happy pub day to this HAUNTINGLY beautiful book

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this a few months ago (thank you @netgalley) & I was completely enthralled by the eerie Australian setting, complex characters, & mix of historical fiction + “magical realism/folklore” connections

The audiobook was fantastic! Completely immersed me in the story

IMO this book did have a few flaws with its pacing & some parts of the plot (esp the ending 🤔 🤔 🤔)

but I still think it’s worth a read if you enjoy
🧜‍♀️ nautical Australian setting
🧜‍♀️ genre-bending stories (historical fiction + “magical realism” + mystery)
🧜‍♀️ multiple POVs including different time frames (2019, 1999, & 1800)
🧜‍♀️ stories that tackle the female experience, particularly trauma & the healing process, ultimately providing a story of empowerment

is this book on your radar? if you’ve read, tell me your thoughts! 🧜‍♀️ 🌊 🐟

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I had previously read Weyward by this author and I was really hoping that this story would follow the same type of format because they do such a great job with making you fall in love with multiple different characters as the stories span over multiple generations. I was definitely not disappointed in this story. Following multiple character through the course of their lives and traumas causes you to go so deeply invested in each of their stories and then when you finally see how their stories actually fit together it has such a sound impact on the overall story.

Although this novel was not exactly what I expected, I really enjoyed the story! The Sirens is very well written and captured my attention from start to finish. Set against the backdrop of a rugged coastal landscape, the novel follows multiple women across different timelines, each drawn to the sea and its dark, otherworldly secrets. As they uncover hidden truths about their pasts, they must confront the power of fate, love, and the siren song that calls to them. The characters, particularly the female protagonists, are strong and compelling, with their struggles and resilience adding depth to the narrative.

What I loved most was the way the novel captured the eerie beauty of the ocean and its connection to fate. The pacing, however, was a bit uneven. Some sections felt rushed, while others lingered too long on description. Additionally, while the ending was satisfying, it left a few threads unresolved.

Overall, The Sirens is a captivating read, perfect for those who enjoy myth-infused fiction with a touch of gothic mystery. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

The Sirens is a dual timeline story that follows two sets of sisters. Mary and Eliza are twin sisters living in the 1800s who are taken from Ireland on a convict ship bound for Australia. The further out to sea they travel, the more their bodies inexplicably begin to change. After enduring unimaginable hardships aboard the Naiad, the sisters vow to make cruel, abusive men pay, and they embrace their newfound freedom and identities to do so. In 2019, Lucy has a bizarre dream and awakens to find herself in the middle of attacking an ex-lover. Remembering that her sister, Jess, was also prone to sleepwalking, Lucy flees to Jess's house in hopes that she can explain what is going on. When Lucy arrives in the small coastal town, she discovers that her sister is missing. As she awaits her sister's return, Lucy learns that this town holds many secrets, including mysterious deaths, strange voices from the sea, and the truth of the sisters' past.

The Sirens contains the wonderful writing, atmospheric setting, and female empowerment that I expected from Emilia Hart. I love the idea of women banding together to overcome abuse and injustice, and this story definitely checked that box for me. I also enjoyed the dual timeline and learning how the main characters' lives were all intertwined. I did feel like parts of the story were slow and didn't hold my interest as well, but things picked up a bit at the end.

I had the privilege of reviewing both the digital and audio versions of this book. While they were both good, I really enjoyed the audio narrator, Barrie Kreinik, and found the audio version to be more entertaining than the eBook version. I had a much harder time getting into the eBook than I did the audiobook.

This is a story that unfolds over hundreds of years, but is so intertwined.

Lucy is at university to study to become a journalist with the goal of helping women when a photo she sent to a boy she’s interested in gets leaked for the entire campus to see. Having grown up with an allergy to water, Lucy’s skin is scarred and “hideous”.

After waking to find her hands clutched around the throat of the boy, and haunted by dreams of two sisters on a boat hundreds of years before, Lucy escapes to her older sister Jess‘ home off the coast of Australia. However, when she arrives, she finds detailed paintings of sirens and her sister is nowhere to be found. Lucy discovers Jess’s diary and tries to use this for clues to find where her sister is only to discover startling truths about Jess and herself.

This story is a masterful blend of mythical with realism while highlighting the resilience of women and a glimpse into the history of Irish convicts who were brought to Australia in the 1800s. I listened to the audiobook and was so impressed with the narrator’s ability to go back-and-forth between the different characters, including adopting three different accents and even singing at one point. I was immediately drawn into this story and I could not stop listening.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, thought provoking characters with inner dialogue as well as a touch of the mythical.

Author: Emilia Hart
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Release Date: April 1, 2025

4⭐️
1🌶️

Emilia Hart crafts a tale of women’s fiction with mysterious mermaids, resilience, and overcoming trauma. Lucy and Jessica dream of Eliza and Mary, twin sisters from 200 years ago forced to Australia on a convict ship. As they dream, Lucy and Jessica sleepwalk towards the water.
Their stories converge in Comer Bay, known as the “Bermuda Triangle” for missing men, revealing heritage and identity. The Sirens, called Merrow, are vengeful protectors of women, a feminist twist on Greek mythology. They switch between mermaid and human forms and use a fatal siren song.
Hart's books focus on female experiences, trauma, and healing. While beautifully written, the characters are flawed, highlighting themes of change and acceptance. Despite this, the pacing suffers from alternating points of view and shifting timelines, sometimes causing important moments to be overlooked. Overall, I did enjoy the book and cannot wait to see what else Emilia Hart has in store for us.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Additionally, I applaud Emilia Hart for crafting an outstanding story.

I knew when I picked up this book there was going to be something about it which tugged at my heart strings. I also knew we would encounter some magical realism as well as emotional bonding or loss between some of the characters.

Within The Sirens, we have two parallel stories, one of two sisters who have been ripped away from their home and being shipped to Australia for crimes (though justified) categorized them as a criminal. The second story is about Lucy fleeing to her sister's house after an incident at college. Though Jess is not home, Lucy waits for her return and starts to uncover a lifelong mystery about her sister and her own family.

The content does feel heavy with theming. The writing is fairly well done but I do think the author's novel Weyward was a bit stronger with regards to character development and story. There are points where it does not feel we are moving forward and we are spinning our wheels as we wait for something to happen.

I don't think the twist was as intense as I expected and I did figure out some of the "reveal" about halfway through. It wasn't as captivating as the other book and I think my overall critique is that not much happens as we wander through this book so we don't see a great deal of growth from the characters and the all of a sudden we are at the end with a reveal which wasn't incredibly surprising. However, the story has it's perks and I was fairly engaged through the ending.

I hadn't read Weyward yet when I requested this book. The description sounded fantastic so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I love books with dual timelines. I'm also a sucker for strong female protagonists and women that try to build each other up instead of being catty and mean to one another. Mary and Eliza's timeline was especially gripping. It had me stressed at times. Overall, I loved this book and it convinced me to read Weyward.

I adored Weyward and was pumped to get an early copy of Emilia's new book.
The Sirens has a different tone to it than their first book, but the beautiful writing style always drags me in.
I found the two timelines of different characters a bit confusing at first, but it does begin to fold meaning into each other as you go along which was perfect once I came to terms with the not knowing.
I hate not knowing lol.
I was invested in the two set of sister throughout and could not wait for all the intrigue to unfold.
Highly recommend this delightful story!
Much love to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 eBook: The Sirens-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Emilia Hart-new to me author

📃Page Count: 352

📅Publication date: 4-1-25 | Read: 3-31-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:15

🌎 Setting: Australia and New South Wales 2019, 1999, and 1800

👆🏾POV: 3rd person and 1st person- multiple

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fic

Tropes: sisterhood, sirens, multiple timelines, family drama, magical realism

⚠️TW: leaked nudes, misogyny, death of a parent, SA, racism, grooming

🗣️Narrator: Barrie Kreinik voices all the characters with standouts from Jess and Lucy. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: Two pairs of sisters with the same rare allergy to water and feel the call of the sea are connected through time. From 1800 to 2019 Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza must deal with being at the mercy of men and their disappearances.

👩🏾 Heroine: Lucy Martin-a journalism student wakes up choking ex-boyfriend Ben sleepwalking, flees to sister Jess who's MIA

👩🏾Heroine: Jess-an artist encouraged by her art teacher. Her drawings in a journal - Lucy finds and uses to discover their secret past

👩🏾Heroines: Mary + Eliza-twin sisters forced to leave Ireland for Australia, afraid of the sea after their mother's drowning.

🤔 My Thoughts: I wish I had read Weyward first, but I'll go back to it. The multiple POVs and timelines with sirens against evil men and family secrets exposed, sign me up!

*Emotion: 5/5 🥲
*Rating: 5/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Emilia Hart for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I loved Weyward and was looking forward to this book for so long, and still, it exceeded my expectations. The Sirens is told in 3 timelines that are beautifully woven together. In 2019, Lucy finds herself strangling her ex in her sleep and doesn't know what to do, so she flees to her older sister's house on the Australian coast. But her sister isn't there so she starts to read her diary. In 1999, her sister Jess was an artistic but isolated 16 year old with a strange allergy to water. And in 1800, twin sisters Mary and Eliza were sent on a convict ship from Ireland to Australia despite their fear of the ocean after their mother drowned. The way the characters develop and interact is haunting and relatable and my heart truly bled for them. This story is dark and tragic but also empowering and Emelia Hart's beautiful prose is intoxicating, I feel like I could drown in her words.

I was lucky to have access to both the ebook and the audiobook of The Sirens, which is beautifully narrated by Barrie Kreinik, with Irish and Australian accents and even actual siren song!

I do not know what it is that draws me into the books of Emilia Hart. The language? Characters or themes? I don't know. They are otherworldly. Hart's books truly are like Siren songs to me. There is something in her writing that is so mystical. Elegant. Visceral. Speaking of her books, using words like "captivate" or a phrase like "draw me in" would not accurately describe what I feel when I listen to or read them. No. They CALL me into their worlds. This one washed over me like a soft sea wave.

Taking place in three different periods, this wonder of the sea tells the story of three generations of two sisters searching for the truth about their longings, dreams, and old mysteries.
In 2019, Lucy has been sleepwalking and ends up with her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Confused by her actions, she seeks out her estranged sister, Jess, who has always been a sleepwalker. Arriving at Comber Bay on the coast of Australia, Lucy finds Jess's house empty, with her car, keys, and phone present. As she waits for Jess to return, she lets herself in and begins to feel a visceral connection to the artwork, the home, and the sea. But why? As she searches for answers, she listens to a true crime podcast about men in Comber Bay who have gone missing. Yet, a baby is found in a nearby cave. When she finds Jess's diary, she realizes that the truth may be closer than she thinks.
In 1999, Jess is a small-town girl who has a crush on her art teacher. He seems to see something in her that no one else does. Jess knows she's different. She just happens to have an allergy to water. She can't stop thinking and dreaming about two sisters trapped on a ship in the ocean. Is she connected to them somehow? The closer she gets to learning the truth, the more difficult it becomes to stay away from Comber Bay
In 1800, Mary and Eliza are taken as prisoners aboard a ship to be exiled on the coast of Australia. Facing harsh conditions in cramped quarters, Eliza finds singing to bring comfort to them both. They've always been afraid of water. But as the ship travels to this new land, they begin to notice changes in their bodies, as the sea calls them.

The writing. Oh, the writing! The setting, the themes of resilience, the bonds of sisterhood, the connection across time, and the hints of magic are simply breathtaking. This is not a fantasy book. It is more historical fiction and magical realism. Emilia Hart is creatively brilliant.

I find her audio books to be some of the most beautiful. The narrators chosen are absolutely perfect. This one was read by Barrie Kreinik. Her accents, variety in voicing, and characterization were solid. Barrie could read the phone book, and I would listen. She captured the story with brilliance.

A very special thank you to Macmillan Audio, Barrie Kreinik, Emilia Hart, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this audio ARC in exchange for my raving review.

I enjoyed the authors first book ‘Weyward’, so I was looking forward to this one too!

This is the story of two sets of sisters… separated by centuries of time… and continents, but still somehow interconnected!

1800’s: Mary and Eliza are forced to get on to a ‘convict ship’ heading from Ireland to Australia. The quarters are tiny and totally unhealthy. The conditions are awful. And the men in charge of the ship are horrendous…
We follow them on their journey… through sickness, heartache, illnesses, deaths and tragedies.

2019: Lucy and Jess are living in separate parts of Australia. Lucy is studying journalism in college. But she is not like the other girls there. And… she does not find herself pretty… So when one particular boy pays her some attention, she swoons… only to be disappointed.

Jess is living alone, entrenched in her painting work. When Lucy gets herself in a bit of hot water, she runs to Jess. But when she arrives at her home, Jess is gone!

She waits for her to come home… but days go by with zero contact.
In that time she meets her neighbors, and has some time to go through her pictures and ‘things’… some of which she might NOT have wanted to see. 😮🫣
And she starts to doubt herself… and her family… and her sister…

I must mention that BOTH of them have been having these vivid dreams vs reality… with visions and sounds and…based in what certainly feels like reality! But could it really be???

We travel back and forth between the two timelines… and the more they reveal, the more intertwined the four women seem to become.

I will say that the story meanders quite a bit, and I did find myself losing interest at times, BUT, overall, the storyline was terrific, and I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next!

And, when what I considered was the ‘psoriatic skin’ was finally revealed… well, I had to catch my breath!! 🤭🥹

This is a very POIGNANT story that will cut you deep in your core, and more than likely will stay with you for a while! ❤️
And the love of family versus the problems of same family are painted very realistically… and will really make you think and consider… just what is going on…. How you’d feel… And, what would you do in the same situation…

4 Big, Bright, Beautiful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#TheSirens by #EmeliaHart and narrated beautifully by #BarrieKreinik.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
*** Release date is coming SOON on, 4/1/25, so look 👀 for it on shelves soon !! ***

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

This novel takes place over 2 timelines, both timelines focusing on strong female characters.

The haunting tale of convicted women trapped on a ship bound for Australia from Ireland. The alternate timeline follows two women drawn to the sea and the story that connects her to the women on the fated ship.

A beautifully narrated and lovingly written story. This story is as tragic as it is a story of resilience and finding your place in the world.

An easy 4 stars. Magical realism at its finest.

The Sirens

This one was a vibey and spooky storytelling experience. With the layered timelines and POVs, I thought the narration did an incredible job of keeping the characters straight and pulling you along the narrative.

There were some heavier topics that were hard to read, so I am glad I was able to switch to the audio version because the atmospheric narration helped me continue on.

Recommend if you enjoy literary fiction that doesn’t shy away from hard topics with a mix of some magical realism.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillian Audil for the ARC and ALC! My opinions are my own.

A prickle starts at the base of Lucy's spine. Maybe it's the knowledge of what the water would do to her skin. She imagines the waves lapping at her like tongues, stripping her of flesh until she is nothing but bone, gleaming white.”

Book Review
The Sirens- Emilia Hart
🌕 🌕 🌕 🌓🌑
🫑
Firstly, I want to thank Emilia Hart for providing me an ARC &ALC via Netgalley! I want to shoutout the narrator Barrie Kreinik for flawlessly embracing an Australian &Irish accent. I also love how Emilia switched timelines from the 1990s to the 1800s gracefully with dreams and through diary entries. I truly adored the sisterhood dynamic they were truly the heart of the book! I have a sister myself and I cried during scenes were they were emotionally seperated.

In the first time line 2019, Lucy who attends University is having sleepwalking episodes with nightmares about the ocean. She awakes assaulting her boyfriend and has to run-away to her eldest sister Jess’ beach house in Australia. When she arrives her sister is gone, yet jess phone and car are still in the house. She fears her sister is in trouble so finds her sisters diary which takes us to 1999 seamlessly through Jess’ eyes. We get to see Jess’ life as a teenager and why they have so much in common such as their rare allergy to water resulting in their family never letting them get wet and vivid dreams. We then transfer to the 1800’s via both Jess’ and Lucy’s dreams which follows sisters Eliza and Mary born and raised in Ireland. They are both boarding a ship for convicts being stuck in the under carriage hands bound for New Whales they both have the same water allergy and the longer they are on board their skin starts shedding. This nautical fiction, Mystery, Thriller has themes of family resilience, self acceptance, and bonds of sisterhood across time and space.

I enjoyed this book!
As a huge fan of fantasy, I liked how the author interlaced genres. The story is told in a historical fiction way in that it focuses on two timelines of sisters. One timeline focuses in the 1800s and the story of twin sisters Mary and Eliza who are prisoners on a boat. This boat has women who are kept in handcuffs and are going to wolf as slaves. The next time line focuses on two sisters Jess and Lucy in 2019 who are both adopted by this family. Lucy is a student and an event with an ex college boyfriend has caused her to run away from the famous and look for her sister Jess. Lucy then begins to discover that her sister Jess an artist has disappeared. During this time Lucy begins to use her journalist background to start investigating her last, and why her body keeps changing.

I have always had an interest in the mythical creatures of sirens/mermaids. This is a story which includes the genre of magical realism and focuses on the resilience of two sisters and their love. The power of love and the power of wanting to protect those you love and the magical connection between loved ones. I also loved this story because it was a different kind of story and I felt drain into the story. I really did care for the sisters and I wanted to see how the story ended.
Thank you Net-galley, Macmillan audio and St Martin’s Press for allowing me the opportunity to review this arc. I really did enjoy this story!

Part historical fiction and part contemporary novel, The Sirens is a beautifully written and compelling exploration of sisterhood, family and finding one’s place. There are two timelines-one set in 2019 and one set in 1800-and each details the journeys of two sets of young women as they contend with hardships and self-acceptance amidst an inexplicable yearning for something more.

Twins Mary and Eliza are prisoners in a ship traveling from Ireland to Australia, while college student Lucy flees to her older sister Jess’ home in the coastal town of Comber Bay, New South Wales after a sleepwalking episode ends with unexpected violence. With Jess inexplicably missing, Lucy finds herself delving into her sister’s old diary and unearthing new mysteries.

The Sirens is something of a slow-burn and I enjoyed witnessing the plot unfold from dual perspectives. I appreciated the research utilized to depict Mary and Eliza’s timeline-especially prior to their subjugation-and would have enjoyed even more time spent with their characters and family.

Lucy and Jess were also relatable, as a passionate young woman/woman with ambitious dreams, individuals dealing with something akin to a chronic illness and also siblings struggling with a distance that sometimes occurs with a gap in age. The trauma both women experience is also-sadly-not uncommon and while certain aspects of the plot did progesss in a predictable fashion, it never felt tedious.

The setting of the fictional Comber Bay was also excellent: with the lone house above a cliff, the isolated and sea-swept caves and the eerie mystery surrounding men sporadically going missing over the years supposedly due in part to the voices of women across the waves.

At times, I found myself yearning for the more magical and less tragic aspects of the story, as I was initially expecting more of a focus upon the unusual disappearances of Comber Bay, rather than the complex familial relationships of the characters.

I was slightly surprised by aspects of the epilogue however, as it made something that was otherwise implied-and slightly damaging to a character-more definite unnecessarily.

The narration by Barrie Kreinik is truly wonderful and she does excellent work with regular vocals, accents and even some singing.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is one of those books where, the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. When I started I was very interested, but it felt like quite a bit of the story was told through journalling, and not in the best way. The end was fairly rushed, and the main character's reaction to the ending was underwhelming. There was a lot that was just hand waived away, and it didn't sit well with me. I kept thinking, "how did that happen?" and not in a great-shocked way.
I am still giving three stars because I really liked it as I finished it, and the writing was very good. When I initially finished I thought I would give it four stars before thinking further on it.

This was an interesting read. I think I made the mistake of listening to the audio ALC because it was a bit hard to keep up with the characters changing and some timeline changes. But overall the story was good. A little mystery and a little fantasy. I love a mermaid type story and since this one was set over generations I enjoyed it. The characters were likable and it was definitely a story of finding yourself and the truth.