A worthy successor to Wayward! Not as strong as the original novel but captivating nonetheless. A great read for mystery lovers with a touch of horror and fantasy.

Fans of Weyward or just of sirens and mermaids in general would love this. It is similar in structure to Weyward. It is told from the perspective of different women in different eras. The imagery and the descriptions were eerie and very well done. The characters were realistic and weren't there just to fill space. The story did seem to drag in some places, but it was part of the mood and setting of the story, so I understand the pacing.

I liked the idea of this book and the basis of the story on the origins of Sirens in the Australian continent. I enjoyed the plot twists. But the internal dialogue was just so lengthy for me it was hard to continue at times. I also wasn't super fond of any of the characters. I just expected to feel more.

I think the overall pacing and sections with Mary and Eliza was just too much of nothing going on for a good amount of the book.

3.5 stars. This book is tough for me to rate and review. After reading and loving Weyward by the same author, I was disappointed with this book. First, I will add that the book cover is beautiful and worth commenting on. I do usually really enjoy magical realism and the theme of mermaids as “sirens” with references to mythology is definitely intriguing. The double timeline format worked well but I did want more character development of Mary and Eliza from the past. I did enjoy the build up around the mystery of Jess’s disappearance in the current timeline but felt like Lucy and Jess’s backstories were overly complicated and caused me to lose some interest at times. As in Weyward, the author did connect the two stories in the end but the revealing of Mary’s relationship with Jess and Lucy seemed rushed. But I think the biggest disappointment for me was the repeating theme of women seeking revenge on men. Not that I don’t get that women have suffered misogyny forever and the use of magic to stop them can be entertaining but I like to see authors avoid repeating themes from book to book and use their writing talents to create something entirely new.

This was a really captivating, eerie, magical realism story. I liked the multiple timelines and POVs which really helped move the story along and kept me engaged. The mysteriousness of the girls and Comber Bay was so well done!

I also really like how well Hart describes things, especially the setting. I felt like I could really picture the house and the cave well!

The only issue I had is I felt a few things were left unresolved. I loved the two timelines but wasn’t really sure how they connected in the end.

Overall though, a well written, enjoyable book!

I love the interweaving story lines and the hint of mystery for each one. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did and ended up reading it in about a day!

This is book where you can see smell and touch the settings along with the characters. I found myself cringing at a walk through a house damp with mild, chilled by the misty wind on a beach cliff, holding my breathe to the smell of a dank ship hold I wasnt psychically in but my mind could see. Mysterious, fantastical. A journey.

I loved this book! Five out of five stars. Ten out of ten stars even. Just as good as her other book, Weyward. I love the way Hart writes these women stories. They’re very unique and very real feeling.

🏝️ Book Review 🏝️

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: April 1, 2025

Rating: DNF/Not for me

I was hooked at the beginning of this story but it slowly fell apart for me. I’m not sure what I was hoping for or expecting but I put this down feeling frustrated.

This read more like a character study with how much inner monologues Lucy had during her chapters. I was hoping we would have had a unique way of seeing the lore regarding sirens.

For fans of:
💧 First person POV
🏝️ Three timelines
💧 1800’s New South Wales
🏝️ 2019 Australia
💧 Sprinkles of 1980’s in true crime podcast
🏝️ Mixed media
💧 Sister bond
🏝️ Blindness rep
💧 Female empowerment

🌟 What to Read Next 🌟
💫 By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

A tale about two sets of sisters, across two lifetimes both trying to navigate the unfair world around them. This was so eerie and atmospheric. I was completely immersed in this story from start to finish. Fantastic book! Cant wait to buy a physical copy for my shelf.

I had a hard time getting pulled into this one initially. The characters had an eerie edge to them that kept me feeling unsettled throughout the entire book. I enjoyed the dual timeline and trying to piece it together, but it left me confused at times with how certain plot threads were left/unresolved. There were a few twists to the story at the very end that I did not see coming - especially with the epilogue!

I loved Emilia Hart’s first book Weyward so much, so I was very excited to read this book. Her writing is still just as beautiful as ever. Ms. Hart’s descriptions are soul capturing. This is a tale of female driven power and the lengths they’ll go thru to protect their own. It’s a fast read with an exceptionally awesome ending. The story alternates between different timelines and between 2 sets of women. And you even get a twist towards the end! Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.

One things for certain two things for sure, Emilia Hart can do a story in a story in a story! Coming from an avid lover of Weyward, this was VERY good. Not at all what I was expecting in a good way! Coming from a girl who was a full-time mermaid in the pool growing up I was in love with this. It was beautiful and sad and happy all in one go and I ate it up!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the arc!

I think this is a book that will appeal to some and not others, for a variety of reasons.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines, and the way layers were peeled back to reveal things clicking into place. I found the writing as beautiful and compelling as I did in Weyward and I bet it would be lovely on audio.

Like Weyward, the main female characters are strong women, often wronged by the men in their lives. Emilia has a “not all men, but always a man” vibe that she brings to the table and I love it so much.

“A man might be kind, like Da. But he might be like the sailors, or like Byrne. That was the problem. There seemed to be no way of telling the difference”

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy!

Much like her previous book, The Sirens, alternates through multiple POV's. Unfortunately, it was challenging to distinguish between the timelines.. The story was incredibly boring and dragging at points.

Thank you St. Martin's Press

Ok, I am going to start by saying her first book, Weyward, was one of my favorite books of 2022 (I also had an arc of that one). So I was very excited to get the arc audio for The Sirens. While I enjoyed the story, it just did not live up to Weyward for me. It's my first novel surrounding mermaids and it did jumpstart an intrigue to find more though.

I figured out what was going on and the family connections pretty early on, so that was not a surprise, but I enjoyed it. I wish there was more of a focus on what happened with Lucy and her school experience. I know that wasn't the focus, and the driving factor that led to her leaving and heading to Jess's house, but I felt jipped in that aspect. I also just couldn't connect with Mary and Eliza's story/timeframe for some reason. I can't put my finger on it, but there was something missing to draw me in.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it didn't have my blood boiling and mind racing like Weyward did.

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

When Lucy runs away from school, she can only think of one place to go- her sisters house. But when she arrives, her sister is missing, having left her phone behind. Lucy, having a high value for truth, begins to search for clues as to where Jess might have disappeared to. Does her disappearance have anything to do with the other disappearances over the years near her home? During her search, Lucy finds answers to questions she has asked for years, along with answers to questions she didn’t know she had.

This book is written in alternating perspectives as well as time periods. Sometimes, I find this confusing. But the setting of each time period is so starkly different that it wasn’t hard to keep track of. The story is incredibly well written and I couldn’t put it down. The imagery is beautiful and gripping.

Content warnings: mild sexual content (encounters are mentioned briefly but not described in detail), cursing (multiple f words and a couple others), sexual assault (mentioned, not described), childbirth, drowning, adoption

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I love the idea of sirens, and I love all the excitement that comes with it, however, this book was far from exciting for me. It felt like it took a long time to get going, about 75% in. For the most part, it felt like a drag. I wanted to love it, but sadly, it was not my favorite.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's, and Emilia Hart for this ARC.

The Sirens tells the story of two sets of sisters in different time periods. In 2019 we meet Lucy who, after a horrific dream, leaves to seek solace with her estranged sister, Jess. Only when Lucy arrives, Jess is nowhere to be found. As she anxiously awaits to be reunited with her sister, Lucy finds herself becoming embroiled in the town where Jess lives- its history and tales of others who have gone missing over the years.

Then, through Lucy’s dreams, we journey to the year 1800. This is where we meet Mary and Eliza, sisters who have to flee Ireland on boat after they are pegged as criminals in their homeland. But with each day that the women get further from home, inexplicable changes begin to take place in their bodies. Suddenly, even a lifelong fear of the water can’t keep these siblings from being oddly drawn to the sea.

The Sirens is a slow burn novel that, unfortunately, never burns bright enough to keep this reader entertained. With its odd pacing and confusing timelines, it was hard to grow invested in the story. While there are powerful storyline undercurrents highlighting themes such as feminism, friendship, and sisterhood, none of them really rise to the surface-the story’s focus as murky as the sea it sails on.

Unfortunately, I think this book was beautiful writing for the sake of writing. Emilia Hart certainly has a way with words when is come to descriptions - particularly of scenery and atmosphere; you definitely got the eerie, cold sense of many of the scenes and the feminist rage of some of the characters.

However, the actual plot and characters were a struggle for me to get through. The beginning was so strong, that I was excited to see where the novel led - but it unfortunately did not keep my interest after the initial conflict and opening. I think overall I was just confused more than anything? Some points of the climax were heavily foreshadowed, so when they were revealed, it didn't pack a true punch. But there were other aspects of the plot - with the multiple POV and timelines - where I was like...wait, what - did I miss something?

Overall, this novel was just simply not for me.