All the Murmuring Bones

'All The Mumurung Bones' is a beautifully written tale told from the perspective of Mirin O'Malley, a young woman finding and claiming her place in a world that wants only to use her as currency to pay an ancient debt and breeding stock to preserve a bloodline. It draws on Celtic myths and aspects of fairytales but, at its heart, it's a story driven by a pragmatic understanding of the nature of power and the price to be paid for it. Triumph here won't come from a Fairy Godmother waving a wand or a handsome prince riding to the rescue but by from the strength of Marin's will and the sharpness of her wits.

Like many of Angela Slatter's stories, 'All The Murmuring Bones' is set in the Sourdough Universe that I first encountered in her show more wonderful novella, 'Of Sorrow And Such' about how women survive in a misogynistic world. I quickly found myself immersed in this richly imagined world yet it wasn't the world that fascinated me but Mirin. She's young, isolated and in mourning for the death of the grandfather who raised her. What shone through was her self-awareness, her pragmatism and her deep yearning for more in life than her grandmother believes she is destined to have. I was, of course, immediately completely on her side in her struggle not to live down to her grandmother's expectations.

'All The Murmuring Bones' is a richly textured story that's carried as much by Mirin's character as it is by the twisty plot and the gothic environment. Although the Sourdough Universe is not our world but one sown with magic and popluated with strange things, the people in it feel real in terms of how they hate, how they love and what they long for. A strong theme in the book is how dynastic stories shape the lusts and twist the lives of each generation, trapping rather than freeing them, making them characters in a play they didn't write. What makes Mirin so engaging is the combination of her determination to break free of the received narrative by writing her own script and her acceptance that she may get blood on her hands from time to time.

I enjoyed the way Celtic fairy tales were woven into the story not as fantasy but as guides to dealing with the beings alive and dead that Marin encounters. The middle section of the book had the feel of a quest to it but not in the video game 'win points and level up' way but more as life lived for a while with a goal much longed for but not well understood.

The last third of the book was filled with threat, betrayal and violence that kept me turning the pages eagerly. The ending wasn't what I expected but it fitted Mirin's character perfectly.

'All The Murmuring Bones' was a very satisfying stand-alone fantasy that I highly recommend. I suggest listening to the audiobook version if you can. Aoife McMahon's narration does justice to the lilt of the language and helps Mirin's character to shine through. show less

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 show more 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.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.* show less

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 show more 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 was 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.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. show less

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, although I’ve previously enjoyed a couple of her short pieces. It strikes me as a coming of age/finding yourself adventure with folklore(ish) elements. I enjoyed the short tales scattered throughout and felt they went well with the overall atmosphere.

I didn’t love the first person, present tense narration, especially as the tense sometimes jumped around (and not in an artistic/appealing way). I preferred the latter part of the story (dealing with a mystery) to the earlier aspects of escaping an unwelcome situation. Although we spend the entire book in Miren’s point of view, her character didn’t make a strong impression on me, and she felt rather distant. Maybe it was more that show more she didn’t seem much (internally) changed at the end vs the beginning.

Enjoyable fantasy with touches of the grotesque show less

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 show more 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.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.* show less

Wow, can Slatter ever write. Beautifully crafted novel; a story that propels you forward even when you really ought to be going to bed. Believable supernatural creatures, nuanced characters — I just plain liked this book.

This novel is about as gothic as you'd want it to be, but also with mermaids. Set in fantasy country whose mythical creatures are mainly drawn from British and Irish folklore, it's about a young girl on an adventure in search of her parents and her family's secrets. What I liked: The plucky heroine with agency and a whole-hearted embrace of gothic tropes. What I didn't like: Like most novels these days, it's a bit too long and could use some editing. The language becomes too flowery in parts and thus can come across as artificial. The plot is meandering and draws from so many sources that it seems all over the place. And I guess every book has to be in present tense these days. Overall, an entertaining story with perhaps more appeal for show more young adult audiences. show less