I'm not entirely sure why this book is being marketed as a middle grade novel when it would likely enjoy broader readership on the adult market. The deep dive into demonology of the Lovecraftian type seems unlikely to interest most middle school students (although it is likely to freak out at least some of their parents) and Simon behaves, thinks, and speaks more like the depressed protagonist of Office Space than the 14 year old boy he is. There's great world building here as well as potential for a series, although again I would target a more general audience so as to not lose the readers who would be otherwise interested but put off by reading a "kid's book."

This book is a solid mix of sci-fi and fantasy. I loved Simon and Alice's friendship, and I really enjoyed the character development and the overarching "message" of the story. This book bridges the gap between middle grade and YA. I would say it is most suitable for 13-15 years of age. There is death and violence discussed explicitly.

With that being said, I think it would have functioned well as an adult book. The lore was incredibly interesting but also very poorly fleshed out. We really don't learn much about the inner workings, magic, or gods at all.

I felt like the pacing could have used some work as well. Nothing of import seemed to happen until about 80 pages in, and then we hit a lull again before really revving up at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing style. I just kept wanting more from it. The potential was there, but not developed. I do recommend it. Especially for young teen readers.

4.5 Stars. This was a well crafted fantasy with lovable characters and fantastic pacing. It was unique because it one of the few books I have read that is truly for early YA(think 7th-10th grade); it felt as accessible as a middle grade fantasy, but man, it went pretty dark in places that I was not expecting. The magic system of Animism was well explained without too many info dumps and I LOVED how it roped in mad science (kind of like the magic system in Full Metal Alchemist) in a creepy, dark and interesting way. Simon was a great main character and I liked finding things out along with him as everything he understood about his world unraveled. Again this was very well paced, it kept staying exciting but gave enough time to care about Simon and Alice and their relationship. The author left it a little open ended, enough to have a sequel but closed enough that I didn’t feel like this was all just set up for a series.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Simon Frost lives in Eidenel a curious place where Animists, those with the ability to use the earth’s meta to perform “magic” (although it’s not called that), are the acting government. Simon is an Animist, but not a very strong one and is thus subjected to working in the mail room. Both his parents, however, are powerful Animists and are renowned for their research, although no one really knows what his parents are researching. At the start of the novel, Simon’s mother abandoned him four years ago while his father quit working for the government in favor if devoting all his time to his research. Simon’s twin sister who died when they were ten was also a powerful Animist but the events surrounding her sudden death are shrouded in mystery. The real narrative begins when Simon (as the “mail room boy”) comes across a letter from Splithead Creek, a minuscule village crying for an Animist’s help to save them from a terrifying monster. Simon, who is already frustrated with his unimportant (and rather embarrassing) position, impulsively quits his job and decides to take care of the monster in order to prove himself. Except the “monster” isn’t anything like his assumptions and him teaming up with said monster to find a cure for it sends him on an adventure that will change everything he thought he knew about himself, his family, and his whole world.

I don’t know why, but for some reason my recent book choices involve monsters. (Maybe I am instinctively ready for Halloween?) Cathedral of Bones, though, is one of the best written monster-fantasy stories I have read in a while. Honestly, it amazes me how in such few pages A. J. Steiger can create a dynamic, flawed character yet do so in a way that still makes the reader cheer for him. The same holds true for Eidendel, which is flirting with so many ethical gray lines but you want to see it succeed so badly. I especially love how Eidendel is a mix between your average 19th century country and this magical realm seeped in a history that makes children scared of monsters under their beds (which could actually be a possibility in some cases). I also applaud Steiger on his ability for clue-dropping and strategically revealing bits and pieces to avoid info dumping while keeping the reader eager to finish the book. Overall, the superb writing and storytelling skills makes this novel an excellent addition for children’s collections.

However, at the same time I am confused as to what the official theme is – or whether it’s supposed to have a theme. At first, with Simon growing from a terrified child into a brave man, I figured the theme would be bravery and standing up for what’s right. Then Alice is discovered and for awhile the theme focused on uncovering the mysterious monster-maker with an added Frankenstein-vibe. Then Simon discovers what his parents are researching and – especially after Simon finds his mom – I expected the ultimate ending to be about ethics in research with the added element about healthy grieving. But then the focus shifts back to Simon’s growing bravery and selflessness except instead of standing up for what’s right he’s trying to save all humanity even though he doesn’t understand all the consequences to his actions. These themes actually work well together and while reading I didn’t feel like the writing was trying to jump from one topic to the next, yet in the end I wanted some sort off concluding statement made about at least one of the themes to pull everything together. In particular I wanted some sort of concluding thought said about Simon’s parents’ researches because, oh wow, are they doing some unethical stuff! Forget the monsters who are really ruling the world, the research was disgusting! I mean, bringing people back to life by combining them with monster parts (especially when the victims want to stay dead) and Simon’s father cutting off his own son’s head and reattaching it to a robot body? The Foundation (the title for the Animist government) needs to enforce stricter laws for research or else they’ll end up with a bigger mess than just a horrifying monster secretly ruling the joint. Because unlike what Simon’s parents believe, unethical research isn’t love – it’s keeping the family from properly grieving and will eventually cause more harm than good. (Also, Simon falling in love with a sort-of dead girl was weird.)

Verdict: A unique addition that will open discussions on ethics while appealing to monster-fantasy lovers.