Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

4 reviews

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

amy_in_the_city's review against another edition

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

This was such an interesting premise, and I loved Yadriel! I'm not sure how I felt about Julian. While I liked how playful he was and how he protected those he loved, his anger issues were concerning. The scene where he

got upset threw a skateboard around his friends

felt like a red flag. I did appreciate that Yadriel set firm boundaries and told Julian that his violent outburst was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated again, but I would have felt better if we got some indication afterwards that Julian was working on his anger management skills.

The plot was very predictable. I guessed who the villain would be as soon as they appeared and by 10% into the book I had already guessed the villain's plan.

I still really enjoyed the book because I liked the side characters, Yadriel's character journey, and the main relationship overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Deportation

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Car accident, and Classism

nellienelson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.75

I JUST FINISHED READING IT AND I LOVED IT SO MUCH OMG. The representation was so good, so was the storyline and the story itself. I could really relate to the characters. Even though I already suspected what the plot twist would be somewhere in the middle of the book, it still had me on the edge of my seat while reading. It was so well-written and just amazing. 
I definitely recommend!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Outing

Minor: Vomit, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense 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? Yes

4.5

An astounding book with no shortage of heart-wrenching teen drama. Yadriel is a brujo, one of the male members of a necromantic tradition stretching back to pre-colonial Central America. He is also transgender and accidentally falls in love with the first spirit he raises, Julian. With the backdrop of a mysterious death in the brujo community and the possibility that Julian's death is linked, I literally burned the midnight oil to read the end of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Colonisation