I have several of Angela Slatter’s books on my shelves, but this might be the first full length novel I’ve read by her, and what a wonderful surprise it was! All the Murmuring Bones is an enchanting tale of hidden magic, of dark secrets and mysterious creatures of the sea, and at the center of it all is a fiercely independent young woman who uses her wits and resources to go on a journey of soul searching.

Set in the 19th century on the Irish coast, the story follows protagonist Miren who is last of the “true” O’Malleys, an old family which has long held sway over the local community. But even as their wealth has dwindled over the years and their ancestral home of Hob’s Hallow stands in near ruins, the O’Malley name still much power and influence. For this reason, Miren’s grandmother Aoife has arranged a marriage for her in the hopes of restoring the family’s fortunes. However, while her intended Aidan is a wealthy man, he is also from an offshoot of the family who has always lusted after the O’Malley name and estate, so for him the union will be nothing more than another business transaction.

In a twist of fate though, Miren soon discovers a secret revealed in a collection of her late grandfather’s old letters. Growing up, she’d always been told her parents died when she was a baby, which was why she was raised by her grandparents. But now, she has reason to believe her mother and father are still alive, living at a place called Blackwater. No one knows where that might be, but Miren is determined to find it and confront her parents on why they gave her up. Besides, she has no desire to lose her freedom or to stay at Hob’s Hallow—especially once she realizes the awful bargain her ancestors had struck to ensure the O’Malley’s prosperity, and that Aoife wants to Miren and Aidan follow in their footsteps. With the sudden death of her grandmother, Miren realizes she has no reason left to stay, and so she makes her daring escape.

What follows is a beautifully written tale, with as much adventure as there is danger. Slatter’s prose is flowing and practically flawless, descriptive yet also tinged with a thread of our protagonist’s wry sense of humor. For this reason, while the story frequently edges into darker territory, it still maintained an easy air that prevented the mood from becoming too heavy (and kept me glued to the page). Of course, it helped too that Miren was such a strong and likeable lead, and the injustices of the circumstances she faced made it easy to feel invested in her quest and cheer her on through her struggles.

On top of that, the author does a superb job at setting the scene, creating a vibrant setting populated by mythical creatures like kelpies, ghosts, merfolk, and more. In fact, the world-building is surprisingly well-developed, considering her delicate approach to the paranormal—not with a heavy hand, but giving just enough to give the reader a sense that these elements are as real to the protagonist as the world she lives in. It’s a kind of magic one can feel working from the very first page.

Miren herself is a character that feels very relatable. Although she is resourceful and intelligent, she’s not the most level-headed, her emotions often running close to the surface. Strong feelings are quick to flare up in her, which sometimes leads her to act impulsively, landing her in or out of trouble depending on the situation. The people she meets are also delightful, even the shady scoundrels and ne’er do wells. Truth be told, it kept things interesting, not knowing how Miren would react to the many random surprises or obstacles she encounters along the way, and these unknown wonders also served to drive home the fairy tale inspiration behind her journey.

All told, I found this novel captivating. Slatter knows how to hook the reader, and All the Murmuring Bones certainly held my attention rapt with its indomitable protagonist, artful storytelling, and rich atmosphere.

Wow,  what a beautiful gothic fairy tale! This story kept me engaged from beginning end.  Angela Slatter transports her readers to magical lands filed with witches, ghosts, scary mermaids, murderers, and other terrifying creatures. Her strong independent female lead is very refreshing. I found myself rooting for Miren throughout her harrowing journey to find answers to her past and future. I liked that her character was determined to get what she wanted despite impossible odds. This is a dark tale that will keep you reading late at night until you reach the last page.  I hope you give it a try. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review.

DNF at 20%. Will possibly read again in the future.

All the Murmuring Bones should have hit a lot of familiar spots in my book tastes, such as it being a very dark gothic fairytale fantasy standalone. It probably wasn't just a book for me at the moment because I couldn't get through it as I thought I would have. It really held a lot of promise and potential, and I think I would pick this book up again in the future when I'm feeling more hopeful towards it.

This book was awesome! The story blew me away! Modem is a great character and I was hooked on every word. This was dark fantasy at its best! Absolutely loved it!

An interesting plot but not my type of book. Good for those who enjoy paranormal themes and fantasy with historical elements. Well written but not for me.

A dark fairytale featuring twisted, evil mermaids? Yes, please!
I may have set my expectations a little too high, though. Don't get me wrong - this is a good book - but it's just not quite what I was anticipating. The book follows Miren O'Malley, an orphan who's grown up with her grandparents. When her grandfather dies, Miren is promised to a cousin for marriage by her very own grandmother. The O'Malley's are a family who takes pride in their name and their 'pure blood'. But then the grandmother dies, too, and Miren doesn't want to marry her jerk cousin. So when she discovers letters from her parents - who are very much alive - she goes looking for them.
It's an interesting adventure, with assassins and kelpies. And Miren does find the house her parents ran away to - but all is not what it seems.
While there are a few mentions of mermaids, as well as a mermaid queen, there wasn't as much about them as I hoped. The twisted O'Malley tales are great (and creepy), but it's definitely not /about/ mermaids. As in, they're not really the main plot. Again, it's pretty well written and definitely an interesting take on the genre, but not quite what I was hoping for.
That said, it is still a good book. The stories about the mer spread throughout the book were possibly my favourite parts. There were a fair share of magical creatures, too. I wasn't overly sure about Miren herself - she seemed to lack emotion a bit, in my opinion. But overall, I'm glad I read it and I would recommend it to anyone who likes dark, gothic tales. 4 stars!

This was one of those books I really wanted to get into and for whatever reason couldn't do it. I'm not giving this book a bad review because what I did read really was good just not gripping enough! Will update when I get back to finishing it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

When Miren’s ancestors strikes a deal with the mers to get safe keeping for their ships, her family soon risk falling on the wrong side when they fail to keep to her bargain.

This is very character driven and is a bit slow paced so if you don’t like a lot of action or prefer your books to be plot driven, this is not one for you.

Sadly it wasn’t one hundred percent one for me, I found it hard to fully understand what was happening at times.

But I loved the magical elements to it. I did feel it was well-written and brilliant described.

Full of mythical creatures, it’s a magical read but with a twist.

All the Murmuring Bones is one of those divine books that is just so perfect for my taste that it is hard to describe what I liked about it or why without sounding like I am completely bonkers.

I am quite partial to gothic writing – I love reading something that gives me that creepy sense of unease, where you feel like something isn’t quite right even when you can’t quite put your finger on why – and I think Slatter nails it in this book. I also like the traditional fairy/folktale feel of how the narrative unfolds, and the actual stories that Mirin tells from time to time throughout the book. The combination of these two, and Slatter’s magical writing, meant that all the way through it just absolutely hit the spot for me. Like, I felt like every word was so perfectly placed that it is hard to wrap my head around that an actual person wrote them (I told you – I am bonkers for this one!)

I really loved Mirin – I thought she made a great protagonist to go on this journey with. I do love an underestimated young female character, who everyone assumes is quite meek but given the chance you just don’t know what they might do. Something else i really enjoyed about this one was the range of creatures we meet – from the mer around Hob’s Hallow to a water kelpie that appears later in the story – these sorts of books and characters always pique my interest, and this one left me wanting to learn more about the tradition and folklore behind them.

I do want to just clarify that while i do read and review a lot of YA fantasy books, and often those have some elements of fairy/folktales at their centre, this one is not YA. It gets pretty dark and sometimes a bit disturbing – there are a bunch of themes in here that deserve content warnings (including, but not necessarily limited to abuse, incest & blood purity, gore, murder and violence), so I encourage readers sensitive to particular topics to look for more info before diving in. Publisher Titan Books ran a blog tour for All the Murmuring Bones so you might like to start with those bloggers’ posts for more info/views (you can find them listed in this tweet).

Obviously this was an absolute hit for me, and has cemented Slatter as an ‘auto-buy author’ for me. I was super excited to see that All the Murmuring Bones will be followed in 2022 by Morwood, another gothic fantasy novel set in the same world, which is also the setting of Slatter’s short story collections Sourdough and Bitterwood, and I think The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales is also set in the same world.

While this book was not what I expected, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 1st person POV is usually hit or miss for me, and in this case A.G. Slatter nailed it. I absolutely loved Miren’s character and the opportunity to experience the story through her eyes. I would categorize her as a morally gray character, but one whose choices I understood and whom I saw as a kind-hearted young woman striving to do what was right.

I would describe this book as both “dark” and “gothic”, but otherwise its description does not do it justice. The synopsis only describes the first third of the book, perhaps even less. While Miren’s grandmother provides the catalyst for the story, there is so much more beneath the surface of this tale (pun intended) that isn’t mentioned in the description. Because of this, I’d encourage you to pick it up so that you can see just how well the layers are built upon the information provided upfront. AtMB is very much a character-driven story, and each new twist and turn only enhances it further as Miren’s choices propel the plot forward.

This book involves magic, but it isn’t nearly as important as the family legacies, myths, and creatures that make up Miren’s world. Her backstory and relationships within her family hold an otherworldly essence of their own, especially given the folklore passed down through the generations. In addition, Miren encounters various water creatures along her journey that Slatter incorporated into the story in unique ways. And yes, this book has its gruesome and unpleasant moments, but I couldn’t help remaining hopeful as Miren sought to unravel mysteries of the past while fighting to create a future of her own.

I would have liked to see some of the side characters fleshed out or incorporated more, from the travelling troupe of performers to Brigid and even to the green-eyed man. I’m also a huge sucker for romance, so I would have liked for Slatter to dive deeper into Miren’s relationship with Jed. Lastly, I wish the climax and the downfall of the villains could have been slightly more drawn out and dramatic. That being said, this book still has a great cast of side characters both good and evil, and each one was woven in well to fit their part in the story.

In the end, I truly enjoyed this book and how I found myself looking forward to reading it before bed. Although it’s a standalone, I will likely pick it up again in the future and will also be on the lookout for A.G. Slatter’s future novels.

Thank you to Titan Books via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A slow burn gothic tale that I wrote enjoyed. The lyrical quality of the book was intriguing. Some parts of the plot could have been better, and more to the point. Very nearly did the story drag on too much but it kept pulling forward just in time before I got bored

I would like to thank NetGalley for an e-book ARC. :)

*
I was so delighted to read this novel, it had a very interesting story and I had the feeling this could have potential. And it does, but I am afraid the author didn't use the ideas in the right way. I had the feeling it was full of cliches. <spoiler>Once upon a time, there lived a girl who was of a special family, of the O'Malley. The family that was once rich, but now has lost all of the wealth. The girl's grandfather dies, and she is left with her evil, selfish grandmother who only cares about getting paid for the debt girl's mother left behind. The girl was to be married to her cousin Aidan, for he is wealthy and he could help, but the fate helps her run away, since her grandma is killed. She is running away from Aidan, but at the same time she is trying to find her parents, who left her when she was just a little girl. On that journey, she meets unusual people and sea creatures, she is in many difficult situation, until she finally finds the country of her mother and father. There she meets her uncle who is too welcoming, and the story unravels: the uncle killed her parents wanting to take over the kingdom. His wife was working as a cook, and she might have helped him. Then Aidan appears out of nowhere, wanting to get what Miren's mother took many years ago. In the end, Aidan dies, Miren is safe and happy with another man, while the sea creature is freed. And Miren as well as O'Malleys are no longer obliged to feed the creature with a child of their family... </spoiler>

I wish the author had used more sea creatures, explain some situations with them better, or somehow use them in a better way. The legends and stories should have been incorporated more naturally, of course, this was just an arc so it may have been finished until it is published. I believed there were many other things that could have been developed more deeply. I wish we had the chance to read more about some other family members. Some situations are just lightly mentioned, without any further explanation. On the other hand, cliches and predictable situations were very vivid and too often. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to read some of the author's works before so I am not quite sure if it is her style if she didn't have enough time for rewriting or working on changes. I wish she had left it for some time and then return to it.

What happens when you renege on a deal with a monster? Miren O’Malley is the last daughter of true O’Malley lineage. The family used to be mighty and successful, but that luck (is it just luck?) has dwindled as surely as their bloodline has. There have always been rumors about how the O’Malleys managed to be so rich and successful for so long, but the truth has been kept strictly secret. This is where All the Murmuring Bones starts.

Miren’s grandmother is the matriarch of the O’Malleys and is desperate to regain some of their lost glory. She plans to marry Miren off to a rich, abusive jerk. Needless to say, this doesn’t sit well with Miren. She flees, but is followed-not just by her intended, but by the mer.

These aren’t your Disney merfolk. The mer are dangerous and mysterious. I loved everything about them. In fact, they are not the only wild and savage creatures of legend that make an appearance. Rusalka, kelpies, and more give All the Murmuring Bones a dark mythical feel that drew me in.

Miren is smart, capable, and no stranger to bloodshed. There is no boundary she is unwilling to cross to keep her life and her freedom. Her flight to safety turns into a quest for answers and the switch is fascinating and brilliant. I’m used to gothic novels sticking to a single setting. However, Miren’s travels allow the world and plot to open up magnificently.

I did feel there was a misstep here and there. For example, the ending wraps everything up in a neat little bow that feels a little out of place considering the path the rest of the book takes. I would have liked seeing parts of the story left, if not unexplained, at least a little enigmatic. Also, the climactic event was over sooner than I was hoping. It felt a teensy bit rushed. However, these are small complaints in the grand scheme of things and the rest of the book is really stinking good.

All the Murmuring Bones is a gothic novel that hits all the right points. I highly recommend it.

This book was an adventure, a journey through a story rather than a book. A beautiful reading experience, written in stunning lyrical form that was enough to transport a reader far away, and is hard to put into words. Utterly luscious and darkly mythical, this is a book that will stay with me.

All the Murmuring Bones is a delicious, horror-infused, gothic-laced folk tale. Miren's story begins like any ordinary tale, she is the granddaughter of a matriarch whose power and influence is wavering leaving the future of the O’Malley name resting on her shoulders. Miren feels this burden like a lead heart, suffocated by her family's expectations of her future prosperity. As soon as Miren is promised in marriage to a cousin to thicken the family's bloodline, she makes the brave decision to turn her back on the ocean and the bay of Hob's Hallow once and for all. With each turn of the page in Miren's adventure, the story tumbles further into the depths of folk legend. Corpse wights haunt the marshes, merfolk reign over the oceans and ghosts meander over the land seeking revenge.  Miren seeks the freedom to carve her own destiny but that destiny comes at a heartbreaking cost... 

A.G.Slatter’s tale is not for the faint-hearted, it’s as dark and unforgiving as the tales of Hans Christian Anderson. Girls brutally murdered haunt the shores, kelpies prey on the lost and an assassins sword can be bought as easily as a loaf of bread from the market.  All the Murmuring Bones is a surreptitious, horrifying tale that tosses you around like the sea, magnifying echoes of folk stories into gruesome newness. My first five star read of the year.

I'm really enjoying the trend of fairytale-esque fantasy at the moment, and really enjoyed this more gothic take.

Started off strong, although the ending got a bit predictable, but still a really good book. Will look forward to future works by the author

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

All The Murmuring Bones is a Gothic folk-tale, that pays a tithe to the dark atmospheric lore of the sea. An all-consuming tale of a young woman, Miren, who must pave her way beyond the tradition of old, and make for her own freedom from the men who wish to control her and the desperation to restore the power that once gave the O'Malley's their power over the town of Breakwater.

"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."

Breakwater, as well as the other towns we encounter in All The Murmuring Bones, is very much a Fantasy 19th Century Irish backdrop where magic, while still thriving, is something old and forgotten with the remnants of Kelpies, Mer, and Ghosts still wander as a remaining reminder of the land's history. Serving as the perfect setting for a story of a family that once owed their power to the child sacrifices that they made as payment to the Mer.

"One for the house, one for the Church and one for the Sea."

Throughout, I came to deeply adore the characters, in particular the female characters, who all seemingly fit around each other like some form of knot that comes from complex and matriarchal family dynamics. They were all fierce, a force and all have a found strength that I deeply admired, despite the obstacles that they posed to Miren.

All The Murmuring Bones is not one I would recommend if you don't like lyrical, ornate prose. As well as overall this felt a lot more literary and character-driven, which slowed the pacing; this is something I really love, but I know that this isn't going to appeal to everyone.

As a child, I had a fascination with mermaids, and have been searching for years for a book that as an adult reader, could connect with and fall in love with. All The Murmuring Bones achieved that for me, encapsulating the Gothic genre and utilizing it to heighten the fantastical elements and enamor me with rich, inviting prose. Despite this being labeled as a Mer book, they were more an omniscient threat to the protagonist, in addition to the fantastical elements of Slatter's worldbuilding and I really vibed with that.

This is definitely for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden; for fans of alluring prose, fierce women, and dark folklore. A.G. Slatter is an author to watch, and I cannot wait to see what she will bring with her next release, Morwood, which is set for release sometime in 2022.

I’m not going to lie the beginning and the O’Malley family history while fascinating was a slow read. But I loved the setting it created. I’m assuming it’s 18th or 19th Century Ireland, she never really says but with names like Aoife, Isolde, Brigid, and Fitzpatrick I am assuming. This was a time when superstition still was powerful and made the fears true.
I like Miren, she is strong and smart. She is cunning, but also seems to have a good heart. I think when she dealt with her cousin Brigid this was most evident, she abated her vergence when the truth was known. She has not led an easy life, and the twists of her family tree and history are plentiful. But she doesn’t fear her adventure, she embraces it like a true heroine.
Is the setting dark, yes. Although I just finished a book set in 19th Century London, that made this book look light and airy. I found the darkness in this book refreshing, it wasn’t an oppressive or heavy darkness, it was gothic the way it’s meant to be written...dark but not overwhelmingly so.
I love the way the lore of ghosts and mer-people are woven into the story. I really wish I had saved this to read in October.

All The Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter is a hauntingly beautiful tale about a woman out to get everything she's owed.

Miren is a firecracker of a character. She's presented as a naïve and sheltered girl by everyone around her, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Once the audience gets to know her, she's resourceful, cunning, kind and so deeply hurt. She's wary of others but that doesn't stop her from respecting and treating them right, whether they be human or creature. Her self reflections were my favourite aspect of her character as she recognises how flawed she is and seeks to be better throughout the book. She is best embodied by this quote, because all she's ever wanted in life was the choice:

‘I don’t need you,’ I say, ‘I want you. That should be enough. That should be better because it means I’ve made a choice.

As the story is told in 1st person POV, we only get to experience other characters through Miren. Despite her wariness, they come off as rounded, full of lives that don't revolve around her which adds a richness to the book.

A.G. Slatter does a wonderful job with establishing the world. Inspired by Irish folklore, it blends myths and reality in a perfect balance where the creatures and the magic are just part of every day life, as is their prosecution. While all women are gifted with magic of some sort, the rising fears of the church mean they need to keep it under wraps lest they be the next target. This worry isn't every present, but it's obvious enough to add a layer of dread to the world. Since few of the creatures are benevolent, Miren's world is a dark and dreary place that lends itself perfectly to Slatter's gothic setting.

The plot here revolves around Miren's desire to find her parents, only to stumble upon one family mystery after the next. Throughout her journey, she only gleans bits and pieces of her past until the very end, which keeps the audience on edge too. The plot is occasionally interrupted by the O'Malley fairytales, which only serve to give more backstory to the world. They didn't overwhelm the story, nor did they create jarring breaks.
Overall it was satisfying, though in my opinion the weakest element since it pales in comparison with the world and the writing.

Slatter enchants her audience with her writing. All the Murmuring Bones is told very much like a fairytale. There are omission, repetitions, small time skips, but Slatter weaves all that together in a way that caught me completely off guard because they work seamlessly with the story. More than anything, it's her writing that sets the atmosphere and it never falters. This is my favourite aspect of the book; even though it's easy to breeze through, the structure forced me to slow down and truly appreciate what Slatter had created.

All The Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter was a stunning book. This was my first true foray into the gothic genre and I've come out with a deep appreciation for it.

What a delightfully gothic tale! I had so missed reading lush, dark stories, and this one fit the bill perfectly. I'll admit, the prologue had me a little on edge, but oh, it was so worth the read! Also, I would like to point out that one of the notes I made while reading was: "two fart jokes in the first chapter!" Truly, we love to keep it classy here. But then the description of Hob's Hollow, and opening with a funeral...that's that gothic goodness I do like!

And, much like the literature of yore, there's a good amount of incest discussed, as a content warning for you.

Miren is one of those plucky leads that you can't help but love. She's very self-aware, and yearns for her dresses in this fantastical Not-Ireland (the story feels very Irish, with folk tales scattered throughout) as she works to uncover a mystery about her parents and her family. The folk tales Miren tells herself are so wonderfully familiar, without being dry. Honestly, give me more merpeople and selkies and kelpies! I truly loved this story, and it's a perfect read for rainy spring days.

Full of wonderful creatures from my favorite stories, All The Murmuring Bones was such a wonderfully dark read, with that gothic flare I've been craving. I give it 4 out of 5 scales.