Cemetery Boys

320 pages

English language

Published Oct. 29, 2020 by Feiwel & Friends.

ISBN:
978-1-250-25051-3
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4 stars (11 reviews)

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

8 editions

reviewed Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Great LGBTQ representation.

5 stars

The MCs were all well written. I loved them all. Yadriel is a trans male who wants to be accepted as a brujo in his family, but they cannot understand and truly accept what it means to him. They are fine with him being trans, but they still use his dead name and wrong pronouns and don't try to understand why he gets upset with it.

Julian is a fireball of a character, even as a spirit. He has so much life and passion in him, it's infecting. He helps build up Yadriel's confidence in who he is.

Maritza is a spitfire, takes-no-shit kind of girl. She's a bruja who doesn't use her healing powers because she's vegan and will not use animal blood to heal.

The plot was admittedly predictable, but it's a YA novel, so I don't feel like it should be docked anything for that. Hell, most …

Review of 'Cemetery Boys' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I don’t usually read YA, but when I saw this was an East LA urban fantasy starring a gay, witchy trans boy, I immediately said, “Oh, hell yes.”

And the story did not disappoint. It tackled many complex topics with heart and humor, and had me either tearing up or laughing out loud. It was full of loud, vivid characters (like my favorite Maritza, or handsome Rio). It brings the reader deeply into the sights, smells, and sounds of East LA, with its varying descriptions of food, music, fashion, and style.

Full review on my blog HERE.

Decent

4 stars

3.5, rounded up.

Overall found this to be enjoyable.

Definite trigger warnings for sexual assault, though.

I've seen quite some negativity about the book being toted as a comedy, lighthearted, etc. This didn't have any impact on me before reading as I go into every book as blind as I can.

I did have a hard time with believing that the characters in this world are from the 60's with the extreme progressive attitude towards women's rights and being non-religious. Every time something from the time frame was mentioned (i.e. black & white tvs), it threw me for a bit of a loop. Took away from the overall vibe I was getting from the book.

Is it one I will buy and keep on my shelf? No. Am I mad that I read it? No.

"It's a doggy-dog world out there"

4 stars

It's so nice to find stories that let you spend time with underrepresented characters and see things from their point of view, learn about their traditions etc. I only put 4 stars because there were plot twists near the end that could have been more convincing, but I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

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rated it

4 stars
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4 stars
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4 stars
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rated it

3 stars
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rated it

5 stars