I read Weyward by Emilia Hart and I really enjoyed that, so I was really excited for The Sirens. Unfortunately it just wasn't as good. It felt too similar, but also not as developed at the same time. At the end I still had so many questions that were left unanswered, and multiple plot lines that kind of felt like they were just forgotten about.

The story is once again multiple timelines and you start with Lucy who runs way from college after attacking a guy who wronged her, while shes in a sleepwalking episode. She goes to visit her sister Jess who she is somewhat estranged from, because she also sleepwalks. When she arrives her sister is missing, so while Lucy waits for Jess to turn up and begins to learn about the mystery surrounding the town she's arrived in.

Then you have sisters Mary and Eliza and story which takes place in the 1800s Ireland, who have been convicted of a crime and are aboard a transport ship that is taking them to Australia. This particular storyline was actually my favorite and really well done. I felt connected to the sisters and completely invested in their story, but also all of the women aboard this shit and their struggles.

Finally about halfway through the book you finally get Jess's teenage POV which occurs about 20 years before Lucy's current POV. This is the timeline that starts to weave the story together, until you get to the end and you see how all of the timelines are connected.

A lot of the reveals were predictable but I didn't mind that so much as I minded the lack of explanation or follow through on many things. I wanted to know more about the sirens and how they came to be and what that entailed, and it was more just like oh look they're basically mermaids. Also what happened with Lucy's whole college situation? She attacked a fellow student, and it was just like ok she's temporarily kicked out of school but never mentioned again. The whole Max situation was so weird to me and I absolutely did not understand why Jess made the decisions she made.

Overall Emilia's writing is so lovely and the book flowed well. It had just really eerie vibes that left you unsettled for almost the entirety of the read, which I enjoyed. It was also a really quick read that I flew through. Perfect for spooky season! Thank you NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: March 04, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

This book was very well written and captured my attention right from the beginning. We have multiple well fleshed out characters who are also very well developed as well as alternating POV and moving timelines throughout this read which I always enjoy.

We follow along a mystery of a sister missing, multiple men disappearing with no explanation and all a link to the ocean. I appreciate how our author depicted sirens and the lore and magic weaved amongst them and the book gave your an eerie feel as you read. If you are looking for a great fast paced thriller with magical lore with a supernatural touch this book is for you. I highly recommend.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Mermaids, Sirens, Mystery, Thriller, Supernatural, Magical Realism, Fast Paced

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as St. Martins Press for this e-arc copy.

I loved Weyward so was excited to read Emilia Hart’s sophomore novel. A feminist fantasy loaded with family secrets, Lucy seeks out her sister Jess who has mysteriously disappeared and uncovers the truth about her origins while we’re dually told about two sisters, Eliza and Mary being sent to Australia from Ireland as criminals 200 years earlier. Overall, I enjoyed this. Great pacing and I was equally invested in both storylines and characters (found the past one slightly more engaging). My only pet peeve are Jess's teenage journals which are really just scenes in the past and not written like any person would actually write a journal (I hate when authors do this). Emilia Hart is a lyrical writer with so many lines and details I wanted to highlight but I would say sometimes less is more and the beautiful language would stand out more if it wasn't in nearly every line. Overall, I didn't like it quite as much as Weyward but would definitely recommend it and look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

I loved Weyward by this author. Unfortunately, The Sirens wasn't for me - it was a little dragging, and there was too much back and forth, I got confused!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this author's previous novel Weyward, and I was really excited when I got approved for this ARC. Similar to Weyward, this story is about women reclaiming their autonomy, power, and lives in the face of stark misogyny or hardship.

I love this type of storytelling, which goes back and forth in time and connects different characters across the entire timeline. The connection between sisters Lucy and Jess in the present day and Mary and Eliza in the past I especially felt, as someone with two sisters of my own. If you enjoyed this style of storytelling in Weyward then you would love this book as well, as it was very similar although with different fantasy elements.

The fantasy aspect I actually liked less than I expected to, because I was hoping it would be nature-focused like in the author's other book. The author's writing about nature was the main aspect I loved about Weyward, so this book did not catch me as much as I had hoped. However, it was a lot more dark and eerie, so if you are into darker books or more of a mystery then you would probably like this a lot.

Overall, I love how this author uses fantasy to let the women in her books reclaim their power, bodies, and lives, and I would definitely recommend this and will be looking forward to her future books as well.

I am grateful to NetGalley for this ARC. I have not yet read Weyward but have heard a lot of good things about it, so I was excited for the opportunity to read The Sirens. I struggled with the story though and it was hard to get into until closer to the end. I think the fantasy aspect is not really my thing. I do love dual timelines though and was interested in reading about the women’s convict ships to Australia. I did enjoy the book but it was a little slow for me.

A slow, atmospheric story revolving around 2 sets of sisters in 2019 and in 1800 and their never-ending link with the sea. How could these 2 be related? It is a story of resilience and sisterhood with a fantasy element intertwined.
While I appreciated the vivid detail of context and could understand the significance of setting up background knowledge, the story seemed to take a while to all come together.
I really enjoyed the last part of the book, but until then, it was a very slow read for me. I absolutely loved the author's first book, Weyward, so I was expecting to love this one, but it didn't quite hit the same mark. Overall, a decent story about the bonds of sisters.
Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this ARC. This title is set to publish March 4, 2025.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC! Weyward was one of my favorite books of last year so when my friend told me that Hart’s upcoming release was temporarily a Read Now on NetGalley, I jumped on it and I’m so glad I did!

“A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine”

1800: Mary and her twin sister Eliza have been exiled from their home and banished to New South Wales. Chained and thrown into the cargo hold of a ship with almost 100 other women, they spend months on the boat trying to survive.

2019: Lucy has begun having vivid dreams and sleepwalking. After she awakes to having attacked a boy who wronged her, she runs away to her sister’s house in Comber Bay, but her sister, Jess, isn’t there. Strangely, Lucy finds Jess has been painting images that have appeared in her own dreams. How have her and her sister seen the same things in their dreams? And where is Jess? While waiting for her sister to return home, Lucy starts to learn more about the mysteries surrounding Comber Bay, including men who suddenly disappeared and an infant who was found alone in a sea cave. She feels a connection to this place that she can’t explain and is looking for answers.

I absolutely loved and devoured this book. I could not get enough of all of the different perspectives- Mary in 1800, Lucy in 2019, and Jess through both journal entries from 1999 and her account in 2019. The chapters from Mary’s perspective especially had me sucked in. The mysteries that surround Comber Bay had me hooked and wanting to know more.
Hart does a wonderful job of creating an eerie environment and setting the scene of the town of Comber Bay. Her descriptions are so vivid and make it so easy to visualize what I was reading.

Instantly captivating, this novel did not disappoint! I felt like I was there watching both timelines unfold. I would absolutely recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This book is beautiful- part mystery, part mythical. And all heart. Intertwined between 100s of years and feminine history- this book is a must read by the author of Weyward.

Emilia Hart does it again! I've been anxiously awaiting The Sirens and it did not disappoint. From the very first line, I was hooked. This one will stick with my for a long time, just like Weyward did.

I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author.

"The Sirens" by Emila Hart weaves a haunting tale of love, loss, and the complexities of motherhood. Delving into the lives of its characters, the novel explores themes of betrayal and resilience. Hart’s evocative prose brings a lyrical quality to the story, making the emotional journeys of the characters feel ultimate and impactful. While some might find the pacing slow at times, the rich character development and atmospheric setting make it a compelling read. Overall, it's a poignant exploration of the ties that bind us and the secrets that can tear us apart.

enjoyed! Emilia Hart has a unique way of conveying and putting into words the female experience. While quite a different vibe from Weyward, its clearly the same author with the same talents. At times I felt the time jumping and paced could have been tightened up, but overall the writing was very effective and compelling. I loved the, at times ominous, magical realism thread that tied all story lines together. A great fall read.

Another enchanting magical realism novel by Emilia Hart! Like Weyward, a lot of the book is spent developing the characters and painting vivid landscapes tied to historical events. While slow at parts, you feel like you relate to and understand their sisters, Eliza and Jess, even without their POV. Tying the plot to ‘sirens’ was uniquely dark and twisty to the feminist story. Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery and the magic.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was definitely a different read than what I am used to but it was a great novel full of suspense. I did get a little confused with the jumping between characters in each chapter but for the most part. It was very good!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

First off, thank you to NetGalley & the Publisher for an arc copy of The Sirens! reading the blurb is what really drew me to this book and made me want to read it. The history linking the two sets of sisters intrigued me and I wanted to know more!

Overall, the story itself played out quite nicely, but seemed to lose itself in the last few chapters, trying to tie up all the connections & loose ends. The author was also very descriptive. Which, in itself is not a bad thing. However it did slow the pace of the story quite a bit. It couldn’t hold my focus until I was about two thirds in, when the plot finally started picking up speed. It took me a while to read because of this.

I did enjoy the story, and putting all the pieces together, to connect Mary and Eliza with Jess and Lucy. I will say that I didn’t expect *that* connection between Jess and Lucy!!

The Sirens comes out Feb/25

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was creative, highlighting a bit of history I personally was not super familiar with, within a creative story.

I did think the plot twist was not very surprising, lots of clues were left throughout the book, but I still enjoyed it! It’s really nice to have your predictions turn out correct!

I loved Weyward, and Sirens did not disappoint. I love the complexity of the characters, and how Emilia Hart portrays the experience of women.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review

A Dark sirens historical fiction. I loved thiscand the dynamic with the sisters. A must read for sure if you love fantasy