Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Cemetery Boys

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

117 reviews

hobbithopeful's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

5.0

This book was such a treat to read, I've been hearing about it forever, so to finally be able to read it after waiting A MILLION YEARS on the library waitlist was so worth it! (Seriously y'all, it was worth it!)
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a young trans brujo who just wants to be seen by his parents and community. When he tries to summon a spirit, instead he ends up with a ghost who refuses to leave. Julian is loud, brash, and refuses to leave until his unfinished business is taken care of.
I loved everything about this story, it is so great to see books with queer Latinx representation. (So my review is deeply biased, apologies dear readers)
Julian really grew on me, he was so charming and full of life. I went from rolling my eyes and being annoyed at him, to chuckling and smiling whenever he was on the page. All the food descriptions had my stomach growling! I actually went to go buy some pan dulce at the store after finishing the book.

I highly recommend this book! Ghosts, gays, and romance!

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wlreed312's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? No

3.5

This is probably a case of I'm not the target audience for this book, because while I enjoyed it I didn't love it. There was a lot about it I did love, including the way Julien consistently champions Yadriel. The representation is wonderful, the family dynamic is excellent, and there are bits that made me smile so much it made my face hurt.

But a lot of the plot was just...OK for me. The villain (I guessed very early on who it was) was underdeveloped and I felt a little underwhelmed in the end. I also wasn't a fan of the way the mystery part of the plot was just sort of abandoned for a bit. I think it makes sense in terms of teenage boys but there was a good size chunk where I was going "What about Miguel?" And there were times when the word choices used for things took me completely out of the story. Ultimately an enjoyable read, but not as great as I thought it would be.

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ellacole03's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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

I really enjoyed a look at the trans community through the lens of Spanish culture. With its culture being rooted in tradition, I like how the dad realized that transition and adaptability will keep the roots of the tradition thriving. I am not of Hispanic descent, but I really enjoyed the references to Dia de las Muertos and the casual use of Spanish, because it taught me some stuff that I don't think I even realized. I was a little confused about what a portaje was for the longest, but after I got that it was a dagger, it made more sense.

I also enjoyed the fact that Julian was, in fact, alive and the uncle was corrupted,

but I had 2 key things I loved about this book. I loved Yadriel and Maritza's relationship and I loved how

Julian felt Spanish was an intimate thing for him, then spoke it with Yadriel. Their relationship burned at just the right pace to not feel unrealistic.

The only thing that kind of put me off was the beginning was kind of slow, but I understand that it was because it needed to set up the situation and explain what all the terms were. Overall, really good read!

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ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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theotherallie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

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nat_montego's review

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.75

I am very late to the Cemetery Boys fan club, but I’m so glad I finally made it! This story had a ton of my favorite things and took me through a classic YA coming-of-age story through a less common lens. Yadriel’s journey to prove himself to his community and family while also doing a Big ThingTM was so exciting but also had an incredible amount of emotional depth.

The thing about this book for me is that solving the mystery of who killed Julian and Miguel was not the main event…I was reading for the emotional and personal growth journeys for the characters and OH BOY DID THIS BOOK DELIVER.

A short list:

Julian, Julian, Julian. This kid is so real. He’s gritty and larger than life and emotionally deep and kind. I could not get enough of his big heart and sweet nature despite the hurdles his life threw at him. In a word: fierce.

Yadriel. YADRIEL!! There were so many small moments with Yadriel and his family that broke my heart but also felt like a huge hug. I adored the moments with Yadriel and his (large) family, especially his father. Thomas provided an incredibly nuanced and touching window into Yadriel’s life with its good and bad all mixed together while also giving us a ton of plot action. Yadriel is now one of my all-time favorite YA main characters.

Maritza. Okay, everyone needs a Maritza in their life and I’m so glad Yadriel had her. She’s an incredible bestie. She’s basically the definition of ride-or-die. I’m going to need Aiden to write like four to five spin off books and Martiza needs to be the MC in the first one.

Julian’s friends. I LOVE found family and this one is top-notch. Also, these kids activated my Mom Mode in a big way. I really wanted to feed them a good meal, give them a warm safe place to sleep and make sure they got to school. On the other hand, I adored how they found and cared for each other with what they had, showing that we can (and should) take care of each other.

This story underscored the importance of the #TransRightsReadathon and other movements to make sure that organizations that help traditionally marginalized communities are well-funded. Additionally, the readathon is a way for those of us outside of the community to understand the depth of the issues trans youth are facing. If you’re reading for the readathon this week, I challenge you to take a moment and try to internalize the things you’re learning about. What can you do as an individual to help? What level of understanding did the books you read provide you and how can you update your thinking or actions to reflect that new point of view? How can you scale your impact to make sure the things you learn don’t stay in your own brain?

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alibookedup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Such a perfect blend of fantasy, mystery, and romance that never felt TOO much like a YA book. I loved every sweet minute of every Yadriel and Julian interaction. I caught myself actively smiling while reading so many times. Basically I must adopt them and obviously Maritza too. Her loyalty and dedication to Yadriel was so adorable. I loved her sass and spunk — if you can’t tell she was my favorite.

All of the Latino culture interwoven was so beautiful and I’m so happy to see more books like this represented. I mean the food constantly made me hungry, the MARIGOLDS & the spirits, the brujx and Dias de los Muertos!!! Everything was perfect.

Lastly, I bow down to Aidan Thomas for the LGBTQIA rep. He nailed it. Trying to navigate Yadriel being transgender and gay in his brujx community and within his family was so well done. It was never forgotten in the storyline and tapped into only some of the every day struggles of our transgender youth.

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viji's review

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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kaziaroo's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I was shocked when I read the acknowledgements at the end and found that the author wasn't originally going to write about a trans character and Latinx culture, because those, and the bold, loveable characters, are what really make this book stand out. Otherwise, the writing was a bit repetitive (there's lots of "Yadriel didn't know how to respond" and "Julian tilted his head") and the main mystery was very obvious, but the characters and the depictions of the different facets of their culture and how the characters each relate to the culture are special. It just goes to show that plot isn't everything.

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