I was very surprised at the number of reviews not in favor of this book. I liked it! The dual story line, history, sisterhood, family. Maybe I got a different message then everyone else but I thought it was well written. There were a couple of oh moments for me and a big thank goodness moment too. I have not read the authors first novel and will be putting it on my TBR list, as others seem to love that one. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Emilia Hart’s second novel. It is a good follow-up to Weyward, with some similar themes. I liked the multiple perspectives (Mary, Jess and Lucy) and felt like they all informed each other. This is a fairly slow moving story but I didn’t find it boring at all and the overall pace really sped up towards the end of the story. I figured out the twists fairly easily (maybe that was the point?) but it was still interesting to witness the characters learn these secrets about their lives. I listened to this book on audio and it was very engaging.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. The premise immediately drew me in especially as someone who longed to be a mermaid as a child, I was excited to "dive in." Unfortunately, the story just didn’t connect for me. I found myself unable to care about the characters beyond a surface level, which made it difficult to stay engaged. Honestly, I’m not sure I would have finished if it hadn’t been an ARC commitment.

The writing itself was lovely at times, but it felt a bit hollow overall. That said, I’ve heard wonderful things about Wayward, and I’d still be interested in exploring Emilia Hart’s work in the future.

Thank you to Emilia Hart and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book.

I was so excited for this book after reading Weyward but the Sirens just didn’t grab me in the same way. The book starts off with essentially the same idea, a woman finds herself in trouble and runs away. The choice to repeat this formula just felt unoriginal.

Lucy’s version of events was just boring. She wasn’t really doing much aside from being in cliff house. I did like the use of the diary for Jess’ timeline. That was new and an interesting way to understand some of the history of the events that happened in the book.

Mary and Eliza’s timeline stirred up more emotions which helped make the book more interesting.

There wasn’t too many exciting moments and when there was, it felt like we just flew by them. The author didn’t really do much in these moments to give the reader time to build up their excitement/anxiety for the characters and the situations they were in. This quickness of certain situations really left me wanting more but not in a good way.

Overall the story was interesting enough to keep reading.

I loved Hart's previous book, Weyward, so I had high expectations for The Sirens. However, it dragged too much at the beginning. The concept was really good, but it needed more finessing to be a five-star read.

Mesmerizing and engaging from start to finish. Characters were well developed as was the storyline. One of those books that kept me up for most of the night to finish.

anks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I loved Weyward and was so looking forward to reading this book, unfortunately it did not measure up to Weyward. The majority of the story is lacking in any movement and is supposed to be building momentum for the action later on, but it lacks spark and I didn’t really identify with any of the characters. The writing is fluid and well done, just not engaging enough to me. The ending redeemed the book more to me and bumped up my 2 stars to 3.

Do you love mermaids and revenge? This story takes place across two timelines, both involving sisters. Lucy is a college student who runs away to see her sister Jess after a sleepwalking incident leaves her facing disciplinary measures. When she arrives at Comber Bay, her sister is not at home, but has left behind a painting straight out of Lucy's nightmares. Lucy discovers that the sisters in the painting, Mary and Eliza are real and died aboard a convict ship. They were being transported from the British Isles to Australia because they were convicted of attacking a man. The parallels between the sisters lead to more mysteries and the stories of how women have been victims of men throughout time. Atmospheric and timely, this is another winner by Emilia Hart,

really enjoyed this book and the journey of the main character and all that they went through. It kept me on my toes and what would happen in the story.

Two sets of sisters share a strange connection to the sea. This is a haunting tale, featuring strong female characters. Between this book, and 2023's Weyward, Hart is becoming an author whose novels I greatly look forward to reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

Sirens was a really enjoyable read that gave me strong Weyward vibes. The story weaves together different timelines, and I absolutely loved seeing how everything connected in the end—this author has such a talent for pulling threads together seamlessly. The Gothic fantasy atmosphere was steady and immersive, almost cozy in its tone.

That said, the pacing is definitely on the slower side. There weren’t any big moments that shocked me or made me super excited, and the fantasy elements stayed at a steady hum rather than spiking with action or intensity. Still, I appreciated the way the timelines unfolded and the way the narrative eventually tied everything together.

Overall, this felt like a cozy Gothic fantasy with a unique rhythm. While it wasn’t the most thrilling read, I’d still recommend it to readers who enjoy layered timelines, Gothic vibes, and slower, atmospheric storytelling.

This was definitely a really good slow burn for me. It started out immediately interesting but the pacing was a slow build. But after part one, I couldn’t put it down! It was a thrilling mystery with magical realism and dual storytelling. The ending wasn’t what I’d been rooting for during the book but it was still an enjoyable read.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really thought I was going to love this book. The cover drew me in, and I figured with how much I loved WEYWARD I would be unable to put this down. Unfortunately I think I hyped it up too much in my own mind, because I just liked it. It was just good.

I liked the dark and eerie tone of the book and I am a big fan of the author’s female-centered writing. I look forward to re-reading when I’m in a better place for it.

Dnfd at 68%. I was very bored and couldn’t connect with any of the characters or the story. I tried coming back to this story multiple times because I enjoy her other work but I just couldn’t get into it.

I read Weyward when it first came out and was immediately enthralled with it. Receiving the ARC of The Sirens made my week. To say I was excited was an understatement. The first time I read it I didn’t click with it, which was disappointing. I sat on it for a few months and decided to give it another shot. I’m really glad I did because the reread was so much better. Like Weyward, The Sirens jumps between different women in different time periods, 2 sisters in current-ish day, and 2 sisters in the far past. Unlike Weyward, the characters’ stories are not written separately and intertwined only in the end.

As usual, Emilia Hart wrote wonderfully complex characters. I enjoyed reading about both sets of sisters, and the amount of research the author puts into her books really shows. The magical elements give it a nice touch, making you wish that they were real and you could experience them. This book leaves the reader with a sense of poignancy for what, and admiration for how, these women (and women in general) endure, survive, and even thrive.

My only complaint: On my initial read the pacing was a bit slow and left me with a lot of questions with seemingly no answers. The wrap up came on too suddenly after having seemingly nothing happen but backstory building. In my reread I no longer felt that way. Knowing the ending greatly helped understand character development, but it’s a shame I couldn’t appreciate that the first time around.

Overall I highly recommend reading this book, it is well worth it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

This one started odd really slow but I’m glad I kept going as the writing is really good and story got very interesting in the second half

Well written, but tough read, emotionally. This is a hard subject for me, so took a while to get through.
3.5

My issue with The Sirens was mainly the simple fact that the book slogged for 75%. And then in the last 50 pages of the book, the plot picked up pace and wrapped everything up…but not in a way that really reflected the journey it took to get there. There were a lot of pieces to the story that just didn't work for me and felt cliche. I do think the audio was done beautifully and engaging, but unfortunately, the story was flat and the characters were surface level.

Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for my honest review.
I really did try to get into this book. Specially since I enjoy Emilia Hart's writing style. But, alas, this book didn't do anything for me. The start was intriguing and then it went down hill. I was so bored through out the whole book. I put down this book several times before forcing myself to finish it.