All the Murmuring Bones
Author: A. G. Slatter
Publisher: Titan Books
Page count: 368pp
Release date: 8th April

For those new to Slatter, she writes horror, fantasy and urban fantasy - I particularly recommend Vigil - under her full name, Angela Slatter. She is not new to this writing business. And the thing that I’ve noticed throughout her work, is her inventive use of mythology and fairy tale to create something new and exciting.
In All the Murmuring Bones, she tackles the mer-folk, selkies and well-known fairy tales surrounding those myths.
In this novel, The O’Malley’s are a family who have dealt with the sea including associated industries for centuries. They are intimidating and powerful and always get their way.
At the start, they took ownership of the land by Hob’s Head, near Breakwater, built a tower which soon became a large estate and called it Hob’s Hallow. They were making lots of money, ‘grew rich from the seas’ but never drowned and ‘swam like seals’. Until their fortunes changed and their family stopped growing.
Aoife is the remaining “omega” and matriarch of the family; Miren her granddaughter.
And Miren is trapped. She is expected to marry well within the extended family and bear three children. She has no choice in their future, but Miren wants more.
This is predominantly Miren’s story, about her desire to escape destiny and it rattles along, aside beside the fairy tales in the family history volumes where secrets are revealed.
We never quite know when this is set, but clues such as whalebone corsets and meerschaum pipes plus a travelling acting troupe suggests an early Regency period but certainly darker than you would find in any Austen novel. It also feels distinctly Irish given the character names. And more importantly, it’s incredibly authentic, lending more strength to the theme of feminine power, fighting expected roles and craving independence. Certainly Aidan Fitzpatrick, a character we meet partway through, fits the stereotype of the early Nineteenth century villainous fop. Also, the character of Delphine who is an automaton in an acting troupe can be seen as a metaphor for the lack of ‘autonomy’ – pun intended - of Miren and the other women in the narrative.
The prose is wonderful, and it almost feels like you are floating languorously amidst a sea of watery imagery and metaphor, enjoying the poetry of the language until you are sucked under, into the depths with a jolt.
This is a truly magical and beautiful book that tells a meaningful tale whilst still being thoroughly entertaining.
In her reimagined fairy tales, Slatter is becoming adept at weaving new stories within this mythology, and her name will inevitably become synonymous with fairy tales in the way that Angela Carter has become known.

Interesting fact:

A meerschaum pipe is made from the mineral sepiolite, also known as meerschaum. Meerschaum ... German for "sea foam") is sometimes found floating on the Black Sea and is rather suggestive of sea foam.[1]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerschaum_pipe

Every now and again, I read a book and think to myself, “How in the world did this get published? There are so many other better manuscripts out there.” This was one of those books. It just wasn’t very good. I’ve seen this book called a gothic fairytale in some of its reviews.
It wasn’t a gothic fairytale.
It was a conglomeration of gothic fairytales, strung together by the main storyline and the main character, Miren. It was bizarre that so many of these little fairytales were included. I enjoyed them, but only two of them served a purpose for the plot.
Also, there really was no plot to speak of. Miren runs away from a forced marriage, and the book chronicles her journey all the way up to her destination, and her figuring out the mystery at the end of the tale. It was just bizarrely set up. Two times, the author writes a strange and unnecessary flashback scene.
The thing is, this book could have been good. If the tale had begun with Miren at Blackwater, the plot could have spiraled outward from there, revealing Miren’s past with flashbacks. However, All the Murmuring Bones was poorly plotted. The only truly developed character was Miren. I enjoyed her ruthless and headstrong nature. She was an unexpected strong character in an otherwise weak novel.
A literary pet peeve of mine is when I can’t find the title of the book in the book itself. I found out in the Author Note that the author found the title of the book in a poem from Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. However, the title of the book can be found nowhere in the novel, unless I missed it (which I find doubtful, but please correct me if I am wrong).

Overall, I do not recommend reading this book. It is not well written.

Side note: Why did the author decide to go with A.G. Slatter when she’s published far more novels under the name Angela Slatter? It’s an odd choice.

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley for and honest review.

I had no expectations going into this book. But I was excited for a new world that promised darkness and hope. And that’s what I got. This story was full of darkness but it was also beautiful and and captivating. Everything about this story was mystical and I don’t even have the words to express what I want. There’s plenty of grimness, sure, but there’s so much more. This story does not let you go easily. And I know I won’t be letting it go anytime soon either.

This book is grim and dark and beautiful, all at once. The characters, the world, the story, are wonderfully rich and enrapturing, and they pull you under the waves and don’t let you go until the last page. The world building of this book is incredible, with the creatures and stories of the characters expertly woven together.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was dark, twisted, fantastical and well written. I loved getting to know Miren and her struggles with her family and their legacy.

The story had so much involved in it that kept me reading all the way through. You start out with an infamous family with a long past that has been falling into ruin over the last few generations. Their house is falling apart, their wealth is all but gone, their clothes are handed down and out of date. The grandmother is harsh and calculating and stuck in a glittering past when the family had considerable wealth.

Miren is by far the light of the story. You see it through her eyes and you learn about her parents, her families dark past and traditions and the haunting stories that seem to dark and twisted to be real.

The entire book is filled with fantasy creatures from Irish lore. I love that there is so much myth and side stories interwoven throughout the rest of the book.

Overall, I absolutely love this book and will be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC
All The Murmuring Bones promises an atmospheric sea read and yes, it delivers. It read like a dark, dark fairytale and I loved the writing style. The dark family relationships, the bargains, the minimal magic all were very well done and overall, it is very well written book.
But I do have some issues with it.
First, there is no diversity in the book. All the characters are cis, het, and white, which is kind of disappointing as there is so much potential to write queer characters in a mermaid fantasy.
Second, the plot lacked direction and I was confused at certain points.
But, overall a very good read if these glaring issues are ignored!

Intriguing tale about a family that struck a deal with the men folk - riches and safe passage in the seas for their children - one in each generation. However the family have run into hard times as less children are being born so less offerings have made, leading to lowering fortunes.

Miren is one of the few remaining O’Malleys and she lives with her Grandmother Aoife who as the last true O’Malley, is willing to do whatever it takes to reverse their fortunes - including marrying her Granddaughter off to one of the lesser wealthier cousins.

This book is about so much more than Miren’s bid to escape the confines of her life, which takes her on a long perilous journey where she’s meets all manner of supernatural creatures and people. She also recounts several of the hidden family stories and folktales - and its hard to decipher which of them are real. The world building and supernatural creatures depicted come from folklore and aren’t the typical creatures we often hear/read about. Miren also shows incredible strength of character and uses a lot of kindness and wisdom to get out of some tricky situations. Her issues with her family are a recurring theme she has to face and is something a lot of people can relate to.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and liked the folk tale elements. 4/5 stars

All the Murmuring Bones is a character driven story about a woman who is the last in a bloodline that has ties to the sea. She is wanted and used by multiple family who have their own agenda's when all she wants is to be free of the family legacy. She is a strong woman that doesn't plan on being pushed around and makes her own choices as much she can while coming across a few good friends and multiple creatures of Lore. I thought perhaps this was going to be a series as I was nearing 85% it still seemed like there was a lot of unfinished tale but it closed up nicely in that last 10%. Overall the story was well written and had a flow that the stories within the story fit in quite well in giving you the needed background. The description was a bit off from the story itself so if you don't focus on that it is a much better read than some have rated it as in my opinion.
I enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to the author's next story which I found will be released next year. This is my honest opinion and review of this ARC that I was given for free by NetGalley.

‘One for the house, one for the Church and one for the sea.’

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ by A.G. Slatter in exchange for an honest review.

This was amazing. I love stories that feature sea lore and mer-folk, so I was very drawn to this novel from my first sight of its stunning cover.

Its lead and narrator is Miren O'Malley. Many years previously the O’Malley family had entered into a pact with the mer-folk: in return for the safety of their family’s ships in every generation they would give a child to the sea. Yet for years the family has been unable to fulfil their side of the bargain with the result that their fortunes have declined.

Now Miren's grandmother is determined to restore the family to its former glory and so is manipulating her into marrying a wealthy distant cousin. Thus, when Miren has children, one will be given as tribute to the sea-queen. Yet Miren is determined to create her own destiny.

Slatter has crafted a truly wonderful Gothic fantasy with dark family secrets, witches and magic, and plenty of mythic creatures including those associated with the sea. It is a tale of strong women and also of the men who inevitably seek to control them.

Woven into the main narrative are a number of fantastic tales that are taken from Angela Slatter’s previous collections. In her Author’s Notes she writes: “I wanted to have a world where the tales I’ve told readers in the past are ones that these characters also grew up with.”

In addition, Slatter has created very vivid settings, including Hobb’s Hallow, the O’Malley’s ancestral home, and the mysterious Blackwater estate. These details were very finely drawn bringing an authenticity to her world building.

I adored this book and it is one of the best fantasies that I have read in some time. I was very pleased to read that Slatter is writing another novel set in the same world for publication in 2022. I also will be investigating her back catalogue of novels and stories.

Very highly recommended.

What I loved
- The premise
- The setting
- The first couple of chapters, they really drew me in but unfortunately at some point it all started to drag very slowly and I became untangled from the story

What I didn’t love
- I felt no character connection which was a big disappointment for me, I really wanted to feel a pull to the MC
- The pace, the story really doesn’t start until the last quarter of the book and it was a long slog to get to that point
- The very descriptive writing, there’s too much of it, which some people will undoubtedly love, unfortunately I didn’t, I wanted more from the story and characters than anything else

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an atmospheric gothic fairytale! I loooved the premise of this one and how truly atmospheric and descriptive it is. Though it did get too draggy and a bit info-dump-y at times, the writing was okay and made it work at most. I just wished there was more character work and less descriptiveness. Too many paragraphs in-between pieces of dialogue made it a little awkward and took me out of the story’s immersion. However, I did enjoy the writing style, it was eerie when it needed to be and all the while amusing. Such a good read!

The opening chapter of All The Murmuring Bones is magical. A brief history told of the O'Malleys rise and decline written in a flowing narrative I could almost hear aloud as I read. My mind specifically conjured up the voice that narrates the beginning of Beauty and The Beast, calming and whimsical.

The O'Malleys are a big old family and a lot of names are thrown about to start with, I struggled a little to keep up in between the heavy but pretty description Slatter uses. Fortunately they don't appear to be important.

The Murmuring Bones is told in first person from Miren's perspective interwoven with short fairytales from her childhood. I say interwoven but by no means is it seamless, the stories are sort of thrown in with little relation to the plot- though they are fun sojourns. Tales of various mythical sea-creatures Miren recalls from the O'Malley library.

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for The Murmuring Bones for me I'd mark it slightly above average. I really enjoyed the setting and quite liked Miren after a time but the story itself is disjointed. I felt there were threads unfinished, a sort of hesitancy in some of Slatter's writing as if they weren't completely sure how it all should fit together.

By the end everything was rounded off but i would have liked a little more depth to the characters, there appeared to have been no change in them from start to finish. That aside I did very much enjoy the storytelling and the world Slatter created.

All The Murmuring Bones was an odd read, a story I went into with high expectations, only to struggle with the first quarter of the story, before finding my way into the heart of the story before the end. A.G. Slatter weaves three very different threads together, a family drama, Gothic mystery, and paranormal fantasy in a story that's heaviest on the first and lightest on the latter - which is where my struggle came in.

The characters are rather cold, sometimes unlikeable, but their story . . . their history . . . their mystery . . . that's the reason to keep reading. Miren, the protagonist, is the last daughter of a family with magical ties to the sea, a young woman trapped between honoring ancient deals and breaking free of them. I think I would have enjoyed the story more had I liked her more, had I cared for her enough to become as invested in her struggle as the Gothic mystery, but she's serviceable enough to keep the story moving.

Despite my issues with Miren, the Gothic mystery made for a fantastic read, full of twists and turns, abrupt shifts in tone, and surprising slides deeper into darkness. It's oddly paced, with prolonged lulls between the more action-packed scenes, but it all pays off in the end. The atmosphere is perfectly fitting, and what we do see of the merpeople is intriguing - not to mention creepy and unsettling.

Well-written with a strong narrative and fantastic atmosphere, All The Murmuring Bones is a good read that, for me, would have been great had it delved deeper into the magical faery tale elements. That's a personal preference, though, and different readers with different tastes may find that slide to great easier.

All the Murmuring Bones is a gothic fantasy with family secrets, murder, supernatural creatures, and a magical world. You follow Miren, the last pure descendant of the O’Malley’s, an old and powerful family with strong ties to the sea. However, as the years went on, their power started wavering and, in the present, Miren and her grandparents live in the dilapidated mansion of Hob’s Hollow. When her grandfather dies, Miren is promised to marry a cousin who wants the family name and properties to be his.

If there’s something I appreciate, it’s a great prologue. Instantly hooking you in a story isn’t easy to achieve, but All the Murmuring Bones does precisely that. You’re immediately dropped into the history of the O’Malley’s throughout the time, and it’s apparent how it is interwoven with secrets, magic, and the sea.

Tying into the prologue, the writing style is superb. Yes, the plot is somewhat loose and straightforward, but it doesn’t have to be super complex to be interesting to follow. And, in the end. the atmospheric writing and the world-building definitely make up for it. From the first moment, you’re immersed in trying to figure out this odd reality you’re thrown into. It took me a while to realize this is an entirely fictional world because I was convinced it was set in our reality. But then magical elements start creeping in slowly and, when you notice, you’re in deep. There are all kinds of magical creatures, benevolent or evil, real magical powers and small spells that everyone willing can learn how to do. You can feel the magic everywhere, and it has no strict rules, no guidelines, it just exists.

Sprinkled into the action are some short stories related to the O’Malley’s history that you never find out if they are true, false, or a mix of both. I love when there are legends and lore aspects related to a story. It enriches the world, and I now want to check out Sourdough and Other Stories, a short stories compilation by the author that includes some featured in this book.

Usually, I’m a very character-driven reader, and yes, this story is mainly about Miren and her family. However, I didn’t feel the characters were explored enough. Most of them have pretty linear motivations and one-dimensional personalities. Miren’s goal is apparent from the start, and she’s either completely ruthless and cold-blooded or super naive to the point of not noticing obvious evil intent towards her. Still, her journey of discovering what being an O’Malley means in this rich and magical world is enough to keep me interested.

At its core, All the Murmuring Bones is a story about making deals for power, money, and a better life. It’s filled with magic, and it features a world filled with possibilities. I still want to know more about the Queen of Thieves (give me a whole book on her) and why the Leech Lords are so dreadful. There will be another book set in this world, and I’ll definitely check it out.

All the Murmuring Bones was my first ever gothic fantasy, and I may be sold to the genre. It mixes magic, family secrets, horror elements, a lot of deaths, supernatural creatures, and a genuinely exciting world that will hook you in from the very first moment.

My history with mermaid/merfolk books has been a wee bit fraught, to be perfectly honest. I feel like, as a child, Mermaids were creatures of whimsy and the only times they really delved into darker themes were things like the 2003 Peter Pan film. The last few years, however, I think that almost every time I have read a book featuring merfolk the themes have been far darker, usually (though not always) focussing on the control of women. Now I think there’s huge value to those books and clearly that theme resonates with people – and I can see the connection to the Hans Christian Anderson story and all of those threads intertwining. For me personally, I find this isn’t my favourite kind of story to read.

With that in mind, I’m going to acknowledge that I may be a bit more inclined to fall out of favour with All the Murmuring Bones than another reader might, and I highly suggest taking my viewpoint and exploring some other reviews.

Because there are some great elements to All the Murmuring Bones. I loved the atmosphere this book created, there’s a lot of isolation in this story and I thought that A.G. Slatter managed to capture the differences in isolation particularly the claustrophobia of that – and I liked the way that isolation kind of played back through the generations.

I also thought that there were some really great story moments, things that felt like they came out of fairytale or folklore, with characters outwitting dark forces and also things that felt more like features from horror. The references really felt like they were there and I appreciated that.

I also liked that, while this story is one about ‘it can really suck to be a woman’, the story – for the most part – didn’t pit women against one another, and when it did it tended to be a more nuanced situation. It was appreciated.

I think one of my biggest gripes with this story was that I felt like the first third of the book felt like it was saying ‘ooh there’s a secret coming up bet you want to keep reading to find out what it is, I’m going to keep from telling you until the point where you’re too far into the book to go back’. Now, this isn’t the only book to do this, but it felt very blatant to me in this case, I think because there were points where it didn’t make sense for people to not just say what was going on? I don’t like it when I can see through the curtain to the storytelling process (personally) and it just got my hackles up a little bit.

I think that, at another time, I might have enjoyed this book a little bit more. As it is I am a bit burned out on these kind of themes and storytelling ideas and I might just need to take a bit of a break. Though I do think there are a few issues with elements of this story, I think that someone who is more inclined to read this kind of story will have a better time than I did – and I have to say that the more incidental story moments have stayed with me after reading.

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley – all opinions are my own.

All the Murmuring Bones is out now!

Review Layout

Overall: 2/5
Characters: 1.5/5
Plot: 1/5
Writing and Setting: 4/5

The gist of my review:
I had been excited about a gothic, folklore, mermaid, fantasy tale, and I was sorely disappointed with what was provided. This book was not what it was set out to be in the synopsis, and I'm unsure if that is due to false advertising.

Summary:
Long ago, Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years, the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren's Grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren's freedom.

A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them.

Characters: 1.5/5
As mentioned before, this book had its downfall when it diverted from the fantasy plotline that readers had been expecting. Instead, the book presented readers with a character-driven storyline that wasn't all that exciting. I would have thought that the characters would have been a bit more likable; I just found Miren to be flat and irritating and her Grandmother to be a right royal b***h.

Plot and Theme: 1/5
I found that I physically had to drag myself through this novel. The plot didn't keep me gripped, and when you reach the 'fantasy elements', the book left me feeling disappointed.

Writing and Setting: 4/5
One thing I particularly enjoyed was the writing style itself. I enjoy gothic novels, and I firmly believe that Slatter has shown she can write a great gothic novel, but the writing style doesn't make up for the shortcomings of the book.

Conclusion:
Pros: Great example of gothic writing. Australian-based author.
Cons: Not what I was looking for or what I expected the book to be about.
Overall- 2/5

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I cannot wait for my paperback copy to arrive and to read it all over again-my ancient Kindle is gamely soldiering on but there is nothing like having the actual books on your shelves.

This book is an absolute delight to read-dark, labyrinthine, totally immersive and haunting. The O'Malley family line has become diluted and fragmented over the generations, they inhabit the dilapidated homestead at Hob's Hallow , at the edge of a turbulent sea which , they believe, they have mastery over and have built their fortunes upon.

But only one remains, there are many intermingled cousins and relatives, but only one who has been born and raised in the traditions of Hob's Hallow, one on whom the entire foundation of the O'Malley's name rests. Miren, the orphan child of Isolde and Liam who ran away and left her behind, is raised bY aoife on fairy tales of the creatures who live in the sea, a silver bell around her neck her only protection for creatures she is not sure are real or imagined.

Her adventures begin with the death of her grandfather which leaves her at the mercy of Aoife, and, she has to make some harsh and necessary decisions in order to keep herself alive, ones which push her to fully investigate her family history, not just leave her comfort zone but firebomb it, and leave all she knows behind her.

''How many times can a line fold back on itself without bringing forth a monster?''

Miren is a truly remarkable heroine who fights back against the role expected of her, facing magic, monsters and the worst of human traits-treachery, deceit and greed-in order to become a woman to be reckoned with. She finds both internal guidance and strength from the stories she was raised on, and assistance in her escape from unexpected sources. Her agency is threatened by scheming relatives, prophecies and magic but it only serves to strengthen her resolve as she goes in search of the truth of her origin, and, in so doing, finds herself.

This book has the ghost of Angela Carter haunting the plot, the fingerprints of Katherine Dunn and traces of Marina Warner lurking at the foot of its pages-it is a truly remarkable tale which pays homage to these fine storytellers of dark tales and elevates it to a new form which is uniquely her own. The myths and legends which stalk the chapters throw nods to the selkie and mer myths which are to be found in various forms around the world, and yet, create wholly new monsters in the telling . The myths which Miren was raised on somehow seem simultaneously old and new, recognisable and yet highly original as if there is some kind of alchemical blend that A.G Slatter has imbued her words with, leading you deeper beneath the waves of the sea.

The way that women are treated as property to be used and done with as creatures without any power of their own is challenged head on, Miren is a woman who wants what she wants and refuses to be quiet about it. She is not about to marry anyone just to keep a tradition alive that she doesn't actually believe in and her investiagtions and journey is one studded with stories that she recalls, word perfect, from the volumes which lined her grandfather's library. The one story that she doesn't know was ripped from the first volume of the family history, how the O'Malleys were created, which creates the sense that missing that origin leaves space to create your own.

''Stories are history,whether they're true or not.''

She is a visionary writer who brings to life the environs of Hob's Hallow, and the characters who inhabit it seem to be ones that spring whole, and complete from the page and take root inside your mind. It's a book that you will shout at loved ones for interrupting, a book that you will thrust onto fantasy loving friends-if you can bear to lend it out!

In All the Murmuring Bones, A.G. Slatter spins a classic Gothic tale with fantastical elements.

"A child to inherit, a child for the Church, a child for the sea so she gives herbounty to us once again."

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Years ago, the O'Malley family made a pact with the sea to ensure their trading ships' safety: a child in each generation for the sea's bounties. But in the last years, the O'Malley family failed to keep up their end of the bargain and so their fortune has been dwindling. To save the family's legacy, Miren O'Malley's grandmother Aoife plans to marry the orphaned girl off to a wealthy cousin. But Miren cares little for her family's former glory and has her own dreams for the future.

"There's an old woman, though, with plans and plots of long gestation; and there's the sea, which will have her due, come hell or high water; and there are secrets and lies which never stay buried forever."


At its core, All the Murmuring Bones is a Gothic story: we have not one but two decaying mansions, a headstrong heroine and dark family secrets waiting to be uncovered. What made the novel refreshing, though, was the incorporation of folklore creatures, such as sirens, selkie and kelpie. The fantastical elements were quite eerie and fit the overall gothic tone very well. The story also incorporates little fairytales within the story, which I really enjoyed. While adhering to the Gothic genre, Slatter did not settle for obvious twists or tropey writing at all. I found her descriptions and worldbuilding quite evocative and loved every bit of unsettling lore about the O'Malley family.

The story loses some of its momentum in the middle of the book but I did not mind it that much because I was enjoying the overall mysterious athmosphere far too much. I also liked Miren's character a lot, how she was at some times very vulnerable and utterly ruthless at others. I do also love me some witchy/ monstrous women so this was right up my alley.

All in all, I gave this 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it heartily to fans of Gothic novels such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre or Plain Bad Heroines.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 5/5
Prose: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5

I read a collection of Slatter’s short stories several years ago, and her masterful prose was enough of a reason for me to request All the Murmuring Bones on Netgalley. Some of these stories (or similar stories inspired by them) appear in this book, though you don’t need to have read them to follow along.

Miren’s story starts with the death of her grandfather, and the subsequent discovery that she’s about to married of to her despicable cousin, in order to save the family’s fortune and continue the family name. It takes a while to get to know Miren, but as the reader spends more time with her on her journey, her strength, determination and resilience shine through. This is a quietly but deeply feminist novel; while Miren doesn’t loudly proclaim her right to equality, she does whisper it to herself, repeatedly. Meanwhile, the inherent danger that comes with being a woman, and the chaffing caused by a lack of agency permeate this story. The side characters are less well-rounded, perhaps with the exception of Miren’s grandmother, a terrifying but also pitiable woman who has fallen victim to the same insidious family politics as Miren is about to be subjected to.

Additionally, on the atmospheric front, Slatter absolutely delivers. All the Murmuring Bones contains all the hallmarks of a gothic novel – murderous mer-people, ghastly ghosts, terrible weather, and plenty of family secrets to be uncovered. Warning: Miren (and many of her family members) did not have nice or normal childhoods. There is also a dash of magic – Miren doesn’t consider herself a witch, but with a drop of blood and a few words, she can make even the most barren garden bloom.

Admittedly, while this book contains all the hallmarks of the gothic genre, it doesn’t necessarily pursue the traditional narrative structure of the gothic novel. This is a character-driven, atmospheric novel where the focus is on the journey, rather than the destination. Miren’s goals are typically short-term, survival-driven, and the plot jumps from location to location as Miren continues to flee danger. There’s not one creepy, rundown house, but two, and no one ghost or mer haunting Miren’s travels, but several. The result is that All the Murmuring Bones feels a little aimless, lost adrift at times (much like Miren herself). There’s a lot of stuff happening, and it’s hard to tell what’s important and what’s just there to create a macabre feel.

Despite these occasional misgivings, I really enjoyed All the Murmuring Bones overall; the journey was definitely a rewarding (if occasionally horrifying) one.

So many times have I picked up a fantasy novel promising to be a modern fairy tale, only to be disappointed almost an equal amount of times by what I've just read. Nevertheless the allure persists. I'm fascinated by all myths and fairy tales, all these delightful archetypes and variations, but so few modern authors manage to capture that particular blend of mundane and mystical that sets the fairy tale genre apart from, say, the urban fantasy (which is a genre I also very much enjoy!) It has a lot to do, I think, with a lack of depth in world building, where the fairy tale bits are merely a skin on the real world, a glamour easily seen through by the discerning reader, or even more jarringly, by an inelegant fusion of fantasy with modern sensibilities, usually in the form of clunky dialog/exposition. The ones that do succeed tend to be either Young Adult or novellas; nothing wrong with either of those forms or formats, but sometimes you just want a nice meaty, adult novel to sink your teeth into.

Here in A. G. Slatter's book of merfolk and witches, kelpies and shapeshifters, I finally feel like I'm holding something at once timeless and refreshingly of the now, perfectly blended to satisfy all my old-fashioned hungers and new. It likely helps that Ms Slatter has written several volumes of fairy tales and cites some of those here, each adding to the rich tapestry that makes this world of monsters and curses seem vibrant and real, as our heroine, Miren O'Malley, must find her way out of a marriage arranged for her by her scheming grandmother Aoife. And can I say how much I appreciate the inclusion of full, lively fairy tales within the narrative? There is nothing more annoying than books that reference fictional storybooks as being foundational texts for the protagonists but then never quote more than a paragraph or two: bonus disappointment when the text quoted is dishwater dull, as is definitely not the case here.

All The Murmuring Bones avoids all the pitfalls of its kindred, presenting us with a truly absorbing Gothic/fairy tale where Miren, the last of the pure-blooded O'Malleys (or at least the most pure-blooded of the last O'Malleys) is betrothed to a rich relative in order to restore the fortunes of the dilapidated Hob's Hallow, her ancestral home. There she was raised by her grandparents, Aoife and Oisin, who fought each other constantly, and their servants Maura and Malachi. Each loved her and taught her what they knew as best they could, but Oisin's death forces Aoife to gamble on one last desperate plan to uphold the O'Malley name.

Unfortunately for Aoife, Miren quickly sees right through the urbane facade of her intended to his violent, avaricious heart, and makes plans to escape. The discovery of hidden letters in Oisin's study will give her something to run to, even as she runs away from a life she never asked for.

Telling any more would be to spoil the many wonders of this story, but I can safely say that Miren is one of the most engaging, feminist heroines I've had the pleasure of reading in a long while. She doesn't shrink from the pleasures of sex or the necessities of violence and, more importantly, she stands in solidarity with other women and with anyone taken advantage of and mistreated by the societies and strictures they're trapped in. I spent a lot of time rooting for her as she furiously thought her way out of trouble, and as she dealt with the complicated emotions that necessarily arise from being part of her strange, some would say cursed, family. Best of all, she never had to do anything stupid in order to advance the plot: it's so, so great to be able to unreservedly root for a heroine who isn't perfect but who definitely feels real and not merely a vehicle for the author to get from point A to point B in her own narrative. Also great is the lack of tortured romance: she has a love interest but he's not the be-all and end-all of her existence, which adds to the refreshing factor of this book.

This was a really great, absorbing read, and I'm desperate to read more of Ms Slatter's work (she also writes as Angela Slatter, and I've loved some of the <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2019/09/17/wonderland-an-anthology-edited-by-marie-oregan-and-paul-kane/">short</a> <a href="https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/03/17/cursed-an-anthology-of-dark-fairy-tales-edited-by-marie-oregan-paul-kane/">stories</a> I've read of hers previously.) I'm hoping this is the book that shoots her to global and popular renown, as it deserves to.

All The Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter was published March 9, 2021 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781789094343">Bookshop!</a> Want it now? For the Kindle version, <a href="https://amzn.to/3tg9md1">click here</a>.