A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine 2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever. 1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies. A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.
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This book is told in 3 POVs: First, Lucy in 2019, running from a mistake brought on by a boy she trusted who turned on her. She goes to find her sister Jess, only to find her house on a small town cliffside mysteriously empty and unlocked, her things left behind. Here, she hides from the world and discovers secrets hidden for years. Next, Mary, stuck on a cargo ship with her sister Eliza. They have been exiled from their home of Ireland with only rumors and fear for what their future holds on the prison island of Australia. Finally, we hear from Jess, mainly from her 20 year old diary, telling the story of her vulnerable teenage years struggling with problems unlike those of her peers.
The audio of this book sets the scenes spectacularly. For me (an American with no knowledge of accents), her voice acting pulled me into the setting perfectly, allowing seamless transitions from present day small-town Australia to the cargo hold full of Irish women, dark and dripping drifting further and further from their home.
This book is great for lovers of character-driven stories with themes focused on finding ones identity, healing from trauma, and discovering generational secrets. The plot twists are somewhat obvious but it did not manage to ruin my enjoyment of the story. I don't recommend this for anyone looking for a high fantasy with epic stakes, you won't find that here.
CW: revenge porn mention, adult/minor relationship, confinement, sexual assault, violence, sexism, pregnancy/miscarriage
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
0Emilia Hart’s The Sirens is nothing short of a masterpiece, a spellbinding tale that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. This book has left me questioning everything I thought I knew about storytelling, human nature, and resilience.
The plot is a beautifully tangled web of twists and turns, each more surprising than the last. Hart masterfully crafts a narrative that is as unpredictable as it is compelling. Every revelation caught me off guard, and I found myself rage closing the book more than once, only to pick it back up moments later, unable to resist diving back in.
The emotional depth of this story is staggering. Hart’s ability to balance raw, unflinching moments with intricate plotting is nothing short of genius. The characters are vivid and complex, their struggles both harrowing and deeply human. It is impossible not to feel for them as they navigate a world that feels both eerily familiar and hauntingly surreal.
What truly sets The Sirens apart is its ability to challenge the reader. It forces you to confront uncomfortable truths and question your own perceptions, leaving you both exhilarated and unsettled.
Emilia Hart has delivered a book that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping. If you are looking for a story that will consume you, frustrate you, and ultimately leave you in awe, The Sirens is an absolute must-read.
0Emilia Hart, you wonderful, wonderful, woman.
First, I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Second? I'd like to thank Hart for writing this. After Weyward, I wasn't sure anything written could live up to it, but this novel really did tell the stories of these women with such love and care. Lucy, Jess, Mary, and Eliza were all wonderful characters; the connections between them were so elegantly done, I had to sit with it for a while.
It begins in 2019 with Lucy who chokes her secret boyfriend (who released an intimate picture of her on social media whilst denying it) in her sleep. Fearing she just ruined her life, she heads to where her sister (Jess) lives-- the sister she hasn't seen in over a year. Through the novel, we learn more about Jess, but we also get another story set in 1800: the story of Mary and Eliza, sisters taken from Ireland to Australia on a convict ship. On board the ship, they notice things changing about themselves.
In a beautiful manner, Hart tells a story of what it means to be a woman, a story of strength, and perseverance. They way she ties the past to the present is done fantastically yet simply. Once again, you'll find me eagerly waiting for anything more from this author.
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