I was excited to read this because I really enjoyed Weyward. The Sirens was just ok for me. I just didn't feel drawn to the characters. The story was interesting at times but not as much as a page turner for me. I listened to it on audio.

Thank you to Emilia Hart, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. It had a lot of things going for it. It was beautifully, almost lyrically, written. I loved the multiple POVs throughout the book. I also appreciated that this book is, at its heart, about the unshakable and primal power of women and what they can do together.

My struggle with this book was the execution. At various times I had a hard time following the plot and the through-lines between the different timelines and perspectives. Temporally, the book lost me a few times. I also felt that, by the end, there were still a lot of unanswered questions and loose threads that never got tied up. I also struggled with the motivations/actions of some of the characters, as it felt like there were several times where characters' actions or behavior seemed unrealistic in light of the circumstances and choices seemed to be made for the sole purpose of advancing the plot. It drew me out of the world of the book. All in all, this book was an enjoyable time but not the most incredible thing I've ever read.

I must say, Barrie Kreinik was the highlight of this work for me. She is an incredible narrator and I cannot wait to listen to more from her.

This was probably a 4.5 star for me until the very end.

I feel super conflicted about the epilogue of this book. I almost wish it didn't exist. I reread it a day later, and picked up on more details and reveals I didn't gather the first time. But I'm still trying to make sense of it. I'd love to pick the author's brain on this one.

But again, I was immersed in Emilia's writing and love her women-centered stories. Compared to the first book, which painted men in a mostly negative light, this book asks the reader to question... what about the good men? And where do you draw the line between good men who make mistakes, and bad men who hurt and oppress the female population as a whole?

The Sirens was beautifully written and had such a haunting coastal atmosphere. The story blends mermaid lore, family secrets, and feminist themes in a way that feels both emotional and a little eerie. I really enjoyed the present-day storyline with Lucy searching for her missing sister and uncovering dark secrets in the small town. Jess’s diary entries were my favorite part because they tied so much of the mystery together. The historical timeline with Mary and Eliza was interesting, but at times it felt disconnected from the modern plot, and I wished the connection had been clearer earlier on. Some parts of the book took a while to click for me, and I felt a bit confused waiting for everything to tie together. Even so, the descriptions of the sirens and the setting were vivid and captivating.

Completely captivating and compelling, this book will keep you guessing until the end. The non linear timeline captures interest with secrets, loss, tragedy, and magical realism which bring two seemingly unrelated plots into one.

Feminine rage sets the stage for a magical, mysterious awakening that changes everything in both of these women's lives forever.

If you love historical fiction with a non linear timeline and a hefty dash of fairytale magic, this one is for you!!

I enjoyed this, but at the moment, I struggled to keep up with the story. I love the plot and writing, and it might have just been the time I read it.

When Lucy wakes up she has her hands around her ex boyfriends throat, she has no memory of how she got there. Given the public drama that went on between them, it looks really bad for her. She flees to a small coastal town where her sister lives to get some advice. But when she finds her sister missing her attempts to figure out where her sister went and uncover some shocking secrets in Lucy's family and a supernatural seeming tie to the local history. The narrative is split with the historic re-telling of two sister-convicts shipped from Ireland to Australia in horrendous conditions.
I liked the present day story it was filled with drama and intrigue, but the historic storyline was lacking and I found myself bored during those sections so that is why it lost some points for me. A great exploration of some serious feminist issues including abuse and online shaming. I enjoyed the magical realism elements.

The narrator was great for The Sirens, but I felt myself longing for the physical copy. I’m drawn to stories of mer people and this one did disappoint.

I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC and giving me the opportunity to review this book ahead of its release.

The cover of Weyward grabbed my attention from the new books display at the library. The nature-themed illustrations drew me in, and the description hooked me.

When I saw that Emilia Hart was releasing a new book, The Sirens, I knew I wanted to read it. It has a dual timeline, revealing the story from the perspectives of two women, separated by hundreds of years. One, Mary, is a prisoner aboard a ship to Australia with her sister. The other, Lucy, is a modern-day woman who flees to her older sister's house in search of answers and moral support, only to find her sister missing.

The story unfolds as Lucy reads her sister's journal, which only raises more questions. She begins an investigation, trying to uncover how her sister's disappearance connects to the multiple missing men in town and the increasingly vivid and strange dreams she's been having.

I really enjoyed this book. While there are some details I think could have been elaborated on, it was a good read overall, and I would definitely recommend it.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d at about 25%. The writing was really beautiful, but I just couldn’t get into the storyline or characters. I am a mood reader so this might’ve been the right book at the wrong time because the summary sounds incredibly interesting but it just didn’t grab me while reading.

A story of two sets of sisters, centuries apart, mysteriously linked by the wonder of dreams and the allure of the sea.

I enjoyed the dual timelines and the storytelling. This one kept me engaged. Audio was well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC.

Solid 4.5 melodic stars

This audiobook is incredibly well narrated, including the use of both Irish and Australian accents, and singing of the songs.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault and youth/adult relationships.
As a survivor, I was able to deeply enjoy this book, though it may be entirely too much for others (and was very uncomfortable at times).

Emilia Hart's powerful writing does it again!! This story really got to me, and brought up so many emotions - including sadness, anger, feminine rage, shame, curiosity, doubt and fear. She is a master at describing the feminine experience and excruciating family secrets, with a hint of the mythological.

Following the stories of two sets of sisters through their separate timelines (1800, 1998, and 2018), the story slowly begins to intertwine into a tale of legendary proportions. Some bits are subtle, while others reach through the story to smack the reader right in the face. Being able to balance the two different sets of stories is essential.

If you are someone who enjoys multi-timeline historical fiction, long-unsolved mysteries to be solved, feminine rage, a touch of the otherworldly, and the vulnerability of true secrets, this book is absolutely for you. I also recommend experiencing it via the audiobook, if at all possible.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley, and the publisher Macmillan Audio, for an Audio-ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

I unfortunately DNF'd this at 20%,. I'm sure people who love historical fiction and dual timelines might love this but I had a hard time getting engaged with both storylines and the different points of view. Thank you for this ALC!

I did not love this as much as the author's Weyward. I struggled getting into this one and found it too boring to continue.

While I enjoyed the feminine rage aspect, I feel like the story was dragged out and was hard to connect with. The dual timeliness weren’t different enough to be distinguishable. I would have liked to have more parts on the background of the sirens, it was a lot of build up for a small explanation

This was an ok novel, it took me almost a month to finish. It just didn't capture my attention like Weyward did.

I absolutely loved this book. The narrator was fantastic. This story is so so good! I can't wait to read more from this author!

I love the premise of this book. I'm always down for a female rage story. I did wish that this story had more bite to it though. The meandering pace watered down any feelings that came up so it made it hard for me to stay invested. However there were some plot points towards the end that pulled me back in and got me invested again. If you enjoy mysteries that simmer for most of the book then you might enjoy this book.

I adored the Barrie Kerinik's performance! They effortlessly switch between Australian and Irish accents and made each side character distinct. They also sang the song portions of the audio with such a haunting way that it really brought the magic to life. If you're looking to pick up this book the audio is 100% the way to go.

Easily one of the best books ive gotten the opportunity to get my hands on. It captivated me from the very beginning until the last sentence. Listening to it on audio was a bigger treat.

I love stories with alternating timelines where I'm anticipating how they are going to meet or connect. It was pretty clear once Mary and Eliza were on the boat how they would be connected to Jess and Lucy, with their 'mysterious' skin condition. I enjoyed finding out how the girls got their revenge on the men who had wronged them in their individual lives, though the beginning of the book was a big of a slog, I think the endings were worth the wait.

Barrie the narrator was wonderful, I loved how she was able to alternate between australian and irish accents, it helped to really get immersed in the story.