I am always looking for a good mermaid story. This wasn't one of them. The synopsis was misleading and I found myself not really caring about the characters

this book was super original, and i loved the writing and the atmosphere. it was wonderfully dark and gothic. i think the pacing was a bit too slow, and the two halves of the book felt pretty disconnected from each other. it's a highly character driven novel, so just be aware of that going in. i would definitely read more from this author

This was a gothic, mystery, suspenseful read that kept me engaged at all times. I found it to be a bit confusing in some parts, but overall it tied nicely in the end. I am not much of a reader of this genre so maybe that's the reason why the story didn't stay with me. Full props to the author for a good attempt to keep the readers engaged throughout the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Sadly I was unable to read this, as it was archived before I could download. Apologies - I’ll be looking for it in stores.

Angela Slatter hits another one out of the park!

This book is all about mood. There's a crumbling manor at the end of a cliff facing the ocean, eerie sea creatures, sacrificed children, a plucky heroine who must avoid the terrible fate that's been chosen for her and find where she belongs, a hidden enclave with a terrible secret, magic, an ancient curse. It's gothic but it's more than mood. A lot happens and our heroine has agency- she doesn't just sit there and wait for things to happen to her but drives the plot herself. It's an engrossing read by an author at the top of her game.

A.G. Slatter's "All the Murmuring Bones" is a haunting and enchanting tale that plunges readers into a world of dark magic and family secrets, where the echoes of the past linger like whispers in the night.

Slatter's prose is a lyrical lullaby, weaving a spellbinding narrative that sweeps readers into a realm of myth and mystery. The atmospheric descriptions evoke a sense of foreboding, transporting readers to a coastal landscape steeped in eerie beauty.

"All the Murmuring Bones" introduces a protagonist as resilient as the tide, navigating treacherous family dynamics and confronting otherworldly creatures. The characters are vividly drawn, with their desires and flaws intricately woven into the fabric of the story.

Slatter's world-building is spellbinding, blending folklore and gothic elements to create a rich and immersive setting. The undercurrent of dark magic adds an air of danger and intrigue, keeping readers enthralled until the very last page.

This haunting and atmospheric tale will leave readers captivated, lingering in their thoughts long after the final murmur fades away.

Honestly couldn’t get a grasp on this one. I am mostly a mood reader, so maybe it just isn’t the time for this one for me yet, but for now I can’t say much because I couldn’t finish it. I’m keeping it on my TBR to try again though when I can put my heart into it. I have high expectations for this one! (I won’t be publishing reviews until I’ve successfully completed it!) thanks for the ARC, truly!!

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting but I enjoyed it all the same. It was slower paced and character driven which I think worked well for a gothic fairytale. Miren was clever and could be classified as morally gray which I loved. She tried to do what was right but she was willing to do whatever was necessary to survive. The fantasy elements do take more of a secondary role in the story which may bother some readers. Overall, I thought this was a very dark, atmospheric, and smart read. If this sounds like something you would like, definitely pick this one up.

A beautiful gothic fairytale! Full of vivid characters, and visceral prose, this dark fantasy tale sucked me in and immersed me in its world. I'll be sure to pick up Slatter's next book!

All the Murmuring Bones is an atmospheric and compellingly gothic book. It can be slow at times but is a good read for autumn evenings.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for granting me access to an advanced copy of this novel*
Why I Requested It: The author A.G. Slatter, also known as Angela Slatter, has published other works I'm interested in reading. Also I had been looking for a not romance heavy mermaid stories, and hoped this Gothic mermaid story would scratch that itch.

What It's About: Long ago, the O'Malley's were a prosperous family, but as the bloodline dwindled so did their wealth. Now Miren is the last of the O'Malley's, and her grandmother schemes to secure their fortune again, but Miren is determined to take matters into her own hands, even if it means getting them a little bloody.

Cons: Nearly every character, including the protagonist, is a greedy villainous schemer with varying levels of violence. This in itself isn't a criticism so much as something I dislike, unless it's done well. It is, however, connected to one of the two biggest issues, which is a lack of a clear thematic threadline. In the beginning I get the impression that the story will be about power, the oppression of women, and freedom. As the story progressed beyond the first couple of chapters, however, the meaning behind the story as a whole gets muddled because different parts of the story are rather different from each other. As a result the only conclusion I got was that a woman can only gain power through subterfuge, which is a message I don't wholly buy into. The other major issue I had. was that the middle part just dragged and didn't bridge the beginning and ending together. So the plotline established at the start is almost completely separate from the plotline toward the end, but we are still following the same character and there hasn't been a large time skip, so there isn't a clear reason as to why this division in the story was done. This was why writing a synopsis was so difficult, because I almost need two of them. Lastly, despite the cover and synopsis there was very little of the mermaids in the novel, which I guess gives the book a more "real" feel, but I did want mermaids and I was expecting mermaids.

Pros: The atmosphere of the setting was well done because I did truly feel immersed in this Gothic seaside town and dilapidated manors. As separate entities I did actually find both the beginning and the ending storylines, one being about a girl trying to escape from a controlling home life and the other about a girl trying to pass as the rightful owner of a recently abandoned manor, to be engrossing and well written. The last thing I want to discuss that I thought was well done were the little vignettes throughout the novel. While they were superfluous, they had everything I wanted from this book in flash form.

Finishing Thoughts: As a full length novel, this book just did not work. It was too disjointed and there weren't enough fantastical elements to offset the darkness of the story. Considering that Slatter's previous works are novella's or short story collections, I wonder if the author is just not comfortable with full length novels. To be fair to Slatter, there was also some false marketing that did impact my reading experience. That all being said, since I did enjoy all the individual parts that could be contained, like the vignettes, this does make me want me want to read Slatter's back catalog.

Recommendations: Daphne du Maurier novels (Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel) for the scheming, morally grey ladies, and Uprooted for the darker fantasy elements.

I read All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter quite a while ago and it's one of those books that have a thrilling blurb and cover and then end up not being as compelling as one hopes it will be. Still, it was readable, a nice dark story about what one would sacrifice for prosperity. I just wish I had been pulled into the story a bit more. Alas, this book was just not for me. But if you like dark stories with mystical beasts, then this book may be for you.

Generations ago the O'Malley family struck a deal that in order to prosper they would sacrifice a child to the sea. But for many years, they have failed to do so, and now are suffering the consequences. Mirren has been bargained into a marriage in order to bring the family back to their glory. But her journey is just beginning as the dark secrets of her family start to unravel.

I really wanted to like this book, but there were a lot of issues with it. The plot had a lot of holes in it, including a few very large ones that made the story derail. It was said that Mirren was going to have a kid so they could sacrifice it, but then its also said her mother stole the creature they sacrificed them to many years before?
Then we have the part where she goes to find her parents, only to find someone who murdered them and is living in their home. This was like an entire other plot within the main one, and didn't connect to the main plot much.
Add in that the pacing was slow and it took multiple chapters before there was much action, and the book just flopped for me. I can tell the author can write, but this book was a miss for me.

Such a great book! I enjoyed reading this one so much! I highly recommend this book. Side note: the cover!!!!

This one started a bit slow for me and I contemplated just giving up a few times. But ultimately I'm glad I powered through and got to the second half. I felt it picked up, or I just simply became more interested and it was an overall enjoyable read.

Gloriously dark historical fantasy with a great Irish folkloric vibe. I loved it, reminded me of reading Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber' and Tanith Lee's novels as a teenager. I appreciated the main character's agency, Miren doesn't suffer from being one of those passive characters, she's a survivor and defends herself violently when needed in a very satisfying manner..! Call it morally grey if you like but the times she took harsh action I felt were justifiable.

I enjoyed the stories woven throughout and the various creatures populating the wilderness that feature occasionally - the Kelpie, Mer People and zombie ghost things are exactly as dangerously fascinating as they should be. Some things that happen off page are pretty horrid and dark but I didn't find the majority of the novel as grim as I was expecting. I am massively intrigued by this world now and can't wait to read more tales from 'Sourdough and Other Stories' and 'The Bitterwood Bible' as well as the forthcoming 'The Path of Thorns.'

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

A dark atmospheric fairy tale with mer-persons and more. It’s certainly a slow burn story but one well worth the vibes. Very unique and special

This was a very atmospheric, very dark (but not *grim*dark) book. It reminded me a lot of the feel of Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy, though were those books had a very *cold* feeling, the feel of these books was very …. There’s not really a good word. Wet? Damp? Moist? Soggy? These books felt like a remote, cold coastline. Not a sunny beach; more like the coast of Labrador or Scotland. Cold and windy, with the taste of salt in the air, and hardy sea grasses clinging between the rocks.

Miren O’Malley is one of the last scions of the once-numerous-and-powerful O’Malley clan. It’s been reduced to her and her elderly grandparents, living in the decaying near-ruins of their family manor, and some more distant cousins that aren’t *true* O’Malleys. The book begins with the funeral of her grandfather, and with her grandmother’s determination to return the family to glory.

The foundation of the family’s power was a dark bargain the founder of the house had made with the merfolk of the sea: one child of the family per generation offered as a sacrifice, and prosperity and wealth for the O’Malley clan and safety for their ships. But with their numbers dwindling (Miren’s parents died when she was a baby) this bargain can’t be fulfilled and the family has suffered. The meat of the book is Miren’s flight from the marriage to one of her distant cousins that her grandmother intends to force her into, and towards the secrets of the O’Malley past and her own parents. Along the way she encounters riselka, kepies, selkies - all sorts of mythological oceanic creatures, in other words - as well as assorted ghosts and undead.

Interspersed throughout are small tales from the O’Malley collection of family stories. How factual they are is a matter of some debate, but by universal consensus there’s truth in all of them.

I’m always a sucker for a well-done journey of self-discovery, and that’s what this book is. Miren coming to learn of her family’s past, and her own; how she’s been shaped by her grandmother and her parents’ absence; and what she wants and does not want for her future. Mostly what she wants, what we all want, is agency: the freedom to choose her own path and not have one forced upon her.

Strongly recommended.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

This is more of a slow, heavy family drama than the Gothic fairy tale I was expecting from the cover and blurb.

Most of the story delves into the family history and mysteries of the O’Malleys and the importance of doing whatever it takes to boost the family fortunes and reputation. It is only once you are more than halfway through the story that any of the fantasy and mysthology elements really begin to come through, and even then, they aren’t really the main focus.

I really liked the O’Malley book of tales and the stories from it that were sprinkled throughout, and the hook of reneging on a ‘deal with the devil’. I also love any sea-folk mythology – kelpies, mer and so on – so that was a big draw for me, although it really only played a small part in the story.

I was interested enough in the mystery of Miren’s family bargain, and the bits of fantasy lore, to persevere to the end, but I did find the feminist messaging a little heavy-handed and the slow pace combined with the lack of a clear plot made the read rather hard going.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog