Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this eARC for an honest review!

This is the first novel I've read written by Emilia Hart, and after making her debut in 2023 with 'Weyward,' I can see why she's celebrated as a talented author. 'The Sirens' follows Lucy in 2019 split with sequences of twin sisters Mary and Eliza in 1800. Lucy is experiencing odd dreams of these two sisters from over 200 years ago being sent to Australia from Ireland on a convict ship. She has no idea why, and after a startling incident of sleepwalking, Lucy decides to try and track down her older sister Jessica to see if she can get some answers.

To say this novel is drenched in atmosphere is an understatement. It was a constant looming presence over the entire duration of this novel, and I loved the uncertain, mystical energy it created. Definitely the strongest point of this novel next to Emilia's writing. Phenomenal.

My only gripe with the story was the implementation of Mary and Eliza abruptly ending when Lucy and Jessica end up together. It made their involvement and story almost meaningless as this novel could be told entirely without their perspectives and still make sense. There was a huge emphasis on these two girls, and for them to get shafted made them seem almost trivial or an afterthought to make the story fantastical. I would have liked to have seen them integrated into Lucy and Jess's discovery solidifying their linked storylines.