A review by aliyyah
All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
“They cannot burn every single woman, tempting though it might be.”
This was such an interesting read!
All the Murmuring Bones is about a girl named Miren, who belongs to a family that once prospered because of a deal struck with the Mer. Over the years, however, the family has become unable to keep up their end of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of her granddaughter’s freedom but Miren is determined to choose her own path in life.
I loved the plot of this book. It genuinely read like a fairytale and I highly enjoyed the way the story was told. I really liked the little secrets about Miren’s family and their history that were uncovered throughout the story as well, as it added another level of intrigue to the novel.
While we meet many characters in this book, its main focus is on our protagonist, Miren. We follow her journey throughout the novel, watching as she deals with whatever obstacle is thrown her way. I really enjoyed reading about Miren. She’s clever, determined and constantly underestimated by those around her. I love the way she takes control of her life and does whatever is necessary in order to be free. I also liked that, despite growing up starved for love and affection, she still ensures to be kind to everyone around her.
The writing, unfortunately, fell a little flat to me. One thing that I loved, however was the creatures that are scattered throughout this book. We meet Mer, Kelpies and ghosts and witches and spell craft are also constantly mentioned. This created such a magical setting and I wish we had seen more of this element. The world building fell short to me, especially as I could never even pinpoint what exact time period we were in so certain things kept pulling me out of the story. It just felt extremely surface level. In addition, as much as I loved Mirren, I still felt unable to truly connect with her and there were times in the book where I had to really push through.
Overall though, I really liked the vibes of this one and I’d certainly recommend it to fans of fairytales.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Titan Books, for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!
This was such an interesting read!
All the Murmuring Bones is about a girl named Miren, who belongs to a family that once prospered because of a deal struck with the Mer. Over the years, however, the family has become unable to keep up their end of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren’s grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of her granddaughter’s freedom but Miren is determined to choose her own path in life.
I loved the plot of this book. It genuinely read like a fairytale and I highly enjoyed the way the story was told. I really liked the little secrets about Miren’s family and their history that were uncovered throughout the story as well, as it added another level of intrigue to the novel.
While we meet many characters in this book, its main focus is on our protagonist, Miren. We follow her journey throughout the novel, watching as she deals with whatever obstacle is thrown her way. I really enjoyed reading about Miren. She’s clever, determined and constantly underestimated by those around her. I love the way she takes control of her life and does whatever is necessary in order to be free. I also liked that, despite growing up starved for love and affection, she still ensures to be kind to everyone around her.
The writing, unfortunately, fell a little flat to me. One thing that I loved, however was the creatures that are scattered throughout this book. We meet Mer, Kelpies and ghosts and witches and spell craft are also constantly mentioned. This created such a magical setting and I wish we had seen more of this element. The world building fell short to me, especially as I could never even pinpoint what exact time period we were in so certain things kept pulling me out of the story. It just felt extremely surface level. In addition, as much as I loved Mirren, I still felt unable to truly connect with her and there were times in the book where I had to really push through.
Overall though, I really liked the vibes of this one and I’d certainly recommend it to fans of fairytales.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Titan Books, for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Misogyny, and Sexual content