I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author so was looking forward to The Sirens. I loved this book. I was captivated by Lucy, Jess and the story of Mary, one of the victims of a sunken ship full of female convicts, told in flashback. I knew Mary was connected to Lucy and Jess somehow but this isn’t revealed until the final chapters of the book. The first chunk of the book focuses on Lucy, who’s come seeking her sister’s help after an incident at college to find she’s seemingly vanished just before an exhibition of her art, the subject, the ship Mary and other female convicts were in when it sunk on the shores of the little seaside town Jess inexplicably fled to. The second chunk of the book focuses on Jess and where she’s gone. Mary’s story is woven in between Jess and Lucy. This is an engrossing read. I loved it and would recommend it.

I thought this was going to be a lovely tale about mermaids and I was completely wrong. I think I requested the wrong story. Wasn’t one I could finish I’m afraid.

I really enjoyed Emilia Hart's debut novel Weyward last year and I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of her latest release The Sirens. The Sirens follows our main character Lucy as she is running away from some issues she is experiencing at university and goes to try reconect with her sister Jess but when she gets there Jess is missing and Lucy starts experiencing weird dreams. We also follow the story of two Irish sisters who were sent to Australia on a convict ship in the 1800s.
The story develops initially at a slow pace but quickly picks up and I was immersed in the story and development of the plot and characters. This is well written and I knew from the first few pages despite finding it difficult to get into that I would enjoy this book. There are plenty of twists and developments throughout the book some of which I was able to predict but this did not impact my enjoyment of the book. The book touches on lots of subjects and I enjoyed the complex family dynamics and unravelling of the secrets both past and present. Really enjoyable read.

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

What a fabulous book ! It took me awhile to get used to the pace of the story with the flashbacks of Mary and Eliza on the ship but once I got in the groove, the pages flew by . Also like the way the author used Jess’ diary entries as a way to tell her back story.

This is a tale of heartbreak but also of the bonds of sisterhood and how love prevails. Loved the ending and the way it wraps up the story of the sea. I love the way the author took a real,life tragedy and told it in a compelling way. .

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Emilia Hart’s The Sirens is haunting and beautiful—a very different experience from Wayward, yet just as captivating. This five-star novel follows women across different timelines, each connected by the call of the sea. Hart keeps the intrigue and intensity right to the end, crafting a mesmerizing story filled with depth, emotion, and myth. It’s a tale that lingers long after you’ve finished, showcasing Hart’s gift for creating unforgettable, atmospheric worlds.

Much like Emilia’s previous book Weyward, this story is split between a past and present setting. In the present we have Lucy a college aged woman who goes to visit her sister Jess, but when she arrives Jess is missing. Both sisters are plagued with dreams of two Irish sisters onboard a convict transportation boat on route to Australia. Two sisters who suffer with the same water affecting skin condition that Lucy and Jess have.
Set in an Australian coastal town which has a dark history of men disappearing into the ocean, is Jess’ disappearance related and what is the link between the past sisters and the current ones?

This book is really well written. The pacing is great and descriptions really set the scene. The characters are well developed and the mystery unfolds beautifully. I may have worked out parts of the plot in advance but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all.
Emilia Hart is easily becoming one of my go to authors.

Thankyou to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

My review is available on Goodreads now and will be on Instagram 30/10/24

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a dual time line novels that focuses on the bond between sisters. Mary and Eliza are being transported from Ireland to Australia on a convict ship in the 1800s and Jess and Lucy are sisters who live in Sydney 2019.

There are so many secrets to uncover in this book which are revealed in good time. I feel like some were relatively easy to guess while others took me by surprise.

I will definitely be recommending this book to others and will read more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

5 stars all the way here but no spoilers. I loved Weyward by Emelia Hart and just knew I would love this one too!

This historical fiction mixed with magical realism in this story had such a good pace and build of characters and plot across dual timelines with 2 sets of sisters. Feminism,family, revenge and survival are at the heart of this story and the twists were awesome!!!

I really enjoyed the way this was written - the dreams that Lucy and Jess had that meant we heard Mary and Eliza’s story too.

Quite a few different storylines at the same time but it wasn’t confusing at all.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I had quite high hopes for this as I loved Weyward, and feminist reclaimings of myth & legend is an absolute favourite of mine.

And I did love parts of this: the dual timeline, the focus on sisterhood, the healing powers of water. I particularly enjoyed the eerie vibes and the way that Hart incorporated elements of real history and folklore into the story as this grounded it for me. I could tell Hart has done her research.


However, I did find the diary entries a bit jarring to read. To me, they didn't read the way a 16 year old would have written a journal, they read like a complete third perspective. I think I'd have preferred it if this part of the story was framed directly through that perspective as a third timeline, as it did take me out of the story a bit. I also found the plot a bit predictable; I had figured out the twist quite early on, although I hoped to still be surprised. This is of course quite personal though, and I'd prefer it this way than for the ending to be completely out of left field with no foreshadowing whatsoever. I'd still encourage people who are interested in the premise to give it a read themselves as I think this could be a me thing.


Overall though, the plot had me gripped as I read this over the course of about 36 hours, and I'd still be very interested in anything else Hart writes in the future as I love her writing style.

As i haven’t read Wayward yet i had no expectations from this book or didn’t know what to expect, i pretty much went in blindly. It wasn’t disappointing but it wasn’t something mind-blowing either.
I loved that there were different POV’s, each woman saying their story, their truth. I love reading diary entries so that was a plus for me, definitely my favorite pov. This book is about women that find the strength to overcome and get away from the awful men in their lives.
It was a bit predictable, not completely satisfied with the ending and how she tied everything up. But i can see a lot of people enjoying it more!

Another solid read from Emilia Hart. Took me a bit longer to get into The Sirens, as it was a slightly slower burn than I was expecting, but when it finally hooked me, I was in. The story flipping back between past and present and two separate sets of sisters was interesting, as well as the lore woven between. Hart excels writing about her strong female characters, always different with a tinge of folklore and fantasy, and it’s what I love about her. I wish she’d developed a little more on the female rage that builds later in the book, but I was satisfied with the read nonetheless. J will certainly read more of her work, and would definitely recommend her work.

I requested this book because I absolutely adored Weyward.

The Sirens was honestly so much better! The author really wrote one of my favourite books of all time!

The Sirens, like Weyward, has the generational jumps but not exactly the same as Weyward.

The book had so many twists and turns. I honestly love books that have good twists that are believable.

The book does also deal with some heavy topics which was hard to read at times, but it wasn’t unpleasant! I’m just sensitive sometimes.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this e-arc!

Having just read Weyward by the same author I was excited to pick up this new release, Hart has a real gift at crafting realistic characters that pulls you in from the very start.

The Sirens is split across 2 timelines, Lucy and her sister in 2019 and 2 sisters who were sent from Ireland to Australia on a journey that did not end well for those aboard. What unfolds is a story of love, loss, past trauma and familial ties. I did not enjoy this as much as Weyward but I think it shows what promise Hart has as an author and I will definitely be picking up whatever is written next!

I will say I think this would have made an incredible novella as at some points the plot felt elongated with no gain and would have made for a gorgeous novella to curl up with and read in one sitting.

Two sets of sisters, separated by a century, connected by the sea.
After a ship is wrecked off the coast of New South Wales and it's cargo of female convicts from Ireland tragically drown, stories of strange sights and sounds begin to appear. Over the ensuing years, these stories are linked to the disappearance of several men, many of whom have a history of mistreating women.
Jess and Lucy , isolated by a shared curious skin condition, trying to find their way into womanhood and all that this entails. Their vivid dreams of Mary and Eliza on board the Naiad cause them to stumble upon the truths surrounding their births.
When the past and present come crashing together, myth becomes reality. This compelling story of the bonds between women and the power of the sea to both heal and destroy was all I hoped it would be - a well-paced, emotionally charged second novel from the author of Weyward.
Highly recommended.

2.5⭐️

I enjoyed the hits of fantasy within the book which just blended seamlessly into the world. However, whilst the plot and concept is very intriguing it falls flat, the storyline was unnecessarily dragged out, it could have been a lot shorter and I would have rated it higher.

Good plot and interesting premise but I don’t know why the author always needs to drag out her stories until they become tedious and lose my interest. This could be a great novel if it was edited more strictly.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

Easy to read, good plot line but felt like it could have been a lot shorter. Similar to Wayward, if you loved that you'll love this!

. Dual timeline novel with various points of view and a touch of fantasy. Easy to read, good plot line but felt a little drawn out and would benefit with sharper editing. Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.