Genres: Dark Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, YA Fantasy | Release Date: 8 April 2021 | Standalone | Pages: 320 | Publisher: Titan Books | Review
“But who can keep secrets from the waters when they are all joined?”
A. G. Slatter
Overview:
It took me a while to get to All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter, but I’m so glad I pulled it out of my TBR book fort to read this month! This is a gothic, dark fantasy with an incredibly menacing atmosphere and it’s been such a rewarding read.
Miren O’Malley is the last ‘true’ O’Malley and heir to Hob’s Hallow. Hundreds of years ago, the first O’Malley made a deal with the mer for prosperity, at the expense of a child from each successive generation. When Miren’s grandmother wants to force her into a marriage, Miren begins to plan her escape. Papers in her late grandfather’s possession hints at where Miren could possibly find her parents, and thus the gothic fairytale begins…
The sleeping sea drake by Dirty Paws Australia thinks so too!
Happiness Boost:
This is a grim fairytale like you’ve never read before. And yes, I deliberately said grim as a play on both the actual word *and* a nod to the Brothers Grimm. Slatter plays on the darkness fairytales used to have, echoing those warnings that parents used to imbibe them with, so their children would not be led astray. I love that we were given this again within All the Murmuring Bones.
Miren doesn’t want to be a pawn in someone else’s game, and the lengths she has to go to, to escape her fate? Oh to have the strength of will that she has! I admire Miren’s tenacity. But Slatter gives us a feast in the characters populating this dark fantasy… Everyone has their own objective within this world, and you can’t trust any of them. Is there something wrong with me that I love that? Probably! But give me my darkness and I’ll bring the cookies!
Magic has power, and in many books we don’t see the toll it takes on a person. We don’t see the cost. In All the Murmuring Bones, we do. From the terrible trick a family member plays on Miren, to how an estate can continue to churn out prosperity for everyone living there, there is always a cost. I honestly think I’ll be dwelling on this book and how much I love it for months to come. Maybe the sea-queen’s power transcends the page…
Downside:
I don’t have a downside. We were promised a gothic fantasy and we got one!
Final Thoughts:
All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter will steal your breath, just as the mer steals children’s lives. It is a gripping dark and gothic fantasy, filled with warnings about making deals with the wrong people (or mer). I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading this tale, and if you love dark stories about the price of power? This needs to go on your TBR list. Happy reading, glitterbugs!
You can order All the Murmuring Bones via these links:
