All the Murmuring Bones
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-12 09:16:08
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：A.G. Slatter
- ISBN：1789094348
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Long ago Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation。 But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline。 Miren's grandmother is determined to restore their glory， even at the price of Miren's freedom。
A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets， magic and witches， and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them。
A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets， magic and witches， and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them。
Reviews
Sarah Z
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I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I have been reading some mediocre books lately and I really needed something different that made me excited to read again。 This was that book for me。 I really enjoyed it and would really rate it as a 4。5。 As people say， this is a dark， gothic fairytale。 It has stories， fables and lore all rolled into it that all spin some semblance of truth about the history of the O’Malleys and their wealth。 It doesn’t hold bac I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I have been reading some mediocre books lately and I really needed something different that made me excited to read again。 This was that book for me。 I really enjoyed it and would really rate it as a 4。5。 As people say， this is a dark， gothic fairytale。 It has stories， fables and lore all rolled into it that all spin some semblance of truth about the history of the O’Malleys and their wealth。 It doesn’t hold back on violence and it features a very strong and smart heroine I really liked。 You saw her grow up as the book went on。 There was a great range of characters both devious and kind， some fantastical and some human。 It made for such a great mix to the story as everyone served their purpose。 I actually wish there was another book。 There are so many sequels and offshoots that could be made from this。 Not to mention a book of just the stories （which I think there is somewhere）。 Great book。 I’d definitely recommend it。 I’ll be reading more from this author。 。。。more
Sydney Zimmer
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I was pleasantly surprised by this book！ I've read some disappointing books that in some way shape or form include mermaids and have been disappointed。 I really thought I was going to be disappointed here as well based on the description， but I ended up really enjoying this book！ The best way I would describe this book would be a gothic fairytale sell your soul to the devil - if the devil is a mermaid。 I thought it was dark and creepy and haunting。 It kept me on my toes as I genuinely couldn't g I was pleasantly surprised by this book！ I've read some disappointing books that in some way shape or form include mermaids and have been disappointed。 I really thought I was going to be disappointed here as well based on the description， but I ended up really enjoying this book！ The best way I would describe this book would be a gothic fairytale sell your soul to the devil - if the devil is a mermaid。 I thought it was dark and creepy and haunting。 It kept me on my toes as I genuinely couldn't guess what was going to happen next。 My only gripe was that the story took a bit for me to get into。 But once I was in， I was hooked！ 。。。more
Isabel
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This arc was provided by Titan Books， via Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。
Idina Jomia
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Great book - Slatter writes beautifully， and the first person pov is always a unique and pleasant addition if done right （which Slatter does indeed do right！）。 Full of tones of the sea and an eerie story， this book is the perfect dark fantasy。 Creative， haunting， and very well-written; a wonder of a new book！
Jessica Sims
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AMAZING dark fantasy， just wow。 The sea vibes， the creepy-factor， the title itself。。。loved this read。
Jennifer
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Well this was a rollercoaster from start to finish。 I went in expecting a simple gothic fantasy about a young woman， heiress to a crumbling mansion surrounded by spooky sea creatures。 What I got instead was an odyssey full of continuous twists and turns。 The story kept unfolding and becoming a journey in and of itself。 I can’t say more without spoiling it， but it definitely takes you on a trip。I wasn’t sure that I liked Miren as a character。 She has had a difficult life to an extent but her cons Well this was a rollercoaster from start to finish。 I went in expecting a simple gothic fantasy about a young woman， heiress to a crumbling mansion surrounded by spooky sea creatures。 What I got instead was an odyssey full of continuous twists and turns。 The story kept unfolding and becoming a journey in and of itself。 I can’t say more without spoiling it， but it definitely takes you on a trip。I wasn’t sure that I liked Miren as a character。 She has had a difficult life to an extent but her constant complaining was getting irritating。 She claims to have an education about the setting of this world and it’s magic， so I would’ve rather heard her talk about that instead。 How ever as the story progresses you see her start to take charge and grow into herself。 She’s constantly put into situations where she has to rely on her own strength and cleverness to save herself。 This is a character driven story， but her journey just keeps unwinding and continuing that in itself it becomes its own unreliable narrator。 This novel can sort of call itself a fantasy， but really it’s a straight up horror novel。 Now this is what a good gothic story should be。 It doesn’t rely too heavily on tropes but still creates the right atmosphere。 I love gothic stories with seaside settings， and this one especially has the right mix of lore and ambience。 The descriptions of the manor house and the area around it really bring it all together。 As the settings change that dark ominous quality changes to， but it’s still there。 I can just imagine spooky houses and stormy skies over everything。 The mermaid lore is my favorite part of the novel。 It borrows merfolk lore from all over the world。 As a nerd for all things mermaid， I was able to recognize a lot of the mythology and it was used in a way that really added to the spookiness。 Selkies， rusalka， mermaids， all of it。 Trigger warning however， there is a lot of ghost lore in it as well。 This is where the horror aspects really come in。 I my self wasn’t expecting so much horror， but I’m not put off by it。 However my one complaint is that I would’ve liked more insight into the world this story takes place in。 Magic and how it’s perceived and used are touched upon， but very briefly。 I would’ve liked a bit more exposition on how the world worked。 This is a really great example of both a gothic novel and a dark fantasy。 I recommend it for fans of The Infernal Devices or other series that combine a bit of horror with a fantasy of manors。 And if you like merfolk stories， you might like this one too。 All in all， it’s an engaging story with lots of twists that maybe has the potential for a sequel？ Or a spin-off？ Could be anything it’s band new！ 。。。more
Alicja
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Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my audiobook copy。 ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ is a dark gothic tale， with undertones of twisted fairy tales。 While A。 G。 Slatter’s book wasn’t exactly what I expected， I have enjoyed it a lot。 I listened to ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ in the audiobook format， and Aoife MacMahon does a splendid job as a reader of this book， narrating the story from Miren O’Malley’s perspective。‘All the Murmuring Bones’ follows Miren， a young woman， whose family has struc Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my audiobook copy。 ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ is a dark gothic tale， with undertones of twisted fairy tales。 While A。 G。 Slatter’s book wasn’t exactly what I expected， I have enjoyed it a lot。 I listened to ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ in the audiobook format， and Aoife MacMahon does a splendid job as a reader of this book， narrating the story from Miren O’Malley’s perspective。‘All the Murmuring Bones’ follows Miren， a young woman， whose family has struck a deal with the mer people a long time ago。 Thanks to this their prospered， and done well for themselves for generations。 But this is just a story now， not more than a fairy tale， for that O’Malleys are nearly gone and they haven’t kept their part of the bargain in a while。 Full of vivid descriptions， ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ works great in the audio format， drawing you deep into the story。 It’s darker and at moments， slower， than I expected， but I found it interesting to witness Miren’s journey。 She’s not necessarily the easiest character or the most likeable one， but definitely an interesting one， with her family’s history being definitely fascinating。What I enjoyed the most about ‘All the Murmuring Bones’ was the mystical and a little magical realism-like atmosphere of the book。 。。。more
Blue
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Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you NewSouth Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest reviewThis might have been one of the few books that I was really looking forward to reading this year， and well you know my theory on blue books， they are always amazing！Miren is the last of the O’Malleys which are an old mysterious family that aren’t afraid to tangle with the darkness。 When the dealings and dabbling in the darkness is beginning to close around Miren’s freedom， she take Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you NewSouth Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest reviewThis might have been one of the few books that I was really looking forward to reading this year， and well you know my theory on blue books， they are always amazing！Miren is the last of the O’Malleys which are an old mysterious family that aren’t afraid to tangle with the darkness。 When the dealings and dabbling in the darkness is beginning to close around Miren’s freedom， she takes her life into her own hands。This dark fantasy book was delightful and well balanced！ There wasn’t a moment where the pacing was off， information dumped on you and characters growing dull。 The whole book from start to finish was entertaining and Slatter’s managed to build a world where you can immerse yourself 。。。more
Cory
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A delightfully gothic & Celtic tale of a woman breaking free & doing the unexpected。 Darker than I expected， with a rich history & interesting characters。 I sense there is a good deal of Celtic folklore in here that I am unfamiliar with， but it is compelling to read nonetheless。 Grimm's Fairy Tales meets Disney's Brave， & it is well worth a read。4。5/5 A delightfully gothic & Celtic tale of a woman breaking free & doing the unexpected。 Darker than I expected， with a rich history & interesting characters。 I sense there is a good deal of Celtic folklore in here that I am unfamiliar with， but it is compelling to read nonetheless。 Grimm's Fairy Tales meets Disney's Brave， & it is well worth a read。4。5/5 。。。more
Austin
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i really liked this but i do think it suffered from not being in Blackwater more， like， that was where the most interesting things were going on and i wish we had gotten more it but overall this was a wild time
Karen
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EnchantingAll the Murmuring Bones is a unique and enchanting tale with a strong female protagonist。 The story is a combination of mystery， fantasy， and adventure。
Stella S
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a gorgeous novel exploring femininity and the retelling of a fave folklore story
Jami
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:）
Annarella
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A good dark fairy tale that kept me hooked。Excellent world building and character development， an interesting plot that kept me hooked。It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine A good dark fairy tale that kept me hooked。Excellent world building and character development， an interesting plot that kept me hooked。It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Raygina
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The story had serious potential and I did enjoy parts of it。 The last half I pretty much had to drag my way through and I found the ending to be incredibly unsatisfying。
Erin Cook
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Incredible story about power， secrets， and greed in a magical world with memorable characters。 It pulled me in and I knew I wouldn't stop until the end。 I can't wait to revisit this world next year！ Incredible story about power， secrets， and greed in a magical world with memorable characters。 It pulled me in and I knew I wouldn't stop until the end。 I can't wait to revisit this world next year！ 。。。more
Debi
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Storytelling at its finest。I started this book at 7:30 this morning。 It is 4pm an I have just finished it。 What an intriguing tale。 I loved the language and how quickly the story moved。 There was no point at which I could put it down because the narrative kept no ing。 Well done。 Highly recommended。
Makayla
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All the Murmuring Bones was a fantastic， gothic tale that absolutely enthralled me from start to finish。 I quite literally read it in a day。 I loved the incorporation of so many aquatic myths like mer， kelpies， and more。 I only didn't give it 5 stars because there was one plot point I didn't feel was truly resolved or explained by the end， and I'm not gonna lie， though the "bloodline purity" thing made sense it made me a bit uncomfortable。 Still， I would highly recommend。 All the Murmuring Bones was a fantastic， gothic tale that absolutely enthralled me from start to finish。 I quite literally read it in a day。 I loved the incorporation of so many aquatic myths like mer， kelpies， and more。 I only didn't give it 5 stars because there was one plot point I didn't feel was truly resolved or explained by the end， and I'm not gonna lie， though the "bloodline purity" thing made sense it made me a bit uncomfortable。 Still， I would highly recommend。 。。。more
Anastasia Garcia
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All the Murmuring Bones is part familial saga and a love story to fantastic beasts。 A young woman the last of long line of matriarchs must reckon with family secrets she uncovers。 She sets out on a quest to escape an overbearing marriage proposal to find her family and shake free from the family curse。 The beginning of the story is slow-going， like trudging through wet sand， but you’ll find the occasional beautiful sentiment， like seashells， strew along the way。 Throughout the story， the main ch All the Murmuring Bones is part familial saga and a love story to fantastic beasts。 A young woman the last of long line of matriarchs must reckon with family secrets she uncovers。 She sets out on a quest to escape an overbearing marriage proposal to find her family and shake free from the family curse。 The beginning of the story is slow-going， like trudging through wet sand， but you’ll find the occasional beautiful sentiment， like seashells， strew along the way。 Throughout the story， the main character often harkens back to a family book which houses fairy tale and legends。 The reader is uncertain of which ones are fact and which ones are false and which ones carry a grain of truth。 But more often they are a ham-fisted way of explaining everything the character needs to know at that moment。 Soon the stakes are raised and the character is set on a personal quest where she meets all sorts of monsters and must decide which humans in her life are telling the truth。 There were so many adorable moments of fantasy， like all of my favorite bits of fairy tales rolled into one story。 Spiteful mermaids， water horses， ghosts， books with family legends， ocean zombies， and practical witchcraft。 As the plot thinned and her journey appeared never-ending， the monsters took hold and I began to love the story for the attention paid to each fantastic creature。 By the end of the book I overlooked any grievances with the plot and just enjoyed living temporarily in a world where mermaids could hold a grudge， ghosts are tricksters， and a matriarchal family could bend monsters to their will。 [SPOILERS: The book is like a mirror folded in half， each half of the book tells the same story。 Part I: She is trapped in castle by the sea by an oppressive fiancé。 Part II: she is trapped in another castle near a body of salty water held by an oppressive uncle。 All the while finding cheat cards along the way in the form of a helpful kelpie， spiteful mermaids， fairy tale books， hidden letters， and more。] 。。。more
Ella
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A sinister and intimate fantasy that boils down to a discovery of family history and sins。 Set in a Irish like country in a vague 18-19th century period with mermaids， kelpies and witches， All the Murmuring Bones tells you the twisted story of the O’Malley family。 Mirum is the last heir to a once powerful family whose crumbling wealth has placed the weight of rebuilding their name firmly on her shoulder。 I loved Mirum， she was a wonderfully stubborn character with a spark of O’Malley viciousness A sinister and intimate fantasy that boils down to a discovery of family history and sins。 Set in a Irish like country in a vague 18-19th century period with mermaids， kelpies and witches， All the Murmuring Bones tells you the twisted story of the O’Malley family。 Mirum is the last heir to a once powerful family whose crumbling wealth has placed the weight of rebuilding their name firmly on her shoulder。 I loved Mirum， she was a wonderfully stubborn character with a spark of O’Malley viciousness that’s tempered enough to break the chains of family greed。 Seeing this strange yet familiar world through her eyes while she bargains with kelpies and ghosts was a delight。 I got a very Witcher vibe from this world but without the big battles and world ending plots， which I enjoyed greatly。 It’s narrow in its focus， going from a runaway bride to a murder mystery as we learn the dark history of the O’Malley’s through the tales they carry from each generation。 It’s a wonderfully gothic fantasy that would be perfect for fans of Naomi Novik。 I listened to the audiobook and loved Aoife McMahon performance。 To be fair it’s hard to not love an audiobook narrated entirely in an Irish accent but Aoife’s narration added to the wonderful folk tale atmosphere， especially when they’re reading out the O’Malley tales。 Thanks to W。F。 Howes for giving me an audiobook proof in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nèngath
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This gothic tale feachures murderous ghosts， cannibal mermaids and water horses！ The gallery of wondrous and scary creatures of Ireland’s waters is quite fascinating。 Fierce， arrogant and resentful， Miren is a heroine after my own heart， one who takes things into her own hands instead of moping around。 It is definitely not a romance， but a family tale。 Miren tries to mend her relation with her mother Isolda and grandmother Aoife， thus putting an end to a legacy of greed and deceit。 Awesome！
Sara
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So， so good。
Jenna Griffin
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2。5 stars。
Loren C
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This book would have been 3 stars for me if the main character （and by extension， the author， imo） hadn’t been so judgy。 Everyone she meets she assesses their physical characteristics and god help a side character if they are ten pounds overweight: villain！ weak！ stupid！ Meanwhile she goes around banging anyone with green eyes and thieving。 How is she better than the rest of the murderers in this book？ Because she is sometimes nice to people， when she’s not manipulating or murdering them？ Could This book would have been 3 stars for me if the main character （and by extension， the author， imo） hadn’t been so judgy。 Everyone she meets she assesses their physical characteristics and god help a side character if they are ten pounds overweight: villain！ weak！ stupid！ Meanwhile she goes around banging anyone with green eyes and thieving。 How is she better than the rest of the murderers in this book？ Because she is sometimes nice to people， when she’s not manipulating or murdering them？ Could have been a really cool story， had all the bones for it， haha， but I couldn’t get past how much the MC disdained the unattractive to group her with “the good guys。” And it wasn’t a well enough written book to pull off a MC who is 50/50。 。。。more
Hannah Royal
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eh。。。。 the last 25% of the book almost made it worth 4 stars but then I thought about how I almost DNFd it in the beginning。 maybe if I would’ve read it in fewer sittings I would have enjoyed it more but 🤷🏼♀️
Becca Mee
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TW: incestThis book is a bit too incesty for my taste。 It has high reviews， but besides the incest between first cousins being a thing I couldn't get past that I couldn't visualize or understand this world。 TW: incestThis book is a bit too incesty for my taste。 It has high reviews， but besides the incest between first cousins being a thing I couldn't get past that I couldn't visualize or understand this world。 。。。more
Rhinnan
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This was such a great story but the Kindle edition， at least， needed a proofreader。 There were enough spelling and grammatical errors to be noticed and found annoying。
Jess
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I really liked the unique world building in this
Samantha Bingham
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All The Murmuring Bones follows the story of Miren O’Malley as she discovers the truth behind her families previous wealth， and current decline。 Her entire life， she has lived solely with her grandmother and grandfather。 However， following the death of her grandfather， Miren’s grandmother decides there is only one way to restore her families glory。 In an attempt to escape this fate， Miren goes on a quest to find her mother and father。 With the help of unlikely allies， this quest she leads her to All The Murmuring Bones follows the story of Miren O’Malley as she discovers the truth behind her families previous wealth， and current decline。 Her entire life， she has lived solely with her grandmother and grandfather。 However， following the death of her grandfather， Miren’s grandmother decides there is only one way to restore her families glory。 In an attempt to escape this fate， Miren goes on a quest to find her mother and father。 With the help of unlikely allies， this quest she leads her to the truth about her family and herself。I found this book extremely slow to start。 I didn’t necessarily like the ambiguity of location and time period。 However， when the book finally picked up， I was unable to put it down。 Miren becomes an extremely likable character， and the story takes twists and turn which you don’t always see coming。 Additionally， I enjoyed that the magical elements of the book weren’t in your face。 I felt like Miren and her story felt more like the focus of the novel， and the magical elements just happened to be there as well。 It makes it feel almost as if you could see this happening in your life as well。Slatter’s writing is intriguing。 While at moments I was iffy on how I felt about it， in the end I settled on really enjoying her writing style。 It felt sophisticated without being stuffy。 She does an excellent job of helping to paint a picture later on in the book。Overall， I really enjoyed the book。 I would definitely recommend it to others to read。 。。。more
Runalong
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A brilliant mix of folklore， family secrets and even the gothic thriller house get combined into a truly new torching dark fantasy tale I highly recommend Full review - https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 A brilliant mix of folklore， family secrets and even the gothic thriller house get combined into a truly new torching dark fantasy tale I highly recommend Full review - https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=All the Murmuring Bones
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=All the Murmuring Bones&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft