Welcome to Litsy!

First book of 2026 and it was just okay.

By the 25% mark I knew where the story was going and its twist/reveal, so the rest of the book, I was just waiting for it to catch up. If I hadn‘t been reading this for a book club, I‘m not sure I would‘ve finished.

I did enjoy it being set in Australia, though.

Overall, a good story but the pacing was a little slow. I also never felt the connection to any of the characters as I did in Weyward. Still an interesting story with multiple POV‘s. Historical fiction with some fantastical elements. 3.5⭐️

Folklore, magical realism, family secrets, lush nature writing, and a dual timeline - a perfect moody read. This one unfurls slowly and then absolutely crashes the satisfying ending like a wave on the sand. Highly recommended for Katherine Arden readers, it's an Australian cousin to her novels.

The author has done again, what she did in Weyward. Weaving the lives and stories of women in different time periods who are all connected to each other, though unknowingly—through grief, abuse at the hands of men, death, magic, and bloodlines. This time, through siren song. A haunting story, though not as quite dark as I‘d like.

“She breathes in time with the sea.”

So far I‘m loving this. My daughter bought it for me because of the beautiful cover. 🩵

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can see why this isn‘t everyone‘s cup of tea, lots of nothing happens for most of the novel, but I loved it. The perfect amount of magical realism, interesting historical perspective, and great writing. Even if the storyline was a little predictable, I enjoyed it nevertheless.

My mermaid at heart is a siren and I love tales of them! 🧜‍♀️

#hyggehour a little early today

Starting this tonight for #HyggeHourReadathon.

Thought it worked so well with my ocean waves blanket!

#hyggehour #litsycrafters

What is it about mermaids - they make for such compelling stories? Maybe it‘s the girl power.

You know the saying, “show, don‘t tell” in writing class? IMO, this book was “no show, ALL tell.” The plot felt lacking and the way in which characters were revealed was really unsatisfying to me. It would‘ve been a pan except that the audio was read beautifully and the ending was far more interesting than the rest of the book. Still, sadly I wouldn‘t recommend. Even tho I love flowery descriptions of the sea, they weren‘t enough to redeem it.

Enjoyed this book.

I can‘t get over how pretty this edition is!

Now Available! 🥳🎉📚
The Sirens- Emilia Hart

Book Review- https://www.boleybooks.com//the-sirens/

#boleybooks #TheSirens #emiliahart #bookbeast #NetGalley #bookbuds #bookclub #letsread

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Atmospheric and moody like the sea, but felt slow and surface-level. The audiobook narration was great. Emilia Hart‘s books do have beautiful covers! 🎧

Mystical cryptids and magical realism seeps through this literary novel of a generational observation for a quartet of women affected by the Australian cove. In the modern world, a medium has visions of her missing sister and journeys to find her. The vanished artist sibling struggles with her own baggage. In the 1800's Irish twins struggle to survive a penal colony. All are connected by family, secrets, and resilence.

Got my special copy from Barnes and Nobel! Look at those edges!! 😍 🐠🐟🪼🦀🦑🐙

Bonus: I only bought this one book like I was planning to. Got too many to read!!

Got to hear Emilia Hart speak tonight about her new book. She signed my book and took a photo with her. It was a fun night and can‘t wait to read this book.

(I didn‘t love Weyward, so I‘m hoping I like this one a lot more!)

💙📚 BOOK REVIEW IS UP!💙📚

⭐️⭐️ THE SIRENS BY EMILIA HART⭐️⭐️

⭐️QUICK THOUGHTS⭐️

⭐️What a twist!

⭐️Takes you on a unique ride!

https://reecaspieces.com/2025/04/02/the-sirens-by-emilia-hart-stmartinspress-boo...

April‘s #Bookspin list. A lot of shorter books/graphic novels, and I‘ll be starting the tagged right away.

'The Sirens' by Emilia Hart focuses on the bonds of sisterhood. I really enjoyed the relationships between Jess and Lucy and between Mary and Eliza. While these women were separated by centuries, they share commonality in the love they shared. I also enjoyed the siren folklore of Comber Bay. A solid work of women's fiction. This is the first book I read by Hart, but it won't be my last. 4 stars.

I loved this story and the themes that weaved through. Even as I guessed a few of the links and the stories possibilities, her wonderful writing kept this story vivid and drawing me back to my kobo each time I had to do something other than than reading. This one will have me gushing for a while.

Expected publication: April 1, 2025

I really enjoyed this book, told in alternating chapters from modern day/2019, and 1999, and 1800s all in Australia and it's waters. I found the cadence of the writing weaving the known history of women convict ships and transportation into a story with magical realism a unique way to shed light on a lesser known part of Australian history (for me as an American).

Waiting room reading

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #thesirens #emiliahart #bookbeast #netgalley #bookbuds#bookchat

I read and loved this author's book Weyward. I didn't know exactly what to expect from this one but I did enjoy it also. It kept me turning the pages until the very ending which I did not see coming. Not that this is a thriller but still... I did not see that part coming.

5 stars

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-sirens-by-emilia-hart.html

🚨US NetGalley members: Available as a Read Now

I‘m so excited to read this after loving Weyward so much!

#arc #NetGalley