Thank you first to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Sirens was an intense read with notes of feminism and the strength and perseverance of women when put up against the worst and the lengths they’re willing to go to for the people they love.

This was my first Emilia Hart (Weyward is on my tbr) and I found it extremely engaging and readable. I think The Sirens is similar to Weyward in that it’s feminist fiction, told in dual narrative, centuries apart, with a focus on magical realism/fairy tale(ish) characters and lore. It’s an extremely specific wheelhouse that Hart thrives in and it’s clear she does her research for her writing. This one revolves around two sets of sisters - one duo in 2019, the other in the early 1800’s. The sisters’ from the 1800’s are Irish prisoners being forcibly sent to New South Wales and the sisters from 2019 have drifted apart, but find themselves bound together by sleepwalking and dreams that involved the sisters from our other narrative. There is also a beautiful bay that is a location for past tragedies, men disappearing with no trace, a baby left untended and unexplained occurrences. Hart writes her characters well, with depth and faults and kindness. She also combines a lot of genres into her stories - this one felt like it had shades of magical realism and fantasy and historical fiction and mystery and literary fiction throughout the entire novel. This was compulsively readable, heartbreaking and remaking, and very empathetic towards women who society deemed as somehow insufficient.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

One thing about me is I get scared easily and this creeped me out for a good 60% of the book. It was so eerie and dark and cold. The author’s writing was definitely captivating and compelling. This was definitely a feminist tale and depicted resilient and strong women.

I will say that I didn’t expect this type of story with the premise. What disappointed me was how the entire plot is swept under the rug at the 98% mark. I was so disappointed by this. I wish the author would’ve went more into depth with that because it made all the nightmares and sleepwalking absolutely useless. I was just wondering why I spent the whole book reading about this when it’s barely mentioned at the end. It just felt convenient to end it that way.

The other problem I had was super subjective but the teacher thing I just couldn’t. I can’t go more into details without spoiling but it was very hard to look past that. It didn’t impact my rating but it impacted my enjoyment for sure.

And this is the first time this happens to me but the prologue completely ruined the book for me. It was going to be a 3✨ read but the prologue? … why ruin the relationship this way? It was just painful to read and I’m left feeling very bittersweet.

That being said, reading is subjective and those are just my thoughts!

You've certainly heard of the Sirens call . . . this book embodies the sentiment. If you are inexplicably drawn to something, there is probably a reason.

The Sirens was a huge departure for me in book choice, but it was fun to delve into the fantasy world for a bit. It leaned a little too far for my taste, but I think fans of this genre will be sold. It was the author's storytelling that had me hooked and kept me turning pages (albeit on my electronic device). When Lucy wakes while attacking another college student, realizing she was sleepwalking and flees to find her long-estranged sister. Jess will surely be the only one who could understand. When Lucy finds an empty house, it's only questions that continue to arise after finding out her sister has suffered from a rare water-allergy just like her. But it seems there could be more to meet the eye, especially as the dreams start.

It's a mystery wrapped up in a fantasy dream filled with family drama and escape. An easy read for fantasy fans.

I adored Weyward by Emilia Hart and was hoping that The Sirens would be another gem but found that this book's premise just wasn't for me. While Hart included a dual-time POV which I have enjoyed from her in the past, I didn't find either POV captivating enough to finish this novel.

I’ve been longing for a mermaid/siren book for a while. I definitely think this is an untapped market. This was fantastic! While I quickly realized Lucy was Jess’s daughter, the revelation at the end had me shocked. The use of telling Mary and Eliza’s stories through dreams was really interesting. The pacing on this was perfect, the writing was great, and I loved the story. 4.5/5 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I struggled with this one. It felt creepy and cold, almost eerie. It made it seem like we should be interested in the mystery, but since the book is called „Sirens“ the outcome was rather clear. SKIP the epilogue is ruins the whole book. I dont know why that needed to be added. Yes, its feminist in the sense of stories of strong women, but it feel into the „all men are bad“ trap. Show me a good, supportive, kind man that is a feminist. I dont know. I really like Weyward, but this was rough.

The writing in this was beautiful, but the plot was of then too predictable. I wished there had been more explanation of the fantasy elements of the story. I also did not like the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT. A. READ. Wowie zowie! Okay, so I just read Weyward like a month ago, and as soon as I saw this galley I thought “oh okay I have to try for this one.” A part of me was biased because I was expecting a weyward-type novel, but this one is SO MUCH MORE. I loved the way the story was told - Lucy and Jess had such compelling stories and its so hard to review without spoilers but ill leave it at this: I called half of it, but not the rest. And if I hadn’t been so tired staying up late finishing this book, the foreshadowing would have gotten me good. Ten out of five stars - NEED TO READ.

Beautifully written and impeccably crafted, this story of sisterhood and motherhood and the sea captivated me from the first page. The way Emilia Hart weaves together the stories of these women across centuries shows a true mastery of her craft. This is going on my favorites list, for sure!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for eARC!

Very similar vibes to Weyward. Has that eerie quality that makes it a perfect fall read. The plot was enjoyable, but pretty predictable.

• Multiple POV/timelines
• magical realism
•sisterhood & family

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Sirens.

I feel like this was definitely a case of right book, wrong reader. It was beautifully written and well told, but was just too historical fiction-y for me to love. I did also guess most of the surprise reveals early in the book. It wasn't the right match for me, but I would definitely recommend it to others who thrive in the historical fiction genre.

4 stars

I enjoyed this read overall, though I’m still a bit torn over the ending—I can’t decide if I loved it or if I would’ve preferred a little less of the supernatural element. Things I loved: the relationship between the sisters in each timeline, reflections on Irish and Australian pasts, and the mystery element of it all. Some points felt a bit unfinished, like the sleepwalking incident from the beginning—though maybe I missed it getting resolved outside of being done with college.

A really good story about female resilience and the relationship between sisters in different time periods. This story hold your interest with lots of twists and turns and a very interesting ending. Definitely recommend this book.

Weyward was such a wonderful read that I was excited to be able to preview sirens prior to its release date. Another beautifully written story of finding your way and navigating complicated yet loving relationships. A beautifully written novel about history, ships , convicts, dual timelines, and sisterhood. This book is full of mystery and discovery. Great read!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I admit that I might not’ve been the best reader for this one- “sisterly love” is not one of my preferred plots. I’ve seen a lot of love for Weyward and wanted to branch out and see what she was about! I pushed through and wasn’t unpleased with the ending.

The prologue was a lot more chilling, and I was left a bit disappointed with how it didn’t really align with the way the book went. But on the other hand, I’m happy that it ended in a more satisfying way for the MC, Lucy.

It was well written and of course I didn’t see the main plot twist coming (I never do, it seems). I wouldn’t re-read since it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m glad I finished it and can cross it off my list. A really solid book, all things considered!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I think my expectations were too high after reading and loving Weyward by the same author. After reading this, I was left wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emilia Hart for this ARC!

I read one of Weyward as part of one of my book club picks, and was super excited to check out this new book! The title definitely hooked me, I feel like sirens are rarely written about in newer fantasy books!

As someone who tends to have a hard time enjoying/following along with a dual timeline, I didn't think that this book gave me quite as hard of a time as I thought it would have. I do think some themes from her previous novel carry into this one, specifically how women are connected through different generations, but I didn't find it repetative as I read.

Such an atmospheric book and I loved the writing style!

A magical, haunting story that will stick with you. I loved this book. The mystery and the eloquence Emilia used to bring it all together was beautiful!

Highly recommend preordering this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

This was a tough book to get through and I find with dual timelines, if both story lines aren’t equally strong, it’s hard to keep reading when one POV story line ends and the weaker POV story line picks up again. And this book suffered from that issue. I found the historical timeline much more interesting with higher stakes and deeper characters. And then, when we switched back to Lucy, things fell flat. In the very beginning, she held her own in this novel, but as time went on, Lucy’s timeline weakened and I started to not be as invested in her character or her journey.

Without getting in to too much detail, I also feel that the end did not payoff like it should have and not all of my questions were answered.

For these two big reasons, I had to give it three stars.