I'm trying to finish this book for over 3 months now but I can't seem to get through it. I made it to 55%. It's definitely intriguing and well written but I'm just not in a good mood to finish this kind of book.

I really enjoyed Weyward so I was excited to read this. The writing is captivating and clever and the story kept me reading even if some parts were a little predictable

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the e-arc. I was really excited to dive into (pun-intended) this new book by Emilia Hart since I absolutely loved Weyward and let me tell you; it did not disappoint. Everything I loved about Weyward I could find it in this whole other story!

The Sirens follows several women on a dual timeline, all intertwined somehow. Once again the storytelling was so intriguing, the mystery part super entertaining and the writing was just as poetic and beautiful. I think Hart writes historical fiction with a twist of magic realism and folklore like no other. Very atmospherical, about women and sisterhood.
I absolutely loved Jess’s diary entries, it gave such a great rhythm to the whole discovery of the plot and well, she was also my favorite character of them all. I will definitely be there for the next book!

Now once again, be mindful of the trigger warning (always!).

Interesting read with a good twist, I liked the historical link, although at some points it felt a little disjointed

. An emotional and thought provoking read. I found the timelines and book structure beautifully constructed and helped me fly through the pages. Highly recommend.

I was so excited to read this because I quite enjoyed Emilia Hart's debut novel Weyward. Unfortunately, I struggled with the PDF format because I use darkmode to read ebooks and PDF doesn't show in dark mode on the Netgalley app. For that reason, I couldn't finish the story, but I look forward to hearing the audiobook in 2025

I felt so on edge with reading this - it was great! Really enjoyed the structure of the book with the different timelines and the use of Jess’s diary to tell the story of her character. It did take me a while to get stuck into the story but I loved the ending and overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

I was so anxious to read this after how much I LOVED Weyward. I just love Emilia Hart’s writing so much. She has the most incredible ability to weave a story centuries apart and have all the characters still be so rich and detailed and important to the story, it’s truely something beautiful.
Perfectly blended feminine rage and colonialism topics that left me angry and shocked and sad for the real life history of it.
Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this early💕

A beautifully crafted dual timeline story centred around sisterhood, family trauma, revenge and mythology.

The Sirens is a tale of identity, belonging, and coming into your power. Told in three intertwined timelines, the book highlights the experiences of four different women across time.

I enjoyed reading The Sirens, but I did have to go at a slower pace. It took a while for me to connect with the story and the characters, but eventually, I was so invested in the mystery surrounding Lucy. Her sections were so vivid and rich that I felt I could see everything she saw.

It was an atmospheric read, with the majestic ocean tying everything together. And the fantasy elements build up slowly into this big reveal that worked well.

And that ending! So beautiful and tender.

This is my first read from Emilia Hart, and I definitely plan to pick up Weyward soon.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for letting me read an advanced copy!

I will post my review on Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Instagram on publication day.

*The Sirens* by Emilia Hart is a feminist tale wrapped in history and magical realism. The writing is sharp and well-paced, and the sirens serve as a powerful metaphor.

Its portrayal of men is brutally unforgiving, almost to a fault.. I found some of the reveals predictable, and a bit more nuance would have made them less obvious. Still, it’s a gripping, timely story and read it if you enjoyed the mercies or matrix by Lauren Groff.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc to review!

I ended up enjoying this despite it taking a little while to capture my attention. I enjoyed both timelines, but felt more invested in Lucy's story. A good premise, well written and a good final twist.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

I was curious about Emilia Hart's new book The Sirens, especially after Weyward turned out to be such a commercial success. I must say, much like with her first book, I don't quite understand the phenomenon—though this doesn't mean it's an unpleasant or boring read.

Let's start with the positives. The Sirens is very easy to read; it's fast-paced, with no long-winded sections, and it flows well. For this reason, I think it will be a success, just like Hart's first book—it's a novel that practically everyone can enjoy.

Speaking of the first book, on the level of plot outline, The Sirens has nothing in common with Weyward—yet, I felt like I was reading the same book. The structure of the plot is identical, the protagonists are similarly developed, and they have virtually the same motivations, which boil down to female rage stemming from being victims of male violence. Unfortunately, The Sirens is just as predictable as Weyward. Although everything ties up fairly neatly at the end, I never had the feeling I was reading something new.

That said, if someone liked Weyward, they should enjoy this book. Similarly, if someone hasn't read Weyward, they can still have a good time with The Sirens. It is not a bad book; I was simply expecting something more novel from this author.

Wow! Three timelines come together to tell the story of the sirens. Similar to the first book, Weyward, women who have been let down by society and harmed by men. The Sirens begins with a convict ship heading to Australia. The female prisoners held in atrocious conditions, guilty of crimes they had no option by to commit!
Lucy is the modern day protagonist who unravels the stories, discovering her own history in the process. This story weaves fact with fiction and mythology. Fully recommend!

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I was a bit unsure whether this book would live up to Weyward which I have only recently read.

However, it had me absorbed right from the start. I loved the interweaving storylines and how the story builds and comes together.

I love Emila Hart's style of writing, beautiful yet gripping.

I would probably say, it wasn't quite as good as Weyward...but not far behind.

Looking forward to what she does next.

3.5 rounded up.

Overall a strong novel, I liked the themes of feeling different, not fitting in, sisterhood, identify and feminism. The novel is told in two timelines and I found the 1800s timeline weaker - we follow Eliza and Mary as they travel to Australia from Ireland as female convicts, in horrendous conditions. I didn't feel I really got to know them that well or that there was a lot of depth in their story, their evolution, even though it was hinted at before, still felt a bit sudden to me. The modern timeline, between 1998 and 2019, was stronger in my opinion, as Lucy runs away to her sister's house, only to find her sister Jess has gone missing. I liked the mix of research, old newspapers, Jess' diary, used to build the narrative. At times I felt Emilia Hart skipped a few steps and could have gone into more details, but it was still an engrossing story and the final plot twist in the epilogue was a real surprise.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and author Emilia Hart for this eARC

So plot wise the Sirens was nothing special in my opinion.
The whole plot with all the secrets/surprises was pretty clear from about the 15% mark on.
But the way Hart executed it was brilliant. I loved the writing which was so atmospheric and captivating and just drew such amazing imagery.
The descriptions were amazing and detailed without being overly long - as the reader I really felt like i was there.
I enjoyed the present timeline quite a bit more than the past timeline yet loved how Hart managed to connect them.
All around a really enjoyable read.

Another stunning read from Emilia Hart. A gloriously dark and mesmerising grown-up fairy tale that had me hooked (excuse the pun) from the first few pages. I loved the 3 character narrator structure, especially how balanced, and strong, each of the female voices were, with neither Jess's, Lucy's or Mary & Eliza's story allowed to dominate the narrative, but instead harmonise to support each others. Perfection.

Great read, took at least 50% to get invested if I'm being honest?

I didn't see either twist coming so the writer did very well there. I didn't vibe/gel with any characters but still enjoyed it

Absolutely loved this book! I was a little sceptical as it took me a while to get into but after a couple of chapters I was hooked and could not put it down. Fantastic weekend read that will take you out of this world and completely immerse you with The Sirens - can you ignore their call?