DEFINITELY NOT WHAT I EXPECTED

This book suffers from one big flaw - false advertisement. I started this book thinking I was going to be getting a gothic fairy tale. It became clear very early on, that while it was gothic, it was definitely no fairy tale. There were no fairy tale elements, hardly any magic (and the little there was, was inconsequential to the story). So this was really just a big disappointment.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Pace: It took soooo long for this to get started that it actually never really did. The beginning dragged on and on with no direction in sight and I was close to DNFing this numerous times. I felt bored.

Plot: As far as I can see, there's no plot to this book. It's character driven and plotless. That does not appeal to me at all, I need a plot to get me engaged. At least just a shadow of a plot. I couldn't even find that.

Premise: The actual premise of this book was so different from the advertised premise, which made me so annoyed. I found myself skipping pages just to see if the promised premise - of a gothic fairy tale with mer people - would ever materialize. It didn't.

Characters: There were absolutely none of the characters, that I cared by in any way. If you're going to write a character driven novel, at least make the characters somewhat likeable.

For me, the book had a bit of a slow start but then it picked up and it was so good! It is well written and I really enjoyed the small tales inside of the story, I didn't want to skim through them as I usually do in other books that do the same thing. This book is worth the read!

I wasn’t sure what to make of the book at first, as it delved far more into long descriptions of the O’Malley family and how they ended in the state they were in the ‘present’. I wasn’t even entirely sure on the timeframe the book was set, although I guessed somewhere in the 19th Century when corsets and long dresses were still worn.

That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the descriptive chapters - they built the world up that Miren lived in deftly, and it related to further chapters down the line (or later in the book as it were)...

I’m not sure if we saw the development of character with Miren. Some books, you see the characters change and evolve, but I think this book was more a focus on Miren as she was. Is. She’s quite a strong character, despite the era she lives in. How she became that way is mentioned - but only that she is her grandmother’s daughter. You get the impression that she had to be strong to deal with her grandmother and the fact her parents disappeared from her life at such a young age. What I would have liked is some background to Miren, to understand better how she became such a fighter - for fighter she is, and she proves that in the interactions with the opposite sex.

I love myth and folklore, and this book didn’t disappoint. It made them real in a way I have seen in other young adult books, but I felt that this was on the cusp between young adult and new adult, as well as perhaps historical, due to the timeframe this book is held in. There are old myths other than your usual fey. The mermen and women are more akin to their fierce old stories, and there are introductions of selkies and water horses that I recognised from the old tales. This is a book for those who are eager to seek out those old stories, a book that delves into them with a keen eye and with much darker descriptions than some books are want to. I did feel it was quite dark in places, but not so to keep you up at night.

I’m writing this review on International Women’s Day, and I think it’s a perfect book for that. Miren is a strong, capable woman despite the time she lives in. She fights for her freedom and ensures it at any cost. While I would have liked to see more character development rather than all the descriptive passages, I still quite enjoyed the book, and the fact I couldn’t put it down speaks volumes.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

"Angela Slatter is the author of the supernatural crime novels from Jo Fletcher Books/Hachette International: Vigil (2016), Corpselight (2017) and Restoration (2018), as well as eight short story collections...


She has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, an Australian Shadows Award and six Aurealis Awards.

This is the first book I've read by Angela Slatter. All the Murmuring Bones is a mixture of dark Gothic and mythic elements with a protagonist who wants to escape the strange O'Malley family and become her own person. The writing is lush and atmospheric, and the story doesn't really begin until chapter two. The first chapter is a beautifully written history of the sinister O'Malley family.
Miren, abandoned by her parents when she was a child, was raised by her grandparents. After her grandfather's death, her grandmother Aoife O'Malley prepares to use her granddaughter in keeping the O'Malleys viable by forcing her to marry an O'Malley cousin.

Miren, however, has long wanted freedom from the O'Malley traditions and makes some plans of her own. In the course of her journey, Miren meets with all manner of strange creatures: kelpies, ghosts, corpsewights, and other Irish folkloric creatures.

All the Murmuring Bones is a slow paced experience, steeped in Gothic and Irish folklore.
Blog review scheduled for March 9.

NetGalley/Titan

Myth/Fantasy. March 9, 2021. Print length: 368 pages.

DNF @24%

I am just not feeling this one. I could not find myself getting invested in the story and just plain got lost.

I still recommend giving it a shot if you enjoy gothic stories. A lot of supernatural elements are combined here and I think it will speak to many readers.

- “stories are history, whether they’re true or not”
- first person pov
- “just hang on to whatever’s solid”
- MERMAIDS
- mystery and intrigue that slowly unfolds
- death, murder, and malicious plots
- not one, but two, decrepit mansions
- short fairy tale stories intertwined
- nicely tied up ending

Just wow...loved this!

This is a really really good read....the O’Malley family, used to be incredibly rich thanks to a deal that they struck with the Mer...a pretty gruesome deal to be honest, but fortunes have faded and Miren is the last of the line. Her grandmother has plans for her to restore the fortunes but Miren doesn’t agree...

This is a really well written book, the characters came to life for me, and near the end my heart was racing, to the extent I was willing things to happen...

Just utterly spellbound by this book (pun intended)

My thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I went into this book, but from the very first page I was absolutely blown away by Angela Slatter’s stunning writing.
Our main character, Miren, is the star of this book, and I loved her from the moment she was introduced. Throughout the entire story she is brave, bold, and ruthless. I loved seeing her grow throughout the book, and I was sad when it ended as I would have liked more of her. The supporting characters are all brilliant too, even ones that briefly appear are multi-dimensional and interesting. Women are very much at the forefront of this story, which is something I absolutely love to see and read.

The plot was interesting and although slower at the start, keeping me on my toes throughout. There were so many elements to this story, including murder-mystery, gothic, and fantasy, and I loved how twisty the plot was. One thing I would say is that mermaids don’t feature as heavily in the story as the blurb would lead you to believe. They're in there, but the focal point of the book is Miren’s journey. However, there’s mention of lots of other creatures such as ghosts, selkies, and kelpies, that are woven into the story.
This book reads like a fairytale, one of the darker original fairytales where not everyone gets a happy ending and things aren't always what they seem. This writing style, combined with the characters, meant that I couldn’t put the book down. I had a big book of the Brothers Grimm fairytales as a child and loved them, and All the Murmuring Bones felt like a longer version of one of them (complete with some fantastic shorter fairytales thrown in).

I really did love this book and thought it was incredibly clever and unique. In fantasy there are often then same tropes recycled again and again, but this story felt like something completely new and different. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after you’ve read it, just because it’s so spellbinding. The comparison to Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik (two of my favourite authors) is one I totally agree with. I read an ebook version of this book but will be purchasing a physical copy for myself so it can sit on my bookshelf, as I'm sure I’ll want to reread it in the future.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the Murmuring Bones was an instant favourite. This is a truly spellbinding book that kept me up way too late into the night. The author's rich prose slowly drew me in until I was so immersed into the story that I completely lost all sense of time and space. It had been a long while since I was so absolutely and utterly sucked into a book!

I was definitely reminded of Naomi Novik's and Katherine Arden's books, two authors who wrote some of my favourite fantasy novels - and a rare instance of a blurb actually making a connection I agreed with. This book takes its time, so might not appeal to people looking for a fast-paced read, but it just worked for me. I really connected with the author's style and I ended up enjoying even the detours. I loved how the O'Malley's traditional stories were woven in throughout the book: while for the most part they weren't fully adding to the plot, they gave extra depth and insight into the family's history and traditions.

The gothic atmosphere and folkloristic elements (such as mer-folk, selkies, ghosts, and so many more) worked beautifully together to create a dark and intricate world. The world-building does take a bit of a back seat in favour of character development, but I didn't mind too much since I usually prefer the latter anyway. I do love a good family secret, and this book was chock-full of them! I kept being surprised, and even though I had suspected where a few of the plot lines would end up, the way they were developed was still incredibly satisfying.

Character-wise, the book mostly relies on Miren to carry the whole thing. And she's entirely up to the task! I didn't immediately love Miren and found her too passive and bland for my liking, but her top-notch development quickly made her one of my new favourites. By the end, I fully admired Miren's strength of character and spirit, unbroken despite all the pain she suffered in life, and her quick wit. She was constantly undermined and underestimated by all those around her, and yet despite that she persevered in forging her own path.

Overall, this was an extremely pleasant surprise, completely exceeding my expectations, and a book I can see myself gushing about for a long time yet! Might be particularly appreciated by lovers of dark folklore and fairy tales, strong character development and just enough magic.

CW: this book contains mentions of abuse, violence (including against children), murder and incest.

"If I know anything for certain it's that neither love nor hate is ever simple."

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All the Murmuring Bones is a haunting family story set in a world of vengeful magical creatures. Miren is born into a family steeped in history and tradition but their wealth has faded and her grandmother is ruthless in her pursuit of restoring their former glory. 

I’ll admit, the first 20% was heavy and dark and had few fantasy elements - I considered DNF-info but I’m glad I stuck with it. Miren comes into her own as the story progresses and ends up on an interesting journey to discover what happened to her parents. Along the way she meets mythological creatures of all sorts, flexes her own magic and uncovers just how far some people will go for power and wealth.

There are lots of fun fairytale, mythological elements but with that you need to check some logic at the door as this one progresses. Some character interactions / reaction and plot progressions just didn’t make sense to me. But in the end it entertained me and that’s what it’s all about!

Took me a while to get into the story. I was just confused during about the first 20 % of it. I didn't understand what it was about.

Loved the writing style, and the fairytale vibe. Loved all the small stories in it.

I thought the main story was a little boring. I liked the main character, and didn't care much for the other characters.

I really loved some of the mystery, (which doesn't happen often). I liked the ending too.

This books was slow to begin with but definitely within the last 1/3rd of the book it picked up and I enjoyed it. The main character was funny and endearing and I liked the way she was written. Full review to come

All the Murmuring Bones was a compelling and original tale. The unravelling of the family mystery over the course of the story was nicely handled, and the action moved along at a good pace. Miren made for an engaging heroine, and I liked that the romance element came in late and didn't overshadow the rest of the story, as sometimes happens. The Gothic atmosphere was well presented, and all up this was a delightful read that held my interest throughout. I would definitely pick up other books by A. G. Slatter in the future. This was a 4.5-star read for me.

(This review will go live at the links provided below on Tue 9 March 2021)

You can find my full review on my YouTube channel. I LOVED my experience of reading this book. All the Murmuring Bones features a strong female protagonist who fights back agains sexist social norms at the time. The horror elements were so cool and well done in this book. I absolutely can't wait to read more from the author.

Thank you so much to Titan Books via NetGalley for the early digital copy of All the Murmuring Bones! This is a hugely atmospheric, dark fairy tale from A.G Slatter that I think most fans of lore and legends will love

All the Murmuring Bones is all of the things in the description and more. Miren is the last of the O'Malleys and is absolutely not going to be controlled by any man, nor give children up to the sea. Reeling from the decisions made by her grandmother before her death, including an arranged marriage, Miren takes off to find her (presumably deceased, but not) parents.

Her journey is met with ghosts, wights, kelpies, Merfolk, and all other sorts of legend. All obstacles aside, Miren is Aoife's granddaughter and has a basic knowledge of witchcraft, and she is of an absolutely fierce line of women. I liked the theme of the men having a semblance of control throughout the family history, while the women truly and obviously ran things.

The story is addicting, with little short stories intertwined as Miren recalls or learns more family lore. There is murder and mystery and bargains to be made.

The book starts at Hob's Head, the family ancestral home, a sea side estate falling into disrepair. With wights on the main road and a family crypt, the setting and atmosphere are set. Her parents home of Blackwater is equally mysterious, but it's hard to go there without spoilers on the mystery so I won't. Lets say that just about nothing at Blackwater is as it appears, and I was just shocked at .. All of it.

Let's just say that the setting, atmosphere, and storytelling are absolutely first rate.i

If you like fierce women, witchcraft, lore, legends, murder and mystery and more, all drowning in dark fairy tale atmosphere, please check this one out!

All The Murmuring Bones serves as a lushly somber salute to the sea and the fearful legends that lurk beneath its surface, a gossamery gothic fantasy about a girl spun of saltwater who knows only the loneliness of her longing to be free and her struggles against the strangling grip of a family game to sell her to save their own skin. Miren is made bold and bitter by her blanching mistreatment by the O'Malley matriarch, balking at the marriage she is manipulated into and bent on branching off after the answers about her abandonment and the autonomy she aches for. Ultimately unafraid of her blighted bloodline, she is unerring in her mission to uncover the mysteries of the mangled memories of her mother and the book of myths bequeathed to her; Slatter weaves maritime metaphors and mer mythology together with the whimsical magic of a woman who might once have been meek and maidenly but winds up wary and weary from her misfortunes, working her witchcraft for manipulation and wielding it as a warning against the wicked men who will murder for the money it means. Slow to start but unshakable once it pulls you under, All The Murmuring Bones is a plucky and spell-binding story of sea-faring creatures, stranded curses, selfish cruelty, and the sheer courage of casting off one's clan to have the clarity to come into your own.

This book felt like it was trying to be a lot of things: a dark fairytale, a gothic horror, a feminist crusade; but didn't really quite succeed at being any of them. It won the most points for me with regards to the fairy tale aspects: A.G. Slatter is certainly a stunning prose writer, and a lot of the language here was lovely. My favorite parts were the ones that leaned the heaviest into the folkloric themes, such as the short interludes of stories from Miren's book and her encounters with various creatures.

However, it was less successful with its gothic energy and even less so with its feminist message. The first half of the novel and the second half of the novel felt essentially like repeats of each other: exploring one dark, mysterious house is fun enough but it gets a little repetitive when the protagonist rolls up to the second one. I also took a lot of issue with the feminist messages going on here: there is no doubt that Miren is complex, but EVERY single other woman in this novel was villanized, demonized, or set against Miren in some way. Furthermore, my BIGGEST pet peeve in novels is when fatness is used as a way to degrade female characters in comparison to the protagonist. Both Nelly and Brigid are described as larger than Miren (who we are reminded frequently is beautiful, tall, and slender) and are implied to be at various times villanous, cowardly, shallow, and overall lesser people than our protagonist, even if Brigid gets a rapid and somewhat confusing redemption. It really rubs me the wrong way when a novel claiming to be feminist not only lacks ANY (obvious) women of color but also puts down every other woman in the vicinity in order to put the protagonist on a pedestal.

Generally this book had a lot of really interesting ideas, but the world-building beyond immediate locations felt frustratingly vague and the characters and themes left something to be desired.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

A rambling old house that’s falling apart, mermaids and long made bargains with the sea, a headstrong young woman determined to live her own life rather than the one family obligations insist upon, and an evil man (or two or three) hellbent on breaking the will of that young woman. And don’t forget the stories told from one generation to the other that are old enough to be unsure of if they’re truth or tale.

This book holds all my favorite aspects of a true gothic novel. It’s not a fast read, but it is an engrossing one. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had such high hopes for this story as I loved the sound of a gothic mermaid fairy tale, but I personally feel that this is mostly false advertisement if I'm honest. As a result, I ended up feeing extremely disappointed by All The Murmuring Bones; this story is mainly a really slow paced and character driven historical read where the fairy tale part only pops up sporadically until well into the story. Not what I had signed up for at all, and the story I did find sadly didn't work for me either. I'll try to further explain my feelings briefly below.

I already mentioned the lack of gothic fairy tale vibe and other 'magical' elements in general, but this was one of the things that I was really disappointed by if I'm honest. I expected to be mesmerized by mermaids and Irish folklore being woven into a magical story, but instead it's mostly a slow historical read where the main character keeps moaning about how bad her family treated her. Most of the fairy tale elements are simply stories that have been in the O'Malley family for a long time, and the 'real' fairy tale elements don't start to pop up until well into the story... And if I'm honest it's a miracle that I even made it that far.

Oh yes, sadly I've been debating whether to just DNF instead for a long time, and in a way I still wish I did... Because while the second half of the story was slightly better and felt at least a bit more like the gothic mermaid fairy tale that I was promised, I don't think it actually made up for the initial disappointments. I think I kept reading to learn more about the Irish folklore stories more than anything, but as a whole All The Murmuring Bones wasn't what I expected, and not in a good way.

I wasn't really a fan of the writing or characters either. Miren is such an annoying main character that I simply couldn't connect to despite her supposedly being strong and resourceful. Her constant complaining and interactions with others just really got on my nerves... Which didn't really help making me feel better about the story itself either of course. The rest of the cast was a bit of a mixed bag, but as a whole for a mostly character driven story I don't think they were developed enough or at least sufficiently realistic.

As a whole, sadly I didn't exactly have a positive experience with All The Murmuring Bones despite having such high expectations for it. I still like the premise, but the actual story didn't deliver what promised and I came close to DNFing more than once. It was definitely a miss for me, but a lot of people do seem to react to it more positively so don't give up on my account if you think it sounds like your cup of tea.

All the Murmuring Bones is a darkly atmospheric tale full of folklore and a captivating story about one woman as she charts her own new path from a rather grim life. This wasn't quite what I expected it to be, and if you're looking for a story with a lot of Mer presence, then this probably isn't what you're expecting either, but I still really loved this story for what it was and the inclusion of folklore and (supernatural) elements that made it deliciously dark and unpredictable and full of danger at every corner.

This is a tricky review to write because there's so much that I want to say, but for so many reasons I'm not sure how to say it, nor do I want to give anything away. It's not that this ia story full of twists and turns, but it is very much one meant to be experienced personally rather than told about. This story follows Miren O'Malley as she decides to take her life's path into her own path after some unexpected tragedies and the rather arduous, foreboding journey she takes to find answers about her past.

Miren is a woman that I grew to love and admire for a variety of reasons. She's a bit prickly, one might say, and is not exactly the most endearing person, but her self-imposed distancing of herself from others is a result of her upbringing where she needed to be strong and aware of those who may try to take advantage of her or her remaining family. I found her caution and determination to be some of the most compelling points about her--she is rightfully fearful of many things she encounters and other various threats that pop up, but she doesn't necessarily let this fear rule her in any overwhelming manner. Miren knows what she wants, she knows what she has to do attain, and she does not stop for anyone or anything. Her growth is subtle, but present, and I am grateful to have been able to accompany her on her journey that was beautiful and difficult and went to some exceptionally dark places at times.

The story is told entirely through Miren's POV, but interspersed throughout are small folklore stories that are essentially about the O'Malley family's history, especially in regards to their ties to the Mer. I loved how these stories were included and how much depth and layering they added to the world and story in general. Sometimes they were framed as stories being read by Miren's grandma, at times they were stories told by Miren to herself as a comfort, at times she told them to others, and in others she read them herself. If you like folklore stories and fairy tales, then I promise you will love this aspect!

This is one of those subtly creepy books where everything just feels... off. There's something abnormal about the setting and the people and you can't always put your finger on what it is, but you know that presence of unnaturalness is present and is as much a character in this book as the people are characters. If I were to compare it to anything, I would say that some of the feelings/vibes I got from this book reminded me of ones I got from Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (though don't take the comparison too seriously, as they are fairly different stories) and I think if you liked one, you will like the other.

All the Murmuring Books has a slow, careful narrative that isn't one you'll rush through because of the intense action scenes, but rather one you'll rush through because you just can't help but feel a desire to know what unpredictable and likely slightly disturbing thing is going to happen next. I will say that this book had a slower start that took me a little while to get into, but once I got a couple chapters in, I was hooked and wouldn't have stopped reading this book for anything.

Lastly, I wanted to leave quick note that I learned after reading All the Murmuring Bones. This story is apparently set in the same world that Slater has written other short stories in and some of the folklore stories we get in this book are drawn from her other stories. I hadn't read any of Slater's works prior to this and I don't think I had any issues diving into this one, so I wouldn't hesitate to read this book at all in case you have heard something similar. (The benefit is that it means I need to read more of Slater's work now!)

Overall, It's five stars from me! If you need a dark folklore-esque tale to round off the winter season (or any season works, really), then you should be sure to check out All the Murmuring Bones.