All the Murmuring Bones is a gorgeously written tale about a young woman’s quest for self-determination as she fights to unshackle herself from a fate sealed generations ago, when her family made a deal with the mer. I found Miren to be a captivating protagonist and I so admired her fortitude even as she was faced by overwhelming grief and loss. Though she was consistently underestimated, she proved herself to be more than capable of meeting any challenge head on. The O’Malley family fables woven throughout the book added a rich sense of history and helped elucidate the pressures and expectations on Miren for simply bearing the name.
Although there were mer-folk, ghosts, fae creatures and certain magics in the story, to me, the book did not feel so much a “fantasy” novel, as a story about Miren’s personal journey with folkloric aspects woven in. The character development felt much more advanced than the somewhat sparse world-building, however I found myself not minding as I have a personal preference toward character driven stories and the prose writing was excellent.
Overall, it was a thoroughly captivating read that I didn’t want to put down. I will definitely be looking to read more books by A. G. Slatter in the future, I’m excited to see what other stories she creates.
Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing this ARC.
– Hailey