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keyka's review
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Murder
nikia4's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I figured out the plot twist less than halfway thru the book and there were some things that felt like maybe lazy writing to me, but I honestly loved the characters, the romance, and the worldbuilding so much that this was still a really lovely read. I really enjoyed it. I think I may be older than the target age group for this book too and it would be a great book for younger kids/teenagers to read.
The things that confused me:
1. Why/how was Julian still briefly alive at the end pre Yadriel’s sacrifice when the others were all dead aside from it being a plot device for Yadriel to be able to talk to him… Also how did he have a spirit if he was still alive the whole time?? How did he survive while bleeding out for 3 days??
2. Those daggers needed to be in a triple locked safe and tracked at all times bro. Wdym it was in a box in some grandma’s storage??? it makes no sense that it was That easy to steal and that they were being that casual about it being lost
Aside from that tho i felt like there could have been more development towards the final twist in the second half, it kind of felt like there was no plot progress for a while until suddenly at midnight on Dia de Los Muertos. It slso made me sad that the uncle was the villain, even tho i could tell he was being set up for it bc he was just too perfect and nice/the daggers gave power and he didn’t have much. I didn’t love that the trope was that the one guy without power was the villain and I would have preferred if it was like a false flag and people turned on the Tio and then it turned out they were wrong. It would have done more for the narrative of broader inclusion. It felt like Yadriel’s arc was him being accepted because he evolved to fit perfectly into the binary, and I wish it had been a nicer message loll. But this book is definitely for people younger than me and I can see why a simple narrative of belonging like this would be important.
1. Why/how was Julian still briefly alive at the end pre Yadriel’s sacrifice when the others were all dead aside from it being a plot device for Yadriel to be able to talk to him… Also how did he have a spirit if he was still alive the whole time?? How did he survive while bleeding out for 3 days??
2. Those daggers needed to be in a triple locked safe and tracked at all times bro. Wdym it was in a box in some grandma’s storage??? it makes no sense that it was That easy to steal and that they were being that casual about it being lost
Aside from that tho i felt like there could have been more development towards the final twist in the second half, it kind of felt like there was no plot progress for a while until suddenly at midnight on Dia de Los Muertos. It slso made me sad that the uncle was the villain, even tho i could tell he was being set up for it bc he was just too perfect and nice/the daggers gave power and he didn’t have much. I didn’t love that the trope was that the one guy without power was the villain and I would have preferred if it was like a false flag and people turned on the Tio and then it turned out they were wrong. It would have done more for the narrative of broader inclusion. It felt like Yadriel’s arc was him being accepted because he evolved to fit perfectly into the binary, and I wish it had been a nicer message loll. But this book is definitely for people younger than me and I can see why a simple narrative of belonging like this would be important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty and Racism
amy_in_the_city's review
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.
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.
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
arlingtonchamberofgay's review
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming, Violence, and Blood
beareadstoomuch's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
It took me a long time to finish, but once I got to the last half, I was more hooked and needed to know what happened. I loved the mix of real cultural elements and fantasy. It was a sweet love story alongside a fantasy hero journey. I think it's a really powerful story for teens and young adults to read and see those with identities that are usually on the margins at the center of a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent
Minor: Deportation
rhyme_not_reason's review
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
chrisb913's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
This book had me hooked beginning, middle, and end. Aiden Thomas did a remarkable job with the characters, plot, world building and every aspect of this story. I look forward to reading the sequel and everything else Thomas writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, and Car accident
hexagonal_flowers's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Deadnaming, Racism, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
corsetedfeminist's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
My only complaint about this book is that there isn’t a series with 35 books coming after it.
This book manages to be extremely gay and extremely Latinx, all at once, in an explosion of culture and magic that I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The story is unpredictable and heartfelt all at the same time- I literally squealed at one particular plot point.
It also deals with very well with what it’s like to not be a straight, cisgendered person in a culture and religion that is strongly gendered, with the realistic amount of resultant angst and a heartwarming conclusion.
The romance is literally perfect, featuring what I can only describe as the human embodiment of a pitbull (looks imposing, but is actually just a hyper squish) and sensitive but stubborn main character who I immediately loved.
The girl best friend is probably one of my favorite sidekicks of all time- tiny pink haired girl with two massive pitbulls and a long suffering mom friend vibe only defeated by her love for mischief.
In short, I have no idea why this book isn’t more popular than it is- it’s a perfect YA book, both for lots of Latinx representation and for the queer representation.
This book manages to be extremely gay and extremely Latinx, all at once, in an explosion of culture and magic that I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The story is unpredictable and heartfelt all at the same time- I literally squealed at one particular plot point.
It also deals with very well with what it’s like to not be a straight, cisgendered person in a culture and religion that is strongly gendered, with the realistic amount of resultant angst and a heartwarming conclusion.
The romance is literally perfect, featuring what I can only describe as the human embodiment of a pitbull (looks imposing, but is actually just a hyper squish) and sensitive but stubborn main character who I immediately loved.
The girl best friend is probably one of my favorite sidekicks of all time- tiny pink haired girl with two massive pitbulls and a long suffering mom friend vibe only defeated by her love for mischief.
In short, I have no idea why this book isn’t more popular than it is- it’s a perfect YA book, both for lots of Latinx representation and for the queer representation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Deportation
tovetott's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
I'm in Spain without the S. But in Eastern LA lol.
This is the second book I've read by Aiden Thomas, and I can't believe I was tricked into thinking it WOULDN'T take a dark turn AGAIN by the wholesome, sweet buildup and the lovable characters. 😭 I'm onto you now, though, Thomas! You're not getting me next time !! 😭
Absolutely loved the story, and the queer and trans rep was really well done and felt like it elevated the story in a really, really cool way. I loved the way things were foreshadowed (I managed to figure it out about halfway through without the book being obvious about it) AND EVEN STILL it had me gasping at the end because of twists I didn't see coming.
The ONLY THINGS pulling down the score from a full 5 stars for me is the writing itself feeling a lil ?? Idk how to put it but the prose is not as "artsy" as I'd like a 5-star book to be? Does that make sense? This might also have been an expectation I applied myself after all the good things I'd heard about this book, and it just didn't quite live up to what I had in mind hsjdbbd
The second thing knocking this down SLIGHTLY is the way the dark twist is REALLY DARK in contrast to how lighthearted the rest of the book is (I had the same reaction with 'Lost In The Never Woods' even though I ofc absolutely LOVED it still!!). It's definitely a style choice but it really threw me off balance this time too.
All in all, I had a great time! I loved all the Spanish dialogue (and accents !!!) and mexican culture references and mythology etc about Día de Muertos! It was weaved in so seamlessly into the story and I loved it (even though my frantic googling and translating and pronounciation guides LOL)
Julian and Yadriel's stories will live with me for a long time, precious lil beans 🥺🥺🩷✨️🩷✨️🩷
This is the second book I've read by Aiden Thomas, and I can't believe I was tricked into thinking it WOULDN'T take a dark turn AGAIN by the wholesome, sweet buildup and the lovable characters. 😭 I'm onto you now, though, Thomas! You're not getting me next time !! 😭
Absolutely loved the story, and the queer and trans rep was really well done and felt like it elevated the story in a really, really cool way. I loved the way things were foreshadowed (I managed to figure it out about halfway through without the book being obvious about it) AND EVEN STILL it had me gasping at the end because of twists I didn't see coming.
The ONLY THINGS pulling down the score from a full 5 stars for me is the writing itself feeling a lil ?? Idk how to put it but the prose is not as "artsy" as I'd like a 5-star book to be? Does that make sense? This might also have been an expectation I applied myself after all the good things I'd heard about this book, and it just didn't quite live up to what I had in mind hsjdbbd
The second thing knocking this down SLIGHTLY is the way the dark twist is REALLY DARK in contrast to how lighthearted the rest of the book is (I had the same reaction with 'Lost In The Never Woods' even though I ofc absolutely LOVED it still!!). It's definitely a style choice but it really threw me off balance this time too.
All in all, I had a great time! I loved all the Spanish dialogue (and accents !!!) and mexican culture references and mythology etc about Día de Muertos! It was weaved in so seamlessly into the story and I loved it (even though my frantic googling and translating and pronounciation guides LOL)
Julian and Yadriel's stories will live with me for a long time, precious lil beans 🥺🥺🩷✨️🩷✨️🩷
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, and Blood