User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I knew I would love
Cemetery Boys from the first few pages.
Aiden Thomas lured me in with an enchanting mix of mystery and magic, but it's his indelible characters that made me stay. The author sees the characters—really
sees them—and wants them to see themselves. In his hands, their stories transcend what is expected of them, but
Cemetery Boys more than just an exercise in subverting expectations. There’s so much tenderness infused into this novel, fizzing so joyously through its veins: the characters are rendered with so much care, meticulously polished in all their conflicted, multifaceted glory.
Our protagonist Yadriel, a 16-year-old gay Latinx trans boy, successfully performs the ritual his family denied him in front of Lady Death, and inadvertently unlocks his magical powers as a brujo. Soon after, Yadriel discovers that his cousin has suddenly and inexplicably died but that his spirit is nowhere to be found. The mystery calls to Yadriel, and determined, he sets out to root it out. If Yadriel can find his cousin’s body and release his spirit to the afterlife, he can finally prove to his family that he is a true brujo—and a boy. Yadriel’s plan definitely does not include falling for one Julian Diaz, the spirit of a handsome dead boy Yadriel accidentally summons. But now it is just the two of them, tangled up in a mystery they don't know where to begin to solve.
Yadriel wanted to be accepted by his family and community with all the fierce longing of a thwarted child. He yearned for it even when his family family refused to acknowledge him as a brujo and as a boy, even when he had to endure painful conversations where he felt constantly misunderstood, even when he tired of always being the one to swallow his hurt and extend people the benefit of the doubt. Yadriel knew that it was still more endurable than the inconsolable grief of losing his connection to his family.
I think oftentimes in queer YA books the queer protagonist is either wholeheartedly embraced by their family, or shunned by them completely. But few novels venture into the vast area in between where it feels like the people around you are embracing you with an arm, but pushing you back with the other, and how painful and taxing it is to navigate that. Yadriel’s family claims to accept him as a boy, but throwaway comments like his dad asking him to “stay [there] with the rest of the women” or his grandmother telling him he’ll always be “[her] little girl” cut like a knife, swift and deep. Yadriel did not know how to fit love and resentment into the same cupboard. He loved his family and community and wanted to
belong with them, but their failure to embrace him the way he deserved to be embraced hurt, and Yadriel struggled with how to reconcile the two.
In one of the novel's most heartwarming scenes, Julian tells Yadriel, “
You don’t need anyone’s permission to be you, Yads,” and something inside Yadriel (
and me) lights up.
Wanting acceptance and
waiting for permission can feel like flip sides of the same coin sometimes, flashing end over end. Where does one end and the other begins?
“Why do you have to prove anything to anyone?”
Speaking of Julian, the loveable ghost of my heart. Julian Diaz is like cheer in a bottle. Born with his heart on the outside of his body, Julian loves very deeply is loyal to the point of recklessness. But the rumors hanging heavy around Julian spole of brawls and drug deals, of a runaway mother and a dead father, and decided who Julian is: the brooding, bad boy with a tortured past and an infamous present. Thankfully, the novel handles this trope by walking right up to it and smacking it upside the head.
Cemetery Boys shows us Julian with his defenses lowered, and there is an untried, fragile feeling to the unfurling of his character. Instead of a troublemaker and a “bad boy”, we simply see… a
kid. A kid who is bright and loud and kind and feels most at home where there is jolly chaos to be sowed, who makes endearingly bad jokes, and hilariously mixes up his idioms, and has so much warmth and energy thrumming through him it’s as though he is twice as alive as the next person.
There’s something so tenuous and vulnerable on the line at the beginning of one’s life, this novel demonstrates, something that could be so easily broken if you’re not careful. The names people assigned Julian, wishing to see in him only what they wanted to see, had a marked effect on him. As a kid, with little language to shape around his feelings, Julian simply accepted what everyone else told him, and started believing that there must be something wrong in him, rotting away. It's heartbreaking, and makes you wish adults were just kinder to children. Imagine how different a world we would be living in.
I really loved this book.
Cemetery Boys is one of those stories that feel so impossibly familiar, a thing already part of yourself, and I hope many readers find their way to it.
Rating: really liked it
My HEART is GLOWING I caNt SToP SMILING
Read this.
Rating: really liked it
yeah i cried, and?
Rating: really liked it
OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are in and My Reaction Video is up! Don't forget to vote!
Annnd here's my original reaction to this book!
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The Written Review 
Oh my gosh. Can I rate this more than 5 stars???
I cannot even BEGIN to talk about how BRILLIANT this one was.
I was hooked from the start - the way Aiden set up the characters and the Brujx world was so intriguing and exciting.
The plot felt so unique and fresh - I literally read this in a single night and was devastated there wasn't more.
I absolutely loved, loved, loved Yadriel and his struggles were so perfectly shown. The way his dad struggled with coming to terms with Yadriel's true self was so heart-achingly real.
I also adored Julian - and I'm normally the type to roll my eyes at characters like this in YA. And yet, it worked so well for him. He really embraced himself and did a fabulous job of giving the book some much-needed spunk.
The two characters clicked together right from the start and kept that momentum going. They played off of each other so well and honestly carried the book to new heights.
I cannot wait for this one to be published and for more people to read it!
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Rating: really liked it
I haven’t read something like this fantastic novel which is equally entertaining, smart, funny and also sad, heartfelt, emotional, intense at the same time. It’s uplifting but it is also heart wrenching. Your emotions are everywhere. You smile and cry at the same time.
There are too many sensitive issues blended harmoniously at this novel. Transphobia, deep parental issues, deportation, grief are the main ones were discussed and approached from the POV of LatinX community.
Yadriel is our brilliant MC who just wants to approval of his family to accept his gender. For proving his point he attends to secret brujo ceremony. He summons a ghost and the ritual works perfectly! Nope, not exactly: because the ghost they summoned is Julian Diaz, school’s resident boy has no intention to accept the death before tying his loose ends and dealing with his own unfinished businesses.
Yadriel plans to find his missing cousin and a few runaway boys from LatinX community. To accomplish this mission he truly needs help of Julian and his cousin Maritza. So they team up together to solve each other’s problems but as you may see Yadriel finds himself fall for Julian. ( that’s the heart wrenching but also sweetest part of the story)
There are so many things about this story. But I
want to start with my favorite character: Julian was so adorable, vivid, full of energy! Once upon a time he was the member of the gang! When you read the dysfunctional family relationships and traumatic experiences of abandoned kids, dysfunctional foster care system, you may understand why those kids want to be a part of gang : they only need to be a part of something and people who they can trust.
I also enjoy to follow Yadriel’s journey: his self exploration about finding his own powers, strengths and capabilities. He finally finds who he is and his main purpose which also help the people around him understand his choices and give him the approval he needs. ( especially his father’s understanding and approval are the highlights of the story)
Overall: this is a Mystical, enjoyable, emotional journey I wish it never ends. But it ended eventually with great conclusion. So I’m giving my blazing, shiny five stars and looking forward to read the new works of the author!
Rating: really liked it
Writing this review after a month long absence doesn’t seem very fair, as I don’t have a copy of Cemetery Boys at my bedside anymore and I can’t flick for appropriate plot references and so on. However, there’s no way I can move onto another book and not feel guilty over not having this review done, so, alas, a late Christmas present.
Yadriel, a young, trans boy desperately wants to be seen as a brujo by his family – a wielder of magic who assures spirits pass safely into the next life. To prove himself, he attempts to summon the ghost of a murdered family member except there’s a slight bit of a mistake. Instead of his cousin, he gets Julian – a reckless, foul-mouthed bad boy who happens to be in Yadriel’s grade and also dead without a clue what happened to him. Partnered up with Maritza, Yadriel’s cousin, the two boys attempt to solve Julian’s murder while a much darker threat looms on the horizon.
A quick warning, this review should be short as my memory is a little foggy and I’ll be solely focused on the parts of the book that stood out to me the most, whether they’re bad or good. And luckily, there good news for the characters.
I liked them . Especially, Julian. Especially, especially, Julian. Because, you know when you read a debut - cross that out - the fourth book of an established authors career and you see they’re trying to write a funny, quirky character and it doesn’t pan out? Well, it does here. Because, Julian is genuinely a funny character and such a sweetheart at that. I won’t lavishly throw praise over the dialogue, because sometimes it was a bit on the nose, but to see little spurts of realism and humour done well in a debut
is a good indication to me the author is going to get even better, and is quite promising.
Moving on, I was also pleased with Yadriel and Maritza. Being fair, both were more thinly draw than Julian and often outshined by him, but there is a difficulty in writing a relatively good, “everyman” main character without them being blander than the supporting cast.
I did like Yadriel, I can say, due to his own sense of humour as well as not being overtly bland or passive. However, the most compelling aspect of his character happened to be his struggles. By far, the most interesting part of the book to me was Yadriel trying to live life as a trans man, minus his mother, multiplied by his families ignorance, plus all the mysticism that surrounds him. This was possibly the most nuanced exploration of being trans I’ve read yet, and I believe it was quite an important read. Seeing things like Yadriel’s family use his deadname, misgender him or even his struggles with the school bathrooms lends a much deeper layer beyond the supernatural in this book, and a much more heartfelt one too. When something goes right for Yadriel, you cheer. You want the best for him and whenever he has a little win, or a new advancement is made, you can’t help but feel happy for him.
I also liked Thomas’ choice to portray a more three-dimensional take on Yadriel’s family. They don’t outright accept or reject him. They’re trying to navigate through it with a lot of goodwill but with many mistakes along the way. His dad is trying his best, but he still doesn’t fully understand the best way to behave, or the fact Yadriel’s grandmother still uses female pronouns when speaking Spanish, without understanding the harm it causes Yadriel. The book being more balanced adds both much-needed realism with such an important topic. Not to mention frustration. These slip-ups are not fun to read about, yet it is believable that a family leaning more towards tradition see them as either insignificant or petite. Even more irritating, these kind of things do happen to transgender people every day and Thomas accurately writes Yadriel’s annoyance, as well as ours.
Swinging back to characters, I also liked Maritza too. I feel she was the personification of readers trying to get the Yulian (?) ship sailing, and she maintained a good dynamic with both boys. Also, she consistently proved herself to be a strong character who took no bullshit. Though there may have been a few, too many mentions of her hair colour (sorry, I just hate when authors repeat “look, their hair is purple!” or “she somehow has a secret mole on her face” for some reason.) Bonus, she plays soccer and for some reason I think that’s cool.
So, while I did like the characters and believe all of the any conversations regarding being LGBTQ+ were done beautifully, they sadly can’t accost for the issues with this book, and unfortunately, there were a lot of them.
To summarise the predicted plot in a few lines: Someone is attempting to re-access a deadly type of power with dangerous consequences. People have gone missing. Yadriel summons a ghost. Ghost happens to be cute, bad boy. Yadriel + CBB try to solve the mystery before Día de los Muertos, complete with action, forbidden romance and rep along the way.
That sounds like a cool book, except we don’t get this. There are hints of it, except this book is
very much bogged down by exposition, bland writing and a structure that feels in no way cohesive.
You see, the world-building sounds really interesting. It’s clear Thomas has put a lot of work into their premise and I always love reading about mythologies that I know nothing about. But honestly, it seemed like the more interesting aspects were locked off to us as readers and very much put in the background. For example, things like the challenges people had to face to make it to the afterlife, or just the general history about Lady Death and the Jaguar God (I can’t remember his name, so please excuse me if this is incorrect.) all sounded amazing and very fantastical. As a contemporary fantasy, I understand why the magic would be more grounded but the book
really would’ve benefited from the wilder parts of Thomas’ world-building.
Because unfortunately, the plot is boring and not tightly written. The links between scenes and plot points felt very artificially done and I was disappointed by the lack of imagination. The whole thing felt as if it was written without a plan, like Thomas wandered from scene to scene without thinking what makes an action-packed and entertaining book. Obviously, not all books need to be action-packed (you would hope they’re entertaining though), but the writing was not strong enough to carry this book on atmosphere or characters alone. A lot of the book focuses on the relationship between Yadriel and Julian, but I nearly always wondered “couldn’t Thomas have come up with a more interesting scene relevant to the plot and still have the relationship develop?” instead of re-treading “they’re in Yadriel’s bedroom, they’re walking somewhere, they’re in Yadriel’s bedroom again.” Have them talk after a fight with spirits turned bad maybe? An exploration into more magic? Something, anything to further in a plot in an organic, interesting and scary way (sorry, I wanted some Halloween feels.)
Another issue is that this book contains little to no tension, as the evilness plot is kind of forgotten about. It’s hard to be scared of an apparent killer trying to re-claim the power of an evil god when the characters appear so indifferent to it. The whole book feels so
passive, I think is the best way to describe my feelings. You're supposed be tricked into thinking this darker plot is going on when really there’s no suspense or thrills because the characters care more about other things. I’d even say I’d rather this book just be about Julian and Yadriel’s relationship since it was a lot more interesting and the book wouldn’t be bogged down in something that only feels half-heartedly invested in. For example, at one stage, they use a party as an excuse to take the day off. Never mind the party doesn’t make it past a page, but this is just a weak plot device to get the boys to Secluded Spot to Have Feelings. Seriously, could Have Feelings not had happened during an actual plot point that might be relevant to the story?
(Also, the villain was
ridiculously predictable. They could’ve been called Villain for all I care, since it was basically stamped on their face the moment we met them. To add to that, since the main plot is forgotten about, their motivation gives us no empathy for them.)
Another thing I want to point out, which is a little odder, is this book does
not feel mature enough. Maybe I had different expectations than everyone else, but I genuinely think if you cut out the swearing in this book, it could be easily marketed to 10-13 year olds over older teenagers. Something about the cast and writing felt very young, and maybe it’s due to the book being a debut, maybe it’s due to the light-heartedness of the story, but it is the most juvenile YA book I’ve read in a while. I don’t mean that as an insult, and it’s possible the teens in the story are a more accurate depiction than the usual brooding, self-suffering teens of YA, but I just didn’t expect it, if I’m honest.
Also, the writing. Yeah... I have to say it, it wasn’t great. This book is very clearly a debut and in all honesty, I do think it should’ve run through an editor again. I’m no expert, but something felt off straight away when I saw the amount of exposition in the first few chapters. I can’t lie, I’m genuinely surprised a published book had such amateur tell-tales. And, I think I pointed out the amount of exposition in my review for “Into The Drowning Deep,” too, but at least that was somewhat organic. Here, Yadriel’s thoughts can jump from something like thinking about his family to what Brujx receive when they’re fifteen. It hits you with the force of the train with it’s randomness and could be plucked straight from a history book in the way it’s told.
This book contains the worst examples of exposition I’ve read this year. Now, this does get better since there’s less exposition later in the book, but that’s because practically all of it was in the first few pages. Rather than being woefully lopsided, the information should’ve been spread out through the book and dropped a little bit…well, more subtly anyway.
The prose also wasn’t great either which maybe enhanced the juvenile feel I was getting from it. Being fair, basic prose in books doesn’t bother me (unless it doesn’t flow well), but this really felt like an earlier draft rather than the fully edited, published book. Things were told in a very mundane way which meant I got a little bored or disinterested during scenes.
Some parts of the plot I liked, for example when we meet Julian’s group of friends (who are all interesting characters in their own right) or Yadriel in school, but they’re so detached from the overall plot, it does feel like flicking back and forth between different genres.
Also, the ending. Very anti-climatic, though the lack of build-up prepares you for it anyway. It’s quite rushed and I’m wondering will there be a sequel, but if there is, what was the point of this book either than Yadriel’s personal/romantic life? It sets up little to nothing. It’s possible Thomas stored up the more fantastical elements for the future, but they could’ve easily been used in this book to make it more entertaining. I know this book means so much to so many people, and I’d recommend you to read it, but the story itself just didn’t work for me beyond Yadriel and Julian’s relationship.
Honestly, looking at the distance between this review and when I read it (six weeks maybe), my general thoughts of the book would be "it's underwhelming". This is super subjective, since most Goodreads readers loved it and I’d always advise you to trust them over me, but I could not vibe with the plot or weak story structure. Though I will say this: That yearbook scene gets a star of its own – I did not expect it to make me feel some type of way.
Rating: really liked it
EDIT: 6/24/2020
So, I did NOT edit in a few days but that's okay because I wrote a TON of notes for this book. Here we go.
2/5 stars
I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Oof, this review is going to be controversial, so fair warning! To be clear: it has nothing to do with the latinx, trans, or gay representation throughout the novel. All marginalized identities are presented in a positive, fulfilling, and engaging light, and my review does not take away from Thomas' ardent dedication to marginalized teens. This review has everything to do with style, voice, plot structure, character development, and even relationship dynamics. To be blunt: none of it was good.
PROS:
Worldbuilding: While I'm not a fan of the heavy exposition, I love the burjx community Thomas created. You can tell a lot of care was put into this setting, and I greatly respect that.
Representation: It's great. Yadriel is a trans latinx man and I'm so grateful he exists. His relationship with his father mirrors the relationship between many latinx children and their parents, particularly if they're LGBT+. As non-binary latinx, I felt Thomas represented our community well. Julian was also wonderful gay representation: unconventional but still honest, kind, and even goofy. One of my favorite scenes involve Yadriel confronting his fears and insecurities revolving around his identity and Julian encouraging/supporting him the entire way through. Thomas also does a great job exploring a multigenerational latinx family, which again, I have personal experience of. Some scenes made me chuckle, given how closely they mirrored some of my own memories.
CONS (minor spoilers below):
Writing Style & Exposition: This, right here, is why I did not enjoy this book. Scenes dragged out for AGES, it felt like someone was oh so slowly dragging their nails against a chalkboard. The prose and Yadriel's voice is passive, dry, and lacks any flow, which all combined is a trifecta for reading displeasure. We are always told how people feel rather than shown. Instead of letting scenes play out, Thomas explains what people are doing and why they're doing it. Scenes, INCLUDING ACTION SCENES, lack any semblance of dynamic prose. Scenes that should be quick and engaging are not, weighed down by random tidbits we don't need during the tension. The start of this book especially should have been fast, electric, EXCITING. But it's bogged down by the prose and Thomas' lack of direction.
There are literal pages of info-dumping and exposition that make it hard to stay engaged. SO MUCH of the novel is straight filler and holds no weight on the story, and history that the reader should be learning is thoroughly ignored for more irrelevancy. Like, did we NEED two pages of history for the ghost gardener? Whose only purpose was to corrupt and eventually attack the party? We did not! That time could have been used to develop Yadriel and Julian's relationship organically, or even add some weight to Yadriel's relationships with other characters, like his older brother or his uncle.
Repetition: This gets its own section because holy wow. So much flushing. So many ears burning red. There are other ways the body shows embarrassment, please, omg.
Plot: The romantic subplot takes over the main plot from about the 65% mark and doesn't let up until the 90% mark. Just straight up we abandon the main plot and the romantic subplot takes over. But that's not how it works. That's not why I'm here! I want the mystery solved AND Yadriel to get the boy. But if you abandon the WHOLE POINT OF THIS BOOK, the reader (me) is going to be frustrated! Yes, the scenes with Yadriel and Julian were very cute but they didn't advance the MAIN PLOT AT ALL. Because we abandoned it! Yadriel literally went "welp, fuck it" and went on a romantic day trip with his ghost boyfriend. And that works fine in fanfiction because that's all about wish fulfillment but that's not why I'm here! This is a novel, there needs to be point, there are beats you need to hit and Thomas just doesn't hit them. Literally 80% into the novel and we were not any closer to uncovering the mystery of what happened to Yadriel's cousin than we were at the start of the book!
Villain: I can't discuss them much without giving them away, but if you're aware of standard fantasy tropes, you'll know who it is very early on. And unfortunately, they never reach their full potential. And even in the end, when we're given a very basic motivation, we're never given a real "why?" It's all very basic and I didn't care.
Character Development: This ties into everything else but the characters are so stale. There is no depth to any of the secondary characters, and what little character we get from our main cast never really expands outside of their initial characterization. Sure, Yadriel becomes more confident in his brujo abilities, but that's about it.
Relationship Development: Because of how passive the writing style is, I don't find Yadriel and Julian's romance very developed or even engaging. They barely feel like friends until the 65% mark hits, and then we got heart eyes galore. This is fine because their scenes thereafter are cute and their ending is sweet, but I would have LOVED it to be more fulfilling (and you know, in sync with the actual main plot). But if you're going to have your romantic subplot take over for about 25% of the novel, it better be developed well. And it wasn't, so again, I was frustrated by how much I disliked this entire novel's structure and pacing.
So, there you have it. I feel like shit giving this novel such a bad review but these are my honest feelings. This book needed another round of edits, particularly a development editor who could have tightened the last half and a line editor to make Yadriel's voice more active and dynamic. I'm sure teens will love the representation as I did but everything else leaves so much to be desired.
Rating: really liked it
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a transgender teen who must deal with the consequences when he summons the ghost of Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, whom he can’t get rid of.
“Queer folks are like wolves,” Julian told him. “We travel in packs.”
This book. This damn book. I knew I was going to love it the minute I preordered and I was absolutely right. It was hella gay and hella queer and that was just the best. It had the right amount of everything: action, romance, a little bit of mystery, wholesome, cute moments and a really nice family dynamic and a hell of a lot of rich culture. One thing that I loved so much about this book was how much culture is embedded and wrapped into the story. There is so much of the Latinx culture and it warmed my heart to see it, from the festivals, to the different food, to the various members of the large family, to Yadriel’s own feelings. Everything was just presented and portrayed really well and I felt so immersed in the culture, to the point where I came away having learned more about it. It’s colourful and it’s vibrant and it’s beautiful and I just loved it all so much.
“Yadriel stared at the boy sitting next to him. A boy with a bright smile and an easy laugh. Who liked skateboarding the streets of Los Angeles and stargazing on the roof of his dad’s car. Who would do anything to protect his friends. Reckless and brilliant.”
“Yadriel wanted to chase down the sunset. To not let it rise. How long after he was gone would Yadriel be dreaming about Julian and this drive? Yadriel thought it would be worth the sleepless nights ahead.”
Now, Yadriel is transgender and that is a large part of the story, as novel begins with him trying to summon a spirit in order to prove to his family that he is a real brujo. The main problem is Yadriel’s father, and it’s not like he doesn't outrightly accept him, more that he doesn’t understand his son and this is a journey that is developed further in the story and culminates in some really sweet moments. Now, not every transgender teen gets this sort of reception from their family but it was nice to see the portrayal to see a father really putting in work to accept his son for who he is and that was heartwarming to see.
“Julian’s hips rolled, his head bobbed. Eyes closed and smiling, the firelight danced over his skin. Yadriel was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. To his foolhardy charm and striking features. Julian was achingly beautiful, but in the way a thunderstorm was beautiful—wild, rough, electric. And bound to leave devastation in his wake.”
We have to talk about the romance! And oh god was it delicious! It was slow burning, very slow burning, to the point where it made me ache! I just loved it so much. I loved Yadriel, who was such a wholesome character and I loved Julian so much because they way he was characterised was amazing. He was hilarious, and insanely loyal, and it was his unwavering loyalty for his friends and the people he cares about that truly cemented him as one of my favourite characters of this book. Their interactions were funny and tense at times and it culminated in a scene that genuinely made me cry. And I’m surprised that I cried because I knew it was coming but it managed to wreck my emotions anyway. I am really, really happy with the way the romance was handled and concluded but I just want more. Can we have a sequel, pretty please?
“I kind of made a mess of things, huh?” Yadriel said. He wasn’t fishing for sympathy, just stating the obvious. Keeping secrets from his family. Putting his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion. Completely botching the conversation with Julian’s friends. More sneaking, more lies. He was in over his head.
“Yeah,” Julian agreed very matter-of-factly, not malicious or even teasing. “But now your mess is my mess, too.” He tilted his head toward Yadriel and spoke softly. “It’s bound to be easier if we’re both cleaning it up, right?”
Another one of my favourite aspects of the story was the friendship that were introduced, in particular the one between Yadriel and his cousin and best friend, Martiza who was also insanely loyal and supported Yadriel through everything. I loved the bond that they had, it was my favourite. But I absolutely adored Julian’s group of friends and was quite sad that we didn’t get to see more of them in the story. They were so varied and interesting and I wanted to see more of them, which is why I’m hoping there’s a sequel happening sometime soon.
“For the first time, it struck him how terribly unfair this all was. He hadn’t really thought about what it meant, when all of this was over, after he released Julian’s spirit and he was gone.
He didn’t deserve death. He didn’t deserve any of this. Julian had literally died protecting his friends. And Yadriel was quite certain he didn’t deserve Julian. There was no reason for Julian to help him find Miguel, but he did it anyway, and there was no way Yadriel could ever repay him.
He gave everything and expected nothing in return. Yadriel’s heart ached. No, none of them deserved Julian Diaz.”
Overall,
Cemetery Boys was so wholesome and amazing. I love queer books like this. They make me laugh, they make me cry and they warm my heart so much. I cant wait to read more from this author and I will definitely be revisiting this one, only so I can have my emotions sent on a rollercoaster again!
a gay book about a trans boy who may or may not be in love with a ghost? i didn't know i needed this until right now.
Rating: really liked it
CWs: Misgendering, allusions to deadnaming, depictions of gender dysphoria, exploration of parental death, non-violent references to blood magic, some descriptions of ritualistic blood-letting
☑ Watch my spoiler-free #ownvoices reading vlog for
Cemetery Boys!
☑ Check out this interview I did with Aiden Thomas!
☑ Read my second CB review for even more detailed feelings!
I am THRIVING. I am LIVING. I am convinced this book was written for me and me alone and I will be accepting no other feedback at this time. While this story acknowledges the realities of queer pain and queer trauma, it is resolutely written from a place of JOY and love. It's fun as hell to read, the trans Latinx rep is out of this world, the gender-affirming magic system is so well executed, and ultimately it's an empowering story about honoring your truth.
Don't you dare sleep on this goddamn blessing of a book, because it's going to be a mirror that so many of us have needed for so long.
Rating: really liked it
"Latinx trans teen boy, hoping to release his cousin's spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and ends up falling in love with him"...............this honestly sounds like everything i've ever needed in my life, 2020 already serving us
Rating: really liked it
Ah, so this is super delightful.
I did struggle with it initially because I’m kind of in a place in my life that I don’t feel super connected to YA stories in general. Because, y’know, I’m fucking old. But, anyway, this book is so warm, so very charming that I was pretty soon swept away.
The story centres on Yadriel—he’s gay and transgender, and wants to accepted by his traditional Latinx family, not just as who he is, but as a brujo: someone gifted with my magic by Lady Death, who helps souls find their way to the afterlife. Denied the opportunity to present himself to Lady Death by his family, Yadriel goes through the ritual with his cousin, Maritza, and duly receives the power from the brujo. Only for his first attempt to sever the cord tying a ghost to the world of the living go more than slightly awry, embroiling him with the highly unquiet ghost of Julian Diaz, a murder mystery and ultimately a plot of mystical usurpation.
Plotwise, it’s really pacey and engaging, although I will say it’s fairly obvious what’s going on by the midway point, especially when the narrative somewhat clumsily finds an excuse to drop a lot of information about Balam on you. But, really, the strength of this novel lies in its character work, the nuanced way it explores its themes of tradition, family and identity, and the love story which tender and gorgeous and completely hit all my romance reader buttons.
I should also mention there’s some pretty heavy shit in this novel—a lot of it to do with the real world consequences of marginalised identity, especially on the young. Julian and his queer Latinx friendship circle are social outcasts in the deepest sense: abandoned by the very systems, education, residential care, health, immigration, that should be there to protect them. With my teacher hat on, I’m pretty sure Julian himself has undiagnosed ADHD. Which made me feel all protective and angry for a fictional character. And takes us neatly back to the wonderful characters—all of whom jump cleanly and clearly off the page, even if they’re only present for a scene or two. Although, of course, Yads, Julian and Maritza are *chef’s kiss*. I mean, there’s an extent to which they’re the sort of people you expect to encounter in a YA, Yads is the slightly anxious but endlessly relatable protagonist, Julian is the force of nature love interest, and Maritza is the ever-dependable, uber-confident best friend. But they’re all written with such commitment and affection that they quickly become their own people. I will note I was especially fond of Julian’s malapropisms.
Obviously it’s way way out of my lane to go into too much detail about the portrayal of Yads’ transness (it felt nuanced, respectful and well done to me but what the fuck do I know?) but I do think, more broadly, his identity does raise interesting questions and—I should hasten to add, from a purely fictional, genre-centric perspective—about the role of trans characters in highly gendered magic systems. There’s a bit towards the end of the novel where Maritza has a go at Lady Death about something unrelated, and I was really struck by the fact Maritza is the only person in the whole book remotely critical of Lady Death and the frankly problematic way she hands out magic powers, especially because Maritza is a vegan and therefore can’t do healing because she won’t use animal blood. I mean, obviously the gendered magic system is meant to reflect upon the gendered nature of some social traditions: but what I don’t understand is that if Lady Death is cool with trans identity, why can’t she let women do the spirit guide thing, instead of the healer thing if they’re not into healing?
But this gets very tangled because there is a bit where Julian asks Yads about why being a brujo is so important to him, pointing out that Yads doesn’t need anyone’s permission to be who is he, nor should he have to provide “proof” of it. But the fact that Lady Death grants Yads his brujo powers, and accepting him without question, is one of the ways the book establishes early on that Yads’ gender identity is not up for external questioning. And that’s not really about the book so much as the larger social context in which the book exists. While I think we’re moving away from all trans stories having to be about either transitioning or oppression (much in the way that all cis queer stories previously had to be about coming out oppression) but I think writers still have to sort of work around the reality that not everyone is on the trans-identity-is-real-and-none-of-your-business train.
Of course this does lead to a situation in which Yads’ father, who is doing so-so on the acceptance front, finally realises that Yads is who he says he is because he witnesses Yads doing the brujo bit. And that kind of begs the question what you do if you’re a trans teenager and don’t have a literal god on side to present incontrovertible testimony of your gender identity. Basically I understand the power of having an authority figure within the text reinforce Yads’ own (I should clarify unwavering) sense of his gender identity but I do think this takes us to some complicated places when considered more broadly. Obviously I’m out of my lane again, but what makes trans identity “real” is an incredibly fucked up social debate we’re all apparently having at the moment, whether we want to or not? And I guess for me the issue with Lady Death is that, from a certain perspective, there’s no difference between her and a man in a white coat who decides you get to go on hormones. They’re both abstract external authority figures who are deemed to validate something that shouldn’t require validation.
When people tell us who they are, we should probably just believe them, you know?
Anyway anyway anyway.
Gorgeous book. Strongly recommend. So happy it exists.
Rating: really liked it
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CEMETERY BOYS is quite good but I think it's being a little over-hyped (which is not the book's fault, but it does work to this book's detriment). It's the type of book that would make an amazing movie but feels a little flat on the page just because of the expositional writing style. That said, I did really enjoy it and I'm so glad my friends wanted to buddy-read it with me for Halloween! The best way of describing this book in my opinion is a cross between
Coco and Meg Cabot's
Mediator series. It is steeped in Mexican culture and takes place in the fall, leading up to the Dia de los Muertos.
Yadriel is a young trans boy who has just recently come out. He wants to be a brujo (basically a medium/witch) but his family is not keen on the idea because they're still coming to terms with his identity and they feel like he missed the window since he didn't complete the ceremony as a bruja. Yadriel, however, isn't about to take no for an answer: he's determined to have his own ceremony with the help of his friend, Maritza, but what should be a night of success ends up becoming a night of tragedy when it ends in murder-- and ghosts.
Julian is a boy from Yadriel's school who recently died. His death was apparently gruesome but he doesn't remember who killed him or even what happened. But he doesn't want Yadriel to send him on his way to the afterlife until he knows for sure that his friends are safe. Julian ends up accompanying Yadriel around as they look into Julian's past and seek answers, which ultimately leads them on the path to discovering the truth behind the murders.
I loved the cultural elements of this book and all of the on-page Spanish. It made me feel pretty good about the language I retained from all my years of study! But even if you don't understand Spanish, the context makes it easy to guess what's going on. The Dia de los Muertos elements were beautifully rendered and I liked how the author referred to brujos collectively with the gender neutral term, brujx. It shows the need for creating gender neutral and inclusive spaces in languages that are heavily gendered, where every article, adjective, and noun can end up feeling like a blow when used incorrectly. I also liked how Yadriel's family wasn't mean about his being trans-- it seemed more like they were trying to understand and just didn't really get it. Not that this is less hurtful, but it feels more realistic and maybe easier to relate to for a lot of people who might struggle with getting their own families to understand.
I'm giving this a three because it was not quite as... I don't know, weighty... as I would have hoped. It's a very generous three because I
did enjoy the book! I just felt like the pacing was a little awkward at times and there were a lot of portions where not a lot was happening. Also, the villain? Super obvious. Literally AS SOON as they set foot in the story I was like WHOOMP (THERE THEY ARE). And sadly, I was not disappointed. It's also fluffier than you would expect for a book about death, which is maybe a nice thing. But for a book that is focused very heavily on the romance, I will say that this is the rare YA book where the romance actually feels natural and not artificially constructed.
So over all, this is a solid debut and I can see why so many people love it, even if I didn't end up fully buying into the hype. I think it's best to go in cold and approach it for what it is: a feel-good book that's basically a PIXAR movie in print format. Geared towards a younger audience, but appreciable by all.
3 to 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
CW: death of a loved one, talk of loss of a parent, misgendering, mention of parental abuse, mention of transphobic parents and deportation.Genuine question: How do you review a book that feels like it nudge a piece of yourself forward, shifted it slowly to make you click in place and make that slight feeling of wrongness go away? If you think I’m being hyperbolic, I am not. Cemetery Boys brought me more than I can put into words and I have been struggling to write this review for over a month, always putting it off to tomorrow, because maybe then I’ll wake up with the words to do it justice, but at this point, I don’t think that will happen and all I can do is give it my best shot.
The writing is fairly simple, straight forward and quick to read at first glance, and while all of that does hold true, it’s also beautiful in the fact that it burrows itself deep into the reader’s soul and hits you with the most beautiful quotable lines that live you thinking about them for a while afterwards. Quotes that although specific, can and will speak to a lot of people and maybe, just for a moment, make them feel less alone. And that’s exactly what it did for me, reading Cemetery Boys felt like home, it shone a light on some of deepest darkest corners of my soul and said “hey, I got you. I see you. All of you. Even these tiny bits and pieces that you have been looking away from”. This book made me feel seen in ways I didn’t expect or account for when going in, it made me smile, made me rage, made my cry and laugh. Oh and it’s also really fucking funny.
This book is equally fun, funny and joyful as it is at time sad, heartbreaking and painful, and for me, that’s where its strength lies. Cemetery Boys is one of the most, if not *the* most nuanced book I have ever read in term of its exploration of queerness, transness, and the way both of these things are treated in brown patriarchal communities. In this specific case, it’s the Latinx community, but you can broaden it to encompass other brown communities, as a lot of them mirror each other in the way they treat all the above as well as identity, family and community. Yadriel is a trans boy whose only wish is to be accepted in his brujx community as a brujo, which is a thing that has always been denied to him. While on a surface level Yadriel’s community seems like they’re accepting him, using his chosen name as well as his correct pronouns, on a second look, you find that he is anything but. This acceptance feels like humoring him, because when it comes to real test, to giving him his quinces and thus access to his brujo powers, they refuse to do so. Waiting for something to change, maybe for him to “grow out” of being a boy, for him to finally relent and be ready to accept the “girl” powers.
Read my full review on my blog Word Wonders
Rating: really liked it
*3.75🌟
Buddy read with Drama Queen
How I expected that this book will end
How it actually ended
I mean don't get me wrong...I
LOVED the book
BUT I just expected an emotional read
The book was fluffy and cute!!(Not complaining)
But it felt like
WE (Joshita and Mrin) were chilling with the characters xD
This book had a "chill" vibe going on..as against to the "spooky" vibe
The premise was pretty simple:
The MC summons a ghost and is not able to get rid of the said ghost
Thats all I will say...Go into this book without knowing anything else
just enjoy the cool vibes of the book
As my buddy read partner said at the very beginning of the book...
THIS BOOK HAS COCO VIBES!!!!And she was right!!! Coco is one of my all time fav movie & this book reminded me a LOT about that book!!
(I bawled like a baby during this scene 🥺😭)
Another thing which I ADORED in this book is the family aspect
They had a close knitted family which I appreciated VERY MUCH!!
For me family is very important...I mean I am Indian ...so I basically grew up with the teaching that
family comes first ...ALWAYS
(Idk how to translate this☝ I just know my family is gonna kill me after they see this meme😂if you know the translations please do tell)
And I guess I related to Yadriel in that aspect
He was close to his cousin#relatable
had a big ass family#relatable
the said family is nosy BUT Loving at the same time#relatable
I mean it was great seeing a
FAMILY for once in YA novels xD
Stuff like this NEVER happens in YA novels!!
Now the characters
Shall I say this book has some of the MOST amazing characters ??!!
They will be going to the list of my all time fav book characters !!
Especially Julian and Maritza !!
Julian was like my twin brother(?)
I mean now I know how I would be as a Ghost
Cause Julian represented me xD
He was loud and irritating and loved playing pranks😂
If I died and I was turned into a ghost..even I would have the same reactions as he did!!
He was an extrovert who got hold of an introvert
And now the said introvert is not able to get rid of him(My life summed in 2 lines lol)But yeah you should read this book at least for him (I am NOT bragging about myself...ok maybe just a little😂😅)
The fact that Julain was a Scorpio was cherry on the cake!!
I am Cancer and get very well along with Scorpios xD
Water signs need to stick together lol
Ok now the other character whom I loved was the MC's cousin Maritza
Now here's the thing...I have a friend whose name is also Mari
And both the Mari (Yadriel's aka the MC's Mari and Mrin's Mari) are the people whom you run for help when you are in trouble 😂
like trust me ...we all need a Mari in our life
That one cousin who wont judge us for our wierdness & will have our back
The only difference is Mari is not my cousin (But I do consider her as one now xD)
The characters are just so relatable!! You wont be disappointed in them!!
My only complaint of this book is that the Main character Yadriel did not feel fleshed out
I wanted more character depth
Same goes for the plot line
It was really slow paced
I personally feel that there was so much scope for world building and magic system
This was low fantasy BUT I am someone who enjoys good world building
The author did not explain the magic system well
I was honestly left with so many qts!!
Awww look at the cute owl!!🥺
But those were my only complaints !!
Really enjoyed this book and most importantly enjoyed the BR with the crazy woman xD
I swear we were being OTT dramatic for more than half part of the discussion lol
Mrin:
Joshita:
Mrin:
Joshita:
that's how this be went
Update 1Mature Mrin:
NO FANTASY!!! TRY DIFFERENT GENRES!!!Normal Mrin: But...
Mature Mrin :
NO But Wut!!Normal Mrin: *Snickers*
Rating: really liked it
“Queer folks are like wolves. We travel in packs."Reading this book is like seeing a ray of sunshine break through eternal grey clouds. This is a straight up feel-good book. The characters are instantly loveable, honestly such an adorable bunch, from the trusting and kind main character and the loyal, sassy best friend, to the cutest pair of dogs alive (in fiction) and the chaotic good love interest. I love a character-driven story which is why the book worked really well for me, because the plot itself wasn't outstanding. It was pretty predictable - even when the author laid the groundwork for the plot in the beginning I could tell exactly where it was going and it didn't hold much of a surprise. The finale was very stereotypical, including the standard spiteful villain soliloquy and something I will mark as a (view spoiler)
[- mc sacrifices themselves for their friends, basically dies, is then magically brought back to life - (hide spoiler)] even though it's fairly common. It wasn't the most original part of the book, but it didn't bother me much because I just really liked the characters and the message behind the book. There's a chosen family trope that's really well done, it's super inclusive and portrays a great variety of Latinx cultures, there are many queer characters and I genuinely enjoyed reading a fantasy story with a trans main character, something we don't get to see often but more and more as of late. My only other criticism is that the writing could've benefitted from a little more attention to detail. When an author tells me "the dancers danced" I can't help rolling my eyes just a tiny bit knowing that they can do better than that.
I'm struggling to decide whether to give this four or five stars. From a craft perspective it wasn't perfect, but it has so much heart and it's a very empowering story. So I think it's fair to give five stars. Aiden Thomas is someone to watch and I'm really hyped what he's going to do next. I'm not the biggest Peter Pan fan buts Lost in the Never Woods is a guaranteed 2021 read for me.
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