What a truly intriguing fantasy! While reading like a historical fiction, All the Murmuring Bones also adds in so many fantastic elements that keep you guessing throughout the whole book.

Miren O'Malley has grown up hearing of her family legacy - once the most powerful family in Breakwater, the O'Malley's have diminished in both family members and fortune. The legends of how that fortune was obtained is dark, and some members of the family have gone to extremes to reclaim that prosperity. While Miren has grown up hearing the history, it's hard to determine what is myth, and what could possibly be real. Abandoned by her parents at a young age, she has no one to turn to but her grandmother. When she passes, Miren is left the remaining estate, Hob's Hollow. On the brink of being married off to a bully of a cousin, so he can claim Hob's Hollow for his own, Miren escapes in search of her parents. But there are dangers that lurk in every shadow, all looking to settle a debt the O'Malley's have left unpaid... While Miren encounters many creatures, both good and bad along the way, the real journey lies in what she discovers in herself.

There were so many reasons to love Miren as a character. She was independent, and wanted nothing more than to live at Hob's Hollow alone for the rest of her days; she was resourceful, and not afraid to get her hands dirty in order to survive; and she was fearless! The beings and creatures she met on her travels did nothing to sway her from finding her parents. Old relationships were healed, and new relationships blossomed, but I loved how many myths and creatures were placed throughout the story. I couldn't decide whether the Mer were a threat or not, but the ending definitely help clear that up. I definitely enjoyed this one, and will be looking for more from this author!

4.5