I LOVED Weyward and so I was really excited to read Sirens – I started it as soon as my request was approved on Netgalley and got about a quarter of the way through before I gave up. It just didn’t grip me in the same way. But then a fellow reader convinced me to persevere and I managed to get to the end. Although I thought the scenes on the boat were well imagined, I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters and I didn't feel all elements hung together that effectively. OK but not remarkable.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

I recently read The Sirens by Emilia Hart, this spellbinding novel weaves together the lives of women across different centuries, all bound by the sea and mysterious transformations.

The story is divided into three timelines:

2019: Lucy awakens from a vivid nightmare to find herself with her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister Jess's house on the Australian coast, only to find Jess missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she uncovers strange rumours about the town and its history of missing men.

1999: Jess, a lonely sixteen-year-old diagnosed with a rare allergy to water, finds solace in her art. Her young art teacher takes an interest in her, seeing a power in her drawings that no one else does.

1800: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza are torn from their home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. As they journey across the ocean, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies and feel a mysterious connection to the sea.

The novel's strengths lie in its atmospheric writing and the intricate weaving of the three timelines. The Sirens is a captivating and thought-provoking read that I would recommend to fans of historical fiction and magical realism.

DNF
I feel very guilty while DNFing Arcs, but 2025 is my year of not suffering through a book I don't want to read. I don't think I'm in the right headspace for this. I was excited to be reading a historical fantasy with multiple intertwining narratives, but this doesn't stand out to me.

Told in two timelines, The Sirens was a thought provoking book about sisters, strength, secrets, and determination. I really enjoyed The Sirens despite it being a tad slow in the beginning. I enjoyed the 'finding out who you are' aspect of this book. I also enjoyed the relationships and the themes of family, family secrets, female friendships and sisterhood. Not to mention the look at how women are/were persecuted yet remained strong throughout history. I also enjoyed the atmosphere and the feeling of being called to the sea, feeling a part of it, and being drawn to it. I liked how Mary and Eliza in the past (1800), had a strong bond and how they changed on the convict ship. I also enjoyed how Lucy (2019) (went searching for Jess, her sister and found out the truth of who she and Jess truly are.

Pulls you deep into the belly of the sea and makes you fall in love with it.

After the runaway success of her scintillating debut Weyward, Emilia Hart is back with another enchanting novel that portrays sisterhood spanning centuries, exploring their intrinsic connection to the shores of a remote bay in the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Thanks HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the ARC

Synopsis -

2019 - Lucy finds herself awake from a nightmare with her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. She has no choice but to seek refuge in her sister, Jess’ “Cliffhouse” in Comber Bay.

1800 - Twin sisters Mary and Eliza leave Ireland and their father on an Australian bound convict ship that transports English prisoners.
The sea and it’s pristine waters are the only common factors that will intertwine these sisters lives across continents and generations.

Review -

First of all, it is the writing that makes a world of difference to this book. @emiliahart has a way with words - as she blends the threads of these sisters’ lives, with the beauty and magic of the ocean, describing its sights and smells, sounds and melodies.

Secondly it is the atmospheric evocation and the exotic settings - Hart creates an all immersive, bewitching world both in Ireland and Australia that provides a pure, heightened sensory pleasure and sheer escapisim for us readers.

Embedded into the story are decades old family secrets, powerful sisterly bond that can withstand the test of times, history and horrors of convict transportation during those times from England to Australia -everything sprinkled with a bit of mythology, magical realism and hints of fantastical elements.

#TheSirens bring out a perspective shifting new dimension of feminism, shadowing resilience and the true essence of female relationships through rich characterisation, vivid imagination and eloquent storytelling.

Highly recommend if you love historical fiction and magical realism!

Wayward was one of my favorite reads from 2023, so I was really happy to receive a review copy of "The Sirens".
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much. I found it hard to keep reading. I didn't really like the characters and there wasn't really a story for a long time, just a setting:
Lucy is a journalist student. After an event where she attacked her ex-lover while she was sleepwalking, she flees from the University to her sister. When she arrives, her sister is missing. She stays at the house and wants to find out about her sisters past to learn about her sleepwalking and why she has those dreams, where she is on a convict ship together with her sister on the way to Australia.
There are several perspectives: Lucy's, then the woman on the ship and the diary entries of Lucy's sister. The diary entries I found much more engaging than the main story.
The story sounded so good at first, but sadly the execution wasn't really working for me.

Emilia Hart you have done it again, what an exceptional book. Full of feminine rage, steeped in history and fantasy, the subtle changes to the main characters throughout the story was honestly beautifully done. A twist I genuinely didn't see coming even though it was right in front of me and the epilogue?! I am honestly obsessed with this book, just as I was when I read Weyward. I got to about halfway through and was suddenly absolutely gripped and couldn't put it down, staying awake waaay past bedtime most nights needing to take it all in. I loved every second of it and honestly can't wait to see what Emilia does next.

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!