Interestingly dark take on a middle grade-ish book. Tones of Riordan with Gaiman-esque spooks throughout. The main character is somewhat stock, but it is nice to see the mother as the parental driving force in a book.

In Brick Dust and Bone we follow a young boy, Marius Grey, as he hunts monsters to earn the cost of a specific spell. This book had all of the makings to be something right up my alley and just didn’t quite make it. I know this is written with a younger audience in mind so I’m willing to overlook some of my grievances, but there are things I can’t.

I didn’t find any of the characters likable, except Rhiannon, and I don’t enjoy books where I dislike the main character. Marius was just also straight up mean to a lot of people. The way that character’s accents were written out phonetically and how the world building was either incredibly specific or way too broad. Also the fact that (in the book’s description at least) Rhiannon is described as Marius’ girlfriend and then we’re told that Rhiannon’s age is unknowable because she’s so old. That made me all kinds of uncomfortable considering Marius is only twelve.

I do like that the book is set in the south and can be an introduction to new supernatural mythologies for kids and it has potential with its intended audience. At it’s core it’s about a kid who misses his family and is doing what he can to get that back and those are good stories to read about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Interesting read! It did feel like things were jumping around a lot in places, but overall it was a cool story!

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

When children have a purpose in life, they will stop at nothing to achieve it.

Brick Dust and Bones teaches a valuable lesson about what it means to be independent and taking care of yourself when no one is around. Marius is a fun and loving character who risks his life to bring back the one thing he cherishes the most, his mother.

What I enjoy about this book are the thoughts Marius has when confronted with difficult situations. He soon realizes he can’t do everything on his own and it’s with the help of friends and unlikely ally’s that allow him to become a better person.

Marius is an easy character to relate to. Young readers will also love the magical element the book has to offer. The monsters are familiar and just creepy enough to still have nice dreams that night.

M.R. Fournet uses wonderful descriptions that helps paint each scene. My favorite aspects are how detailed the monster fights are. They don’t seem confusing at all.

I truly recommend preordering this book for book clubs, classroom reading, and readers advisory in the library.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for allowing me to read Brick Dust and Bones early.

What a lovely middle grade story! I believe many middle scholers will love this fantasy story, I certainly did!

A dark yet hopeful middle-grade, this book is perfect for kids who like fantasy with monsters and monster hunters. The relationships in this book are one of the best parts about it, from the friendships to the mother-son relationship that serves as the underlying driving force of the book. While the plot does drag in places, and the ending only truly being satisfying if it's setting up a sequel, I loved getting to see all these folkloric monsters explored in new ways. The characters and their relationships with each other make this a book worth checking out!

This was such a fun read. The book follows Marius Grey, a cemetery boy turned monster hunter. The only problem is, he's not supposed to be a hunter, his job is to look after the ghosts in his family's graveyard. But, two years after his mother died, Marius is on a mission to bring her back, and monster hunting is the only way to do it. The monsters featured are recognizable (the first being a boogeyman), though I wasn't familiar with all of them. The world building was great, the author created a believable, supernatural world that exists right under the noses of most normal people. Marius is a fun character, and I loved his mermaid friend Rhiannon (and just the lore around mermaids in general). There were some moments where the story fell flat, and I felt like the ending was a little too vague and open, but overall I enjoyed this book and would love to read more about this world.

This book was very reminiscent of a Riordan series, just a little darker. The plot was good but it just needs some fleshing out, might do better as teen instead of middle grade.

I know that my younger self would have OBSESSED over this book and the concept behind it. The world is so immersive, the characters are very real, and the magic system is so entertaining to read about. I could see an entire series based around the world in this story, but it’s also written so well as a stand alone.

-Spoilers(Kinda)-

Something I really appreciated were the friendships and family relationships- the bond between Marius and Rhiannon wasn’t typical, or what you would expect, because she is a mermaid after all, but it still felt very special in their own way. I was also worried when it was mentioned a few times that kids can have a rocky relationship with their parents, but seeing Marius doing everything in his power to reunite with his own mother was very endearing and I’m glad that some positive examples of family dynamic were written about.

I love Marius as a character- super well written and despite being an adult woman, I really experienced this read through the mind of Marius.

There was a lot more gore than I was expecting, but it’s all written so well, and really kept me on my toes throughout the book. Definitely recommend reading!