Reviews with content warning for Dysphoria - Cemetery Boys

Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

151 reviews

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

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theirgracegrace's review against another edition

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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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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

3.5

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heapofhay's review against another edition

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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? No

4.0

I really liked the book, it was a fun read with loveable characters and good writting. Some things where a bit underdeveloped and plotholey

did we ever learn what it was that Julian and Rio fought about? And would maybe have liked more talking about the death of Yadriels mother) and I had the plot twistfigured out since... I belive chapter 2? (Did also not like how the only other outsider, even thou for a diffrent reason, where non transphobic and always accepting Tio Catriz. Thou there where a very brief acknowledgement from Enriuqe that the family played a part in making Catriz do what he did). I also would have liked to see more of Julians friends and feelt that Maritza was a bit passive in some scenes she was in, not saying anything even thought it felt like it was something she could and would do.

But yeah, sweet book and enjoyable to read.

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marissasa's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a beautiful YA trans latinx story full of culture, connection, and heart. I adored the main characters Yadriel, Julian, and Maritza and their development and I loved how their identities shaped so much of their personalities and actions. I also loved that many of the supporting characters felt fleshed out and important despite not having much time focused on them, instead having their relationships to the main characters being the memorable part about them. This book was rich with culture and latinx lore which was delightful to read, but I think what especially made the writing stand out was the way Spanish was used. I really admired how character dialogue in Spanish wasn’t explained or translated to English. For readers who don’t understand the language like myself it felt like a visual signifier that something very important or culturally significant was being said, and despite not knowing the direct translation I was able to understand the weight and meaning behind the words. With language being used this way you could really feel the force behind the brujx chanting the words to use their powers, or behind Julian saying a phrase like “mi querido.”
The only things holding this book back from being a 5 star for me are that the writing can be a little repetitive at times (I feel like “Yadriel scrubbed his hand across his face” was used like 4 times) and that the big reveal toward the end was predictable. Otherwise a really lovely story with beautiful representation, a sweet slow burn, and a joyful celebration of diverse latinx cultures.

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angeldaft's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Very juvenile, if you're into adult literature you probably won't enjoy this book as much. It was really fun, cute and wholesome. The writing style it's very nice, if a little repetitive. Overall an amazing read i would recommend to any young adult.

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