💭A novel about sisters separated by centuries but bound together by the sea.

I am so mad for not writing my review sooner after reading this book because I am a person who tends to forget what happened within a week😅, but I remember I loved the story, I talked to my book friends about it! I loved the multiple timelines (1800s, and 2019.) The story was captivating and thought provoking. Everything you want in a book really. This was a breath of fresh air after reading so many thrillers. I definitely think you should pick this one up!

While the premise was fun and I enjoyed some parts of the story, it was really hard for me to finish. I loved Hart's last novel and wanted to feel this same about this one. The historical aspect with the convict ship was fascinating, but I felt like this story went back and forth with present day (2019) and sometimes I got confused with the characters. I did like that I didn't see the fact that Jess is actually the mother and not the sister. I will recommend this to friends that I know that enjoy fantasy type novels with a strong female presence.

This started off good, with a slow roll but the ending so lost me. I felt like there could have been so much more added to the story to close out some of the questions I had but the author didn't do that.

I really enjoyed this author's previous book, Weyward, so I was really looking forward to reading this book! Similar to the previous book, this book weaves historical tales mixed with fictitious characters and demonstrates the power of women, especially when they work together. I felt that this book, however, wasn't quite as strong in the empowering or historical aspect (although I did learn a bit about the women on criminal ships that arrived in Australia). I wish there had been a bit more of that focus on history and a bit less of some of the family drama. I did love how the women throughout the history were all tied together with a common bond and that the book resolved into a satisfactory ending. I look forward to reading this author's next book!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Past and present timelines, alternating povs, deep stories, atmospheric reads

Wow. Chills. This is a hauntingly beautiful story. I was hooked to it immediately. I absolutely recommend it.

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first scene I was completely hooked. It starts with such an intense moment and then immediately pulls you into the journey that follows. That beginning really set the tone for me and I could not stop reading after that.

The writing is beautiful in a way that feels effortless. Emilia Hart describes the house and the beach so vividly that I could picture every detail, and it made the setting feel so real. The whole book carries this moody and tragic feeling that felt just right for the story. It never felt heavy in a bad way, just this quiet sadness that made every twist hit even harder.

And the twists really did shock me. I usually figure things out early but this book kept surprising me in the best way. I also completely fell for the characters. I cared so much about Lucy and Jess in the present and Mary and Eliza in the past. They all felt so real and layered and that is what really made the story stay with me.

If you like stories that move between past and present with a haunting and emotional tone and a plot that actually keeps you guessing, this is one you should read.

4⭐

I knew when I read Weyward that Emilia Hart would become one of my favorite authors so I was so excited to receive the arc for The Sirens. I love the sea and anything with mermaids/sirens and thankfully I was not disappointed.

I really enjoy the way Emilia Hart crafts her story’s. The Sirens was so atmospheric. The different POV’s and timelines added so much more to the story and the way she writes her female characters encapsulates the real experience of being a woman.

One of my favorite quotes was, “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 NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc. I can’t wait to read whatever Emilia Hart releases in the future!

I adored Hart's Weyward and was excited to read this one. It took me a little while to get into the story. However, once I got hooked following the different timelines, I was all in.

I liked the way Hart shows the strong bonds between sisters in the novel. The fluid way she can shift between the timelines and have the story unfold is exceptional.

Now I'll be waiting for the next book by Hart.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emilia Hart for an electronic ARC of the novel. All opinions are my own.

I really liked Weyward so I was excited to start this book. It was a very atmospheric read with an interesting premise. It is a blending of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery with great character development and a detailed backstory. The pacing was a little slow for me until the end which caused me to not connect as much with the story. I still enjoyed the book and plan on trying more by the author in the future.

DNF at 26%

At a quarter through the book, seemingly about the generational trauma of women, not much was happening and I wasn't feeling connected to any of the characters. When it became clear that an adult/minor relationship would play a major role for one of the character's stories, I had to put it down. This was just too much trauma and drama and not enough of anything else for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart
I wanted to love this, especially after how much I adored Weyward, but The Sirens didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The writing is still beautiful, but I never really connected with the characters, and that made it hard to fully sink into the story. I felt like I was working a little too hard to stay engaged, which is never a great sign.

That said, if you’re a die-hard fan of Hart’s prose or love a blend of supernatural fiction with poetic vibes, this one might still work for you.

Themes:
Intergenerational women’s stories
Supernatural mystery
Coastal folklore vibes
Quietly haunted atmosphere

Would I recommend this book?
Maybe. A soft yes for fans of Weyward or slow-burn supernatural fiction, and a cautious pass for those looking for a gripping, character-driven read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title.

This book was a DNF, so I originally wasn’t going to review. After a long debate I decided to share my thoughts. A lot of the writing felt overly detailed and had too much inner dialogue for my liking. This was my first book with this author and may be my last because of the lack of connectedness I felt with the writing and characters. The premise had me excited but fell flat putting me into a reading slump. I do know however this book will be great for others who prefers the details I don’t. That’s what is great about books, everyone has an opinion!

A slow build to a beautiful story, The Sirens is one you shouldn't miss.

We start with Lucy, unknowingly strangling the boy she was seeing in the middle of a sleepwalking episode. Not only is Lucy horrified by her actions, she is terrified as she has never walked in her sleep before. Seeking comfort and a place to stay while she processes everything, Lucy flees to stay with her sister, Jess. But when she arrives, she is no where to be found. While she looks for Jess, Lucy dreams of a pair of women, and find evidence her sister has seen the same women somewhere or somehow.

This starts super slow, building the world of Lucy and describing the beauty in Australia. I'll be honest, I had a hard time trying to get into it at first - its slow build and wordiness seemed almost overwhelming at first - but I'm glad I stuck it out. It was a beautiful book, and I recommend giving it a read!

🧜‍♀️ Unique Siren Story
🤍 Feminine Rage + Redemption
🧜‍♀️ Dual Timeline + Multiple POVs
🤍 A Slow Burn Story
🧜‍♀️ Folklore Elements

I really enjoyed this one! It's definitely a slow-building story, and Emilia Hart expertly weaves folklore, mystery, and a female-centric narrative into the pages.

The story is told from the POV of Lucy in modern-day 2019 and Mary and Eliza in the year 1800.

Lucy flees from college after she awakens to find her hands around her ex-lover's throat, knowing that no one will believe her that she sleptwalk, especially since she has tried to implicate him for sharing intimate photos of her online without her consent. She goes to find her estranged sister, Jess, but soon finds that Jess has gone missing.

Mary and Eliza are on a convict ship to Australia from Ireland for committing a crime in self-defence. As the convicts descend into madness from famation and distress, they notice peculiar changes in themselves as well.

I had a hard time with the character of Lucy starting out because she's a little odd, quite frankly, and her story has a very slow build. I was more interested in the stories of Mary and Eliza intertwined with Lucy's odd dreams. This is the kind of story where the first 75% is very slow-paced, with everything coming to a head in the last quarter, but the author definitely rounds the story out very well despite the change of pace.

I love how the author tackles themes like family, female oppression, and, ultimately, redemption, intertwined with elements of fantasy, mystery, and folklore. It's a very unique story overall, with a staunch feminist voice.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓽. 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓷'𝓼 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷.

This book was HAUNTING. The atmosphere in which the author described was BEAUTIFULLY DAUNTING. Along the Australian coastline was described so well it brought out all of the emotions in me. Both timelines sucked me in. It was so tense and ooooh the mysteries?!

Overall the book was compelling and the tales of female trauma is wrote in a way to show the strength of women. I’ll be thinking about this story for a while.

I loved Weyward, so when I saw that Hart had a new book coming out the combined magical realism, historical fiction, and mystery elements, I knew I had to read it. While beautifully written, I unfortunately struggled to connect with the characters enough to ever be fully drawn in.

Thank you Emilia Hart, The Borough Press, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

★★★½
This review is a bit difficult to write, because The Sirens both pleasantly surprised me and left me wanting more.

The story follows two sets of sisters across different timelines, their lives entwined by incredibly realistic nightmares with just a touch of sleepwalking. I really enjoyed the blend of history, folklore, magical realism, and the present day—it was surprisingly moody and wonderfully atmospheric. Hart’s writing is truly beautiful. There’s this really wonderful, easy flow to the writing that makes the book hard to put down.

The cliffside house gave me strong Series of Unfortunate Events vibes—Aunt Josephine’s precariously perched house in The Wide Window, anyone?—and I adored that eerie, could-fall-into-the-sea-at-literally-any-moment feeling.

What didn’t hit for me was the character depth. While each character experienced some form of trauma, it was handled in a way that felt emotionally distant and almost nonchalant. Because of this, I never truly connected with anyone in the story. Even visually, I struggled to picture the characters clearly. By the time a a major physical change happens, it felt under-explained, even though small parts of it had been hinted at throughout the book. I was left a bit confused and wishing for just… more.

Overall, The Sirens is a beautifully written and atmospheric novel that’s a bit mystical and spooky, but is unfortunately lacking in any truly memorable character depth.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and the author for this ARC!

3.5
I was excited for this one, but it left me wanting more. I couldn't connect to the characters well. The atmosphere was very haunting, but I found myself getting a bit bored. I did enjoy the ending, though.

Emilia Hart was a new-to-me author that I've been very excited to check, with Weyward being on my TBR for a long time. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me and I did not enjoy it. While it had objectively good writing, I was not drawn in to the plot or connected to the characters. I typically love a multiple POV, dual timeline story, but the voices were very similar, which added confusion. I already was not enjoying the story, but the ending seemed so incongruent with the rest of the story. I hate to be so negative, but had this not been an ARC, I would have DNF'd it. Many friends and bookstagrammers have recommended Weyward and commented on how it was intriguing read, so I still want to check that out, but this book was definitely not for me and I would not recommend it.

This was a very intriguing read. I definitely thought that the plot was unique and I think the author put a lot of time and energy into unraveling the mystery of it all.

The plot did seem to have a few frustrating holes and questions that I wish had been answered. I think some of those loose ends could’ve tied up for the reader.

The setting was so beautifully described and made me want to visit NSW!

I think readers who enjoy a feminist story with a big dash of mystery and magical realism will really enjoy this.