Weyward was and still is one of the best books I’ve read so the anticipation for this book was so high and I honestly was not disappointed.
The duel timeline was perfect in ensuring both stories were told simultaneously. I loved the storyline twists that unfolded throughout the book. The vibe was very similar to Weyward and I love that feminist undertones to the story.
Two stories told hundreds of years apart but still eerily similar.
The only thing I felt that needed more explanation was the connection between the two sets of women. It touched briefly but not enough in my opinion. However I really loved everything else about the book and felt as though I discovered new things I didn’t know about and now want to research. The convicts exile to Australia has always been mentioned but never in depth and this book has got me so fascinated in learning more!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Release Date - 13th February 2025

I love the way Hart writes, Weyward was one of my favourite books last year but I think this just topped it. The writing is almost lyrical, she has such a special talent. The way the different timelines and POVs are interwoven was really clever and the mystery that unravels really had me guessing. Such a great book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - Dark and twisted story with amazing FMC’s who show strong sisterhood in light of the darkness.

This book was not what I expected it to be at all in the best way possible. I am so glad I went in blind as it made for such a interesting and gripping read.

The timelines were so interesting. Going from 1800 to present day and vice versa to uncover all of the information needed for this mystery was so much fun. I loved finding out how things changed in the characters lives during these times and seeing them link together.

The characters development’s within this book is soo inspiring and watching the 4 female main characters grow in such different ways was lovely to see and read.

The writing style is so interesting and had me hooked. It was captivating and engaging as well and thought provoking. Leaving me unable to put the book down.

Throughout the book a lot of dark secrets and trauma are revealed leading to strong FMC development and intense situations. I do think this book ended abruptly with the whole situation wrapping up super quickly which left me feeling confused. I would have loved a more in depth explanation as I feel some parts may have been missed/ swept under the carpet.

The journey of discovery for the FMC’s was wonderful and I enjoyed this book so much.

Thank you so much to netgalley, harper Collins and Emilia Hart for an ARC of this book. 💜

Given my love for Weyward, and the premise of this one, this looked right up my street. You follow two sets of sisters - Lucy and Jess in 2019 and Eliza and Mary in 1800. But why are they connected? There’s lots going on, as there’s the mystery of 8 missing men, Jess has disappeared without a trace, how are the two sets of sisters connected, what’s the deal with the sunken ship from the 1800s and then there’s the question of how Lucy’s family connects with it all.

The pace felt really slow and I really did struggle with it. Hart’s writing is top notch with this one, but I struggled with the way the story unravelled, the pacing and how the characters were set out. Whilst this wasn’t the one for me, I’m sure other readers will love this one as the mysteries are solved and everything falls into place.

Thanks to the team at Harper Collins, Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

I did enjoy this, it was like a mystery to solve and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I liked the different POVs and trying to find clues to figure out what was happening. I will say the twist got me and I was not expecting it. The book is not what I expected it to be, but I did enjoy it.

I would have liked to have explored the underwater world more, or had some sort of re union there. It was building all the way through and we didn’t get to explore that.

Overall I’d say 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Emilia Hart, Harper Collins and Net Galley for letting me have a copy of this ARC!

Sirens is a story of two sisters in two different timelines that suffer with the same unique condition. The story jumps from 2019 Australia to the convict boats of the past where two Irish sisters are being brought to a new land because they assaulted a man. The two timeline sisters have similar encounters that revolve around men traumatising them and them standing up to it.

I love Emilias writing, its very atmospheric and the way she weaves the two timelines is impressive. I enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to reading more from her.


thank you to the author, net galley and the publishers for the ARC.

The Sirens is a novel about sisterhood and uncovering long-buried secrets. Although I generally had a good time reading it, I do have some solid criticisms.

The beginning was filled with backstory up to the point that it annoyed me. It was so common, that I became aware of the story pausing to tell me about yet another thing about the past of a character. It slowed the story down, making it take too long for the story to properly start.

The story was also very predictable. Of course, the main character doesn't think there is a magical explanation for her skin condition, but reading hundreds of pages of her being oblivious got rather tiring. But that aside, there were many other plot questions where the answer was rather obvious, taking the tension away from the reader. There were very few surprises left, which was a bummer.

And lastly, there was loads of room for female rage, but in the end, there was not as much as I had hoped for. Take down those nasty men and make it gory and graphic!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

‘The Sirens’ by Emilia Hart is an immersive, emotional and gripping piece of feminist gothic fiction. The book focuses on Lucy, a university student exiled for reacting to the corrosive effects of misogyny with a violent outburst, as she visits Comber Bay to confide in her older sister Jess. When she arrives at the clifftop house beside the raging sea, she finds only Jessica’s diary and hears only crashing waves and the faraway voices of two sisters from centuries ago. As she pieces together the small town’s mystery of decades of missing men, the songs of the ocean grow louder…

I adored the way this story was told, especially the vivid and sometimes horrifying sections narrated by Mary, an Irish prisoner bound for Australia with her sister Eliza. Lucy herself was relatable and unique, weaving a tale of intrigue and injustice. Her sister’s diary had a voice that evolved from youthful naivety to world-weariness and contained multitudes of secrets.

I have not yet read Hart’s debut, ‘Weyward’, but if this novel is anything to go by, I’m sure I will be totally captivated! I’d definitely recommend ‘The Sirens’ to fans of literary fiction, myth and feminist writings - and think it should be read far and wide!

This gets five stars from me and will stay with me for a long time… also shout out to the audiobook narrators who were perfect.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins UK via NetGalley. I read party via my ARC on my kindle and partly via the audiobook, which I bought on Audible. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely adore Emila Harts writing style and how she so easily weaves time lines together, to tell such intricately detailed stories. I was even more excited when I saw that her new book is called ‘The Sirens.’ The cover is exquisite!! I would love to have this book on my shelves! It’s atmospheric, eerie, mysterious and captivating. I was completely gripped and intrigued to know more!

The book kept me guessing all the way through, I had no clue and I love how the story comes together at the end providing the perfect conclusion. Another fantastic read from Emilia Hart.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and all involved in providing me with an ARC copy, for an honest review. I can’t wait to read more from Emilia Hart!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this eArc in exchange for a review.

I have so many thoughts about this book, I'm struggling to put them into coherent sentences.
The storyline contained many elements I love in a book. Malfunctioning families, folklore, historical fiction, feminist undertones and of course mythical creatures.

The multi POV over different time periods works really well and the pace kept me wanting to read on and on and on.

I hesitate to say, but I think I preferred this one to Wayward?

Following her exemplary debut Weyward, this is another belter from Emilia Hart. A captivating dual time-line story that shows the power and connectivity of females and particularly sisters through time. A wonderfully crafted novel steeped in mythology. This author is an exceptionally talented storyteller.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

Another great read from the author of Weyward. Told across dual timelines, this is the story of the bond between sisters whilst also having themes of myth and magic, it is beautifully written with some twists to keep the story interesting. Highly enjoyable.

Lucy has made a couple of decisions that have led her to a bad place, so she goes to the one person she thinks she can for help, her sister Jess

But when Lucy arrives at her house, Jess is nowhere to be seen and she sees signs she didn't expect about the place

Men have been disappearing for years in the area, but Lucy isn't sure what had happened to her sister or if she is even missing at all

Could a journal with stories of Jess's and some strange dreams of another pasts hold the key to what is going on...

I really enjoyed this, read it in a day. Same as Weyward from the same author I love the switch in timelines and POVs to all come together in the storytelling

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins / Borough Press for the review copy... out now!

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a story with two timelines. 1800's Ireland and 2019's Australia. This is a mix between fantasy, magical realism and historical fiction, with a writing style is quite similar to Weyward. We dive into the lives of these women, with relatable and compelling stories. The chapters alternate between the present and the past and the plot was well developed and the pace was great.

This was a fast and interesting read. The story is well written while it covers themes like female empowerment and finding your true self. There were some interesting twist about halfway through the story, and while some of them were a bit predictable, the ending and the epilogue were surprising to say the least. Overall, this is a good mysterious story with a dual timeline and POV, well written and fast paced.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having previously enjoyed Weyward, I was eager to delve into The Sirens, and it exceeded all my expectations. Hart's talent for interlocking past and present narratives shines through, delivering a story that is both enchanting and thought-provoking. This novel is a testament to the enduring strength of women and the mysteries that bind us across time.

similar in themes to her other book which i also enjoyed if liked the the style of weyward you would like this too i liked the atmospheric feel and how it built up tension and mystery i particularly enjoyed lucy's chapters in the book

CW/TW
Contains themes which may be triggering:
Adult/minor relationship, sexual assault, pregnancy, violence, death, miscarriage, infertility, rape.

💬 My Bookish Thoughts
I found The Sirens utterly fascinating and beautifully captivating. The dual timelines are expertly woven, each thread slowly piecing together the mystery of Jess’ disappearance and the intricate connections between past and present.

Magical realism is a favourite of mine, so I couldn’t help but hope for even more insight into the sirens themselves—their underwater world and lives. While this is a personal preference rather than a flaw, my curiosity about these mythical beings left me wanting more. That said, this remains a brilliantly crafted novel, rich with atmosphere and intrigue.

Big thanks to Net Galley, Harper Collins, Borough Press and Emilia Hart for the gifted digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 🙏🏼

1800's - Mary and her blind from birth twin sister, Eliza, are sent on a female convict ship to NSW, following a harrowing incident resulting in a death.
2000's - Trainee journalist Lucy has decided to visit her estranged elder sister, Jess, at her new home in Comber Bay, to seek emotional support following an incident at Lucy's university.
This is a lovely, gripping, poignant read which I really enjoyed and highly recommend it to fans of absorbing, family based reads with a supernatural, mystery element too.

Emilia Hart is back with another brilliant book. As with Weyward, the book successfully combines a present day narrative with historical fiction. As we move between the two perspectives the links become clear and the mystery unfolds. While there were some twists which came as no surprise, others were unforeseen and the atmosphere remained in place throughout the novel. I quite accidentally ended up reading the whole thing in one day as I was so absorbed and kept picking it back up.

The blurb really drew me in, but the story left me uninterested.
With multiple POVs and different years the story jumped around and felt very disjointed. Yes, it came together in the end, but it's a slog to stick with it that long. The later addition of another POV/year felt like over kill and that storyline could have been told via later dialogue.
My main issue was Lucy. As a main character she came over as weak, bland and boring. Listening to her story was long and drawn out. Eliza and Mary were a little better, but I think it was their transportation story that hooked me. That I'd have liked more of.
Overall I was left empty. While I'd have liked more of the convict story I was bored with the characters and the random Irish words were more off putting than cute
Don't grab this one. Throw it back.