"sometimes there is no choice there is only love"

First of all Thank you so much Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This was one of my most wished for Audiobooks of the year!


"the sea is calming her its slowing the pound of her heart the nearness of the water is a bomb why its it her body seeks out the thing that would hurt it "

Comber bay is the safest place .. if you are a woman. when calls from the sea seep into the ears of 4 sisters we travel on a hauntingly beautiful tale in dual timelines. Jess, Mary , Lucy and Eliza are all connected to each other and the sea. But how ? The Sirens shows how resilient women truly are, and how the power of the sea lives within us all.
You can tell right away there is intertwining trauma between both sets of sisters, and I couldn't wait to dissect and find out how. when the truth is finally revealed, everyone is finally set free with all they need - the sea & each other .

The sirens is so amazingly well written, it captivated me from page one, it will leave you turning pages well past the time you should be sleeping. I absolutely devoured this entire story. I love a multiple POV story and Emilia cant have done a better job.

Told through multiple timelines hundreds of years apart, this novel explores the ties between sisters — both in the 1800s and present day — with the same magical ties. Following trauma, Lucy flees her college campus and escapes to her older sister’s house on the coast, only to find she’s not there. With no way to reach her and no clue as to her whereabouts, she begins to read her sister’s journal from years before & uncovers more then she would ever imagine. Meanwhile centuries before, a ship full of women are forced onto a convict ship sailing from Ireland to Australia. They begin to notice changes in their bodies during the journey but their true selves are the ultimate mystery — a similar fate placed on Lucy and Jess.
I love Hart’s ability to intertwine magical realism and strong female characters. However, I feel this story didn’t hit quite as strongly as past books like Weyward. The narration was great though and I loved the inclusion of sound effects like the gentle waves. It really brought the story to life.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Emilia Hart stole my heart with Weyward and I still think of it often. It is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. So my hopes for The Sirens were sky high.

There were some problems, inconsistent pacing and predictability within certain parts of the story, but overall this is an amazing story. Emilia Hart writes atmospheric, lyrical novels, that perfectly capture the frustrating, grim reality of being female in our world. The multiple POVs are well executed with each character grabbing onto the reader and leaving them wanting more.

The novel follows Lucy, who runs away after a sleepwalking incident to visit her sister. When she arrives in the spooky town (Australia's Bermuda Triangle with multiple missing men over the decades) her sister is not at her dilapidated house. Another narrator is Mary, a young Irish woman, being transported to New South Wales along with her twin sister Eliza and four score other women. There is a mysterious air throughout, leaving the reader to wonder the connection between these women and events over time.

All in all, an excellent read. The narrator is breathtaking, switching between the Australian accent and the soft Irish lilt with ease. I highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC! All opinions are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of The Sirens. I really, really enjoyed this book! I love a split timeline, and this writing and story were just beautiful. I think I liked this even more than Weyward. Solid 4.25.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and of course the author for the audiobook ARC.

I was looking for an adult siren fantasy fiction read for a while and this was perfect. I commend the author for taking on a storyline like this. It is no easy feat to write a storyline like this and not only make it engaging, but real and raw. Yes, this can come off as dark and cold, but by bringing in real historical concepts and even acknowledging them in the beginning is what can start the conversation of the past. Some historical events are dark, especially the painful legacy of the 1st nation peoples of Australia. What happened to them was real and it was dark and it was cold.

I didn’t know what to expect based on the description of this book. It’s a little slow in the beginning but for good reason. The author does an amazing job in her writing and the character building. There are two timelines that take place within this story, which can sometimes be confusing, but It is beautifully written. You definitely need to pay attention because all minor details matter for the story to be told and understood. The two timelines converge and things start to click into place.

This is a story of women’s empowerment and perseverance. The only critique I would make is the ending seems to be rushed. I feel like there is more story to tell and more questions to be answered.

This was different and original and the breath of fresh air I needed. I definitely plan to preorder a hardcover of this book.

Just as a FYI -if you have any triggers take caution.

This was such a great read! I loved Emilia Hart's first book, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this one. The cast of characters was really robust and well written. I loved Jess and Lucy as well as Mary and Eliza, our four main characters. The writing was lovely and almost haunting in places. While the book lacked mystery (I called most of the reveals before they happened), this plot is an absolute stunner, and I was along for every second of the ride it took me on. While it can be annoying to see every turn coming, sometimes it doesn't detract from the reading experience, and I felt that this book fell into the latter category. I didn't mind that I knew what was coming because I wanted to watch it unfold. Though there's nothing new or groundbreaking happening in this plot, it was an absolutely lovely read that definitely scratches the itch for a magical realism book filled with a feminist bent.

Wow this was fantastic. It’s haunting, and atmospheric, and devastating, and powerful, and horribly beautiful.
It reminded me a lot of The Book of Speculation (which I loved).

We’ve got a dual timeline, one with sisters on a prison transport to Australia 1801, and then a modern timeline with estranged sisters in Australia dealing with intersecting trauma. Definitely be aware of the content warning here; there is SA, grooming, and violence against women. But there is also vengeance.

The tension woven throughout the novel ratchets up as we progress until it’s almost suffocating. But the payoff and figuring out how everything is connected is just amazing. The reveals and the climax are so emotional. The end feels empowering and triumphant.

I’d highly recommend this, especially on audio. I think fans of Erica Swyler and CJ Cooke will especially love this.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

What an absolutely stunning cover!! It immediately drew me in and I can wait to see it printed in real life!

The plot of the “The Sirens” follows different females and sisters over multiple generations with alternating POV. I enjoyed the change in timelines and seeing the different sides to the hardships and challenges that women were facing among different time periods.

I have to say that Lucy in present day (2019) was definitely the character that captivated me the most. Potentially because she was the most relatable to me being a modern day girly, but I also found her situation of waking up from sleep walking and her distant and strained relationship with her mysterious sister to interest me the most.

I also loved the folklore surrounding mermaids throughout history and the curious nature of the small sea side town.

I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next. I enjoy the way she blends history and modern day stories together and strongly focuses on womanhood as a main theme in her books.

I think the narrator did a great job on the audiobook version everything was clear & entertaining going back and forth in the timeline 💋

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Emilia Hart for the ALC!

Publish date; March 4th 2025