Jennifer Nicole's Reviews > The Sirens

I genuinely enjoyed this novel and appreciated the extensive research and thought that went into portraying the journey of women who were imprisoned and sent to colonized Australia. This is a strong piece of feminist fiction with four central characters who discover their inner strength in profound ways.

The plot unfolds across two timelines and from multiple perspectives. The first timeline follows sisters Lucy and Jessica, who are intrinsically linked by their behavior and a rare skin disorder. However, with nearly two decades separating them, they do not share the typical sisterly bond. Lucy finds herself in a difficult situation and feels she cannot return to her family home. As a last resort, she heads to Comber Bay to stay with her sister.

The second timeline follows sisters Mary and Eliza, who have been forcibly taken from their home in Ireland after an act of self-defense. Along with many other women, they are being transported to New South Wales as criminals to be sold into bondage or marriage—essentially two sides of the same coin. Their journey is challenging, and the sisters gradually uncover more about their mysterious upbringing and their mother before their supposed arrival in Australia.

The small town of Comber Bay is enveloped in an atmospheric mystery, with hints of the supernatural. It was the site of a devastating shipwreck in the 1800s and has a history of young men disappearing, believed to have been lured to their deaths by the spirits of the drowned women from the ship.

I appreciated how both timelines were interwoven with a supernatural element, particularly the dreams that Lucy and Jessica shared with Eliza and Mary. Furthermore, the nuanced theme of self-acceptance—recognizing that individual identity may differ from societal standards—was compelling. The novel featured many powerful plot points that complemented the feminist theme, and I was glad to see that neither set of sisters engaged in self-deprecation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this novel in exchange for my honest review. The audio presentation was performed exceptionally well. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the plot to life with her accent and singing. All opinions expressed are my own and are based on my personal experiences.