All The Murmuring Bones by A G Slatter

I would like to thank Sarah from Titan for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Titan Books

Published – Out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £4.68 Kindle eBook

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.

Stories give a place depth. You look at a castle, deserted house, graveyard or a forest and our brains will fill in the history real or imaginary of a place. Folklore is culture and influences the people who love their – the traditions and attitudes of the past being kept alive by stories. In the brilliant All The Murmuring Bones by AG Slatter we get a wonderful dark mix of folklore, family secrets and a trip through a darkly magical land to try and find some answers and safety.

For centuries, the O’Malley family that lived at Hobb’s Hallow was a family to be feared. A touch of te pirate about them they were cunning, crafty and not above getting their hands dirty to get more power and wealth. But over the years the family fortunes have declined, the large house is mainly empty; more money is owed, and the fleet of ships is now just one. Now the family Matriarch Aoife is watching her husband be buried in the family vault leaving just her and her granddaughter Miren the last key members of the family. Aoife though has a plan to restore the family fortunes and has decided Miren should be married to the dangerous but wealthy Aidan who is keen to possess Miren; the family home and the O’Malley name…and silver trade. After Aoife is found dead though Miren decides it is time to track down her missing mother Isolde and hopefully find a new home and family.

This is an absolutely brilliant piece of storytelling. Slatter weaves a family saga; a gothic thriller (with two quite strange houses to explore at the beginning and end of the novel) and a land where people know there are witches, rusalka, mer-folk and ghosts on the tracks between towns. The novel is a landscape of dark magic and stories. The O’Malley family have created their own lore of various family histories/folk tales some incomplete and as the novel expands, we see these may explain the family’s fortunes. As Miren travels the land we meet automata that sing; ghosts who want a riddle solved and spirits wishing to trade secrets. Lovers of folk lore will enjoy the original takes that Slater constructed and it is refreshing to see a world where people all know these things are real. This gives the whole book a sense that nothing and no one is ever entirely safe or to be trusted.

Powering the tale is Miren and her quest as our principle narrator I loved how this take is very much about Miren gaining her independence – coming out of the shadow of Aoife and even her absent mother to become a woman on her own two feet. She discovers through her journey that she can act on her own desires; protect herself when needed and use her guile to get herself out of quite dangerous situations. If a lot of lore is about telling young girls how women should behave in society the tales here tell Miren how to take charge and beware of dangers. All of which come into a final set-piece far away from home where Miren tries to unpick the last few family mysteries and aware a hidden danger is watching her every move. Here Miren is alone having to use all her skills to survive, and it really shows the difference from the uncertain woman we first met at the start of the tale. I really loved how Slatter gave Miren a character that we see change through narration as she realised what she is capable of and uses the O’Malley cunning for her own plans.

All the Murmuring Bones is a fantastic tale that revels in all lore and the power of stories. Slatter drops little easter eggs of various short stories they have created into eh tale creating a world where all of this happens at the same time. There is a sense that this world of Robber Queens, stage troupes, bandits and werewolves could have many more stories to tell. If you enjoy stories within stories and the dark side of folk lore then this is a tale you will love. Strongly recommended!