I think I liked this book more than Wayward. She created such an eerie, damp, sea-driven vibe with the way she described everything. The way the stories were intertwined was beautiful and the pacing and reveal of all the characters secrets was very well done. I don't feel like there's much character growth overall but the premise was very interesting and well-executed! I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it felt like something was missing from the story, but it was still enjoyable. Overall an enjoyable and immersive read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

There is much to love and enjoy about this book! I loved the vibe and atmosphere. The bond of sisterhood, the power of female empowerment in overcoming traumas and hardships. Embracing individuality from society. Hart does a wonderful job of creating a magical and slightly historical fiction. However, I did feel some of the elements of the plot got lost along the way. Some connections not explained or maybe I didn’t catch them. I was invested to want to know the mystery and what connected the characters to each other and felt some answers lacking or not explained.

Thank you so much, NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my review!

The Sirens is an absolute masterpiece and my only sadness is that I finished it so quickly.

We all know Emilia Hart is a true master of her art but even with extremely high expectations, they were exceeded. I believe in reading books in the genre you’re in the mood for and for the longest time I just didn’t feel like reading magical historical fiction. I continually put it off and put it off and then eventually I needed to read it and she had me in a hold within the first page. There are few books that can defy the desire to read a genre and Hart has that true talent. The right time to read her books is always right now.

If you listen to Paris Paloma and loved Our Wives Under the Sea, then this book will be a must the moment it’s released. The magic is subtle but strewn throughout like a web that’s fully formed in the end. The bonds, the sisterhood, the connection of women to the sea. This book holds absolutely nothing back and I will be dreaming of all The Sirens for many moons to come.

Told from various perspectives spread over centuries, these women were so beautifully written. Each with a unique viewpoint and style. I found the story captivating.

Lucy's life is thrown for a loop when a guy decides to violate her and her dreams are suddenly overwhelmed with the experiences of women centuries ago to the point of sleep walking revenge on the guy. Panicked, Lucy flees from her college to visit her older sister, Jessica, but when she gets there her sister is no where to be found and the dreams continue.

In the dreams she sees two sisters, Eliza and Mary as they are convicted for fighting back when a man tries to hurt one of them and shipped off from Ireland to Australia as punishment. Along the journey their bodies begin to change in strange ways that they learn is tied to their mother who disappeared into the sea when they were young children.

We also get a peek into Jessica's early life through the diary Lucy finds and learns family secrets and at least on mystery still unsolved.

Overall the story is about women womening. Overcoming, protecting, persevering.

There's a lot going on in the central family to the point of improbability. I liked the way the stories intertwined and connected. It was a good read for me!

strong story and cool ideas, but the biggest flaw is we never really get enough with any of the characters to feel for them in the story, which was definitely less than ideal. still, a pretty good work. 3.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I loved Weyward and I gave it 5 stars and constantly tell people they need to read it. So going into this, I was expecting The Sirens to be the same.

...it's fine. It's not bad, it's not good. It's just fine. I enjoy the writing; Emilia does a great job of making you feel the scene. The feeling of the sea and the feeling of claustrophobia builds tension through the story. The story is good, though more predictable than Weyward was. The characters are fine, you get why they are doing what they're doing. It's all fine. Just something I probably won't read again.

Wow, WOW! What an incredible first ARC for W&W! A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and The Book Club Cook Book for the ARC—what a gift! 💞
From the very first page, Hart weaves a stunning tapestry, setting the stage for a story that feels both surreal and deeply poignant. Her ability to craft such vivid, immersive scenes in every chapter is truly remarkable—one of my absolute favorite aspects of this read. Her talent? LIMITLESS.
The premise had me hooked from the start, and once I was in, there was no turning back. Every time I opened this book, I was there—aboard the ship, standing at Cliff House with sea mist on my face, peering over Jess’s shoulder as she unraveled the mystery. Hart seamlessly interlaces history into the narrative, making it feel alive and immediate. The way she bends genres—melding historical fiction, coming-of-age, and mystery, all while juggling multiple POVs—had me captivated until the very last page.
A story of womanhood, empowerment through the ocean, and the connections that bind us across time? Always, always for me. 🧜🏽‍♀️✨

I really enjoyed this book and have since recommended it to several others. I'm grateful St. Martens Press shared the advanced reader copy with us! Emilia Hart touched on an often forgotten part of history, with Australia being a place where "prisoners" were sent for punishment, and how the journey there was more likely a death sentence. I thought the focus on often tumultuous family relationships was spot on, and kept the storyline interesting. #galleymatch

This author has truly won my heart. I absolutely loved her last novel, *Weyward*, and this new release did not disappoint. The book explores the captivating idea of shared or genetic memory in a way that kept me turning the pages.

The story follows a girl who starts having vivid dreams and sometimes sleepwalks, doing things she cannot recall the next day. Faced with the potential of being suspended from college, she arrives at her sister's doorstep hoping for advice. However, when she gets to her sister's house only to find it abandoned, the dreams only intesnify. What is real? What is imagined? What does the history of the house have to do with everything?

*Sirens* is a beautifully written novel, and you should definitely pick it up!

This was my first Emilia Hart book and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the multiple time lines, following the different characters, and getting to just explore different part of the world.
However, even thought I enjoyed the book, I was able to guess the “twists” as soon as they were mentioned and it kind of took me out of the book somewhat.
I will still recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a fun twist on mythological creatures and wants to escape to a another part of the world because even though I was able to guess the twists the book is still a very enjoyable read.

What started out with Lucy desperately wanting to reconnect with her sister as nightmares and sleep walking plagued her, quickly transformed into a story of healing. She finally learns so much about her older sister, whom she had always felt alienated from. From the flashbacks to Lucy’s current thoughts, the sisterhood through it was drew me in and kept me till the end. I genuinely loved this book.

Emilia Hart's second novel, similar to her debut, Weyward, emphasizes female friendships, motherhood, nature, and the mystical powers/fables long associated with women. In this novel, the focus falls on the mythology of sirens, following the historical narrative of convict women being shipped off to Australia. Again, similar to Weyward, this is a family narrative spanning generations. Beautifully crafted, the mystery surrounding Jess's disappearance and Lucy's investigative knack makes it impossible to put the novel down. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, as well as the journal articles, podcasts, and diary entries scattered throughout Lucy's investigation into her sister's whereabouts. Hart's second novel did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more works from this author.

Emilia Hart has brought the tale of mythological mermaids to the forefront with her latest novel. Sisters who, despite their differences, have more in common than they first thought. Their lives are shaped by the complexities of skin conditions and complicated relationships with their parents and ultimately with each other. There's the added mysterious disappearance of men from town that has the locals ready to close ranks on newcomers. Did these men meet unfortunate fates, or was the siren's call too hard to resist?

I added this book to my want to read list back in November 2024 so when I saw the opportunity to apply for an ARC, I jumped at it!

~SPOILER within~

This is the story of two sets of sisters, one in modern times and the other set back in the years following Australia's invasion in the 17 hundreds. I enjoyed the way the story was told mainly through Lucy and Mary. The switch between time lines was clear and easy to follow. Later on in the book, we also get to see through Jess's eyes 20 years prior. I was able to connect with each of the sisters and understood them. I wasn't surprised by the ending of the book but still thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The only aspect that annoyed me was /SPOILER the confirmation that their father is indeed their biological father. While it made my heart happy that he was actually their father, I struggled to reconcile that with the man he was portrayed to be. He was meant to be different to other men, especially those that had gone missing throughout the years. But if he was cheating on his wife who kept miscarrying their babies, how is he different? While he wasn't physically abusive to her, there's no justification for cheating in my eyes.

As an Aboriginal Australian, I really respected Hart's historical note at the beginning of the book about Australia's history noting the impacts that the British invasion had on the Indigenous Australians Peoples. Hart acknowledges that this is a painful legacy and writes 'one that is not mine to write about'. Hart encourages the reader to seek out Indigenous Australian stories and even provides a place to start - the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Hart also writes an Acknowledgement of Country to the Walbunja People.

Something that stood out to me through this story that I could not get past was the American English used. This is a story written by an Aussie author and set in Australia so I found the American English glaring obvious and it regularly took me out of the story. I understand that St Martin's Press is an American publishing house but I still would've appreciated Australian English being used. I want to acknowledge that this may be only my experience due to reading a copy from an American publisher. Other publishing houses in other countries may decide to edit this story using Australian English.

Despite these things, I had a great time reading this book. I always have a special place for Aussie authors and am grateful for the way Hart wrote about our beautiful landscape. I've recently moved overseas and reading this story helped with some of the homesickness I've been feeling. The world building took me straight back to my summers growing up and going to the beach and my winters spent in land at the family farm. While I've never been huge on mermaid folklore, I found this a great way for Hart to channel female rage. I have recommended this to my sister who loves mermaids and will continue to recommend it to others. All in, I give this book 4.5 🌟 (rounded here to 5)

NetGalley and St Martin's Press provided me with a free version of this book for my honest review - thank you!

An incredible follow-up to Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Sirens is yet another masterpiece in exploring the strength and resilience of women in the face of incredible hardships, mixed with just the right amount of myth and magic. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book was such a great read. I am not usually one for historical fiction but this book the perfect job weaving together a modern story with one from the past. The story was a perfect mystery and watching it all come together was so fun. The imagery in this book was so vivid.

Thank you NetGalley! A tale of two pairs of sisters in different times. Mary and Eliza are on a prison ship set for New South Wales in the 1800’s. Jess and Lucy, set in 2019, struggle with sleepwalking and skin disease that sets them apart. Their stories run parallel. Based on the real prison ships carrying women charged with crimes and exiled but filled with the magic and folklore of the seas. The bonds of sisters are realized as their lives are threatened and hard choices are made and truths discovered. Well told original story with aspects of history. Would recommend!

I enjoyed Weyward so I was excited to read another book by Emilia Hart, and I think I liked this just as much.

Hart returns with yet another beautifully written novel. I felt that she really brought the characters and setting to life, the same I felt with Weyward. The characters were likable and I was interested in Lucy's discoveries and the interwoven stories from the past. It did feel a little bit slow-paced, but once I got to know the characters I grew intrigued and interested in their self-discoveries. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the mystery of Comber Bay and the magical realism of the story, and the themes of relationships, friendships, and family secrets.

Plus, I like anything that has to do with mermaids!

I was a fan of Hart’s debut novel, Weyward, but this novel surpassed that one to me.

This book completely absorbed me and I finished it in less than 24 hours while still several other books to finish. It looks like I might be in the minority with that, but I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Between the atmosphere, familial bounds, and the music of the ocean, I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this novel.