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.

Weyward was one of my absolutely favourite books, so when The Sirens came up to request I jumped at the chance and thankfully was accepted.

The Sirens is an absolute journey of a read from start to finish and I loved it.

We meet main character Lucy, she has woken up with her hands around a mans neck who she knows and has sort of deceived her in a way.

Lucy is devastated and worried that she may be kicked off her University course decides to set off to her sisters house which is on the Australian Coast. But to Lucy's surprise her sister has vanished, she is an artist and has an opening soon but she has left her phone etc at home. Lucy starts to piece together some strange going on that has been happening to her and about the place where her sister lives as there has been a fair few men have disappeared.

There is a dual storyline many hundreds of years ago we meet sisters Mary and Eliza who have been deported from their home due to a crime they committed.

There is so much in this book that I can not fit it all in but The Sirens is a masterpiece.

The storylines work really well together, just like they did in Weyward, and I found the contrast of the two pairs of sisters really interesting.

The Sirens is full of mystic, magic and just loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having read and enjoyed the author's previous title, ' Weyward', I was keen to read 'The sirens'. it didn't disappoint, the book flows smoothly and keeps the reader wanting to continue. There are a few slow and confused passages at the mid-point, but all becomes very clear with a dramatic denouement from both time lines. As with the previous title, it follows the theme of sisterhood in its broadest sense, which gives the female reader a sense of solidarity. There are also however, several sympathetic male characters but it takes the whole story to establish who these actually are.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, a real lose one's self tale in a lovely setting.

The sea gives but it also takes.

A story presented with two timelines, year 1800 in Ireland and year 2019 in Australia.
2019, after her private photos went viral, Lucy was running away to Comber Bay - a place where people called Australia's Bermuda Triangle, with a hope to stay with her sister, Jess. Arriving at Comber Bay, unfortunately that Jess is nowhere to be found. As Lucy digs around, she finds Jess' diary, only to find out that Jess  seems to have the same dreams of hers, the sinking of Naiad on 1800, which involved sisters, Mary & Eliza.
1800, we follow the story of Mary and Eliza as they're forced leaving Ireland by prisoner transport ship  and going to Australia.

The author's previous book, Weyward, was one of my favourite reads of the year, so I was really looking forward to enjoying The Sirens. Unfortunately, this one wasn't enough to keep me interested or engaged. However, it had a couple of great twists, and I can say the combination of historical fiction and magical realism made this book a unique one.

🧜🏻‍♀️The Sirens🧜🏻‍♀️

“There’s something about this place, something different. It keeps its women safe.”

Emilia Hart is has become one of auto buy authors !! I loved Weyward last year and now The Sirens is yet another favourite.❤️

The writing is amazing, similar to Weyward, you get to experience the lives of these women up close and you don’t want the story to end. It is pure, relatable, beautiful, and compelling!

I seem to enjoy when the chapters alternate between the past and the present, which is something I discovered while reading this book. I am always trying to piece together information and wondering how it is linked based on the little crumbs from past and present.

The plot was well paced for me and I read it quickly. I have to say I anticipated a big twist early on, but it actually didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. That might be me though, if I love a book I just love it and that’s that. 😄

If you enjoy reading about women’s stories through a fascinating imaginative lens then this book is for you.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Sirens is different to what I would usually pick up as it fits into fantasy/magical realism/historial fiction genres but the stunning cover and interesting premise drew me in.

The story is beautifully written and covers the themes of female empowerment, sisterhood and finding your identity.

The story switches between perspectives and timelines - Jess and Lucy from the present day, extracts from Jess’ diary and Mary’s story from the past. I do often enjoy this in a book, but at times it became a little muddled and slowed the pace in this case for me. I did connect more with the story of Jess and Lucy, although it was key to the book to have the backstory and understand what happened with Mary and make connections.

The story did pick up for me around halfway through and there were some exciting twists, particularly around the mystery elements and the big reveals. It was an enjoyable and beautiful story, but it just didn’t quite grip me like I had hoped for.

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

3.5 ⭐️

I loved Emilia Hart’s first novel. While I’m torn with The Sirens. It’s another inter generational story focused on women’s relationships. Again I hadn’t thought about what the prison ships to Australia were like and this brings it to life. I struggled more with the modern story from Lucy’s perspective. As readers we are in the know before Lucy and I can’t decide if it enhances the story. I ended up enjoying it but guessed all the twists. Not as good as weyward but still interesting and covers many topics. 3.5 but closer to 4 than 3!