3.5 stars

I Loved Weyward and was very excited for this read.

The combination of magical realism and historical fiction was so well done. I loved how all the stories were connected. Jess and Lucy were my favourite characters, where Mary & Eliza were my favourite story.

I do feel that the ending was slightly rushed or could've played out a bit differently for appeals sake.

The Sirens had a haunting atmosphere, lyrical prose, and a mystery that promised depth and emotional resonance. Emilia Hart’s writing style is immersive, and the setting—salty, windswept, and isolated—created a vivid sense of place that had me fully engaged through the first half of the novel.

However, as the story unfolded, my enthusiasm waned. While the setup was strong, I was disappointed by how predictable the major twists turned out to be—I guessed most of them early on. The fantasy element, which I had expected to be more prominent, was minimal and heavily telegraphed. It felt more symbolic than substantive and may not satisfy readers hoping for a stronger speculative thread.

The last 30–40% of the book dragged considerably. The pacing slowed, and the plot became repetitive without offering new emotional insight or narrative complexity. I also found myself disconnected from the flashback storyline, which started as a potentially interesting parallel but ultimately felt disjointed and less compelling than the present-day arc.

Ultimately, this wasn’t the book I expected. While it succeeds in mood and atmosphere, the predictability of the plot, the underwhelming use of fantasy, and the pacing issues in the final third made it a more frustrating read than I anticipated. I also couldn't bring myself to really love any of the characters and overall the book felt very depressing. I do think fans of slow, introspective literary fiction with light folklore elements may still appreciate it—but those expecting a rich fantasy mystery might come away disappointed.

The Sirens definitely sucked me in right away and I had trouble putting it down. I'm a big fan of dual timeline novels and love to try to figure out how they relate to each other. The final puzzle piece isn't revealed until the very end in this one but I still had questions as to exactly how everything happened. Perhaps that was intentional on the author's part? Maybe I read the ending too fast in my quest to figure everything out? Highly recommend this one, especially if you enjoyed her other novel, Weyward.

A beautifully haunting novel that weaves history, myth, and contemporary themes into a deeply immersive narrative. I loved the mystical which was blended with reality seamlessly. An enchanting novel.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book wasn’t for me, I found it confusing and hard to connect with the characters. There are a lot of heavy themes so definitely read the trigger warnings.

Emilia Hart's The Sirens is a haunting and atmospheric novel that weaves together the lives of women across different centuries, all bound by the sea and mysterious transformations. The story is divided into three timelines:

2019: Lucy, a journalism student, wakes up from a vivid nightmare to find herself with her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister Jess's house on the Australian coast, only to find Jess missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she uncovers strange rumors about the town and its history of missing men.

1999: Jess, a lonely sixteen-year-old diagnosed with a rare allergy to water, finds solace in her art. Her young art teacher takes an interest in her, seeing a power in her drawings that no one else does.

1800s: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza are torn from their home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. As they journey across the ocean, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies and feel a mysterious connection to the sea.

Hart masterfully explores themes of sisterhood, resilience, and the call of the sea across these timelines. The novel delves into the complexities of female relationships and the transformative power of water, both as a destroyer and creator. The writing is lyrical and immersive, drawing readers into the haunting atmosphere of Comber Bay and the convict ship's journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm conflicted on this book, and it's most likely because I really wanted to love it. But I'd like to praise the descriptive language, which was lovely, truly. But my main issue was the fact I didn't feel connected to the characters, even with that lovely writing. I think the book had a lot of potential, and it's evident Emilia Hart can write very well, but I think our character's needed some heart and more depth, and the story needed to get moving a little quicker.

An interesting intertwining of fiction and lore.

Emilia Hart has a gentle and distinctly feminine way of weaving a tale. I am not familiar with her previous book, but in Sirens, the voices of the narrators are veiled with the sense of sharing cultural folklore, almost with a fairytale essence. The characters are rich and complex, and it is effortless to empathize with their plights.

While a bit fantastical, I thoroughly enjoyed the landscape Hart created, and felt both a stranger and at home with the Australian backdrops she describes. Definitely an interesting read.

I received an ARC of The Sirens in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity.

I was really excited to receive this ARC because Weyward is one of my all time favorite books! Well The Sirens did not disappoint. It was equally as beautiful in its writing and character building as Weyward was. I'll be honest, some parts were a little predictable, but I still thought it was fantastic! I also learned some history about Australia which was an added bonus. I predicted one of the twists but the second one I didn't see coming at all. I love a story that keeps me on my toes!

The Sirens by Emilia Hart 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I loved Weyward by Emilia Hart, and I loved The Sirens. She is moving toward the top of my favorite authors list.

“She remembers something she read as a child, in a Lonely Planet book, about sunken cities. Homes and churches drowned by governments to create reservoirs. Whole villages beneath murky water, chimneys and spires shadowing the surface. That's what the dreams are like. Unseen, but always there. Waiting.”
— Emilia Hart, The Sirens

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I absolutely LOVED Weyward by this author so I was really excited to read The Sirens. I didn't love this one quite as much, but I still really enjoyed it and can not wait for the next book she writes!

We are told, in dual timelines, about 2 different sets of sisters with the same affliction - they can't be touched by water or else they break out in a stinging rash. One set of sisters live in Ireland in the 1800s, but were convicted of a crime and are being forced to relocate to Australia with other women prisoners. The other set is in the present, and Lucy runs away from her university after an altercation with another student. Only, when she gets to her sister's cottage, she isn't there. Lucy finds her journal and starts unraveling quite the mystery about her family and the past.

The story of sister bonds and the resistance of women is so strong, and the magical aspects fit perfectly within the plot. I did like the current timeline better than the past, but they were both powerful pieces to the story as a whole.

Rounded up from 3.5. The Sirens helped me out of a recent reading slump with its immersive storytelling and mysterious connections between pairs of sisters. The story drew me in, and I absolutely enjoyed the weaving of stories across timelines to create the world and set up the mystery of the murdered men, the rescued children, and the lore of the town. However, I did have some issues with a part of the ending that I thought could have been resolved earlier. Ultimately though, I enjoyed the book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All views are my own.

Generations of women are followed through times, as they experience aquagenic urticaria, which is basically an adverse reaction to water exposure. We slowly learn how the women are connected and what they will do to protect the people they love. To be honest this book was a little boring and it dragged on. We needed something more thrilling, a big plot twist or conflict which was not present and made me want the course of events to go by faster.

This was really slow, but I also found myself unable to stop reading.

It took awhile to really get going and get into the story. But I’m glad I stuck it out.

I love stories about women and complicated family stories- and this was that!!

It’s a little fantastical with bits of historical moments, in a contemporary world. It was incredibly atmospheric and I enjoyed my read.

3.5 stars

Not quite as mesmerizing as Weyward for me, however still a magical story about relationships across years and the bonds that unite women. I ended up preferring this book in audio as the change in timelines, character and "historical" context was too heavy for me via text alone. I put it down several times because it felt daunting, but ultimately switching to an audiobook allowed me to finish it. This book is less plot and more story building so adjusted expectations might be warranted.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

This has very similar vibes to Weyward but I like the story in Sirens more. There are dual timelines with all four women having this mysterious air about them. It’s a solid 4 star read for me.

I absolutely adored this novel of magical realism by Emilia Hart. I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved the history and the culture of the location of the novel. It was new to me as a reader. At first, I was concerned about the dual timelines and dual POV in the current timeline but it ended up working out perfectly for me. I wanted to keep reading and it was hard to put down. I loved the importance of family connections and the connection of sisterhood. Jess and Lucy had such a connection to each other. I do struggle with invisioning them as mother and daughter after picturing them in my mind being so close in age throughout most of the book. I definitely recommend this, especially to those that love a bit of lore.

This was different not much my read style. Yet i found the story interesting. Overall it was a good read

This book was a beautiful haunting tale of women from two different time periods. I enjoyed the way that the characters lives were woven together, dispute the different timelines and the message of women’s resilience was empowering.

I did feel like there could have been some more balance with the different storylines. Lucy’s story felt like it dragged on at times making the book feel very slow paced. I wish I got more back story for Mary and Eliza. As well as more from Jess POV. Although it was a beautiful story, I felt like the imbalance left me feeling disconnected from the characters.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Emilia Hart for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am honestly not sure where to start. I did not love this book, and it was a struggle for me to finish. I kept it at 3 stars because it was not bad- it was just incredibly boring for me. I am sure some people will like the elements that fell short for me. Like 80% of the book was build up to the big reveal and then the book was over? And most of that 80% was very repetitive and wasn’t really needed. The flash backs to the girls on the ship just honestly seemed unnecessary to the plot. The play could’ve easily have done without that aspect which might have helped- because this book is too long for the amount of actual plot it contains.