Emilia writes like no one else! She is incredibly skilled at immersive prose and spans the genres of magical realism and historical fiction so beautifully. I enjoyed this emotional tale and loved the duel timelines. I highly recommend to anyone who loves a magical tale, mythical creatures and most importantly strong female characters. Beautifully done, Emilia.

Emilia Hart, author of Weyward, follows up her gothic debut with The Sirens, deftly weaving the tale of two sisters bound for Australia on a women’s convict ship with the contemporary journey of Lucy, an aspiring journalist seeking reconnection with her older sister, Jess. Haunting and atmospheric, The Sirens is a gothic mermaid tale reminiscent of Sarah Porter’s Lost Voices, exploring themes of sexual violence and women’s erasure from history.

The story overall flows along at a medium pace, with interspersing chapters told from Lucy’s POV, Jess’s diary, and the POV of Mary, a passenger on the women’s convict ship. While the overarching mystery of Comber Bay and the fates of Mary and Eliza kept the story engaging, there were a few plot points that were never fully resolved, and I personally would recommend skipping the epilogue, which felt very out of place from the rest of the story. That being said, I overall greatly enjoyed The Sirens and the blending of history and myth, and am excited to see where Emilia Hart decides to explore next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the eARC.

I really wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book when I started reading it, but it seriously delivered on so many different levels — I’m so so happy I got the chance to read this. This was my first book by Emilia Hart and found that I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. The story had such an eerie vibe to it and I was really captured by how mysterious the plot and characters were. I felt like I didn’t want to put the book down so I could continue to see the story unfold. Also, I had 0 inkling of the twists which I love - I love to be blindsided!! This was a really lovely story, I’ll definitely be reading her other book sometime soon ☺️

As a fan of Weyward, I was so excited to read Emilia Hart’s latest book, The Sirens. Similar to Weyward, in this story we have multiple timelines of strong women that become intertwined. However, I didn’t feel connected to the women in the Sirens in the same way I did to the characters in Weyward.

A lot of plot points were introduced only to be forgotten about later. That being said, my biggest complaint is the titular Sirens. I needed more of them and wanted to actually interact with them, and I didn’t feel they received enough exposition.

Overall, I love Emilia’s writing style and the way she weaves complex, strong, female characters to tell her stories and I will continue to read what she writes. Thank you to Emilia Hart, NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my early reading and listening copies of Emilia Hart’s upcoming new release, THE SIRENS, our April 1, 2025.

This novel had so much promise with the idea of sisters connected yet with hundreds of years between them…but I found myself SO distracted during the novel! I could not get into it, and I just kept finding other things to do or pay attention to. That is a me thing, not necessarily a novel thing though.


The novel is full of Irish-Australian history, and swivels between 2019 and 1800 time periods and I found myself sometimes blending the two storylines together.

Be aware the novel starts off almost immediately with inappropriate sharing of pictures by a young man of the FMC while she’s at college- which includes her unique skin tone. This can be a VERY touchy subject for many readers and is worth knowing it is there.

The writing is still consistently lyrical and beautiful, as Emilia Hart frequently does.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart weaves together three captivating timelines that build on mystery, the supernatural, and sisterhood. In 2019, Lucy wakes up from a dream to find herself having attacked her ex-lover, leading her to flee to her sister Jess’s house on the Australian coast. When Jess isn’t there, Lucy begins to uncover strange rumors about the small town—missing men, mysterious voices on the sea, and a hidden baby. As Lucy searches for answers, she begins reading Jess’s old diary from 1999, where Jess’s own strange experiences unfold. The third timeline takes us back to 1800, where twin sisters Mary and Eliza are torn from their homeland and forced onto a convict ship, discovering mysterious changes to their bodies and the call of the ocean.

I really enjoyed this book! The way the three timelines connected was such a pleasant surprise. I honestly didn’t see how they’d all tie together, but the author did it in a way that felt seamless and natural. Emilia Hart is such a beautiful storyteller, and I was hooked from start to finish. There’s a perfect mix of mystery, a touch of romance, family drama, and that sense of the supernatural that makes it a unique and engaging read. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review! I loved this one.

🧜‍♀️ The Sirens 🧜‍♀️⁣
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⁣Length- 352 pages. ⁣
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⁣Pub. Date- April 1, 2025. ⁣⁣
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⁣Much like Wayward, The Sirens in an epic feminist fantasy that discusses sisterhood and the power of female resilience. Told in two timelines, this is a very atmospheric and quite creepy novel. I found it immersive and powerful! Bonus points for being set in Australia! Four stars!
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Sirens. It publishes April 1, 2025.

I did not finish this book, it just didn’t capture or keep my attention. It might just not be my genre/preferred writing style though, even though I liked Weyward a lot.

This book kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Wondering what the truth really was, and why Lucy and Jess shared the traits that they do.

We focus on three women: Jess, Lucy, and Mary. The link between the three women is uncanny, and that's part of what keeps you enthralled. How are these women linked? Jess and Lucy are sisters, but then why do they see what Mary is experiencing a hundred years prior?

The suspense, the need for the truth, this book is great for fans of Lisa Jewell.

While the writing is great, and I loved Weyward, this book fell flat for me. I couldn't seem to get hooked and stay hooked. I didn't care about the characters. At one point my audio got restarted and I couldn't remember where I was in the book and didn't care enough to find out

**5/5 Stars – Lyrical, Haunting, and Utterly Captivating**

Emilia Hart’s *The Sirens* is a beautifully written, spellbinding tale that weaves mythology, mystery, and powerful storytelling into an unforgettable read. With lush prose and an atmospheric setting, this novel lingers like an enchanting melody long after the final page.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Press for the ARC of The Sirens! This was so beautifully written. The stories between the women of this book was so emotional and thought provoking. It immediately grabbed my heart and did not let go.

Pulls you deep into the belly of the sea and makes you fall in love with it.

After the runaway success of her scintillating debut Weyward, Emilia Hart is back with another enchanting novel that portrays sisterhood spanning centuries, exploring their intrinsic connection to the shores of a remote bay in the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis -

2019 - Lucy finds herself awake from a nightmare with her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. She has no choice but to seek refuge in her sister, Jess’ “Cliffhouse” in Comber Bay.

1800 - Twin sisters Mary and Eliza leave Ireland and their father on an Australian bound convict ship that transports English prisoners.
The sea and it’s pristine waters are the only common factors that will intertwine these sisters lives across continents and generations.

Review -

First of all, it is the writing that makes a world of difference to this book. @emiliahart has a way with words - as she blends the threads of these sisters’ lives, with the beauty and magic of the ocean, describing its sights and smells, sounds and melodies.

Secondly it is the atmospheric evocation and the exotic settings - Hart creates an all immersive, bewitching world both in Ireland and Australia that provides a pure, heightened sensory pleasure and sheer escapisim for us readers.

Embedded into the story are decades old family secrets, powerful sisterly bond that can withstand the test of times, history and horrors of convict transportation during those times from England to Australia -everything sprinkled with a bit of mythology, magical realism and hints of fantastical elements.

#TheSirens bring out a perspective shifting new dimension of feminism, shadowing resilience and the true essence of female relationships through rich characterisation, vivid imagination and eloquent storytelling.

Highly recommend if you love historical fiction and magical realism!

There are some books that completely sweep you away, and The Sirens was one of them for me. This novel had everything I love—atmospheric writing, layered characters, and a haunting, almost hypnotic storyline that lingers long after the last page.

From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The story moves between three different timelines—2019, 1999, and 1800—yet it never feels disjointed or overwhelming. Instead, the threads of the narrative weave together beautifully, creating a mystery that slowly unfolds in the most mesmerizing way.

Lucy’s story in 2019 starts off with such an eerie, unsettling moment—waking up with her hands around her ex-lover’s throat and no memory of why. That alone had me turning pages, desperate to understand what was happening. Then there’s Jess in 1999, an isolated teenager struggling with a rare water allergy, and finally, Mary and Eliza in 1800, twin sisters forced onto a convict ship where they begin to experience changes that defy logic.

The way Emilia Hart writes about the sea is stunning—it feels alive, almost like a character itself, both beautiful and terrifying. And the themes of sisterhood, power, and transformation are woven so intricately into the plot that it never feels forced. I loved how the book played with folklore and mythology while keeping the emotional core so grounded and real.

It’s rare to find a book that balances mystery, historical fiction, and a touch of the supernatural this well, but The Sirens absolutely delivers. The pacing was just right, the characters were compelling, and the twists felt natural rather than predictable.

If you love books with a moody, atmospheric vibe—think The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or The Lighthouse Witches—then this one is definitely worth picking up. I truly enjoyed it, and I think it’s one of those stories that will stay with me for a long time.

Highly recommend—this was a fantastic read!

Wow! I flew through this book! This was so compulsively readable! The story follows Lucy, who wakes up strangling a classmate at university. Shocked by what she has done, she flees to find help from her older sister, Jess. When she arrives at Jess’s new house, her sister is not there. What unfolds is a wild story, between two sisters, and a mysterious shipwreck in the early 1800s, just off the coast where Jess is living.

I could not put this book down! I had to solve all of the mysteries with Lucy: what had happened to her sister, what had happened to Mary and Eliza, the women on the shipwreck in the 1800s that Lucy is dreaming about, and the mystery of Jess’s high school diary. This was SO GOOD! The magical realism elements were woven into this stunning dark tale of sisterhood and the resilience of women.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the eARC copy of this book.

From Goodreads:

Sirens Summary:
Lucy and Jess are sisters who have become estranged. Jess always seems like she’s hiding something and Lucy notices that difference. But when Lucy gets into trouble at school, with nowhere else to turn, she heads to her sister’s new house. The problem is... she isn’t there.

As she stays at her sisters house, she starts to unearth some oddities about the town, her connection with it and the link to a skin condition she has had since birth which makes her unable to go in water.

She also starts to have weird vivid dreams about two sisters who have a connection to the town many years ago.

Thoughts:
FIRSTLY, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in advance of release.

I just love the lyrical nature of Emilia Hart’s writing. The way she weaves Mary, Eliza, Lucy and Jess’ stories together is truly poetic.

This story of sisterly love and overcoming hardships was fantastic. Overall, I really enjoyed this story of love and family and can’t wait for it to come out.

CONGRATULATIONS to Emilia on her novel

Emilia Hart is a master at writing stories set in multiple timelines. The Sirens follows two sets of sisters, one set trapped on a prisoner’s ship in the early 1800s and one set struggling through obstacles in present day. Both storylines were captivating and intriguing and extremely well-written.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC!

The Sirens follows two sets of sisters -- Eliza and Mary, who are on a convict ship bound for Australia, and Jess and Lucy, who are in modern times -- each of whom feels a strange draw to the sea, even though they've spent their whole lives being told to avoid it.

This novel spans multiple timelines and points of view from women who have been wronged by men in different ways. If it sounds a lot like Weyward (Emilia Hart's first novel) except in Austrialia instead of England and with merrow (mermaids) instead of witches, that's because it is very similar. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing! Both novels are very entertaining and speak poignantly to the experience of women who have been hurt by men who are in positions of power over them.

3.75/5 stars

In her 'Acknowledgments', author Emiila Hart writes, "Fundamentally, this novel is about the ability of water - and sisterhood - to heal and transform." I thought this was a lovely way for her to describe her work, and the feelings I took as a reader about her characters by the end of this magical story. This novel connects present day Lucy and her much older sister Jess (both battling their own questions of family, identity, and belonging) with the history of a pair of sisters (convicts) who are being forced to sail for many months to their own exile back in 1800. As many popular books now do, the story goes back and forth between the two timelines, revealing mysteries little by little and exploring the power of female justice in the face of abuse from cruel, abusive men throughout history. It's a great story for those who love mythology involving the sea, magical realism, and the beauty and power of female connection with one another. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

If you loved Weyward, The Sirens is definitely worth the read! Emilia Hart once again delivers a beautifully atmospheric and immersive story, weaving history and magical realism seamlessly. The writing is stunning, and the themes of resilience and female strength shine through. While I really enjoyed it, I didn’t connect with the story quite as much as Weyward, but it’s still a compelling and well-crafted read. Definitely recommend for fans of lyrical, historical fiction with a touch of magic!