scaredofspiders: I don't write reviews often these days but I felt like I might say a couple of words about this book, mostly because I go by overall rating but also read reviews to determine if I'm going to bother with a book by an author I don't know and I read some reviews that warned me off this book. I feel like if I had heeded those reviewers I would have missed out.
I remember complaints about inconsistent pacing and disconnect between the portion of the book set in Hob's Hollow/Breakwater vs the rest of the book.
I'm not sure what to say to those claims except that I felt no such problems existed. I do tend to appreciate solid world/setting building and in fact do not enjoy reading stores that do not include some reasonable amount of this. If that's not your jam this book might not suit you. There's a fairy tale quality to much of it which I enjoyed. I'm adding me of the author's catalog to my to be read pile so the book clearly has my vote.
United States on Jul 27, 2023
Dustin Windsor: I thought this novel was an exceptional piece of writing. The story held my attention from the very first pages throughout the remainder of the novel. Besides loving the author's craftsmanship, I enjoyed the story. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially me book club. They always have excellent selections and insightful commentary. The rating is rare, but well deserved.
United States on Feb 19, 2023
Amy: Now I'm not one who has delved thoroughly into gothic reads but this book has made me think twice! I love the journey this character took me on, always staying true to her wish of what she wanted even when obstacles were planted she cut straight through, not looking back at any cost. I loved the guessing, the twists and turns kept coming and I enjoyed everyone of them. All in all a good read!
United Kingdom on Jan 08, 2023
Hollee Archibald: This book made you think one thing was going to happen and then it didn't happen but something 10x worse happens. Then when you think someone else will happen, something 10x worse happens. It continues like that until you get the happy ending. It was well written but I felt the ending was rushed so that is the only reason it is not a 5 star. I like happy endings but it just seemed like it ended to end not a true conclusion for me.
United States on Aug 26, 2022
Tessa Nicolas Arias: I was afraid it might be too scary and gruesome for my sensitive heart but it was just right.
I loved the mentioning of creatures such as kelpies and the sea tales in italic font throughout the book.
Beautiful writing, I was sucked in from start to finish. Excited to read the next one!
Spain on Feb 08, 2022
Atrep: [Spoilers!!] I finished the book and found it enjoyable enough, although I did skim a lot of it to get to actual plot/action. There are some major plot holes that really bothered me. The premise that the books starts with is that the family sacrifices a child each generation ‘to the sea’ or mer folk to have wealth and success. And that they haven’t given a child in some time, so their fortunes are waning. The action picks up when we learn that Mirren’s grandmother is going to sell her into a terrible marriage, in hopes of making a new baby to sacrifice ‘to the sea’. But the problem is that we learn toward the end of the book that the family doesn’t give a child ‘to the sea,’ rather it would literally feed a baby to a sea queen creature it had trapped under hobs hollow generations before; and, we learn that Mirren's mother stole that creature when she ran away. So how was Mirren marrying her cousin supposed to restore the family fortunes? There was no creature to sacrifice Mirren’s child to! Another problem is that after Mirren leaves to find her mother, it feels like a different story. Nothing more about the sea, mer people, the ‘salt in her veins’. And...
United States on Nov 21, 2021
FeydRautha: La jeune Miren est une O’Malley. La dernière. Sa famille fut riche et puissante, dominant le commerce maritime grâce, dit-on, à un accord passé avec les créatures magiques qui peuplent les océans, celles qu’on appelle les Mer, et qui a garanti de longues années la sécurité de la flotte O’Malley. Le contrat est cruel : pour l’honorer chaque génération de la famille dû livrer son troisième enfant aux flots. Un simple échange commercial. Mais ces jours sont désormais lointains, et les unions successives menèrent inexorablement à une dilution du sang familial. Pire encore, l’absence d’enfants en nombre suffisant mena à l’oubli du sacrifice exigé. L’empire commercial a périclité, les bateaux ont sombré, et la famille O’Malley n’est plus qu’un nom et un domaine en bord de mer. Une noblesse déchue. Miren elle-même n’est pas vraiment une O’Malley, mais au sein des branches de plus en plus éloignées, elle est celle qui se rapproche le plus de la lignée d’origine. Depuis longtemps ses parents ont disparu. Ils sont morts lui a-t-on dit. Seul espoir de voir renaître une gloire passée, au lendemain de la mort de son grand-père, la...
France on May 24, 2021
V. O'Regan: ‘One for the house, one for the Church and one for the sea.’
‘All the Murmuring Bones’ by A.G. Slatter was simply amazing. I love stories that feature sea lore and mer-folk, so I was very drawn to this novel from my first sight of its stunning cover.
I did a combined read/listen for an immersive experience. The unabridged audiobook is narrated by Aoife McMahon.
The novel’s lead and narrator is Miren O'Malley. Many years previously the O’Malley family had entered into a pact with the mer-folk: in return for the safety of their family’s ships in every generation they would give a child to the sea. Yet for years the family has been unable to fulfil their side of the bargain with the result that their fortunes have declined.
Now Miren's grandmother is determined to restore the family to its former glory and so is manipulating her into marrying a wealthy distant cousin. Thus, when Miren has children, one will be given as tribute to the sea-queen. Yet Miren is determined to create her own destiny.
Slatter has crafted a truly wonderful Gothic fantasy with dark family secrets, witches and magic, and plenty of mythic creatures including...
United Kingdom on Apr 08, 2021
Carina Bissett: Whether she wants it or not, eighteen-year-old Miren represents a glimmer of hope in restoring her familial line back to the ascended glory and greatness it once maintained over centuries. Miren’s grandmother Aoife, the last of the true O’Malleys, is determined to regain the family’s power over the sea and its bounty, regardless of the cost. Proud and regal, Aoife exacts a bride price for Mirin’s hand despite her granddaughter’s resistance to being forced into a marriage with her distant cousin, a cunning and cruel man willing to do whatever it takes to seize the power he craves. Under the pressure of her grandmother’s scheming and her cousin’s violent tendencies, Miren’s desire for a life of quiet solitude suddenly shatters. But when dark secrets from the past are unmasked, when the merfolk return for retribution through salt and sacrifice, Miren flees from her family’s decaying, seaside seat of power and runs straight into a Gothic fairy tale come to life. All the Murmuring Bones follows Miren on a harrowing journey against the tide of ancestral memories where she discovers a filigree of silvered secrets and the true power that comes with creating a future of...
United States on Mar 24, 2021
| The Murmuring Bones: Translated by A.G. Slatter | The Vine Witch, Book 3: The Conjurer | Luanne G. Smith's The Glamourist: A Sequel to The Vine Witch | |
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| B2B Rating |
90
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98
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97
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| Sale off | |||
| Total Reviews | 115 reviews | 337 reviews | 571 reviews |
Canada on Aug 14, 2023