The premise of this book set my expectations especially high, as I was intrigued by how it was described as a dark gothic fairytale involving witches and mermaids. However, I was disappointed as the book ended up being something else entirely, and did not live up to what I thought it would be. Despite that, there were some parts of this book that I enjoyed, though several bits of it felt slow and dragged a lot while I was reading. I also had trouble connecting to the main character, Miren, which also ended up affecting my opinions.

I just loved this mythical dark story.

The beginning of the book didn't grab me right away, but I found that the story has a certain cadence and rhythm to it that just lulls you into the story and then before you know it you are lost within the pages and you can't put it down.

There are stories within stories in this clever and dark mystery within a dark fairy tale type setting. Although it is definitely not your average fairy tale.

I found this story extremely satisfying and I could almost re-read it immediately upon finishing.

Definitely a 5 star read and my favourite book so far of this year.

This book made me think of a patchwork quilt sewn with dark magic with all those little-whimsical stories embedded in the main plot. I love its gloomy atmosphere. Miren is a strong, independent, and clever girl. But at first, I couldn't guess her age range, I thought of her as a little child.

Strongly recommended to the readers who love some dark stories and want to read something to give them goosebumps!

All the Murmuring Bones will be published by Titan Books, an independent UK publisher. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the Murmuring Bones is a gorgeous book, with some of my favorite gothic horror elements: once-great family now fallen, mysterious homes, marriage (threatened, in this case) to a terrible man, family secrets. Added to that are fairy tales and magical creatures, and a protagonist who just wants to live a life of her own. I'm not used to seeing the gothic and the fairytale side by side in this way (mysterious family house! protagonist is granted a boon in exchange for a kindness! another mysterious family house!) but I could definitely get used to it; the two of them aren't so different as all that. They each have their formulas, and each allow for liberties.

I really liked that Miren was running too something as much as she was running away. It gave her journey a fixed point, and it also gave her a more solid and interesting (to me) motivation. And for all that she tried not to be like her family, her moments of ruthlessness were a joy to read. Miren is fairly distant- she grew up mostly alone, and the story isn't about the power of friendship and community- but I thought that added rather than detracted to the character. I can see how some people might find that off-putting, though.

I definitely thought there would be more mermaids, and possibly selkies. They're present, but in the same way ghosts are in gothic novels. There is a selkie story, and it's wonderful, but it's not the plot of the book. Once I got into the story, though, I dropped that expectation, and, while I would never say no to more of Slatter's creepy mermaids, I will admit they weren't needed. I could have done with more horror, as well, but again, the story worked perfectly well without it.

The prose is gorgeous and very flowing- I'm glad Slatter likes writing this sort of fairy-taleish fantasy, because her writing is great for setting that sort of atmosphere. Also, the title is really cool. I'm happy I read this, and I'll definitely look to check out her next book (and also her short stories- I've read one or two but not any of the ones that are set in the same world).

A.G. Slatter’s debut novel is one of intrigue and mystery. I must admit that it drew me in rather slowly, because I couldn’t quite figure out what type of story I was reading, but after the first few chapters I was simply swept away my Miren, her old family stories, and the world she moves through, so like and unlike our own. A world populated by all the creatures that lurk on the edge of stories.

The tale follows Miren, a young woman who lives at Hob’s Head, a great stately home built on a cliff by the first O’Malleys hundreds of years before. They built and prospered, because of the deal struck with the mer in the seas below, but in the present, in Miren’s time, their glory has fallen. Their ships do not return, their property lies in ruin, and they no longer produce many offspring due to the years of inbreeding. Miren is the last true O’Malley left, and when her grandfather dies she is determined to find a way out of Hob’s Head and her grandmother’s schemes to rebuild the family fortune through her. Not wanting to be sold as a prize, Miren runs away, chasing a family secret she stumbled upon in her grandfather’s library, and along the way her path crosses many others, such as a troupe of performers with a surprising act, an imprisoned kelpie, vengeful ghosts, and a hidden village around a lake of salt. She is running not only from the future others have chosen for her, but also from the past she had no say in, as three mer haunt he through her journey, with the cryptic phrase: ‘When you are gone then we will be free.’

The book is narrated in first person by Miren, and she is the one the reader has most contact with – the world and all its other characters are seen through her, but I didn’t find this limiting at all. She is a fascinating character, who manages to be kind as well as independent and self-serving. She is the perfect heroine in a world in which men expect women to simply bow their heads in obedience, and I love her cunning, her story telling, and her little magics.

This book has the feel of an old folk tale in many ways, though the text itself is full of stories remembered by Miren from the old O’Malley book, which lends to its credibility and pads the world out more. I’m sure that this book will sit on my shelf, whispering its stories to me, and that when I return to its pages once more I will find even more incredible little details that I missed the first time, and I greatly look forward to anything else of this kind that A. G. Slatter might write.

Mermaids, kelpies, and ghosts, oh my! All the Murmuring Bones by Hannah Mathewson is the latest fantasy book to be released by Titan Books, and is full of dark and Gothic atmosphere.

The book tells the tale of Miren O'Malley, a young woman who's grown up in the sheltered confines of Hobs Hallow, the ancestral home of her family, the once rich and powerful O'Malley's. When the family was young they commanded fear and respect, their vast wealth and fierceness making them one of the strongest groups around; but over the years their bloodline has dwindled, and with it their fortunes.

Miren is the 'last' O'Malley, the last member of the family born with the name, and the strongest claim to the blood. Over the centuries the family has expanded and the bloodline diluted, and whilst there are many who can trace their family back to the O'Malley's, Miren is the last of them. With her parents dead, she's been raised by her fierce and at times uncaring grandparents, but when her grandfather dies it begins to unravel things.

With their debts mounting and their home falling into disrepair her grandmother, Aoife, hatches a plan. Miren is set to marry her cousin, Aidan Fitzpatrick, a rich merchant who has promised to clear the O'Malley debts and restore the family to a position of power. The only problem is, Miren doesn't want to marry Aidan.

The initial set up to All The Murmuring Bones is an intriguing one, and readers are introduced to this ancient family when they're at their lowest point. Once commanding great power, able to oppose the will of even the church, the family is a shadow of what it once was. Despite this, we see some of the greatness they used to have in Aoife, an imposing woman who still acts like she power and position to command anything.

Despite having grown up under her influence, Miren is very much unlike her grandmother, and is used to the somewhat simple life she has. She doesn't crave power, or want the finest things, and sees the last remaining servants at Hobs Hallow as friends, if not family. She's a kind and decent person despite the things she's been through; and because of this those around her consider her weak, an easy pawn in their games.

This is one of the things that I really loved about Miren, the fact that at the beginning of the book people like Aoife and Aidan believe that they can do whatever they want, that they can force Miren to be anything they want, but are so wrong. The readers quickly get to discover that there's a whole lot more to Miren than we first realise; and it's little surprise considering the woman who raised her. Miren knows when to fight, when to deceive, and when if necessary strike out at others. She has a strength that she likes to keep hidden, one that makes her dangerous.

When events begin to spiral out of her control we begin to see this power that she has when she confronts her grandmother, when she defies Aidan. We see the defiance that lies beneath the surface, the woman who has learnt from her grandmother to never be a pawn in another's game, and who chooses to take matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, she's never fully in control, and when Aoife is killed and she's trapped in her home with her future husband she takes the only course of action she can, fleeing.

This is when the book takes a very different turn, as Aoife sets out to track down her parents, who she has discovered never actually died. From here the book becomes a story about her journey, and the dangers that she encounters on the way. Not only is this one of the more exciting parts of the book, and further continues to show the strength that Miren has, but has some incredible world building in it too.

We'd had hints of this before this, of some of the creatures that inhabit this world, but it's not until Miren sets out to find her family that we really get a sense of the kinds of creatures that are out there. Mermaids, kelpies, ghosts, and the undead are just some of the creatures that she encounters on her journey.

There's a constant sense that we're only ever seeing the very surface of what this world has to offer, that there's a lot ore hiding in the shadows, just out of sight. Thanks to the things that Miren comes across, and the stories she tells along the way, we get a bit of a hint of just how frightening this world is. But it's not this that does the most world building, but the fairytales we hear along the way. Occasionally recounted by Miren to others, and other times simply remembered from her childhood, we get to see glimpses into the dark and twisted tales that she grew up with.

Where other books are happy to let readers discover things as they are encountered, or perhaps offer reams of background information and expository narrative All The Murmuring Bones takes a different, much more interesting approach. By showing us the stories that Miren, and others, grew up with we're seeing not just the kinds of things that inhabit this world, but the way people there are raised. They grow up hearing these stories, learning about these creatures. It's no surprise then that it feel like a much darker and more dangerous place, where everyone seems to be on their guard; it's because they've been raised since childhood to fear what lurks in the waters, the forests, and the dark corners of the world. The casual way that we learn there's a kingdom of vampires in a neighbouring country isn't even shocking come that point, because of course there are places like that in this world, where the dead and the monstrous rule all.

I adored the way that Hannah Mathewson interwove these moments of history with the narrative, and it meant that you never knew what was coming next, or what was important. Were these simply stories being told to pass the time, to reflect on this history of this world, or were these things that Miren was going to encounter and have to deal with? The book always managed to keep me guessing what was coming next, and the fact that by the time Miren manages to find the village where her parents settled there was still a good chunk of the book left took me by surprise. I was so sure that the book was going to be about her journey, the adventures she had on the road, that I never expected that there was going to be so much more to it than that; and that the dangers and mysteries had only really just began.

All The Murmuring Bones managed to pack in a ton of content, it wove a story that kept evolving and changing, yet never felt too ridiculous or far removed from what came before it. We got to know an incredibly strong and interesting female lead who demonstrated a variety of guises over the course of the story, who was able to demonstrate all of her strengths and prove that she was more than worthy of being a hero to aspire to be. It was a book that I was sad to see finish, because I'd come to love every moment of it.

Miren is born into the mysterious and wealthy O'Malley family and is the last pure O'Malley Their estate sits on the edge of the saltwater sea and they have made a bargain with the sea for success, but at a horrible cost. The wealth has been declining for years and her grandmother is set on forcing Miren into a marriage that is repulsive. So begins Miren's odyssey as she goes in search of her missing parents and meets all sorts of legendary and magical people and creatures. This is a melancholy tale, but Miren is smart and feisty and the reader will cheer her on.

A once powerful and prosperous family, still proud, has fallen on difficult times. Miren's grandmother is determined to restore the O'Malleys to what they once were. To do that, she's willing to wed Miren to a distant but wealthy cousin. But Miren has other ideas.

The writing is gorgeously Baroque - ornate and polished paired with a Gothic folktale of a story. A shadow drenched, decaying mansion full of long hidden, terrible family secrets like murder, ritual sacrifice and incest, a young girl unwilling to be sold into marriage, witchcraft, the Church, and the terrible magic of sea creatures. All the Murmuring Bones has it all.

Full of sea creatures, they're from nightmares not sweet stories of silent, loving mermaids. Cold, seeking retribution and flesh - these are horrors of the sea and they're angry with the O'Malleys. And they're willing to make Miren pay for her family's many sins.

While lots of things happen, this isn't a fast-action fantasy. Revelations and slow horrified realizations are what make up the story. In trying to escape her fate, Miren discovers truths to debunk the lies she's been told her entire life. Those truths lead her on a dangerous journey of discovery.

Miren discovers truths about her birth, her family and its bargains, and her own abilities. Adding to her discoveries are family fairy tales- dark and disturbing stories of the supernatural that hint at the truths of her family's activities.

Miren is strong, smart, resourceful and thoroughly unwilling to accept defeat.

Exquisite world building with a true sense of place and character creation. Even secondary characters are fully realized with their own wants and agendas.

I loved this book! It's the darkest of dark chocolate tortes - gorgeous and rich. Consume it slowly. Let the words melt on your tongue. Appreciate AG Slatter's artistry. She reminds me of the amazing Tanith Lee. I'm looking forward to reading more of AG Slatter's work.

HIGHLIGHTS
~the coffins have locks and you should be grateful for them
~good girls carry knives
~the mer might be monsters but the humans definitely are
~Witchcraft – so easy, anyone can do it!
~a little blood fixes everything

First thing’s first: this is not a selkie story. I have no idea why it’s being described that way; All the Murmuring Bones features many magical water-creatures, but selkies are not among them. So if that’s what you’re after, you want a different book. (Maybe The Blue Salt Road by Joanne Harris, if you’re cool with having your heart ripped out.)

Which is not to say that All The Murmuring Bones is not a good book, because it very much is. It’s just not about selkies.

Miren O’Malley is the last ‘true’ O’Malley; while offshoots of the family are flourishing, the trunk is very much not. She lives with her grandmother in a manor growing more dilapidated by the day, on the coast, next to the sea that has been the source of the O’Malley fortunes since time immemorial. There are all kinds of stories told about the O’Malleys, and plenty of stories that they tell each other about their pasts, but the fact is that however grand and powerful they once were…they’re really not, anymore.

And Miren is more or less okay with that, until it becomes clear that her grandmother is scheming to marry Miren to Miren’s awful cousin, in order to rejuvenate the family fortunes.

And Miren’s not going to just lie down and take that.

All The Murmuring Bones has a cadence to it, a rhythm and style that is reminiscent of a folktale – something only strengthened by the actual folktales that break up the story, tales from the O’Malley’s book of not-quite-legends. And like a folktale, Miren’s story has a frank and undramatic acceptance of all things magical. I thought the world of All The Murmuring Bones was more or less like something from the Regency period…right up until Miren casually mentions the zombies (she doesn’t call them that) that the carriage-driver has to avoid when going into town. It was the wonderful casualness with which the magic in this world is introduced – so blithely, all of it taken for granted, all of it considered all but mundane – that made me sit up and pay proper attention.

That thread of…let’s call it normalised magic, runs throughout the book in a way that absolutely delighted me. Miren encounters mer (aka merfolk), ghosts, kelpies, and shapeshifters over the course of the story, and in her world witchcraft is something everyone can utilise (although there’s a huge difference between an untrained person meddling with the basics and a Proper Witch). On the one hand, the normalisation of it all takes some of the wonder away, because Miren and the narrative don’t treat kelpies and horses very differently; on the other hand, having magic woven that intrinsically into a world is wonderful in its own right. I enjoyed that aspect of the worldbuilding enormously, but sometimes it was a little maddening to get these intriguing hints and throw-away details about Miren’s society that weren’t fully explored – like the fact that there are brothels of men for women customers! Um, excuse me??? I want to know more about that please!

You kind of have to accept, very quickly, that just like in a fairytale, there aren’t any explanations here. Something that becomes very important to the plot is the fact that ‘all the waters in the world are joined’, but what the hell that means in practical terms? You’ll never know. The magic here doesn’t have a system that can be explained, and in fairness magic is supposed to be mysterious and inexplicable…but it’s been a while since I read about the kind of folklore-magic that doesn’t even pretend to have a system or pattern, even a vague one. It bothered me a little bit, but not too much. If you can let go of the questions and just let the story flow over you, it’s still a darkly enthralling tale.

At least, most of it is.

It’s difficult to talk about what makes All the Murmuring Bones weaker, because it’s all tied up with the final quarter or so of the book, the culmination of Miren’s journey and the answers to the book’s Big Questions. To be honest? The entire ending felt…rushed. Cramped, like too much plot was forced into too few pages. A great deal just works out Because Plot, coincidences and easy answers just dropped into Miren’s (and the reader’s) lap in a way that was really unsatisfying. I didn’t object to the twists and subversions of the ending at all, but I object pretty strongly to how we get there and in how they’re presented to the reader. It took a story that had been darkly gleaming-gorgeous for most of the book, and watered it down to something you can barely taste.

Which is a huge shame, because I loved pretty much everything else. Miren is a ruthlessly practical main character, with a sharp-clawed darker side that I adored, and Slatter’s writing is beautiful, scattering details of description like jewels throughout a setting that feels older and darker than the Grimm stories.

I’m not sorry I read it, and I would recommend it, with some caveats. I definitely want to go and hunt down all of Slatter’s books now. But this really great book was let down by a really lame ending, and it’s a little hard to overlook that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All the Murmuring Bones follows Miren O’Malley who comes from an ancient and powerful family who struck a dangerous deal with the mer, prosperity in exchange for a child from each generation. However, after many years of not fulfilling the bargain, the O’Malleys are left only with tales of their now faded glory and Miren’s grandmother will trade anything to see it returned.

I really enjoyed this story, I am a massive fan of creepy merfolk, and sinister folklore and I really loved the way that folklore was used throughout the story. Miren is forced to go on an adventure packed with folkloric encounters. I am not generally a reader who loves too much travel time in books unless I adore the characters, however, I didn’t find that there was too much just riding a horse or walking and we only got specific scenes that were interesting or spooky along the way. I have found out since reading that Slatter is expanding upon a world she has explored in collections of her writing and will be expanding further in another novel and with the hindsight of this information, I now understand the feeling in this novel that we are only seeing a small part of a much larger world.

Concerning my understanding of the expansion of the world, the O’Malleys have a book of family legends and tales. Some of which, I learnt from the author’s note, are from/ inspired by Slatter’s previous works. I really enjoyed reading the tales that Miren will have grown up with. They were often linked to what’s happening in Miren’s story at the time and I liked gaining an insight into the lore of the family, through this there is a sense of the history that we are told the O’Malleys have and I enjoyed getting to experience that rather than just be told.

That being said, though I felt a strong connection to the world-building and the lore of the O’Malleys I found Miren to be a difficult character to feel bonded to. She isn’t dislikeable and is sympathetic, however, I didn’t feel like I was truly getting to know her despite being in her head with the first-person narration. I think I would have appreciated a little more insight into Miren’s plots and thoughts as even though we are sometimes left in suspense for a surprise later in the narrative, it’s hard to feel totally bonded when missing out so much of the plotting.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the mystery held within and would be very keen to read more from the world.

I received an arc of this book from netgalley & the publisher, Titan books(thank you!)

I ended up really liking this book. It has a dark almost gothic feeling to it the whole time and it was a bit of a slow start but after a few chapters I could not put it down.

One of my absolute favourite parts of this book are the fairytales which are woven into the story. Whether as events that happen to the protagonist, Miren or stories passed down through her family, I felt like an addict who couldn’t get enough .

The story and journey of the Miren is quite the mystery and it’s engaging to see how it unfurls.
I didn’t always know what Miren was thinking or planning to do which, I think, really added to the book since I couldn’t predict what would happen. I also loved when Miren didn’t compromise or back down in certain situations.
There’s definitely something to say about feminism in this book too, something about the actions of a lot of the male characters? But I’m not sure quite what to say about it. There’s just definitely a little something there.
Overall would definitely recommend. 😊

Reviewed at, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3826019113?book_show_action=false

Miren O’Malley is one of the last in her lineage of a family who made a fatal deal with the mer. To make things right, and her family prosperous again, Miren loses her freedom and is shackled to a man she cannot stand, at least until she attempts to escape and find her own truths forged in myth and darkness.

“Dark gothic fairy-tale,” reading these four words I knew I had to get my hands on All the Murmuring Bones. In my opinion, there are not enough gothic novels in existence (at least good ones) and when I come across one I get 1) extremely happy and 2) stressed it will not live up to my extremely high expectations. But, I had nothing to worry about because I got my dark fantasy filled with secrets, curses, mythical sea creatures, a haunting atmosphere, and a heroine haunted by her family’s mysterious past. While following Miren on her journey, I found myself terrified for what secrets would be revealed to her, angry on her behalf for those who wished to control her, and held in suspense by the several plot twists I did not see coming on Miren’s journey to self-discovery and growth...all while avoiding the dangers seeking her. For anyone who likes gothic literature, myths, family curses, and atmosphere such as the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, I highly recommend picking up this novel!

Thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for the free copy in return for an honest review!

----'Mark my words, Miren, the O'Malleys are on the rise.'----

I REALLY liked this one. I didn't speed through it like I do some books but I loved the writing, the setting and even Miren.

----'One for the house, one for the Church and one for the sea.'----

When Miren's grandfather dies, her grandmother Aoife, the last true O'Malley, decides to marry her to her distant cousin to help refill the family coffers. Knowing that her reservations against the match will go unhindered, Miren plots her own way out of the union and goes in search of family elsewhere.

----'Hard to know, too, how many burn who are genuinely those who can hex, and how many are merely inconvenient women.'----

All the Murmuring Bones is my first Gothic novel - and there's no doubt it falls into that bracket. There are:

- Not one but two deplapidated mansions
- Damsels in distress (though they're perfectly capable of getting themselves out of distress)
- Ghosts, walking dead and other monstrous, fantastical creatures
- Some rather iffy male protagonists
- Discussions of both Church and witchcraft
- Death and murder
- Darkness and isolation
- Cold, dreary weather

All that seems to suggest a rather dark tale. And whilst it's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows, it doesn't feel as malevolent as some I've read (Prince of Thorns and The Traitor Baru Cormorant, for example). I had every faith that, whilst Miren was capable of ruthless acts, her heart was good and good would win in the end.

----'Other families might have stories of curses, cold lads and white ladies, but we have old gods, merfolk and monsters.'----

The story is set in an Irish-inspired secondary-world where small witchcraft is possible and mermaids, kelpies, ghosts, corpsewights, shapeshifters, vampires and automatons exist, not to mention other creatures I'd not heard of like nuggles and tangies. Their presence is not considered exceptional by the characters but nor is the world particularly changed by their presence, resembling pretty closely what I imagine 18th or 19th century Ireland to have been like. Likewise, the magic we see, by and large, seems to be small trivialities of growth and production, that are little explained and, whilst certainly important, not the be all and end all for society at large. I enjoyed the balance, feeling it added spice to an already interesting world without overwhelming it.

----'Why do they all think me harmless? He might be a good judge of men, but he's an appalling one of women.'----

I like Miren, a lot. She's a hard one to gauge to start. We see the world through her eyes yet we're given little inkling as to her thoughts or plans which certainly keeps us on our toes. As the story progresses, we see she's capable of great kindness and cares for those she considers within her purview. At the same time, she's capable of quick, ruthless action when threatened - something I admired in her, having spent too long shouting at soft characters who just can't bear to make the killing blow at the eleventh hour. She's smart, though distrustful; quick to suss out lies, and willing to dish out her own when she feels it necessary. There's little 'how on earth did she not see that', and lots of 'huh, now that she mentions it...'.

----'Perhaps I'm free and do not know it. How will I ever know?'----

Slatter treats her readers like adults. She doesn't pander to false tension or obvious twists but lays out a tale where both good and bad happen (and sometimes both at once) and it's up to you to judge if they balance. I found her writing beautiful and her descriptions evocative. I enjoyed the short tales she includes (some of which, she says in her acknowledgements, are drawn from Sourdough and Other Stories) and the journey she takes us on in the early pages through the history of the O'Malleys and their home, Hob's Hallow. The pace is slow and it takes over half the book for Miren to arrive where she means to go and for the action to pick up; there was never a doubt that I'd finish though. I wasn't sure what the denouement would be but I wanted to join Miren on the journey.

This is not a book to read when you're tired and it's dreary outside - this book would probably depress you further. But it is a book to read and one I throughly enjoyed. It's a little darker than my usual go-to reading (both in terms of light and sentiment), which, along with the pace, is probably why I gave it 4 stars and not 5, but I'm glad I have read it and I'd read more by Slatter (whether writing as A. G. or Angela).

This book was provided free of charge by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

If you liked this, you might like:
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
- Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

A beautiful dark and gothic tale about a women who don't want to be controlled by their fate. The writing is amazingly delightful. The story is very charming. Witches, mermaids and magic. All this mixed with a cruel Miren's life who only wants to be free. Her grandmother sold her into the marriage with her cousin Aidan, a disgusting but very rich man. But Miren is determined to be free and she refuses this compromise with her every breath.
Being O'Malley is hard, is a powerful name and Miren doesn't have any chance for mistake.
Reading her story made me very sad, but I loved her bravery and her will. I hated so much Aidan and her grandmother.
Also, I liked the stories about O'Malley on the familiar books. They described hard times women had lived.
The only thing that I didn't like is a very slow pacing.
But the tale was beautiful and I've enjoyed it a lot.
Thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC.

I loved the feel of this novel. The atmosphere the author created pulled me in instantly. It kept me there when the beginning dragged a bit, but soon I couldn't get enough. Its a gothic fairytale and that's what I love about it. Its similar to "The Hazelwood", its not afraid to let in the darkness but its still a fairytale. I want to recommend it to everyone I know.

All the Murmuring Bones is a haunting book that slowly creeps up to you and pulls you under it's calm surface, where dark fairytales and chilling horrors await.

Set in a fantasy 19th century british setting, where magic exists, but is an old, almost forgotten thing, while gruesome mythical creatures and spirits remain. The story begins in a small village by the sea, home of a girl, who is the last heir of a once influental and powerful lineage, that is said to be connected to the powers of the ocean itself. She has lived a secluded life at the whims of her grandparents, who have raised her in what remains of the crumbling family manor, until a string of events force her to make an escape from her destined lot, while gradually unravelling the mysteries of her heritance.

It's been a while that I read such an utterly impressive standalone novel, I was completely entranced by the eerie gothic atmosphere and the folkloric tone, that made me feel like I was reading a modern classic. Throughout the beautifully written story there are many passages of unnerving, reimagined fairytales, surrounding mystical sea creatures and celtic folklore, that are part of the protagonist's family history.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. It has elaborate, fantastic worldbuilding and an intricate mystery plot, full of surprising twists, drama and intrigue, with all the pieces fitting together perfectly in the end. The writing stlye was enchanting and I fell in love with the tragic, morally grey heroine, who was cunning, clever and very relateable in her thoughts and actions. Following her process of emancipation through her adventures and the creatures she encounters on them, was an enthralling experience. I had difficulties putting the book down and I have no complaints whatsoever. It was an amazing read for me and I would definitely recommend it to all fans of the Winternight trilogy, Naomi Novik's fairytale retellings or anyone who enjoys gloomy, atmospheric literature.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with an eARC for this amazing book!

I grabbed this book because I like dark, gothic tales.... and with mermaids thrown in? Deal.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed that there was no overdone, over-troped romance. The book focused on the main character and her quest to live her life without the interference of men. The men in this book, mind you (except for a fair few) are disgusting and controlling.

I love the mermaid tales that were sprinkled throughout the book that have to do with the backstory of the family and or mermaids in general. They're not all happy and that was refreshing to me.

I think I rated it down a star because I can see where some of the people who read this thought it was slow - probably because there was a lack of characters and it was her on the road. I think that I also rated it down because when she does find her love interest, he is just written rather off-handedly. Like, 'oh, here is a guy she took in with, guess they're a thing now', A 'blink and you'll miss it' romance.

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter is a darkly gripping tale with magic, mystery and murder. If you like your fairy tales on the darker side this is definitely the book for you.
Miren O'Malley is the last of her family line, abandoned by her parents she grew up with her austere grandmother, Aoife. Once a proud and wealthy family, the O'Malleys have fallen on hard times, and it seems like marrying Miren off to a cousin from another wealthier branch of the family is the only way to restore their fortunes and the bloodline. However Miren is not so keen on this plan and when she learns that the parents she believed to be dead are still alive she is determined to find them, even if it means fleeing her prospective husband under the cover of darkness. It seems that this is not the only secret her family has been keeping, the source of their former glory and prosperity was a bargain struck with the Mer Queen, the price of her guarantee that their ships would have safe passage across the seas being a child sacrifice from each generation. As the family stopped believing the family folklore and stopped paying the price, their fortunes faded, bringing Miren to the desperate situation she now faces.
I loved the writing in this book, dense and atmospheric, it really transported me to another world , one of mermaids and magic, ghosts and monsters, where anything could happen. The author sets the scene perfectly , describing smells and sounds so well that they cannot help but spark the readers imagination. Miren is a great character, smart and determined , ruthless when she needs to be but compassionate when the situation warrants it, and following her on her adventures was a real pleasure. While I enjoyed the slow worldbuilding and scene setting of the early part of the book, those who like a faster paced read or prefer more action may find it too slow of a burn for their tastes, that being said the plot soon picks up and then moves along at a more engaging pace, with several surprises and tense moments along the way.
This was my first experience with this author, but I am certain it will not be the last, I enjoyed this book so much that I am keen to seek out some of her other work, especially the short story collection she mentions in the afterword as containing stories which were reworked, expanded upon or otherwise repurposed and included in this book.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A fresh new novel by author Angela Slatter, All the Murmuring Bones takes readers on a witchy and curious ride. Slatter intertwines Gothic Fantasy, folklore, and Bildungsroman to build an intriguing world around our protagonist, Miren O'Malley. Plot development is entertaining and wildly imaginative, and we follow 18-year-old Miren persist through a series of interrelated hardships, horrors, and adventures.

Slatter's storytelling is rich and atmospheric, imbued with haunting imagery. However, in some cases, plot-advancing storylines and character interactions felt almost incomplete, leaving me wishing for elaboration.

Perfect for a cold winter afternoon, All the Murmuring Bones is a delicious read for fans of fantasy with Gothic vibes (or Gothic with a shimmering fantasy element). I give this fantastical page-turner a robust 3.5 (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads) thanks to the vividly imagined magical world, inventive plot conflicts, and the unique and mesmerizing ingredients that enrich the narrative.

Thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley, I received an ARC of the ebook for the purpose of review. All the Murmuring Bones will be released in March 9, 2021.

A.G Slater writes decorative descriptions, placing beautiful images in my head and setting the scene really well. I could perfectly picture the characters and world around Miren. Unfortunately, it was paired with an almost endless internal monologue. Before I even finished the 2nd chapter, I found myself skimming and searching for the meat of the chapter.
I enjoyed the fairytales interwoven in the story. For a moment, I was transported into another world.
I absolutely loved the premise for this novel and had high hopes. And while A.G Slater has eloquent prose, All the Murmuring Bones was too slow paced for me and I couldn't find the energy to finish the novel, stopping 150 pages in. For all the magic and mermaids I was expecting, it disappointed me. I can only hope this book rewards those who enjoy slow paced novels.
I rated it 3 stars because despite not finishing it, I know a different audience can appreciate A.G Slater's writing style.