I read a digital galley through NetGalley. Sirens is a beautiful story of familial love and women’s inner power. Emilia Hart’s follow up to Weyward touches upon many of the themes and qualities that made her first book special. I enjoyed the connections to Ireland’s rich culture, mythology, and history. It gave this story added depth and meaning.

Let me start by saying I loved Weyward which was a beautifully crafted story of three generations. The twist was beautiful and each character was richly done. The Sirens on the other hand was off and not well thought out. The first half really goes no where and in the end there is zero resolution of Lucy’s college incident. It was like it was forgotten. Jess was a weak character and honestly I knew early on that she was the lost baby and Lucy’s mother. This novel has potential but lacked having it snuffed out. The sea travel portion should have been hatched out better to develop the ideas of The Sirens. I see what Hart wanted to do but needs more details in setting the story up. Personally I think the first portion should be done better leading up to the next portions of the book. I will definitely read more of Hart’s novels but this is for sure her sophomore slump.

As a huge fan of Weyward, I was so excited to see this ARC in my inbox. I think Emilia Hart has yet again captured the magic and devastation of the female experience through her complex characters and their relationships with each other and women of the past. She has done another remarkable job at weaving various storylines to create an interconnected tale of women’s struggles throughout history. One thing I loved about this story was the setting of NSW and the focus on female convicts’ journeys from Ireland (often overlooked in the telling of Australian history).
My three star rating can be attributed to the underdeveloped feel of the story. The entire first half of the book felt confusing in its direction and setup. I thought the podcast and true crime angle were going to be played up more but were quickly forgotten. I wanted more background on Mary and Eliza’s mother and how she met their father.
Although I found the parentage “twists” predictable, I thought the revelations were realistic and well paced. The whole story really picked up at the end with the shorter chapters and increased action of the plot. But I think a few things were lost: closure on Lucy’s college situation, Mary and Eliza’s epilogue, any emotional perspective from Lucy and Jess’s “parents”. While the story almost dragged on in the middle, the end felt rushed and glossed over.
Overall, I still enjoyed the experience of reading this book and will definitely pick up more from Emilia Hart in the future.

Well, it's official - Emilia Hart is now an auto-buy author for me. I LOVED Weyward, and this novel was just as beautiful. The way that Hart weaves magical realism, historical fiction, and what ties us all together as humans is just breathtaking. Highly recommend, and if you did not read Weyward yet, add both to your TBR now.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Emilia Hart for this advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to @netgallery for the ARC. One of the reasons I was excited was that I had recently read Emilia Hart’s Weyward which was a great read. The Sirens followed a similar format as there were three story lines converging to the end. While Eliza and Mary storyline was important in telling the story I feel that it would have been more interesting to get their mother’s story. I absolutely loved Jessica and Lucy’s story. Over all I felt there was something missing in the story and I think as I mentioned it was having the Mary & Eliza’s mothers story as part of the book. While you understood that their mother was a siren, I think her story would have helped with Mary and Eliza’s story more. The short “tale” of the parents meeting was just not enough for me. I really wanted to more. At the beginning of the story, you really only get Lucy’s side of things and I love how Jessica’s story was eventually woven through the diary and then through Jessica herself. If anyone has read Weyward they will love The Sirens. I know I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! This was a gorgeous book that follows the lives of two sets of sisters - one set bound on a transport ship for Comber Bay, a convict colony in Australia, never to see their native Ireland again, the other finding each other in Comber Bay over a hundred years later. Comber Bay, a place where men seem to disappear, their bodies never found, nary an explanation to be had. But the latter can't stop dreaming about the former, can't stop dreaming about the water, about a remote cave, about a ship lost at sea. How long can they ignore the sirens call?

Emilia Hart does it again! I absolutely loved The Sirens. She does a great job of interweaving the different story lines, and even though I guessed some of the plot points, it was still such a joy to read.

I loved Weyward, but this just did not come together for me. The alternating point of view did not help with my confusion. I understand the ending and how it was supposed to align, but it didn't work. They never really resolve her college situation and just leave that hanging as well. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The way Emilia Hart writes female characters is absolute perfection. I fell in love with her writing in Weyward and was so excited to pick up Sirens. She did not disappoint. Sure there were some parts that lagged a bit, but they were few and far between. This book was both triumphant and heartbreaking. Emilia Hart has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Another slam-dunk

I was happy and excited to read the book before it was release.... I like it but the most part that kept me hooked was lucy and jessica's story.... but when it comes to Mary's part i was a bit bored... but i still enjoy it 🙂

This book surprised me. I loved Wayward by Emilia Hart and was delighted to also be able to read an ARC of The Sirens. Told in dual timelines of two different sisters, yet perhaps somewhat connected. Historical, mythical, magical, romantic, this story had so many elements. Strong in the power of women, it was both heartbreaking and yet joyous. I found the characters and the story itself fascinating and it has stayed with me as I keep thinking about the connections between the characters, the historical significance, and the thoughts of "what if". . Little nuggets are sprinkled in to clue you into the surprises at the end. I think this would lend itself well to a book club discussion, with lots of aha moments. Many thanks to #netgalley #emiliahart #thesirens #st.martinspress for the opportunity to review and read this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
What a great book, it was fascinating on so.many levels.
Set in 1999, 2019 and 1800, it featured 4 women: 2 sets of sisters.
The two current ones were having problems connecting and the two in 1800 were heartbreaking. The voyage of the ship of female convicts was described in exquisite detail, it was was brutal and it broke my heart at times.
There was a connection between the two sets of sisters that was otherworldly and the ending was lovely.
Definitely recommended!

I really loved this book. It starts slow, but picks up fairly quickly. The varied POVs and going back and forth between the distant past, the not so distant past, and the present were mesmerizing. I loved the mixture of historical and mythological. This makes me excited to read other books from this author.

This is the author’s follow-up to Weyward so I was expecting good things.

It *is* good. Feminism, mermaids, folklore, fantasy…How can you go wrong?

There are two groups of sisters, bound by similar circumstances across time. One group’s tale is set in Cornwall, the other on a convict ship bound for Australia.

Injustice. Redemption.

A lovely book. Enjoy!

WOW! This book is amazing. I have not read anything by this author so I didn't know what to expect but it had so many great elements in it. Multiple narrators? Check. Multiple time periods? Check. A mystery? Check. A hint of fantasy (maybe)? Check. Strong female characters? Check check check check. Did I learn something about the world that I didn't know before? Check. Do I now believe in mermaids? Check.

The writing is amazing, I truly felt transported. Parts of the story are hard to read, but there is so much hope in this book. Just wonderful.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read The Sirens by Emilia Hart. I loved Weyward and was looking forward to reading The Sirens. I found this novel to be too heavy and lacking any joy at all. I'm a mood reader so it could have been just the wrong timing for me.
The writing is well done.

I rarely like books that are fantasy and mystical, but The Sirens were an exception. Hart's fantastic writing drew me to the story right away. I liked this one and think it will be a good book club selection. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As a Emilia Hart fan, I loved The Sirens. The sisterhood element intertwined with the two time periods really allows you to feel like you know the characters! I would say this is a 4/5 star read for me. I wish there were a bit more themes of magical realism .

This book was hauntingly beautiful. I really enjoyed the prose and I thought the story was well-paced.

Emilia Hart knows how to write a book for the girls. A great blend of magical realism combined with messages of female empowerment in the face of very realistic challenges. Struggled a bit with the pacing during the first quarter or so, but it was fantastic once the storylines of the multiple characters really started coming together.