Fantastic book. Kept me enthralled throughout the story. I loved this author’s debut book, but this was even better. Spooky and atmospheric. Definitely 5stars and worth the read

This story begins with Lucy, a mild-mannered college student that mistakenly commits assault while sleepwalking. She flees repercussions by traveling to her sister’s home on a cliff in a small seaside town. When she shows up to an empty house, the search for her sister turns into a time of self-discovery and uncovering the secrets of not only the sea below her, but her own family.

I was expecting this novel to read like a mystery, but it was much more heartfelt than that. Hart beautifully explores the power of fellowship among women and the bond of sisterhood. I really enjoyed the slight fantasy aspects that were incorporated into the plot. The role of dreams throughout the novel was very interesting. The back and forth between past and present, as well as both sisters point of view could have been hard to follow if it wasn’t so well done. Oftentimes the role of “sirens” in a novel is reduced to a sexual predator, only caring for pleasure and destruction. Hart instantly gave it much more depth, creating such solid characters and a very realistic quality to a fantastical subject. I commend Emilia Hart on this wonderful novel and cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!

The Sirens is available March 4, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was a huge fan of Weyward, and The Sirens definitely lived up to my expectations. I love the way Hart writes dual timelines; the different stories weave together perfectly and I find that I'm always equally interested in each timeline, which doesn't happen often. All of the characters in the book, as with Weyward, are all fully realized and well-rounded. Hart clearly did a lot of historical research, and managed to tie that into a suspenseful mystery that left me unable to put the book down. Definitely a favorite of the year.

I am a sucker for ANYthing mermaid related or adjacent, so I knew this was a book I needed to get my hands on!

Our present day heroine, Lucy, held the most intrigue for me, but the way the past and present converged was rich and engaging. The use of the ocean as a metaphor and as a setting power it holds had *me* by the throat (to quote the fantastic cover copy). The tone of the book was (intentionally) eerie, and it reminded me of the HP Triwizard tournament scene where they were swimming underwater as fast as they could to rescue their prized person. That is a tone I love and appreciate!

If you love sisterhood stories, magical realism, strong figurative language as a storytelling device, and alternating timelines, you've got to pick this one up!!

I love the moody writing! Fast paced and similar to Weyward, I really enjoyed this. The only thing I’ll have to say is the time jumps (reflecting back on memories mid-chapter) was a bit confusing for me!

I also wasn’t a fan of the epilogue so much.

But loved overall!

I did not finish this book, please keep in mind with the star rating.

I had high hopes for this book. However, I am not a huge fan of Lucy which makes it hard to get through. I also feel like the stories of Mary and Jess are just thrown in at random intervals. It just does not feel like it flows. I do hope that this book finds its audience!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice rating: 🌶️/5

Tropes:
Multiple timelines
Multi POVs
Magical realism
Historical
Girl power

First of all, thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for a review.
This book was super good. I loved the horror/thriller aspect of it. It’s completely different from Weyward. Although I love Weyward more, this book was very different from anything else I have ever read. I enjoyed it very much. I already preordered my gorgeous shelf trophy from Barnes and noble.
The book is weird and well, I liked it hahaha. 😆

I enjoyed this book. I Thought the storyline was very interesting and even though there were multiple time lines and pov's it was still relatively easy to keep everything straight. It was a little predictable. There really wasn't any twists that I hadn't already guessed but that didn't matter to me because it was still written in away that kept my attention and made we want to keep reading.

I really loved the unique concept behind this book. It’s different from my typical reads and I loved it so much.

This was a phenomenal read. Seriously a new and wonderful take. I have been raving about it to everyone I know. I want more but the characters were amazing.

another beautifly written book by emilia hart. the sirens is another captivating story about women and their struggles about feeling different. I adore how easily she manages to write magical realism while also writing so many povs from characters that are so amazingly fleshed out. i hope emilia hart never stops writing in this genre and she manages to come up with even more of these amazing magical concepts that revolve so much around women, their stories and their futures. truly an amazing read and i would reccomend to everyone and anyone no matter what genres they dabble in.

I really enjoyed the use of sisters in different time-periods, it uses that to this advantage. The characters felt like they were real people and enjoyed the overall feel worked with these characters. I enjoyed the overall plot of this book and it was written in a way that kept me wanting to read on. Emilia Hart wrote this in a way that was both magical and realistic.

I really love Emilia Hart’s writing- her prose is beautiful. But The Sirens left me wanting. It just fell a little flat for me. Weyward is a hard book to follow, for sure. The quality of writing is still there but it just fell a little flat for me.

Jumping into this, I truly didn't know what to expect.

The story spans different generations and women, sisters, with alternating povs. Fantastic prose and writing style that kept me intrigued and wanting more from the mysterious vibes that this book gives.

The timelines were easy to keep up with an not overcomplicated as I've seen it done at times.

Plus: THIS COVER!!! I can not wait to see it on my shelf!

What an absolutely stunning cover!! It immediately drew me in and I can wait to see it printed in real life!

The plot of the “The Sirens” follows different females and 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.

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 to me being a modern day girly, but I also found her situation of waking up from sleep walking and her distant and strained relationship with her mysterious sister to interest me the most.

Solid writing, a hint of mystery and historical characters all drew me in for this books. Lucy leaves town in a hurry and goes to her sister’s, but suddenly nothing in her life is what it seems. Good character development.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart. Folklore , feminist fantasy,

I rated this book 4 stars.

The book begins with Lucy sleep walking and waking-up to see herself choking a boy from her college, horrified and scared she leaves to go be with her sister Jess. Arriving to Comber Bay Lucy finds Jess’ home empty with no clue where she has gone. Told by a neighbor Jess just need a break before her art showcase, Lucy decides to wait for her return. Surrounded by Jess’ art that oddly look exactly like what Lucy’s been dreaming. This story has 3 timelines, Lucy present day 2019, Jess through her diary in 1999, and Mary and Eliza in 1800.

I throughly enjoyed reading this book, was a little creepy but the story and changing of timelines kept me going. Emilia has a wonderful way to pull in a reader, very excited to read Weyward and anything else she writes.

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVED this book!! It was such a quick read and I loved the dual story lines and different points of view and how everything came together at the end! I also loved the message about family and how we will go to the literal ends of the earth for our loved ones!

I was fully caught hook, line, & sinker into this novel & only released at the fullfilling end! An immensely satisflying tale with merrows, convict ships with women, whimsy, family & relationship drama. I thoroughly enjoyed & definitely recommend this book. I'll be checking out Emilia Hart's other works for sure.

This is my unbiased, honest review. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emilia Hart for providing me with an arc of this wonderful book. She's done it again with another fantastic tale engulfed in magical realism with different timelines that converge together at the end, creating a beautiful story. The women in this book experience many hardships from the past and current day issues including grooming, sexual assault, bullying, etc. And seeing how they overcome their trauma with magical elements and how they tie in was such a ride. Emilia Hart is becoming a must buy author for me!