Actually 4.5⭐️

I really enjoyed The Sirens and the way that Emilia Hart interwove the main characters stories.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I will be recommending it to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC that will be published tomorrow! Like I did with "Weiward," I enjoyed this story. I like how the author always tells you a story of magic or mythology and intertwines it with real-life tragic events many people (women above all) go through. She makes you relate to the story and the characters in a way, without having been a witch or a siren. Without spoiling the story (I always avoid doing so), if you enjoyed her previous book, you will enjoy this one too

She does it again with another hauntingly beautiful novel that intertwines the female characters lives with lyrical prose and a compelling blend of history, magic, and emotion. The atmospheric writing draws readers into a world where myth and reality blur, leaving a lasting impact. A captivating, thought-provoking read for fans of female resilience with a touch of the supernatural.

I have mixed feelings about this book - ultimately, I didn’t connect with the story.

The Sirens follows a similar plot device with parallel stories across centuries, like Hart’s debut, Weyward. Similarly, it ties historical fiction with fantasy and mythology elements. Both of those aspects I enjoyed. I think that Hart does a really masterful job of paralleling the past and present in both books I’ve read, while still weaving in some really magical elements. All of that stood up, and I think I liked those parts more than “Weyward”.

However - it felt like nothing really “happened” until the last ~20% of the book. It was just a lot of back story and zero main plot, which didn’t hook me or keep me engaged. I didn’t find myself compelled to find out what happened, because a lot of it felt very obvious. Some plot twists, but nothing that really grabbed me.

Plus, it felt a bit too contrived. I’m just not buying, that for 30+ years, this girl just barely ever touched water? I’m just not sure that a “water allergy” would really hold up. I don’t know, something about it just didn’t hit.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. It’s out April 1. Opinions are my own.

This book was such a captivating and atmospheric book. With differing lush, mysterious landscapes from Ireland in the 1800s, to Australia in the 2000's as well as a daunting boat journey, the novel follows the lives of three women linked by a haunting and dangerous myth. This book provides eerie vibes and beautiful storytelling.

With a folklore/myth bent, this book is right up my alley because of the beautiful backgrounds it relates to.

This book was captivating, engrossing, hauntingly beautiful, and thought-provoking novel that kept me awake to finish it.

This ebook was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Sirens.

While I didn't feel as strongly about The Sirens as I did Weyward, this was still an amazingly-told story. I was captivated by the mystery surrounding the 2019 sisters and the pain and fear of their journey felt by the 1800 sisters. Emilia Hart has cemented herself in my must-read author list. Told through two different timelines while following tow different sets of sisters, The Siren delivers a story of resilience, power, grace, and sisterhood with a nice size portion of fantasy.

3.5 stars! This story follows two time lines of two sets of woman. Mary and Eliza are sisters who find themselves on a ship headed to what becomes Australia after they assaulted a man attacking them. Jess and Lucy are sisters year later that are each dealing with men that betrayed them. When Lucy is suspended from university she goes to see her sister but finds her missing. The book continues with secrets exposed and fates realized.

This book was so interesting in so many ways. There were parts that dragged a bit but I loved the ending and how everything came together.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just loved this book from the first page.
It is a tale of sisterhood ,family and resilience. Throughout the book these characters are drawn to the sea. It is told in three different timelines bu the author has woven them together so it is never disjointed.
It is the story of Lucy and Jess -2 sisters living in Australia and Mary and Eliza-twin sisters from Ireland who were sent to Australia on a convict ship. It is interesting to see how those 4 are so connected. It is a beautiful tale of healing using history, magical realism and mystery to keep your interest up to the last page

This is one of those books where, the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. When I started I was very interested, but it felt like quite a bit of the story was told through journalling, and not in the best way. The end was fairly rushed, and the main character's reaction to the ending was underwhelming. There was a lot that was just hand waived away, and it didn't sit well with me. I kept thinking, "how did that happen?" and not in a great-shocked way.
I am still giving three stars because I really liked it as I finished it, and the writing was very good. When I initially finished I thought I would give it four stars before thinking further on it.

This was an interesting read. I think I made the mistake of listening to the audio ALC because it was a bit hard to keep up with the characters changing and some timeline changes. But overall the story was good. A little mystery and a little fantasy. I love a mermaid type story and since this one was set over generations I enjoyed it. The characters were likable and it was definitely a story of finding yourself and the truth.

I so very much wanted to love The Sirens. I wanted creepy, strong, rage-filled mermaids. I wanted family secrets, revenge, resilience. I got a lot of mold, mustiness, and damp. A lot of nightmares that weren’t that frightening and sleepwalking that could have been really cool, if there had been a point to it. But nothing went anywhere other than exactly where I thought it was going to go. The writing itself is well done - Emilia Hart knows how to write beautifully, even when writing something gross, I’ll give her that. But I’ve read two of her books now, and I think I can safely say they aren’t for me. Certain tropes are worn out, and I don’t like being able to predict everything that’s going to happen. But wow, her covers are gorgeous.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this ARC! This story revolves around sets of sisters; set in the 1800’s twins Mary and her blind twin Eliza are bound to Australia on a prisoner ship from their home in Ireland, in the present sisters Jess and Lucy both have dreams about the twins and their horrible trip on the seas; both are sleepwalking to the water - water which they both have a reaction to; skin cracking and peeling. What do all these girls have in common? Why is the water calling them? Very well written story that you won’t want to put down!

Unfortunately for me, I started this ARC and really by 25% in, I just felt myself drifting away into my own thoughts, phone etc and so I commend anyone who writes a novel because truly that's like the hardest thing there is out there and I try really hard to finish all my ARCS but sadly I didn't complete this one.

The Sirens: 🐚🌊🧜‍♀️⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copies! #MacAudio2025 #SMPInfluencer ⁣
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“But sometimes, there is no choice. There is only love.”⁣
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Me: “I love sirens and the lore behind them. This is going to be wonderful.”⁣
Me after finishing the last page: sobbing uncontrollably, holding my daughters super close and them giving me a side eye to why I’m being extra affectionate.⁣
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This is a slow burn. My curiosity was piqued, just enough to want to see what was happening to Jess. It took me until about 70% to really stop in my tracks and desperately NEED to know the rest. The dual timelines was so perfectly executed to really have a strong completion into how they’re connected in the end. ⁣
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Honestly, it’s a beautiful book. It’s heartbreaking, yet, hauntingly beautiful. I guess kind of like sirens ya know? The audio was phenomenal. Barrie Kreinik just keeps getting better. And the singing?! The singing!? Throw my book away, the audio was beautiful. (Don’t actually throw the book away, it’s stunning and I’ll be getting a copy for my shelves)⁣
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Overall, not at all what I expected but definitely a favorite so far of the year. ⁣
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QOTD: What did you read this weekend??

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my complimentary arc of The Sirens. Thank you to MacMillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Sirens was a very complex read/listen for me. I found it very interesting and yet it was different from any other book I have read lately.
Again I went in blind, I didn't read any reviews, or even a full synopsis. I just now noticed the tags.

It was slow in the beginning and I almost set it aside. But after 80 pages it really picked up and I was thoroughly invested. The back and forth timelines were very clear, and I enjoyed the present timeline the most.

Without giving anything away, there were quite a few bombshells and guess what???
I DID NOT SEE ANY OF THEM COMING. Such is my life.

I was confused at the epilogue. I misread 37 years earlier AS 37 years after. Made a huge difference it that chapter 😬 but after a reread I think I understand.

The audiobook is narrated by Barrie Kreinik and it is wonderfully done.

🐬The Sirens was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I went in blindly, drawn by my deep connection to the author’s previous novel, Weyward. This book, with its blend of magical realism and historical fiction, is one that lingers in the mind long after finishing.

Set in both the past and present, the novel takes place in Australia and offers a glimpse into the lives of women who were transported there as punishment for their so-called offenses. Mary, Eliza, Jessica, and Lucy are bound together across centuries, their stories weaving into one another in profound and haunting ways.🐬

🪸This is not an easy read. The author tackles difficult and weighty themes, and the story unfolds at a slow, deliberate pace. Told through alternating timelines, it highlights the resilience of these women as survivors. While I appreciated the depth of the narrative, I found myself wanting more clarity on the origins of the magical realism woven into the story. It felt slightly underdeveloped for me.

That said, the book is beautifully written and thought-provoking. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the earc of this novel.🪸

CW: This book explores several heavy and potentially triggering topics, so please read with care.

I really enjoyed Weyward by this author so was happy to get an ARC from NetGalley of The Sirens. I think I liked this even more. The Sirens weaves two storylines together. One is set in the present day Australia - Lucy, a college student in crisis flees to her somewhat-estranged sister's home on the coast and finds her sister missing. The second storyline is set in the 1800s and revolves around two sisters also, Mary and Eliza, who are convicted of a crime in Ireland and set on a convict ship sailing for Australia. (Although this is fiction, the second storyline is loosely based on actual fact and this part was fascinating, if sad.)

First of all, it's just lovely writing. There are moments of really nice prose and imagery that work well. This is always a bonus, although not necessary for an entertaining storyline.

As far as characters, there could have been a bit more fleshing out here; however, certain details are kept in the dark until later in order to try to preserve some mystery. That said, I figured out what was going on pretty quickly. This did not stop me from enjoying the story and its unfolding and progression to its conclusion. Pacing is a bit off perhaps, with a bit of a slower middle. I didn't mind it and enjoyed the writing, but it does sink into atmospheric details rather than actually having anything happening for awhile.

Eventually, both storylines are satisfactorily resolved. This book does employ magical realism, but it's subtle. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emilia Hart for an ARC of this beautiful novel in exchange for my honest review. I loved Emilia Hart's novel Weyward so I was VERY EXCITED to get an ARC of The Sirens. This book did not disappoint! Beautifully written with a wonderful story about what it is like to be a woman then and now. I loved the characters and the plot. I was in it from beginning to end and I will think about these characters for time to come. I will definitely recommend this novel to all of my reader friends!

Rounded up from 2.75. Sad to categorize Hart's sophomore effort as "not for me" since I was so looking forward to it after reading and enjoying Weyward, her first. Loved the ties to the past and memory and water, but this did not do it for me otherwise. Lucy was an impossible character to like, and that didn't help. I'll definitely give the next Hart a go though. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Sirens by Emilia Hart ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a slow burn, genre mash up about the healing powers of water and female strength and resiliency. The writing was beautiful, but I didn’t really get drawn into this book until about 60-70%.

Here are some of my disjointed thoughts:

🧜‍♀️ lots going on - two timelines, multiple women and their own dilemmas, genre mashup
🧜‍♀️ I found the historical fiction part to be super interesting
🧜‍♀️ I never understood the motivation for the “stay away from water” demands / water-related transformations
🧜‍♀️ I’m not clear about how both timelines tie together other than water
🧜‍♀️ the ending didn’t wrap everything up for me

Giving it 3.5 stars for its unique premise and beautiful writing. Weyward is my favorite of the two, but it is clear Hart writes beautifully with feminist themes.