This is the first book I've read of Emilia Hart's and I enjoyed it. The Sirens is a beautifully written, intriguing, dual timeline story about sisters and secrets, the pull of the ocean and the strength and resilience of women. I liked both stories, but particularly the bond between convict sisters Eliza and Mary, and how their story developed (despite the terrible turn of events).

The blending of folklore, history and modern day was very well done and I'd like to read more of this author, based on this book. It was engaging the whole way through and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for allowing me to read and review this book.

After falling in love with Emilia Hart’s Weyward, I eagerly dove into The Sirens—and it swept me away like a powerful tide. As an Australian, the premise immediately resonated with me, and the story’s depth and beauty pulled me under from the very first page.

The novel flows like the ocean, seamlessly weaving two timelines: Mary and Eliza, transported from Cork to Australia on a convict ship, and Jess and Lucy, navigating modern life while living with a rare skin condition. Hart explores themes of resilience, belonging, and the enduring strength of women in the face of adversity.

One of the most striking elements was the role of art and song, which acts like a lighthouse, illuminating women’s stories and guiding them through their darkest storms. Hart uses these as a means of expression and survival, capturing the depths of women’s relationships and their shared struggles.

Rich in history and infused with magical realism, the story immerses the reader in a sea of vivid imagery, where the past and present ripple and echo each other. The relationships between the women are the anchors of the story, showcasing their fortitude and determination to survive and thrive despite the violent tempests they face.

This is a beautifully written, deeply moving tale of survival and sisterhood. Hart’s storytelling held me captive from start to finish. I can’t wait to see what she does next. Fans of Weyward, mystical fiction and stories of survival will not want to miss this extraordinary novel.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a beautifully written historical fiction novel infused with elements of magical realism, exploring the intersection of female strength, family legacies and the mystical powers that shape lives.

Although I couldn’t finish the novel, the novel’s character development and themes kept me captivated.

For readers who enjoy atmospheric, character focused stories with elements of magic and historical intrigue, The Sirens seems to be a promising read, though it may require some patience to get to the heart of its mysteries.

Like Emilia Hart’s debut novel, The Sirens holds a certain magic. It’s once again an ode to women’s power and resilience, set against the backdrop of a remote seaside town in New South Wales.

I really enjoyed reading The Sirens. I was a huge fan of Weyward when it was published last year, and Emilia Hart is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. Set in dual timelines, The Sirens follows two sets of sisters, separated by a century but mysteriously connected.

I loved the themes of sisterhood and the differences in how the two sets of sisters were portrayed (the closeness of Mary and Eliza juxtaposed against Jess and Lucy’s faltering relationship). The setting of the book was beautifully vivid and Hart’s writing had an eeriness that added to the mystery of the storyline.

My only criticism of The Sirens would be that the ending felt rushed compared to the rest of the book. There were also elements to the story that were left unresolved which was a little frustrating. The epilogue was very unexpected and left me quite surprised (not at all the direction I had expected the ending to go!), but did provide enough resolution to redeem the finish for me.

An excellent summer read to pick up for beachside reading!

4 ⭐️

Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me a review copy of The Sirens in exchange for an honest review!

In 1788 twin sisters, Mary and Eliza, are convicts on board a ship transporting them from England to the colony of New South Wales. They are packed in with other female convicts under appalling conditions, fearful of what fate awaits them.

In Australia in 2019 Lucy has just graduated from high school and is going to visit her older sister, Jess, an artist who has bought back the former family home in Comber Bay on the New South Wales south coast. Famously, a convict ship sank when it hit the rocks outside Comber Bay in 1788; over the years there has also been the disappearance, presumed drowned, of a number of men.

Lucy and Jess both suffer from an allergy to water which leaves their skin tender and flakey and has brought them both anguish and vulnerability. Jess has secrets that Lucy has yet to learn and which unfold dramatically over the course of the book.

Both Jess and Lucy have strong, subconscious connections to the tragic twins, which come to them in dreams, although neither of them is aware that the other is experiencing the same thing. The story of the convict ship is woven vividly through the story and it is sad and shocking. I discovered recently that one of my ancestors was a female convict transported to Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) and it is pretty unbearable to think of what she must have suffered in order for me to exist in this beautiful country. She married a male convict and I hope they had some measure of comfort together as they or possibly their children moved to New South Wales (I’ll have to check with the family historian).

Emilia Hart’s intriguing, atmospheric story is going to stay with me for a long time, as I am sure it will for all of its readers.

Published by Harper Collins Australia

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this eARC for an honest review!

This is the first novel I've read written by Emilia Hart, and after making her debut in 2023 with 'Weyward,' I can see why she's celebrated as a talented author. 'The Sirens' follows Lucy in 2019 split with sequences of twin sisters Mary and Eliza in 1800. Lucy is experiencing odd dreams of these two sisters from over 200 years ago being sent to Australia from Ireland on a convict ship. She has no idea why, and after a startling incident of sleepwalking, Lucy decides to try and track down her older sister Jessica to see if she can get some answers.

To say this novel is drenched in atmosphere is an understatement. It was a constant looming presence over the entire duration of this novel, and I loved the uncertain, mystical energy it created. Definitely the strongest point of this novel next to Emilia's writing. Phenomenal.

My only gripe with the story was the implementation of Mary and Eliza abruptly ending when Lucy and Jessica end up together. It made their involvement and story almost meaningless as this novel could be told entirely without their perspectives and still make sense. There was a huge emphasis on these two girls, and for them to get shafted made them seem almost trivial or an afterthought to make the story fantastical. I would have liked to have seen them integrated into Lucy and Jess's discovery solidifying their linked storylines.

Enjoyed this read …. Contemporary story that also switches back to women convicts sent over to NSW. I won’t add any spoilers…
I enjoyed the twists and turns. Thanks to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I loved this book!! I really enjoyed her first book Wayward and this was just a great! The writing is beautiful and the story really was captivating
Definitely recommend this to anyone

Thanks to Emilia Hart and Netgalley for an electronic pre release copy of the Sirens.
Moving between multiple timelines and set in Ireland and Australia we are drawn into multiple mysteries- mermaids and secretive sisters.
When Lucy is confronted with a harrowing experience at university she flees to her sister Jess's crumbling clifftop home in a small country town. However Jess is missing and Lucy can't find many clues to where she has gone or when she will be back. Lucy has always suffered from nightmares around two mysterious sisters on a ship. How do they fit into the current day and Jess's paintings?
Lots of twists make this a haunting tale and most enjoyable.
I enjoyed Weyward and this is a great second effort from Emilia. Four and a half stars from me.

Firstly, hello from the future! This book is published in 2025. Just kidding! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
This is my first Emilia Hart book, and probably not my last. She evokes rich imagery. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover, but I am a sucker for all things marine. I loved the story from two different timelines. Some heavy themes along the way, but I was hooked from the start.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers.

Emilia Hart has created a fascinating novel that blends historical fiction with elements of folklore and the supernatural. The book alternates between two timelines, one of the 1800s and modern times, connecting the lives of two Irish convict women, twin sisters, Mary and Eliza; Jess and Lucy, in modern times. This structure allows the novel to explore themes of survival, resilience, and the power of sisterhood across centuries.

In the 1800s, Mary and Eliza are subjected to a brutal life as prisoners, but they share a mysterious connection that manifests through certain physical characteristics and an innate resilience. These women possess features reminiscent of mythical sirens or mermaids, especially their captivating voices and pale, ichthyosis-like skin. The story draws parallels between their experiences of entrapment and hardship with the lives of Jess and Lucy, who share Mary's and Eliza's similar physical conditions. They have their own demons, suggesting that the bonds and struggles of these women transcend time.

The suffering of Mary and Eliza and their fellow women convicts being held in the hold of the ship, live in hell. This area below deck, in the lower part of the vessel, is cramped, dark, and poorly ventilated. Conditions are harsh, with this section of the ship designed to keep the women confined for the duration of the long journey. Food and water are a scarce commodity, starvation is imminent.

2019, Jess has become distant to Lucy for which is a mystery to her. She tries to puzzle through her past reactions to her much older sister to try and understand how this attitude has come about. Unbeknown to her Jess is dealing with emotional stress and her own dark secret which has recently loomed at her head on. Lucy heads out to where Jess had moved to, their parents' old home, a clifftop ramshackled house. She has panicked at a recent event when she was discovered involuntarily trying to do harm to her former boyfriend. She has lost her anchor in life, finding Jess may help in restoring her well being while at the same time hopefully answer some of her questions regarding their physicality so different from their parents.

The novel delves into European folklore, particularly the myth of the sirens or mermaids, beings that are magical, beautiful, and often tragic. These mythical creatures are known for their prophetic powers, connection to music, and alluring, sometimes dangerous, nature. In Sirens, the folklore of these beings serves as a metaphor for the power and danger inherent in women's voices and the consequences of being misunderstood or demonised in patriarchal societies. The book is both an historical adventure and a meditation on identity, oppression, and the magic that lies within.

This book was truly captivating and immersive, set in different timelines. The story was enchanting and mysterious with several twists that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a beautifully atmospheric read, blending mythology with real-world mysteries that kept me hooked from the first page. The writing feels effortless and flows with a gentle rhythm, drawing you deeper into a coastal world full of secrets and unforgettable characters.

Hart weaves together folklore and modern life in a way that feels both haunting and completely grounded. Each character brings something unique, and the sirens themselves are portrayed with a fresh, complex depth that makes them feel genuinely real.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to get lost in this captivating story—I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a touch of magic woven into the everyday.

I really loved this book! Beautiful prose, powerful themes, eerie atmosphere, and multi timeline POVs of strong women- all thoroughly soaked in sea water and feminine rage. If you love elements of lit fic, mystery, history and fantasy then this is the read for you!

Men have been going missing from a seaside town for generations - ever since a ship wreck on the coast that claimed the lives of women convicts being sent to Australia from Ireland. Lucy is haunted by vivid dreams about two sisters on a convict ship and the calling of the sea. After leaving uni due to waking up with her hands around her ex boyfriend’s throat (valid), she runs to her sister for help just to realise Jess is missing. Now it’s time for Lucy to unravel the the murky secrets of her family’s past and investigate the strange disappearances of men off the NSW coast, while battling a strange scaly skin condition that only seems to be getting worse.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Australia and Emilia Hart for an advance digital copy of this beautiful book!

Sisters separated by hundreds of years. Voices you can’t drown out. Mesmerising and wistful this is a novel that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. All you can see is a world where men always seem to get their own way and something inside her wants to fight back. Set in a sea side town that is strange and full of rumours where a dozen men have disappeared without a trace and women’s voices murmur from the waves.

We follow along as the main character is pursued by nightmares that pursue her and visions of two sisters in a murky past. A timely novel that all woman need to read. It speaks to a hidden part of ourselves longing to break free. There is something equally beautiful and haunting about this story that will sweep you away beneath the waves.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐭

I’m sure I will love this book, but unfortunately it wasn’t available in a format to send to kindle and I found it to difficult to read on the iPad. I will wait for its public release. Thank you for the early copy anyway! I loved Weyward, and Sirens has a compelling premise and a great opening.

This was an interesting book, an imaginative story of sisters, set in two different timelines. It includes elements of fantasy, which was unexpected.
I did, on occasion, find it a little confusing in its treatment of the sisters, and their uniqueness, and wasn’t immediately clear on what was happening with them. There were several twists to the story a more of their lives was revealed, which kept my interest.
This book is worth reading for its unusual storyline.

This was an intriguing read. Set in two time frames, it follows the journeys of two sets of sisters. For Lucy in the present day, the actions of her boyfriend and subsequent humiliation leads her to seek out her sister. Then there is the unfolding of Jess's story. The two Irish sisters and the mythology of the sea works well, set against the brutality of the convict ship. What emerges is a powerful story of female courage and sisterhood in the face of male mistreatment. There were powerful themes in this book and it was a world that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review this book.

I can deeply appreciate the authors descriptive language in this book. Emilia Hart can truly paint a picture. However I can also admit this is unfortunately not my kind of book.
The author presents a somewhat brutal introduction that just felt very out of place. This scene is featured in the very short prologue as a “hook” but rather this had me reeling back in horror. Overall this introduction didn’t feel well thought out and I think the author should have expanded on this more at the start for better context and intrigue to pull her audience in. After this it just felt like the author was throwing constant shock value at her audience. You barely had time to get over the first hurdle and you have more thrown at you. If the author was aiming for fast paced I’d have to say this only felt overwhelming.

With thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this eARC, as soon as I saw it, I had hoped that I would be allowed to read it, and I am eternally grateful.

The Sirens, second novel to Australian Author Emilia Hart, not only backs up what Weyward did, but commits to it ten-fold. A little bit of magic interlaced with the strength of women in the face of abuse and male power.

We start with Lucy, youngest sister and budding journalism student who wakes up to find herself choking a boy she had recently been intimate and cyber bullied by. Not able to find assistance from the uni’s welfare officer, she turns to her sister, Jess, running away to the house she had just brought in Comber bay. When she arrives, she finds her sister gone and starts to connect with the locals to try and figure out where she gone – a hard mystery to crack when she hasn’t seen her sister and spoken to her little, in the last year. A distance has formed between them and Lucy isn’t sure why.

In the midst of this mystery, we are transported back in time twice, through her sister's high school journal where Lucy finds out more and more about her sister's life before she was born, and also through the dreams that both sisters have experienced of the 1800’s upon a convict ship, heading from Ireland to Australia.

The Sirens is a story of discovery, family, love, bonds and feminine power. It is laced with secrets, songs and history, woven together with the story of the two girls Jess and Lucy, and twin sisters Eliza and Mary and their connection to and their fear of water.

It is richly written, an immersive read that you will find you have no sooner started it, that you have quickly finished it.