Did not finish. This had so much potential, but didn't go anywhere quick enough, and while the ambiance was great, the pace was glacial.

Wonderful! Beautifully written, engaging storytelling. This is a fairy tale in the best sense. There are mermaids, selkies, kelpies, corpsewights and other frights. There are witches and magic. But unlike a traditional fairy tale with flat characters and inevitable fate, Miren exercises thrilling agency as she tries to extricate herself from her dire situation. Abandoned by her parents, abused and isolated by her grandmother, friendless, she marvelously transcends the boundaries of such an upbringing. She faces enormous threats and obstacles with courage and optimism, and manages to be kind, decent, and generous even while having to defend herself in extreme ways. She doesn't once passively wait to be saved. She doesn't trust or love easily, but she's trying. Highly recommend!!

A haunting, dark, gothic fairy-tale journey. Angela Slatter weaves a tale of the sea, mythic creatures, magic, silver, loss, abandonment, and family secrets into a story that keeps you turning the pages. It is also the story of one woman's fight to live her life on her terms and not that of others. You are pulled into Miren's life and that of the O'Malley's, a once proud and wealthy family who have fallen on hard times. Then you begin to find out that the O'Malley's aren't quite like any other families having made a bargain with the sea that has brought them riches and in equal measure, sacrifices. Miren is the last female O'Malley and her grandmother will do anything to bring fortune back to the family including marrying Miren to her devious cousin Aidan. Miren will do anything to get away from Aidan and a marriage she doesn't want and a family tragedy gives her the impetuous to run away. The journey Miren embarks on reveals long kept family secrets and forces Miren to face the truth of her own past and what lengths she will go to to escape that past.

This story is a wonderful blend of fairy tale stories and magic, and I really loved the O'Malley stories that Miren tells from the family book. You will recognize familiar themes from tales like Grimm's fairy tales and others and it makes for such a spooky, stark and at times creepy soundtrack to this inventive story. Through these tales the story explores so many themes of loss, strength, abandonment, and the willingness to let things go. Miren is a strong woman who decides she will not let her families past determine all that she will be. The characters are captivating, fully realized and the world that has been created here is marvelous. Some of my favorite parts were the automaton Delphine and the kelpie horse. Magic always has a price and the price that the O'Malley"s have paid over time is devastating. Such a gripping, yet at times sad story that will surely stay with you long after the last page. Recommended for readers who enjoy gothic, dark, stories involving magic, mythical creatures and journeys of self discovery. A wonderful tale.

This book had all of the elements of something I would typically enjoy and be in the mood for - but in the end I just personally did not connect with it. I never found myself riveted and needing to desperately get through it. There were bits of magic/witchcraft, folk tales, creatures, mermaids, and mystery, but just little hints of all of those things. I wish it had fully immersed itself in the folklore and magic and fantastical creatures - the ghosts and mermaids and kelpies - but instead the tale just sprinkled it in seemingly for convenience. It made it seem like the author had all of these ideas of cool things, but wasn't quite sure how to actually implement them.
The writing itself dragged at times and was overly descriptive about tedious activities, like the main character walking from room to room or taking a bath, etc.

I'd like to see what else this author imagines up though... the pieces were all there!

A balm. I realized early on I could snatch chapters of this one as a reward for making progress in the things I didn't really want to be reading. Slater's voice is clear, distinct, and resonant, offering a somewhat gothic but also slightly sweet interpretation (or possibly conflagration) of old, soul shaking stories.

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slater is a fantastic dark fairie tale that focuses on the more water-based beasts. With appearances from Kelpie, Sirens, and the Queen of the Ocean, this book is filled with horrific and unsettling situations. The protagonist, Mirin O'Malley is searching for a place in the world after her family falls apart. With a magical tradition after her to be sacrificed to the sea and the possibility of her loving family ahead, Mirin goes questing to find her place. Along the way, she meets many mythical creatures and begins to understand her power within the world. I recommend this book if you're a fan of Katherine Arden, Kendare Blake, or just brutal faerie tales.

Thank you to Titan Books for providing me with a copy for review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Titan Books for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
This cover and description had me very excited but the book was just okay.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child death, death by fire, domestic abuse, child abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, gaslighting, isoltaion, misogyny, torture, kidnapping, mention of rape, forced marriage, incest, suicide</spoiler>

Miren is the last name bearing the proper family name and having been brought up in the right way, with all the cruel traditions. She always expected to inherit the manor and let the name fade out, but her grandmother has other ideas.

As you can see from the sheer number of triggering topics, this is not an easy read, and constantly more dark things are being revealed. If you need warnings in general, please check them out before picking this one up.

We have two main chunks: The beginning of the book in the family manor, with the introduction and grandmother's plan to bring the old glory back, a brief time spend on travel, and then the second place, which also is kind of a brooding manor hiding secrets.
I liked the change of locale, it didn't only make sense storywise, it makes this feel like a rounded book.

Even the side characters felt like real people, all having their own smaller plot that touches the big one we're reading about.While this is not my favourite book of all times or even this year, I now want to read more by this author and see what else they come up with.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

ALL THE MURMURING BONES is an alluring gothic fairy tale. The story weaves together family secrets and lies, broken bargains, dangerous plots and adventures, all surrounded by the mystery of the O'Malley’s power granted by blood and salt.
Other families might have stories of curses, cold lads and white ladies, but we have old gods, merfolk and monsters.

What makes this such an enjoyable story is how effortlessly the magical qualities feel. I was in the mood for something dark and atmospheric. A story that did not just allude to the magical and strange, but one that gave me something tangible to grab onto when reading. A.G. Slatter did not disappoint me and I found the world she created part fairy tale—part gothic horror, perfect as an escape. There is plenty of briny, sea lore, ghosts, and even witchy magic.

Miren is a heroine coming into her own. She feels easily relatable and I enjoyed the fact that for the most part, magic did not solve all her problems. She's smart and resourceful and doesn't need anyone to rescue her from all the dangers. There is plenty of adventure along the way as she uncovers the secrets which bind her family to the sea.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoyed either House of Salt and Sorrowsby Erin A. Craig or The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw.

DNF - did not finish. I struggled to connect with the writing style. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-Arc! My rating is in star form and will be included with this review. I may go back to more extensive reviews in the future, but while I am catching up on everything, they will continue to be stars only. Thank you so much!

3.5 ⭐

Really liked this book. The story was really nice with little short stories in between.
There is murder and a mystery and mixture of dark fairytales.
Strong female characters is one of the main reason I picked up this book and I was not disappointed at all!!

If you like fierce, feminist women, witchcraft, legends murder, mystery, dark magic then you should definitely read this book 😍

Angela Slatter is without a doubt the best voice in dark fantasy, mythological fantasy and a new approach to old myths. Her books are outstanding and I would love her to be translated into Spanish more often. She has such an impressive writing style. Just go and read this, for me it was top 5 of 2021 reads.

All The Murmuring Bones was hard work for me.

Unfortunately, I chose to DNF this book on this occasion - a rare thing on my part. Sometimes a book bounces right off of you, and that was the case with this one.

I think part of the problem is that it's marketed as a gothic fairytale, and yet it didn't come across as such.

Nonetheless, many thanks to Titan Books for giving me the opportunity to review this title.

Miren O’Malley is the last true descendent of the O’Malley’s, a clannish family who made their fortunes on the seas by striking a deal with the Mer: provide safe passage for their ships, in exchange for a child from each generation.

Unable to fulfill their end of the bargain to give a child of each generation to the Mer due to low birth rate, the O’Malley family has slid into decline and lost their fortunes. Miren’s grandmother schemes and plans to restore the family’s largesse by offering Miren up for marriage in exchange for wealth and the hope that Miren and her betrothed, a distant O’Malley cousin, will have children to resurrect the deal with the Mer and restore the family fortunes.

After a brutal murder sets out to a band the plans that Miren's grandmother has put in motion, Miren sets out to escape her planned marriage to her betrothed fiancé and seek out secrets from her past and hopes that her future may be vastly different than she hoped. Through encounters with Merfolk, kelpies, vengeful ghosts, and an angry sea witch, Miren seeks to control our own destiny, to right wrongs done to her and her family, and to evade men who seek to control her future and possess her.

I greatly enjoyed this book; I enjoyed the mythology and the fairy tale aspects of the tale. The book started off strong and grabbed my attention from the very beginning. However, my interests tended to wane toward the end where it felt like it sought to wrap up the conflict quickly. Many of the characters in the story are very hard to sympathize with or to even like many of them seem cold and greedy. However, Miren’s struggle to escape the life that has been planned for her is something to truly root for.
I give this story 4 out of five stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and to #Titan books for providing me a copy of this story for reading and reviewing. All thoughts and opinions of this story are my own.

When I first read the blurb for All The Murmuring Bones, I thought "Gothic mermaids? Yes, please." However, the story that I got did not line up with the story I was expecting. There are three separate plotlines throughout. There's the history of the O'Malley family, the mystery of Miren O'Malley's parentage, and last—but certainly, not least—a dash of the fantasy and the deal struck with the Mer. We get a taste of the former and the latter in the beginning as a third-person narrator matter-of-factly tells us just where the O'Malley's came from and where they have now landed. Generations of O'Malley's have had children and sacrificed them in exchange for wealth.

"One for the house, one for the church, and one for the sea."
A once prosperous and highly regarded family, they now are down to Miren and her grandmother Aoife in a dilapidated shell of the once rich estate. Expected now to marry a very cruel man to rescue the estate, Miren yearns for her freedom and for answers and sets off to find them.

I'll admit I found the pacing a bit odd. The prologue immediately draws you in with its fairytale feel, then abruptly drops you into Miren's life where nothing is really happening. There are drips and drops of fantasy elements in the beginning like corpsewights seen by Miren on the way to town and a cursed blanket. Those elements kept me turning pages for more but honestly felt disconnected from the story. You almost forget at times the world-building isn't simply historical until the author casually mentions trolls or some other mythical creature. Instead of immersing me into the story, these bits brought me out of it instead since I'd forgotten that this world had magic.

Another unfortunate flaw is while the story is very character-driven, I didn't care enough for Miren to be interested in her escape and life on the road and almost DNF'd more than once. When the reader is supposed to care about the journey and less about the destination, it's difficult when the character is dull as dishwater. I wanted to see character growth but it never reached the pinnacle I expected.

There's no denying the gothic elements. There are not one but two decaying manors. Family secrets around every turn. There is beautiful prose throughout and some fantastic imagery. The author excels at lush descriptive language. There are so many moments of fairytale goodness but it's interspersed throughout and doesn't feel cohesive. However, the second half of the novel completely changed and has a entirely different feel. It's dark and enchanting and satisfied my dark fairytale-loving soul.

If you want character-driven fiction, you'll probably love the journey with Miren. If you are reading this expecting a whole lot of mermaid fantasy action, I think you'll be disappointed. It's also touted as a very feminist novel but it almost goes to the other side. Men are vilified or disregarded, including a later romance for Miren. This is one of those reads that you'll feel strongly about. You're either going to love it or be bored to tears.

"The sea mourns when we die, we female O'Malleys, for whatever reason."
"Somehow, no matter where we are, the sea knows and it sends a tempest to weep for us."

All the Murmuring Bones is a haunting tale of lost fortunes, dangerous bargains, and the watery depths where secrets lurk. It begins with a grand family legacy, one slowly whittled down to a single remaining descendant, Miren O'Malley. It is up to Miren to save the O'Malley line from misfortune or doom it to the bottom of the sea. Caught between the expectations of her remaining family members and her desire to escape, Miren undertakes a perilous journey to discover the truth of her heritage. Brimming with magic and mystery, salt water and silver, Miren's story will enthrall you in a world of bloody bargains and ravenous mermaids. Hans Christian Andersen, eat your heart out.

Special thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

All the Murmering Bones was a bit of a confusing read but I still really enjoyed it. A mixture of fantasy and gothic horror, it was a bit wandering and convoluted in places but still a great story with characters that you loved to loathe!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the Murmuring Bones was such a fun and dark book to dive into. It was honestly a nice surprise too because I had no idea what I was going to get next while reading this. In it, you will meet Miren. She was such a likable character through and through. I think ever since her grandmother wanted her to marry her cousin, which ew, and she decided to go out and find someone else. Well. Shit. I feel love with the girl.

While on this magical adventure, so many things happen and I was just glued to each page that came my way. I don't even think I have a favorite character right now because we met so many wonderful creatures and people along the way. Especially the evil ones.

I do, however, kind of wish the relationships/friendships went a bit deeper here and there. I mean there are hints of a romance but it didn't feel like a huge thing for me to focus on. Then there's the villains, and eh - they were okay. Kind of evil but I definitely wanted more from them.

In the end, it was a pretty good book to dive into and I'm happy that I got the chance to do so!

I love Celtic fantasy and this book was quite Celtic in its mythology and also very very Gothic. The novel verges on horror, it is very well written, and the take on bargains made and the magical world wanting you to stuck to it was quite haunting. The feminist take on it made it really worthwhile. This is a mixture of Irish folklore mostly, mixed with notions of witchcraft, but it was quite original.

4 Stars