—right from the first page. Sometimes you just need a story with a farfetched fantasy twist that still feels strangely grounded and real, and The Sirens hit that sweet spot for me.

Emilia Hart weaves two timelines together so beautifully—one set in modern-day Australia, the other in the 1800s on a convict ship. And somehow, despite the centuries between them, the stories of these women feel deeply connected. There’s mystery, sisterhood, transformation, and this eerie, magical undertone that gave the whole book a haunting, almost mythic feel.

What really stood out to me was the vivid imagery—Hart paints every scene with such rich, sensory detail that you can practically smell the sea air or feel the rocking of the ship beneath you. Her writing makes the mystical feel tangible, and the ordinary feel enchanted.

I loved how wild and vivid it was, while still tapping into something deeply human—grief, rage, love, and survival.

Emilia Hart weaves a beautiful story of sisterhood across multiple timelines, following twin sisters Eliza and Mary in the 1800s and present day Lucy and Jessica. Lucy and Jessica keep sleepwalking and having dreams of the twin sisters. Lucy slowly uncovers her sister's secrets, while also learning they are all not quite human.

Although this one was a bit slow in the middle, it had all of the elements that I love in Emilia Hart's writing: magical realism, mystery, and great structure. Sirens are known to have a vengeful spirit by luring men to their watery graves and this story definitely highlighted that. Female trauma was heightened throughout the book and the bonds of sisterhood were displayed. I learned from this book that I need more mermaid lore in my life!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine

I am a big fan of Emilia Hart after reading Weyward and I also am a big fan of dual timelines.

The Sirens is a genre blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and mystery, and Hart takes it up a notch by sprinkling in a fair amount of family drama to tie everything together. Similar in format to Weyward, this has a contemporary timeline intertwined with timelines from the past. And like her previous book, I cannot take my eyes off the gorgeous cover. It is so good.

I think Emilia Hart will now be an auto buy/auto read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Sirens (referring to the mermaid form, not birds) features multi-timeline, multi-narrator first-person POVs and settings ranging from Ireland to the darkened belly of a ship crossing halfway around the world to Australia. Despite being primarily about violence against women and vigilante justice, the novel opens with one of our narrators, Lucy, strangling a former lover. While powerful as an opening, one of the reasons I downgraded my rating of the novel is due to how it addresses this episode. If we as women wish men to take accountability for their actions against us,shouldn’t we take accountability for our actions as well? Should violence be met with violence? All of the female main characters in The Sirens perpetrate violence against men with varying degrees of moral justifiability. As a feminist, I seek balance above all, and I would have liked to see accountability for some of the more cruel actions of the female main characters, not simply justification and excuses.
My favorite chapters were Lucy’s chapters overall. I found it hard to connect with Jess, either through her journal or through her flashbacks. I liked Mary’s sections the least, and dreaded the time spent on that ship with her, though the transitions to Lucy’s chapters immediately after were very interesting.
I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook. I enjoyed Barrie Kreinik’s narration, and I would definitely recommend listening to it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!