OVERVIEW
I'm back in my comfort zone of mystical fantasy combined with historical fiction!! Oh, my goodness, I loved this novel so much. Utter perfection! I enjoyed Emila's debut novel, Weyward, but this novel is beyond incredible. It was phenomenal!
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual situations, statutory rape, alcohol abuse, confinement, overall cruelty, homophobic slurs, strong language
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
The writing was gorgeous, luscious, and powerful! Emilia was the perfect author for this unique and beautiful story. It was lushly descriptive, but not so overdone that it was just descriptive with no real story.
Character development: 5.0 stars
The character development is strong and thorough, but this a heavy character novel which is what was so appealing about this novel.
There are two timelines in 1999/2019 Australia with sisters Jess (an artist) and Lucy (a college student). Another timeline is the 1800ish about the long journey in the hold of ship with Irish women convicts traveling to Australia with twin sisters Mary and Eliza.
The secondary characters in 1999 are Max (Jess's best friend) and Cameron (Jess's teacher); in 1999/2019 Mike and Mary (Jess's/Lucy's parents); in 2019 Melody (Jess's friend); and in the 1800 timeline the 80 or so female convicts.
The tertiary characters are fellow students and the ship's crew. Plus, multiple throw-away characters that add to the storyline.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
As this novel is written in multiple timelines, the setup takes up about a third of the book to fully set up the storyline. It is intense and so powerful!
The basic premise was about two sisters in two different timelines. Two sisters in Australia in two current times and two sisters on a convict ship on their way to Australia. The Australian sisters' two timelines merge and then weave beautifully with the Irish sisters' timeline like an intricate tapestry.
The storyline sounds confusing and vague. But I am purposely avoiding much context to keep from spoiling the storyline.
The main locations were: Ireland, the ship from Ireland to Australia, and Australia.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
I knew the long journey on ships the convicts took from the United Kingdom to Australia was horrific, but this historical novel is very realistic in the horrors and cruelty. This type of punishment was inhumane, but most especially for women.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfection!
HIGHLY recommend
NetGalley (eARC/eBOOK)
The Sirens by Emilia Hart
352 pages
The Borough Press
FUTURE release date of 2/13/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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