The Sirens is a stunning book about female strength and resilience. It's told in two timelines, that were interconnected in a thoughtful way. The story follows Mary and Eliza in the 1800s and Lucy and Jess in 2019. All of the women suffer from a skin condition when they come into contact with water, but still feel drawn to the water. I loved the strength and sisterly bond shared by Mary and Eliza. Lucy had a strained relationship with her sister, Jess and I enjoyed seeing their story play out. I absolutely loved the folklore surrounding mermaids that was included. The writing was gorgeous and lyrical. The story was a bit slow paced at times, but was full of intrigue and I found myself immersed in the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copies.

4/5 stars. Gorgeous. Hart’s second novel is part thriller, part speculative fiction, refreshingly honest yet a familiar sort of tale.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc! Grab yourself a copy in April 🌊

The Sirens is a haunting and melancholy tale of sisterhood. Two sisters from the present are linked to two sisters from the past. In present day, Lucy is looking for her sister Jess after a traumatic event at her college. In the past, sisters Eliza and Mary are bound on a convict ship heading to Australia. As the story progresses, Lucy discovers that there is more to Jess than she ever knew. Can the sisters find each other in time? Will Eliza and Mary escape their fate?

The Sirens swept me away! The story is atmospheric and I felt like I was walking along the coast with Lucy as she followed in Jess’ footsteps. Lucy and Jess have a complicated relationship with a major twist, which I thought was written well. As the sisters from the past dealt with their secrets on the ship and made connections with the other prisoners, I also learned about the real life bloody history of the convict ships. Emilia Hart writes beautifully about the danger and lure of the ocean. Water is something that connects us across generations and I loved how all of the women found safety in some way in the water. Readers who enjoy stories about sisterhood, the power of water, and atmospheric writing will love The Sirens.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

4 ⭐️ Engrossing fantasy/mystery by Emelia Hart author of Weyward. Two sets of sisters in NSW, in multiple timelines, 1819 and 1999 and 2019, share a rare skin condition. They all have a “water allergy” that stings and turns their skin scaly.

In Ireland 1819 twins Mary and Eliza are sent on a prison ship bound for NSW. Sisters Jess and Lucy in 2019 are each haunted by nightmares of shipwreck, drowning, and Mary and Eliza.

The unfolding story has many twists, mysteries, murder and family secrets. I enjoyed the alternating character chapters of Mary, Jess and Lucy. Great plot, writing, strong female characters! Surprise ending ties it all together!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy!
Weyward was one of my top reads last year. I loved the shifting persepctive throughout time and seeing how all of the characters slowly became connected to each other. The Sirens uses a similar structure, with chapters that shift between Lucy in the present and Eliza and Mary in the past.


In the present, we are introduced to Lucy, who is having some problems in college. After making a terrible mistake, Lucy flees from her dorm and goes running to her estranged sister Jessica. However, upon her arrival at Jessica's run-down home in Comer Bay, Lucy is startled to find that her sister has also recently run off to places unknown. With a house that overlooks the crashing ocean and stories of men having gone missing, Lucy is terrified of what may have become of her sister.


In the past, readers experience the lives of twins Eliza and Mary, who have also commited their own terrible mistake. Unlike Lucy, however, they are unable to run away from their problems. Instead, they are sentenced to be exhiled and sent aboard a ship to travel to - you guessed it - Comer Bay.


While I still enjoyed traveling between the worlds of these characters and seeing how their stories unfolded and slowly c0nnected, I just didn't find this storyline to be as driving and intriguing as Weyward. Perhaps it was the "plot twist" that was easy to predict far too early, or that it is marked as fantasy but really doesn't fit that genre until you are quite far in the book. Overall, this felt like a near twin of Weyward in a lot of ways - put these two books together and you can definitely start to get a good feel for Emilia Hart's writing patterns and styles. As someone who likes her writing, that was great! Unfortunately, it also meant that the storyline felt a little too familiar. I'm a fan of Hart and will continue to follow and read her future books, but I hope that she takes some bigger risks with her next novel.

This book was amazing. . The family, the ocean calling, the mystery, dual timelines, All of it!
I loved it. I felt like I was standing at Cliff House gazing out over the sea.

This book was my first Emelia Hart, and I'll definitely be checking out her backlog.

This book started off much darker than I thought. The dual POV’s were a little confusing because I wasn’t sure how they were connected at first, but I liked the mystery and suspense of it. The story itself came together a little slower than my usual picks, but I enjoyed it! The Australian setting and history really kept my attention.

This book was so beautifully written. To me, it gave off the same vibes as Circe by Madeline Miller. The past and present POVs really gave this story momentum and gave the little bread crumbs to fit all the puzzle pieces into place.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I struggled with this book. Part of it might be that I didn't read Weyward, but after so many loved it, my expectations here were high. Also, I thought this was a dual timeline historical fiction and it was more like a suspense/thriller, so not only a genre I don't love, but my expectations where something else. The tone was melancholy, pace was slow, and the characters rather unlikeable until the very end, but at that point I just wanted to finish the book. The ending was good, and questions were answered, but it was just too little too late for me.

Such an interesting premise but meandered a bit too much for me to feel fully immersed in the story. I really appreciated the novel’s focus on processing intergenerational trauma, thoughtful exploration of female safety and autonomy, as well as the elements of historical fiction and magical realism.

A large chunk of this book dives into a really interesting period of time I knew nothing about previously. It was interesting to learn about Irish women being sent to current day Australia for petty crimes and hear about the journey from their perspectives. This book inspired me to want to learn more about this chapter of Irish history.

However, the novel’s constantly shifting perspectives made my reading experience feel disjointed. It took me a while to become invested in the characters and story.

Lucy was my favorite character due to Hart’s strong writing in her sections. I wish there was less focus on Mary’s perspective, especially at the beginning. I found myself struggling to get through most of Mary’s parts and wanting to get back to the writing in Lucy section because she was a much stronger narrator.

It was interesting to see the twists develop in each part. Yet, by the time they were revealed they felt a bit obvious to me and the pacing felt a bit inconsistent. I also felt disappointed by the ending.

My favorite parts of the book happened when the focus was on Lucy and Jess. I wish there had been more focus on their relationship in the same timeline, especially at the end. There were some really interesting dynamics between them that got introduced but didn’t feel fully developed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Emilia truly knows how to draw you in! I fell in love with this story line and characters. And I never knew I needed a story told in different timelines. Everything about this book was soooo amazing.

Wow, wow, what a beautiful, mysterious ride The Sirens was!
I alternated between my kindle and audio and I felt the kindle narration aged up the characters a bit, but was still excellent. This book takes on some tough topics - sexual assault, grooming, cyber-bullying, the historical mistreatment of female “prisoners”(TW) while incorporating beautiful views in a coastal town full of mysteries, flashbacks, and a podcast tackling cold cases.
There were some twists I definitely didn’t see coming and I genuinely couldn’t put this down. It’s real-world mixed with mythology and historical context in a deep, fast-paced entirely important book.

I love mermaids! I loved how enchanted this book is. and how the cover is beautiful. This story is powerful and quite the journey.

This book was pure magic. A combination of Sisterhood, adventure and fantasy.
If there are mermaids, I am in.
The story was a slower paced, but gave me time to appreciate it.
I loved it being told in two timelines

EMILIA HART YOU ABSOLUTE GENIUS!!!!! I have now fallen in love with two of Emilia Hart’s books. I have been absolutely obsessed with Weyward since I read it and was beyond excited for this release. It definitely lived up to my expectations. I don’t think I can properly articulate just how much I adore Hart’s writing and the way she conveys such heart and soul within her books. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and cement Hart’s place as one of my favorite authors.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover," they say.... but what if the cover is the very thing that draws you to the book?? In this case, this really worked out for me. I read Emilia Hart's first novel and was curious to see her follow up. This book is quite different, but in a way that really worked for me. The alternating timelines wove together in ways that you sort of guessed along the way, but weren't quite sure. This book was beautifully written and the narrator was a 10/10 for me. (Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers (Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press) for an eARC and a listening ARC-- I was lucky enough to have this novel in both formats which allowed me to get LOST in the story and not really do much else until I was done (if I wasn't reading, I was listening).

The Sirens publishes in May and if you're in the mood for something a little different with beautiful writing, this may be just what you're searching for.

The Sirens is great for readers who enjoy a book on sisterhood, doused with fantasy and a strong sense of the sea. The story is engaging, the Australian setting lovely, and I liked learning a bit of Australian history, the female prisoners sent from England and Ireland to Australia to become wives or slaves. The author gave plenty of clues as to what the "secret" or twist to the story was, so no real surprises there, but still a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this eARC.

People who loved Emilia Hart's Weyward are bound to love her next novel, The Sirens. The way Hart is able to weave tales between the past and present is impressive. The Sirens combines the right amount of magical realism with history, grabbing the reader's attention from the first few pages. I enjoyed the character Lucy and her growth throughout the novel. She was a complex character that began to appreciate her family throughout the novel. The love between the two sets of characters--Jess and Lucy, Mary and Eliza is evident and inspiring. A story of not giving up hope, loving oneself, and seeing people through their flaws, The Sirens is a must read for anyone wanting to embark on a magical journey.

This is the story of Lucy and her sister Jess and Mary and Eliza, told centuries apart. Jess and Lucy are apparently allergic to water. And have dreams about women hundreds of years earlier who did the same. The water harms them, yet they are drawn to it.

Hmm....the writing was fantastic, and the atmosphere was top-notch. I just never felt compelled by the personalities of the women within.

I love, love, love this book. A bit of finding yourself, uncovering the past and a dash of mythology. Emilia Hart never fails to blow me away.