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.
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.
A wonderful young adult novel full of vibrant places and people. The descriptions draw you right in and the cast of characters is diverse and charming.
Cemetery Boys is one of my most gloriously happy things I've read in a long while. It delights in its spookiness, celebrating life while giving enough space to mourn when needed. I just want to hug them all, reading this book feels like being part of their joy.
I love everything about this book. I needed to read something positive right now and this took my breath away with how reassuring and celebratory it is. The MCs are working through some very tough things (one of them is a ghost, after all) but they build each other up in a way that has this wonderful oscillation where they're almost never sad at the same time and they keep helping each other and making things better. It's the right amount of spooky, extremely affirming
And that's before the ending, the truly amazing ending that I won't spoil, I don't dare. It …
Cemetery Boys is one of my most gloriously happy things I've read in a long while. It delights in its spookiness, celebrating life while giving enough space to mourn when needed. I just want to hug them all, reading this book feels like being part of their joy.
I love everything about this book. I needed to read something positive right now and this took my breath away with how reassuring and celebratory it is. The MCs are working through some very tough things (one of them is a ghost, after all) but they build each other up in a way that has this wonderful oscillation where they're almost never sad at the same time and they keep helping each other and making things better. It's the right amount of spooky, extremely affirming
And that's before the ending, the truly amazing ending that I won't spoil, I don't dare. It just wraps up everything so perfectly in a way that fits with everything that came before while still blowing me away.
Usually when I'm reading a book that comes so highly recommended there will be some moment, some turning point where something clicks and I understand what's so wonderful, why everyone's talking about it at a level beyond just being written well. In this book that happened more than once, first early on as I was getting into the book, then again towards the end (that fantastic ending). The characters are great, with distinct narrative voices and solid personalities; I love the plot, it felt like I knew what was going on, what the goals were, and where the story was taking me, while still having room to be surprised in great ways; and the setting is sketched in way that gives me a feeling of how the spaces are connected to each other without bogging the story down in exact geographic detail.
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.
While 2021 is being A Lot™, queer fiction is bringing me life. In this wonderful tale, [a:Aiden Thomas|17960047|Aiden Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623441053p2/17960047.jpg]’s début, our trans teen protagonist is determined to prove that he's a brujo and worthy of recognition as such from his community, and his father who leads it.
This is not the cover, but such a lovely image of Julian and Yadriel (and Lady Death) that I just had to use it.
When the brujx all sense the shock of Yadriel’s cousin dying, he and best-friend Maritza know they can help — and prove his worth. Santa Muerte clearly agrees when she recognises Yadriel’s power and he summons a ghost. But it’s not his primo, it’s adorably irritating bad-boy Julian Diaz, who is definitely not ready to move on into the afterlife. And Día de Muerte is fast approaching.
Delightful, loveable characters work together to …
A beautiful queer Latinx urban fantasy
While 2021 is being A Lot™, queer fiction is bringing me life. In this wonderful tale, [a:Aiden Thomas|17960047|Aiden Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623441053p2/17960047.jpg]’s début, our trans teen protagonist is determined to prove that he's a brujo and worthy of recognition as such from his community, and his father who leads it.
This is not the cover, but such a lovely image of Julian and Yadriel (and Lady Death) that I just had to use it.
When the brujx all sense the shock of Yadriel’s cousin dying, he and best-friend Maritza know they can help — and prove his worth. Santa Muerte clearly agrees when she recognises Yadriel’s power and he summons a ghost. But it’s not his primo, it’s adorably irritating bad-boy Julian Diaz, who is definitely not ready to move on into the afterlife. And Día de Muerte is fast approaching.
Delightful, loveable characters work together to solve 2 sudden deaths, and shows us a gay trans boy proving himself, his vegan bruja bestie, a dead gay teen buzzing with wonderfully irritating energy even as a ghost, and a Latinx magical community preparing for the festival where they can share a couple days with their departed loved-ones, with the reality of America’s racism in the background.
This is another of the books I had pre-ordered and started the year with and I wept more than once. I look forward to reading more queer and trans Latinx representation from Aiden Thomas in the future.
AAAAA i’m screaming. i love these boys so much. okay so i would have probably given this 5 stars had i not guessed the plot/climax a mere 3 chapters in. but still, i loved this so much
I probably read this book too fast. When it came to the last few chapters, I wanted desperately to know what was going to happen, plus my dog was demanding my attention, so I rushed through. And you know what? I regret that.
Take this book slowly, and just enjoy it.
This book has a lot to say, especially on identity in a Male / Female Gendered language. Even if you don't know Spanish, I feel like you'll grasp what the Spanish parts say. Though if you do understand Spanish, it's like, Bonus Material for you!
