Having been so excited for The sirens after reading Wayward last year, I was probably setting myself up for a fail due to my high expectations. The Sirens wasn’t what I expected and I found that it didn’t really grab my attention or develop an engaging plot until very close to the end. The two timelines is usually a favourite storyline for me but here I wasn’t invested like I expected to be. Don’t get me wrong, this is beautifully written but it just didn’t make me want to keep reading.
I liked this but I just didn’t love it.

Emilia Hart’s debut novel Weyward involved generations of witchcraft in the English countryside. Her follow up, The Sirens, involves a different kind of traditionally female mythological creature. Once again Hart works across multiple timelines, using this structure to dole out the reveals which, unfortunately, are all too predictable.
The Sirens opens with a bang. Lucy wakes from a particularly vivid dream to find it is not a dream at all but rather that she is strangling Ben, a peer at university who, it turns out cyberbullied her. Unable to deal with the fallout of this, Lucy flees to her much older sister Jess, who lives in an old house in Comber Bay, a small fishing village on the South Coast of NSW, a place famous for a series of strange disappearances. On the way she is plagued by dreams of a pair of Irish sisters, convicts who are being transported to Australia. And when she arrives, not on is the house is open and Jess is missing but in Jess’s studio are paintings depicting the same sisters that Lucy has seen in her dreams. So begins Lucy’s quest to find the truth about Jess and, in many respects, herself.
The Sirens brings Australian/English author Hart back to Australia. And in The Sirens she effectively captures the landscape, the characters and the cadences of Comber Bay and its inhabitants. She also uses this story to tell the very real, often harrowing story of the women transported to Australia during the convict era. But the overarching narrative to carry all of this is fairly thin, told as what is essentially all Lucy’s backstory and full of reveals that have been telegraphed well in advance. So that overall The Sirens is an often interesting but ultimately unsatisfying piece of modern mythmaking.

Lucy desperately needs the comfort and support offered only by her sister, Jess. But when she visits her sibling’s home, Jess is gone and Lucy feels fully alone in the world, in a town where rumours abound. But where are the women’s voices coming from? As they get louder, they begin to tell a story that will have similar links to what Jess and Lucy are going through. This is beautifully written, but subtle, making the reader almost lean into the words to ensure they don’t miss a second.

Written across different timelines, the story follows the journey of Mary and her twin Eliza from Cork in Ireland across the sea to New South Wales. Being 1800 and convicted of assault, their punishment is transportation. Then there is Lucy , a uni student in 2019, who has assaulted a fellow student whilst walking in her sleep. Fleeing the campus, Lucy heads to Comber Bay, where her older sister Jess has recently located to. Hoping for a safe haven, Lucy is surprised to find the house a complete mess, and Jess seems to have disappeared. Finding Jess’s schoolgirl diary from 1998, Lucy becomes aware of the comparisons and coincidences that both sisters have with Mary and Eliza.

After loving Weyward this was a book I was really looking forward to. Hart writes so beautifully and with real feeling towards her characters.

This is no Weyward and I did struggle to read due to the slowness of the plots. I did finish, but it was definitely an effort until Part 3, when the narrative became from the POV of Jess.

I do admire this author and appreciate her writing, but two thirds of this book were too slow and mundane, with the twists signposted well before they were revealed. With no depth to the characterisation, it all felt a little flat. I wasn’t eager to pick it up and continue. A neat ending with an unsurprising epilogue.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.

Emilia Hart's second novel is a compelling and atmospheric story that captivated me from the beginning.
In 2019, Lucy wakes up to find herself strangling an ex-boyfriend. Within hours, her entire future is upended. Cast out of university and isolated from her family, she has no choice but to turn to her absent sister in the seaside town of Comber Bay.
Little does she know, the ones she considers safe have secrets. A string of mysterious disappearances have shaken the town over its long history while stories abound about Sirens - the dangerously beautiful sea creatures of Greek Mythology - in the nearby cove.

I don't want to spoil too much; the joy here is watching the plot unravel for yourself. The highlight was the way in which Hart portrayed her settings. As I read, I was transported to the Australian coast, feeling the sea breeze on my face and hearing the whisper of the tide. A few pages later, I was adrift in a convict ship crossing the ocean. I was concerned about how the two might line up towards the beginning, but I needn't have worried.

It came to a dreamy, authentic conclusion in the last few pages. Through two narratives and several timelines, Hart skilfully weaves themes of Sisterhood, Misogyny, Motherhood and Revenge into a story that will resonate with women of all ages. I would, however, caution vulnerable readers to tread carefully. There are moments of body horror/sexual abuse that could be upsetting - as well as a prominent Adult-Minor Relationship.

I would not have chosen to pick this up in a bookstore as i am not sure what classification it would be under so i may have missed it. Its not fantasy, more of a thriller with supernatural elements.

Told in a dual timeline, you have Mary and Eliza in the 1800's and Jess and Lucy in the present day.

Mary and Eliza are sisters deported from Ireland and sent on a Slave ship to Australia. They are taken away from their father and spend months locked in shackles in the ships hold. It was very harrowing to read this section, how women at that time were treated, abused, starved, beaten, it was a barbaric time and i feel that the author wrote about this quite sensitively.

Jess and Lucy are also sisters, Lucy is at university when she is accused of assaulting a room mate and flees the campus to go and find her sister Jess but when she gets to Jess's house she has disappeared and Lucy sets off to find her.

All 4 women are allergic to water, it covers their skin in horrific blisters and they have all been told to stay away from water. This deep rooted fear is apparent in the old timeline especially when the women find themselves slopping about in water all the time, whereas in modern times its a little easier to deal with.

There are a few twists and turns in this book, there is a bit of an odd viewpoint in the end of one of the men in the story which i didnt really understand, and i didnt understand how Mary, Eliza, Jess, and Lucy are connected because its never really explained.

I appreciate the time and dedication the author took to wrte this book, she said she deleted over 300,000 words over the course of a decade trying to write it.

Its a story about family, love, resilience, and the female spirit. However it also contains themes of abuse, child sexual exploitation, slavery, assault, rape, and violence. All things women have had to suffer at the hands of men for centuries, and i do feel that it was written in a sympathetic way, an i say that as a rape survivor. I was certainly not triggered by this book, but felt incredulous at the excuses they gave for doing it.

I enjoyed the book and would read more from this author in the future.

I read as little about this book as I could prior to reading it so really didn't know what to expect. I'm glad that this was the case as allowing the story to unravel with minimal knowledge of the story and no expectations of what it was going to be really was the best way to read it.

It is a story of female resilience across different time periods, with secrets and a hunt for the truth tying these women together. There is a fantasy element but this comes about slowly, with the main bulk of the story being focused on each of the women's stories.

I loved the switching to different perspectives and the use of diary entries. I very quickly grew attached to each of the women involved in the story and found that I couldn't put the book down.

Unfortunately, I did figure out the end of all the stories quite early on and that is the only reason I couldn't give the story 5 stars. I wanted the mystery to be maintained for longer but even with me knowing what was going to happen, I was hooked.

I enjoyed Emilia Hart’s debut, Weyward and was excited to read her follow-up novel, The Sirens. Whilst poetic and lyrical in its prose, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Weyward.

This story is told over two timelines, following Mary and Eliza in the 1800s and Lucy in 2019. As with her previous novel, Emilia Hart’s writing is lyrical and elegant and captures your attention from the first page.

The story explores the powerful bond of sisterhood and feminism in a fantastical setting. It’s evocative and beautifully written.

I just didn’t have the same eagerness to speed through this one as I did with Weyward. I love a feminist story and can attest to the bonds of sisterhood, but I did guess the twist early on and the representation of men, in a blanket portrayal, was not something I was completely on board with.

Despite that, this is still a beautifully written book and an interesting read for anyone who enjoys a bit of fantastical folklore in their contemporary books.

When I originally read the synopsis for Sirens, I was so excited as I've always been intrigued by the lore if mermaids and sirens. When I got about 60% in I realized that this book wasn't fir me unfortunately. I found the pacing to be quite slow, and felt like I had to really push myself to keep reading. I was also hoping for way more focus on mermaids, so I was a but let down by that unfortunately.unfortunately. I ended up DNFing at about 80%.

It is safe to say that this book is somewhat outside of my comfort zone. I'm a crime and thriller reader by heart, and it is not often I journey beyond the safe harbour of that genre, but having read and loved Weyward, the author's previous novel, I knew that I would make an exception. In some ways, the story of The Sirens borders onto the genre in that there is a mystery which threads through the narrative, but it is not a story that is about so much more than just the seemingly inexplicable disappearance of a woman on the virtual eve of her own art exhibition. A dual timeline story that speaks of folklore and legend, whilst dipping into the tragic history of some of the earliest settlers in Australia, this is a beautifully written, mystical story that links so many relatable and enduring themes in literature.

Emilia Hart has a knack for writing stories which demonstrate the strength of women in adversity and this is no exception. As with her previous book, the women in question may not understand their own powers, and in this case if differs greatly in how it presents to the world, but this journey of discovery is one that drew me in and made me want to learn more about the characters, particularly those from the historical sections of the novel, Mary and Eliza. The two women in the present day, Lucy and her sister, Jess, are easily relatable, and there is much in their own stories which could have been ripped from the headlines. For Mary and Eliza, two young women ripped from their family home after being convicted for defending themselves against an attack and sentenced to be exiled to Australia, their stories are more harrowing, and sorrowful, but help to explain the mysticism behind the story.

I like how the author has tied to two threads of the story together, with Lucy and Jess bith haunted by dreams of Mary and Eliza, although neither is able to understand why or what it is that draws them, Jess especially, to the town of Comber Bay. There is a secret in play, that the author carefully reveals to us as readers, although if you pay attention you will probably be able to work out one of the many mysteries that Jess and the rest of their family try to keep hidden. The further the author draws us into the story, the clearer the answer to the mysteries becomes, and particularly to one that clouds the history and the reputation of the town itself. But it is the mystery of Eliza and Mary, of Jess and Lucy, that lends itself to the title of the book, and to the mythology at the heart of the story.

This is not a fast paced novel, so it you are looking for stark revelations, moments of real threat or incitement, you won't find it here. There are scenes that can make you angry, the inhuman treatment of the women being exiled and transported to Australia to be used as human chattel being chief amongst them. An inconvenient truth of colonial history that should perhaps be more widely known. But it is more for the beautifully evocative and lyrical language that I find myself drawn back to the author. She is able to create such imagery in her writing, elicit such feeling, that I could almost taste the salt in the air, and the stench of decay amongst the women travelling for so long in the dank prisonlike cabins of the boat as they made their way across the seas.

As for the haunting scenes of Lucy and Jess's present, and the unnerving dreams they both experience, they are well designed to lead us towards the only real conclusion we can draw about the nature of their genetic affliction that links them to the past. None of it should come as a surprise if you consider the title of the book, but the execution, the way in which the women, both past and present, given themselves to their fates, or make the ultimate in sacrifice to save those they love, is a beautiful thing to read.

Very different to Weyward, yes. I will remember it more for Eliza and Mary's story, and those of the women they travelled with, but I still found myself swept up in the wax and wane of the author's narrative and I am very glad I took to the waves with them all.

I was lucky enough to hear Emilia Hart speaking about her debut book Weyward back in October 2022 which really sparked my interest in her writing and I was thrilled that the proof we were given lived up to its promise.

When I saw that her next novel would be centring mermaids, my marine dwelling heart knew I’d have to make a beeline for it (thanks NetGalley and Borough Press for the advanced reviewer copy) and reading it on the beach in the Mexican sunshine was perfect escapism.

Drawing together themes of feminism, righting historical wrongs, sisterhood and family dynamics with a big dollop of the more fantastical - I think this is a safe bet for folks who enjoyed Weyward. Personally, I found The Sirens more compelling and more nuanced so I’m excited to hear how others found it. I particularly enjoyed the atmospheric setting of the small ocean edge community in Australia.

The Sirens is out in the UK on 13th Feb and I’ve seen a deliciously scaly spredge edition that I may have to get my mitts on!

What a beautifully written and truly captivating story. I found the narrative vivid, and through Hart's descriptive writing, i was drawn into the world in which she has created.

Told over two timelines, it follows Mary's journey with her twin sister in the 1800s and Lucy's with her sister in 2019. Their stories are connected in some way, and Lucy is trying to work out why she is so drawn to Mary's story. I enjoyed reading about both these stories, full of mystery and intrigue, mixing history and folklore of that of the Sirens. They were engaging, heartbreaking, and emotional, but alongside that, they show you the resilience of women.

I'm always compelled to read books that tell stories of women who have been wronged by men, and this is exactly what The Sirens is. One that shows women accepting and embracing who we are, the strength of women and the bonds of sisterhood.

Thank you to The Borough Press for my ARC and to Netgalley.

My opinions are my own

3.5 / 5 - thanks to Netgalley and Borough Press for the ARC.

The Sirens tells the story of two sets of sisters - one set in present day Australia and the other in the 1800s on an Irish female convict ship heading to Australia.

The prose is brilliant. Emilia is a very talented writer and her words create such vivid worlds - this was the first thing that I was struck by, not having read Weyward yet.

I loved the storyline between Lucy and Jess, and I was so invested but the let down for me was the Mary and Eliza narrative. I just couldn't care enough about them and it had me skim reading through their chapters. The story lagged a little during the 20-40% mark but once you're over that hump, it picks up the pace on Lucy and Jess's narrative.

Loved the twist near the end, it caught me off guard and I didn't expect it.

Emilia Hart is a true story teller. The sirens is like Wayward, in as much as the story revolves around women finding strength to act with more than a hint of mystical magic on top. This story revolves around the present (2019), the near past before this and the 1800s. These individual links are drawn closer in outcome and linked history as the story progresses. You may not believe in Siren’s, but I hope like me you will listen to the call to read this book. Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper fiction and Net Galley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is a compelling story about the bonds of sisterhood , following as it does the stories of two sets of sisters hundreds of years apart in time but bound together by magic.
The book opens dramatically in the present day with Lucy, a university journalism student, waking up with her hands wrapped around her ex lovers throat as he frantically tries to stop her choking him to death. Shocked by her actions and panicked by the potential consequences she flees to her sister's home only to find that her sister Jess is missing with no indication of where she could have disappeared to. In the second story thread we meet Irish sisters Eliza and Mary who are travelling to Australia on a convict ship having been sentenced to transportation because they defended themselves from an attempted assault. I don't want to give too much away about how the two timelines are linked, especially since it becomes quite easy to figure it out as the book unfolds but I will say that I enjoyed the hint of magic that was used to link the two timelines and I thought it was handled very well. There is a strong feminist bent in the storytelling that I enjoyed but I know may not be for everyone. I do think the mystery element of the book , the disappearance of Jess , felt a little forced and was not the strongest element of the book. However I did enjoy the writing style, especially the descriptions of the sea, the caves and life aboard the convict ship, and I think the author really brought those things to life on the page. As an Irish reader I was somewhat familiar with some of the folklore elements the author incorporated into the book and I think she did a good job with sticking closely enough to the tradition while still making it feel fresh, a difficult balancing act and a testament to her skill.
If you like books about complicated family dynamics and strong women standing together, and especially if you enjoy a hint of fantasy this is definitely a book I would recommend seeking out.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This wasn’t really what I expected but I enjoyed it. The writing is haunting and lyrical, and the prose swept me away. The story was a bit confusing at times and the ending didn’t leave me totally satisfied, but I loved the story nonetheless

Oh, man... I loved "Weyward" so I was excited for this, but it ended up feeling like a less interesting and less well-executed version of that book. This sucks to say because, according to the acknowledgments, the author spent a lot of time on it. I would still recommend this if you love historical fiction, character-driven stories, magical realism, and a bit of mystery, but don't expect anything mindblowing in the mystery department.

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The premise sounded interesting, but the characters, the setup, how things happen, and the twists are all just so underwhelming in "The Sirens." I'm not saying this book is boring cause it's not, it holds your attention just enough to get through it, but it's simply not as exciting as it wants you to believe. It left me feeling it was "a book I read" and that's never great.

I was able to guess the twist at 27% and that's also when the MC should've guessed it cause it's so fucking obvious. That's the most unfortunate part of this and my biggest issue cause everything after that point feels like a drag. When things finally come to light at like, idk, 80% of the book, I was already over it. There's no emotional impact or any kind of impact whatsoever cause I already knew that was coming and nothing was added to it to make it shocking. I felt absolutely nothing.

After that, everything gets resolved quickly cause women are great and men suck, which I don't disagree with. Statistically, men are the worst. My issue is that the author is heavy-handed with her man-hating sentiment but adds no valuable commentary to any kind of conversation, imo. Her evil male characters are extremely shallow and one-dimensional, they barely have any characterization beyond "domestic abuser", "groomer", or whatever reprehensible thing the author decides they are, and the same can be said about her good male characters. The female characters don't have any profound or impactful conversations/introspections about what these men in their lives have done to them. It's just "men are bad and they always victimize women," and we all know that.

I remember seeing a few reviewers mention this issue about "Weyward" as well, even boiling it down to "We get it, Emilia Hart, you hate men." It didn't bother me in that book because the female characters were so rich and interesting, but it does stand out to me in this one, where not much was interesting to me, so I was hyperfocused on everything that wasn't working for me.

2.5 stars.

Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I can see why people will enjoy it and it is a fun story with a interesting plot but that is where the enjoyment ended for me. So sad because I was really excited for this one! But it read like a teenager had written it, lacked any real depth of emotion or complexity and didn't keep me interested, rather I felt cringed by the storyline, writing and the dialogue.

A truly magical read!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Another wonderful book by Emilia Hart, one of my now favourite authors. Emilia has the incredible ability to capture your imagination from Page 1 and bring the story alive.

When the story starts, Lucy finds herself in a predicament that she never imagines and runs. She travels to her sister, even though the invite was extended a long time ago and they haven’t been in contact since.

When Lucy arrives, her sister is missing and the more she investigates, the more questions arise. The town is shrouded in mystery and when Lucy starts to dream and hear things, she finds herself irreparably linked to events from years ago. A tale of sisters, who were shipwrecked by the nearby beach from a convict ship. However, who could have imagined that the past could link to the future.

The story is told in two timelines and we follow both the sisters from the past and the present. The detail of the sister’s journey in the convict ship is truly shocking and very educational without being too detailed.

A truly incredible thriller, of which I was riveted, with history and undertones of myth and magic. A quick easy read and well recommended!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Sirens" by Emilia Hart. add To me, this book felt more like a mystery as we follow the characters Lucy and Jess. I especially felt sorry for Lucy at the beginning of the story and how others have made her feel about her skin.

The mystery unfolds when Lucy goes to Comber Bay and discovers Jess's house is empty. Additionally, I enjoyed the different timeline that allows us to follow Mary in the 1800s. This book felt very atmospheric and mysterious at the same time. The cliff, the baby, and the painting all kept me thinking and guessing throughout the story.

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