Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

99 reviews

meheehee's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Deadnaming, Gore, Medical content, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

swimmingwolf59's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

I really loved the world building in this book, it was an extremely cool setting!! I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book, and I'm happy that I was able to figure it out 😄 I also love Julian, my sweet child 🥹 But I didn't vibe with the main character very much and the pacing of the book was a bit slow for my taste. This is just a personal thing too, but I prefer when world building is slowly unfurled as the book goes on, so the info dump at the beginning of this book was a bit much for my tastes. Still an enjoyable read though!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Deadnaming, Gun violence, Racism, Transphobia, Car accident, and Deportation

glen3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Police brutality, Car accident, Classism, and Deportation

mariie_al's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

Wow, that was such an amazing read! The premise was so intriguing and I loved the world that was created as well as all the real cultural aspects that made it feel very well-rounded.
I loved the characters so much, they all felt different and interesting in their own ways. Yadriel is such a good trans rep, i loved the fact that his identity was of major importance to the story while not being all it relied on. 
Julian’s subtle ADHD traits mixed up with the really obvious ones was such a nice touch as well, made it feel really real. 
They felt really good together as well and I loved seeing their relationship evolve. 
I would say the 4,5 instead of a 5 is because of the ending, that felt very rushed and sudden, and also not as well written as the other parts of the book especially in the fight scene. 
That was the only minor hiccup I had with this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Deadnaming

sadetanssija's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Outing, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

erika_winters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I’ve never read a book about brujx before or ghosts, so this was a wildly adventurous and engaging story! Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian were the best group of teens to follow in this story as we witness their coming of age in a cemetery and being a part of a huge Latinx family who have magic given to them by their goddess, Lady Death. I thought this story was fresh and new, while also being relatable and heartbreaking. There are so many layers of grief in this story from Yadriel and Julian going through personal losses, while also exploring the idea of Julian dying at such a young age. Aiden Thomas does a great job at constructing the magic system in their book, while also tackling social issues in our own world, such as racism, classicism, and transphobia. The cast of characters were overall lovable and came from all walks of life, and I loved how the setting became its own character; the cemetery in East LA  literally brimming with energy from the spirits that inhabit it, to the general areas in SoCal that make it palpable; like the ocean community of Malibu seen later in the book. Overall, this book is meaningful to those who are queer and have fought to have their identities be seen and heard, and a love letter to the Latinx community with its lush culture and heritage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Transphobia, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Deportation

donttouchmyfeet's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny slow-paced

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

3.75

There was plenty to love in Cemetery Boys, including the character's personalities, character development, cultural relevance, and relatable scenarios. This is the kind of book I wish I had when I was a teen, it would have meant a lot to me to see trans representation. Aiden Thomas's writing style can occasionally feel over-embellished or repetitive in details that ultimately have little weight to the overall story. Avi Roque was an extraordinary choice for narrating the audiobook, I hope to hear Roque again for the second book! As a whole, I appreciate the space Cemetery Boys is holding, and I ultimately enjoyed the book. It comes down to personal taste; while this wasn't a style I normally enjoy, the story was interesting and heartwarming. I look forward to Yadriel and Julian's future shenanigans! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Outing, and Dysphoria

bookishperseus's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Deportation

Minor: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Deportation

lrose02's review against another edition

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

4.0

This was a read I’d heard amazing things about. And it was amazing. The cultural parts are so rich, and the fantasy parts are so much more believable because of it. I struggled at first as the first 20 pages are very Spanish heavy which is hard trying to read when you don’t speak it but also when you’re tired. The chemistry between the two boys feels natural, in a way that felt right. It didn’t cause me to kick me feet and squeal but it didn’t need to. Yadriel’s trans identity is a plot point but is used in a different way, as its tied to the magic system and whole belief of the community. You’re rooting for the characters the whole way. I started to doubt around 70% through how it’s going to end and if the mystery was ever going to be resolved. But it did and in a way that was completely shocking. What seems just like a lore dump and a cute side character moment is actually important. And you feel the betrayal with Yadriel. The ending is satisfying as you’re rooting for him the whole time and celebrate just as much when he finally gets all he’s been working towards 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

Minor: Child abuse and Deportation

annathechaoticreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Cemetery Boys found me at exactly the right moment and I’m in love. It’s a great romance but more than that it’s a fantastic exploration of colonialism, tradition and queer identities within a complex immigrant community/family. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I audibly yelled ”wait…WHAT?!”while reading. The best Y/A book I’ve ever read and a new edition to my Favourite Books of All Time list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation