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arthur_ant18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Medical content, Murder, Racism, and Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, and Car accident
recycled_personalities's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Genuinely such a good read. It was really comforting queer representation and that definitely made me happy. It’s a LITTLE slow at the very beginning but please don’t make the mistake of giving up on it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.0
in a tragic case of 'did i read the same book as everyone else?', im so fcking sad to be giving this only 1 star despite the importance of its diversity and representation, both in terms of gender and culture. although the book is full of queer characters whose real-world struggles are effectively explored, and i enjoyed (and learned from) the vibrant latinx culture...thats pretty much it and i have issues w/ almost everything else.
the pacing is weird and the writing couldve used some more editing--currently it's a lil unpolished w/ some typos, making the story awkward at points and feel almost juvenile. in terms of characters, julian's the only i actually like, while some others (w/ the exception of yadriel) seem flat and couldve been more fully fleshed out. the story's also predictable--which isnt always a bad thing if the journey getting to the reveals are enjoyable, but it isnt in this case. many blurbs and reviews call this book romantic, but i dont find it as such at all.
now, my biggest qualm w/ this book: the crux of the story and the characters' actions dont make sense. for the former: spirits are such bc they're dead, so why is so much fuss made over julian's fate? and if he wasnt truly dead yet, how did he even become a spirit? this is the literally the very crux of the book yet it has a major logical lapse. it's also ridiculous that he was alive even after being stabbed in the fcking heart like?????? for the latter, there are too many instances--both big and small--to name, i basically had sth to frown at in every chapter. ig one baffling example is near the end when help comes down to the cave, and no one literally bats an eye or seems concerned that julian has a huge bloodstain on his chest. and so many things wouldve gone easier if yadriel and maritza used their heads a lil more. also the mechanics of spirits couldve been explored more: can they float around? since they move thru things, why did julian have to go sneaking around going in and out thru the front door? i just cant...
oh AND i feel like there's a lot of wasted potential here. the spirit aspect couldve made the book so much more fantastical and unique, yet all it did was boggle down the fun. one of the major characters in your book is a spirit, yet a huge chunk of your story is basically your teenage characters tryna play detective to get more useful info by talking to ppl (and failing) while minding curfew??? i..i cant. anyways this turns into a long rant but this couldve been so much better. ultimately it boils down to the fact that i didnt like this book, and while cemetery boys is def an important story whose representation means so much to so many, in terms of pure story aspects, it's honestly not a rly good one, and yes im sad and disappointed.
the pacing is weird and the writing couldve used some more editing--currently it's a lil unpolished w/ some typos, making the story awkward at points and feel almost juvenile. in terms of characters, julian's the only i actually like, while some others (w/ the exception of yadriel) seem flat and couldve been more fully fleshed out. the story's also predictable--which isnt always a bad thing if the journey getting to the reveals are enjoyable, but it isnt in this case. many blurbs and reviews call this book romantic, but i dont find it as such at all.
now, my biggest qualm w/ this book: the crux of the story and the characters' actions dont make sense. for the former: spirits are such bc they're dead, so why is so much fuss made over julian's fate? and if he wasnt truly dead yet, how did he even become a spirit? this is the literally the very crux of the book yet it has a major logical lapse. it's also ridiculous that he was alive even after being stabbed in the fcking heart like?????? for the latter, there are too many instances--both big and small--to name, i basically had sth to frown at in every chapter. ig one baffling example is near the end when help comes down to the cave, and no one literally bats an eye or seems concerned that julian has a huge bloodstain on his chest. and so many things wouldve gone easier if yadriel and maritza used their heads a lil more. also the mechanics of spirits couldve been explored more: can they float around? since they move thru things, why did julian have to go sneaking around going in and out thru the front door? i just cant...
oh AND i feel like there's a lot of wasted potential here. the spirit aspect couldve made the book so much more fantastical and unique, yet all it did was boggle down the fun. one of the major characters in your book is a spirit, yet a huge chunk of your story is basically your teenage characters tryna play detective to get more useful info by talking to ppl (and failing) while minding curfew??? i..i cant. anyways this turns into a long rant but this couldve been so much better. ultimately it boils down to the fact that i didnt like this book, and while cemetery boys is def an important story whose representation means so much to so many, in terms of pure story aspects, it's honestly not a rly good one, and yes im sad and disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Transphobia, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
aniwillow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Transphobia
baexlee's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Cemetery Boys is a phenomenal story of identity, acceptance and discovery. I had the fortunate experience of reading alongside my high school students who provided their additional insight and thoughts through our discussion and this novel is a thrilling success for us. Many of them engaged with it in a way they claimed they had never engaged with an assigned reading book, which made the fact that it deals with topics of transgender identity and acceptance as well as cultural norms and relations to popular culture all the more impactful. Novels such as this, that make these topics so accessible while still being fun and mysterious serve a vital place in the literary space, and Cemetery Boys is a shining example of what that can do for everyone who reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Deadnaming, Death, and Sexism
dolores_madil's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really liked this book there where things I deferentially could not relate to as a straight women but as a Mexican American I related to a good amount. If you want to know more details I have a video about it on my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/RDfaHZgqHsg
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Violence
marthadude's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Child death and Murder
stormywolf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think I first saw this one through my library's new release emails, but I've since seen it all over the web. I was especially drawn to this one, not only for my curiosity about the brujx traditions, but because of the trans main character. Having a trans sibling, I'm all for supporting the trans community and learning more about their experiences. On the other hand, with my grandma's recent passing I was very hesitant to dive into a book dealing directly with death and lost spirits, and so I ended up putting off reading at all for a couple months. But, after an overly long hiatus I decided to finally take the plunge and find out if this book was really worth all the hype.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this book was a magical read. Cliche, I know, but being the first book I've ever read with a trans main character, and one of only a handful with a queer main character, I had a lot of hope riding on this to be great, and it delivered in spades. The story came off as entirely respectful of everyone involved, including those who fill some antagonist roles. And I know I've used the word "respect" far too many times already, but I'd also like to add "upbeat" as a descriptor, as this book manages to keep an uplifting and hopeful tone throughout its narrative, even when addressing the hardships and traumas that people in these communities often face. I will definitely be seeking out any and all stories Aiden chooses to tell (including any that return to Yadriel's neck of the woods!) and I encourage anyone and everyone to give Cemetery Boy a try. After all, most people only live once.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this book was a magical read. Cliche, I know, but being the first book I've ever read with a trans main character, and one of only a handful with a queer main character, I had a lot of hope riding on this to be great, and it delivered in spades. The story came off as entirely respectful of everyone involved, including those who fill some antagonist roles. And I know I've used the word "respect" far too many times already, but I'd also like to add "upbeat" as a descriptor, as this book manages to keep an uplifting and hopeful tone throughout its narrative, even when addressing the hardships and traumas that people in these communities often face. I will definitely be seeking out any and all stories Aiden chooses to tell (including any that return to Yadriel's neck of the woods!) and I encourage anyone and everyone to give Cemetery Boy a try. After all, most people only live once.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Transphobia, and Blood
Minor: Grief, Violence, Deadnaming, and Sexism
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Sexism, Blood, and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming and Death of parent
bootsmom3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Blood, Death, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Sexism