enjoyed! Emilia Hart has a unique way of conveying and putting into words the female experience. While quite a different vibe from Weyward, its clearly the same author with the same talents. At times I felt the time jumping and paced could have been tightened up, but overall the writing was very effective and compelling. I loved the, at times ominous, magical realism thread that tied all story lines together. A great fall read.

Another enchanting magical realism novel by Emilia Hart! Like Weyward, a lot of the book is spent developing the characters and painting vivid landscapes tied to historical events. While slow at parts, you feel like you relate to and understand their sisters, Eliza and Jess, even without their POV. Tying the plot to ‘sirens’ was uniquely dark and twisty to the feminist story. Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery and the magic.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was definitely a different read than what I am used to but it was a great novel full of suspense. I did get a little confused with the jumping between characters in each chapter but for the most part. It was very good!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

First off, thank you to NetGalley & the Publisher for an arc copy of The Sirens! reading the blurb is what really drew me to this book and made me want to read it. The history linking the two sets of sisters intrigued me and I wanted to know more!

Overall, the story itself played out quite nicely, but seemed to lose itself in the last few chapters, trying to tie up all the connections & loose ends. The author was also very descriptive. Which, in itself is not a bad thing. However it did slow the pace of the story quite a bit. It couldn’t hold my focus until I was about two thirds in, when the plot finally started picking up speed. It took me a while to read because of this.

I did enjoy the story, and putting all the pieces together, to connect Mary and Eliza with Jess and Lucy. I will say that I didn’t expect *that* connection between Jess and Lucy!!

The Sirens comes out Feb/25

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was creative, highlighting a bit of history I personally was not super familiar with, within a creative story.

I did think the plot twist was not very surprising, lots of clues were left throughout the book, but I still enjoyed it! It’s really nice to have your predictions turn out correct!

I loved Weyward, and Sirens did not disappoint. I love the complexity of the characters, and how Emilia Hart portrays the experience of women.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review

A Dark sirens historical fiction. I loved thiscand the dynamic with the sisters. A must read for sure if you love fantasy

A perfect book for me - a story of female self-discovery with elements of magical realism. That’s also how I would’ve described Hart’s first book, Weyward, but the actual author elements and plot of this book are quite different.

It follows a historical and present day timeline - both were engaging and drew me in wanting more. An emotional read with trigger warnings for violence against women and grooming. There is no gratuitous violence and you will want to read to the end to see the twists in the storylines come together and ultimately see the women prevail.

Thank you for this ARC, I really enjoyed it.
First off, I have to admit I went into this book expecting not to like it. That’s mostly because I didn’t enjoy Wayward by Emilia Hart, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised—this one was much better.

Let me start with the cons, just to get them out of the way. The epilogue really threw me off. Mary’s parents did everything they could to raise their daughters, and then suddenly the father is painted as a cheater. Mary herself said he was “not like the others”—okay, maybe he wasn’t abusive, but he did have an affair and a semi-relationship outside his marriage. I wish, really wish, the baby had belonged to someone else, maybe his brother or something. It just felt like a cheap twist.

Also, what happened with Mary and Eliza? There was no closure for them. Why didn’t they join Lucy and Jess? That should’ve been the epilogue instead. And what was the point of the dreams? They led them to the house, sure, but they would’ve found it anyway because of their family history. The dreams just didn’t seem necessary.

Now, that’s all for the cons. Even though these things bugged me, they weren’t enough to make me take a star off.

On to the pros! The writing in this book was captivating. I was completely drawn into the story, especially Mary’s chapters—I kept wanting to hear more from her. Compared to Wayward, this book delivered a much stronger sense of female empowerment, and I loved that it didn’t rely on magic to resolve their problems. The revelations throughout the story were both heartbreaking and eye-opening.

The part about Aoife, though, almost broke me. I was so invested in her survival that when she was gone, I was devastated.

This book is going to sit heavy with me for a long time, but I am glad I read it, and I will definitely purchase it.

4.5⭐️Calling all Weyward fans! Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s press for this ARC that I enjoyed so much. This is a beautifully woven story where magical realism meets historical fiction meets girl power. We meet two sets of sisters struggling to find their place in the world, who find strength in each other and the power of women before them. The historical plot tells the story of female prisoners from Ireland brought to Australia, a less frequent historical fiction plot that felt fresh to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy of The Sirens!
This book was a mix of historical fiction, magical realism, female rage and mystery. Basically all of my favorite genres, so I knew this was going to be something good. Emilia Hart's writing is excellent and I really enjoyed this novel about two sisters in 2019 and two sisters in the early 1800's and finding out how their stories connect by the end of the novel. I found Jessica and Lucy's relationship to be the most compelling to me and Hart did a great job of weaving all the different timelines together.
The one thing about this book is that I found the pacing to be quite slow at the beginning, it took me about 90 pages in to care or get truly invested in the story. And oddly enough, the ending felt a bit rushed and I'm not sure how I feel about the epilogue. I want to know more about the Ben situation and how that panned out for Lucy as well.
I have not read Weyward yet, but after reading this book, I definitely want to read more by this author and look forward to more books Hart will write and publish in the future.
-alliepclark

Emilia Hart's *The Sirens* is a mesmerizing, multi-generational tale that masterfully intertwines the lives of women across centuries, all bound by the enigmatic pull of the sea. From the author of the bestselling *Weyward*, this novel is a spellbinding exploration of sisterhood, resilience, and the haunting magic of the ocean, spanning timelines from 2019, 1999, and the early 1800s. Hart crafts a deeply atmospheric story, blending historical fiction with elements of magical realism, making it impossible to put down.

At the heart of *The Sirens* is the complex relationship between Lucy and Jess, two sisters separated not just by distance, but by their own emotional walls. Set in 2019, Lucy's story begins with a shocking moment—she awakens from a dream with her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Horrified and confused, she escapes to her sister Jess’s house on the Australian coast, only to find that Jess is mysteriously missing. As Lucy waits for Jess, she becomes ensnared by the strange happenings in the small coastal town, where rumors of men disappearing at sea and eerie whispers on the waves abound. This mystery grows even more intense when Lucy stumbles upon Jess’s adolescent diary, which provides disturbing insights into her sister’s past.

Lucy’s discovery of Jess's diary pulls readers into the 1999 storyline, where we meet a sixteen-year-old Jess, isolated and struggling with her rare allergy to water. Hart paints a vivid picture of her teenage loneliness, compounded by her strained family life and the feeling of being different from everyone else. Jess’s world changes when her young art teacher takes an interest in her, seeing a maturity and talent in her that others have overlooked. As their relationship deepens, the novel subtly explores themes of power, manipulation, and vulnerability—laying the groundwork for the mysterious transformations that define the lives of these women.

The third timeline, set in the early 1800s, introduces twin sisters Mary and Eliza, who have been ripped from their home in Ireland and forced aboard a convict ship bound for Australia. The ocean, which claimed their mother’s life years before, is both a source of fear and fascination for the twins. As they sail further from the world they know, they begin to experience strange changes in their bodies, slowly revealing their mystical connection to the sea. The 1800s narrative is rich in historical detail, blending the harsh realities of convict life with supernatural elements that evoke the haunting allure of siren mythology.

Hart’s strength lies in her ability to seamlessly weave these three timelines together, allowing the mysteries of the past to echo into the present. The sea, both a physical and symbolic force, acts as a powerful throughline that binds these women across centuries. The vivid descriptions of the ocean’s relentless beauty and danger heighten the novel’s tension and imbue the story with an almost otherworldly atmosphere.

One of the novel’s most compelling themes is the idea of female resilience. Each woman—Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza—faces her own struggles, but it’s the bond of sisterhood that offers strength and solace in the face of adversity. The relationship between the sisters, particularly in Lucy and Jess’s timelines, feels authentic and emotionally charged. Their connection is marked by both love and distance, as they navigate their complicated past and the weight of unspoken secrets. Hart’s portrayal of this sisterly bond is tender and poignant, reminding readers of the enduring power of familial love, even when it’s tested by time and circumstance.

The novel also delves into themes of identity and transformation, particularly through the lens of the mystical changes that the women experience. The sea, with its pull of dreams, memories, and magic, serves as a metaphor for the unseen forces that shape and change us. The mystery surrounding the siren-like abilities of the women adds an element of magical realism to the narrative, giving the novel an almost mythic quality.

In *The Sirens*, Hart deftly combines suspense, historical fiction, and magic to create a novel that is as emotionally resonant as it is compelling. The book is rich with symbolism, exploring the delicate balance between power and vulnerability, and the way trauma and loss ripple across generations. The mystery at the novel’s core keeps readers hooked until the very last page, as the stories of these women—bound by the sea and by each other—unravel in unexpected ways.

Overall, *The Sirens* is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel that offers a profound meditation on the bonds of sisterhood, the resilience of women, and the haunting allure of the sea. Fans of historical fiction, magical realism, and emotionally charged narratives will find themselves swept away by Emilia Hart’s spellbinding storytelling. This is a novel that lingers long after the final page, like the call of the sirens themselves—both enchanting and impossible to forget.

The ocean and siren themes were so great. Dark and twisted and historical. Loved the sisters and their relationship. Hart is making a name for herself in fantasy.

This is exactly how a Siren story should be told. I am not giving anything away except you must read this book!

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book! There were some very fast paced parts which kept me wanting more, but I feel like I wanted more from the ending. Overall, I would recommend this book if the storyline interests you!
3.5⭐️

The Sirens was one of my absolute top, if not THE top, most anticipated releases for 2025.
Weyward was one of those one-in-a-million reads for me, so l was absolutely thrilled to get this ARC. I was conflicted after finishing this one. It definitely didn't live up to my expectations after Weyward, so I really had to work to set it apart from my (probably) unrealistically high hopes. So, even though it didn't completely blow me away, it was not a bad book by any means. Emilia Hart's writing is just as beautiful as ever. This is yet another beautiful story of strong women overcoming the terrible men in their lives. I loved the history of convict transportation to Australia, The Sirens does a great job educating on this topic. The bulk of the story takes place in the present day, & I think that's where it fell short for me. The present day story just wasn't nearly as interesting, especially in the beginning. You only get little tidbits of the past, & I just wanted a lot more. Lucy is the main character in the present day, & for the first 100 pages her chapters are slow & repetitive. It's a lot of internal struggle with her, going over & over in her mind about her sister. Also a lot of lengthy descriptions of the surroundings, which felt like filler. It was rough to push through for me. I felt like it picked up a lot after the first 100 pages though.
There's representation of a disability, which is great! I loved reading about the bond the sisters shared & how they relied on each other.
"The girl who sings but does not see, they called her."
"For the first time, Mary noticed what Eliza must have always known, that a voice had valleys and crags, telling you of sadness or delight. You could almost feel it under your fingers, like it was land."
The way she incorporates Irish Gaelic throughout the book was another plus!
"'Mo Iníonacha!' He'd shouted, arms reaching for them as if he could wrest them from this fate. 'My girls!'"
The beautiful prose was there, the history was there, & the folklore was there. But, I was left with a few unanswered questions & just wanting more.

I loved this book!!! It is very mysterious, but historical! I couldn't put this down, so many nights I stayed up very late but it is worth it. Emilia Hart is by far one of my favorite authors. I hadly ever give 5 star reviews, but this one is easily 5 stars. There is no negativity for this book from me. I cant wait for more by this author.

Much like Weyward, I loved the magic realism vibes and Emilia Hart’s writing. I enjoyed the story from the 1800s the most of the 3 stories. If you like stories that spread across different times and characters I think you will like this. If you didn’t like Weyward or alternate timelines, I don’t think you’ll like this.

Last year Hart’s Weyward was among my pick of books that I actually bought physical copies of and gave as gifts for Christmas, so when I learned she had a new book, I requested the ARC as soon as I could. What Hart does well is weave multiple time lines together without making you wish for more of one or the other. While the message tends to hit you over the head a bit - feminist, empowering, etc - it mostly manages to do so without you rolling your eyes too hard. Mostly. The Sirens was enjoyable, if predictable, and while it won’t be out until February 2025, I might be keeping an eye out for a copy as a gift. I liked how it wasn’t afraid to go to the dark places, and the empowerment often came at the cost - or perhaps with the benefit - of utter destruction.

Emilia Hart is a fantastic writer! I am so happy that NetGalley and the publisher gave me the opportunity to read this eARC.

Keeping true to what we read of Emilia's writing style in Weyward, this is a story of strong women connected to one another in mysterious ways but separated by time. The Sirens follows two sisters who were convicted of a crime and sentenced to board a ship full of female convicts destined for a new country. Meanwhile, The Sirens also follows the story of two sisters in 2019 struggling to understand why they feel connected to the female convicts from years ago that perished in a ship wreck at sea.

I enjoyed this book and found myself hooked as I read, but during the majority of the book I still could not for the life of me explain to you what the overall plot of the story was. It felt like reading a really long prologue. I still really enjoyed this book and I think that Emilia Hart readers and fans will appreciate that she yet again connects strong female characters to the magic of nature.