The Sirens

A Novel

By: Emilia Hart

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • #1 LibraryReads Pick • Indie Next Pick

A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea, from the author of the runaway New York Times bestseller Weyward.

“Narrator Barrie Kreinik offers a first-rate performance, embodying the characters with distinctive voices and delivering Hart’s prose with graceful lyricism.”—Library Journal (starred review)

"The Sirens teems with family secrets, eerie dreams, and deep transformation. A compelling tale of sisterhood, sacrifice, and the sea, this is a beautiful follow-up to Hart's sensational debut, Weyward. The Sirens will sweep you away."—Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

2019: Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. Horrified, she flees to her older sister’s house on the Australian coast, hoping she can help explain the strangely vivid nightmare that preceded the attack—but Jess is nowhere to be found.

As Lucy awaits her return, the rumors surrounding Jess’s strange small town start to emerge. Numerous men have gone missing at sea, spread over decades. A tiny baby was found hidden in a cave. And sailors tell of hearing women’s voices on the waves. Desperate for answers, Lucy finds and begins to read her sister’s adolescent diary.

1999: Jess is a lonely sixteen-year-old in a rural town in the middle of the continent. Diagnosed with a rare allergy to water, she has always felt different, until her young, charming art teacher takes an interest in her drawings, seeing a power and maturity in them—and in her—that no one else has.

1800: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza have been torn from their loving father in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. For their entire lives, they’ve feared the ocean, as their mother tragically drowned when they were just girls. Yet as the boat bears them further and further from all they know, they begin to notice changes in their bodies that they can’t explain, and they feel the sea beginning to call to them…

A breathtaking tale of female resilience and the bonds of sisterhood across time and space, The Sirens captures the power of dreams, and the mystery and magic of the sea.

This program includes a bonus conversation with the author.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2025 Emilia Hart (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The Sirens entices us with the combination of mesmerising beauty mixed with mortal danger. Hart skillfully entwines mystical aspects into what could be construed as part-fairytale, but its multiple timeframes and historical settings are firmly grounded."—Historical Novel Society

"Hart’s second novel (after Weyward) weaves a lyrical story, intricately blending family dynamics with the magic of folklore. For fans of family relationship stories with elements of magical realism, such as the novels of Sarah Addison Allen."—Library Journal

"Full of allure and brimming with undercurrents of buried secrets... The Sirens is beautifully written and utterly compelling."—Evie Woods, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

Love the story of characters connecting over the years.

Really had to pay attention. Loved your 1st book. This was okay. I am more aware of conviction ships.

Not Excepting That!

It is a slow burn novel. I honestly wasn’t expecting certain twists that happened! I finished this book in 24 hours and I loved it! I haven’t read a book like this before with the time jumping but I feel as if the time jumping flowed well. Definitely give this one a read and just remember it’s a slow burn :)

Great story

I liked the story and dual timelines but the narrator was so chill that it made me sleepy to listen to. I did love the Irish accents and singing though!

Beautiful writing!

I loved the narration. Not a single complaint! Very well done. I will automatically buy anything from this author and narrator.

Magical historical well told tale!

I loved this book. The story, the performances. I loved Weyward too and just as in that book the themes of female empowerment through intuition and magic are woven into this book. And I appreciated rhetorical the historical context as well. I love how Emilia weaves the stories of multiple characters together across time and space. Highly recommend as well as Weyward. I look forward to the next book Hart writes!

Development of story lines.

Characters as they were developed and the manner in which they shifted back and forth.

Good but Couldn’t Connect

I liked the writing style of this book and thought it had a lot of promise but I just had trouble connecting with the characters or the plot. “Weyward” by this author was just an unexpected and fabulous read last year, I may have just had my hopes too high going into this story.

The Sirens

The Sirens was a captivating listen. I was especially drawn to the parts about the convict ships; it’s a piece of history I didn’t know much about, and Amelia Hart brought it to life with such vivid detail. The book weaves together two powerful stories that are beautifully bonded, echoing across time and distance in a way that felt both haunting and hopeful.

This is the second book by Amelia Hart that I’ve listened to in just three weeks, and I can honestly say she’s getting better with each one. The Sirens only took me four days and I couldn’t stop listening. I read a review beforehand that said you had to pay close attention, and I took that advice seriously. Normally, I need to go back and re-listen to certain parts, but this time I didn’t want to miss a single detail on the first go. Amelia’s writing has that effect, every line feels like it matters.

I Highly recommend for historical fiction lovers or anyone who appreciates deeply connected stories across generations.

The unusual story

I loved the historical aspect of the book but felt the feminist perspective was pretty heavy handed.

Love the reach into the past with present day

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There’s some great twists and turns. I was sure I knew the story then was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t as I’d assumed. I love magic realism and if you do too you’ll enjoy this read.