Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

13 reviews

bbelitz's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Deadnaming, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

sapphic_alpaca's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Death, Gore, Body horror, Cursing, Blood, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Deadnaming

Minor: Homophobia, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Deportation, and Sexual content

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Transphobia, Ableism, and Cursing

nat_montego's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Minor: Medical trauma, Transphobia, Blood, and Child abuse

saltylane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.75

Great story, though the first quarter of the book was a bit rough to get through because it hit very close to home. I’m glad I stuck it out till the end, though. I really enjoyed spending time with the characters. I did predict the “twist” at the very beginning, but that didn’t make getting to that part any less enjoyable. 

I just wish all three of the main cast of characters got equal character development—or at least it wasn’t written like the third character didn’t exist when the other two were interacting or something else was going on. I feel like that would have made the characters seem more real and present within the story. 

The story was a little predictable at times, but it also had some surprises. Either way, it only got a little “boring” when there was more interiority than action happening. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Cursing

Minor: Medical trauma, Transphobia, Outing, Kidnapping, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Racism, Cursing, Car accident, and Alcohol

roadesntoades's review

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Never has there a book that left like such a true reflection of queer youth in Latin communities. If people don’t like this book, they are not people I’d like to know.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Transphobia, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Incest, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Child death, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Homophobia

Minor: Outing, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, and Grief

recycled_personalities's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

Genuinely such a good read. It was really comforting queer representation and that definitely made me happy. It’s a LITTLE slow at the very beginning but please don’t make the mistake of giving up on it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia

theprettiestpages's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I decided to read this book because Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World was on my TBR, but I found out the author was transphobic. When I found out about this I found a tread with LGBTQIA+ characters written by people in the community. I posted about it and decided instead of reading Dive into the Waters. That being said I read this book in two days, and I think that rapid consumption led me to realize more things that annoyed me. Now here come the spoilers

Hello since your reading this I’m assuming you have read the book or you want to read my spoilers, anyways welcome. I borrowed this book from the library because I am trying not to buy physical books unless I give them at least 4 stars. The main characters Yadriel, is gay and transgender , and he is trying to convince his family that he is boy and that he can become a brujo. The book kept wackiness me over the head with a comedically big sized mallet saying do you get it the main character is trans. I wish that it would do more of showing and not telling. I enjoyed the bits about how the binder worked while putting it on and wearing it. Maritza, was the main side character and I loved her. I want a whole book about her and her immediate family. I loved that she was a vegan and stuck to it even if it meant she usually couldn’t heal people, it made it all the more better when she saved Yads at the end. But I’m getting ahead of my self. The book really begins when the family feels the pain of Miguel, one of their family members dying. They go out and try to look for his body/ spirit tether, but they are unsuccessful. Yads and Maritza were preforming a ceremony to give Yads his power conveniently at same time Miguel is hurt. Yads accidentally raises this guy Julian instead. And from the point they met Yads is smitten with Julian and that’s all that’s on his mind. Miguel being murdered has been thrown in the back for *squints to check paper* a random hot guy from school who is now a ghost boy, ok. The book moved as slow as that one teachers class that Julian got Yads to leave. There was lots of wandering around and looking for clues and not really finding any. They just so happened to stumble upon what was happening at the end for the twist villain *not really a surprise he’s the only one who had a motive* to expo dump what was happening. The foreshadowing was very blatant. I almost had to check if this was a middle grade book. It was like Dora stating okay what are the clues that we have 4 missing people, the missing jaguar knives that lita keeps asking for, an outcast uncle with no powers, and a prophecy that we keep repeating where you need to stab 4 people with the jaguar knives to gain magical powers . Wonder how those things could be related. I wish they would’ve actually found clues that lead them to the answer. Also this book kept feeling like a big inners guide to diversity. It was like one mtf, one ftm, one gay, one lesbian, and one vegan okay everything is covered. The book also did a lot of repetition that went nowhere.  It was like the author copied and pasted the same phrase when they didn’t know what to write. I sat here trying to remember how many days had past because Julian and Yads were in love within 3-5 business days. I just sat there mouth agape when Yads said Julian was all he cared about like his cousin’s dead body wasn’t sitting there in the same room. You mean to tell me if Yads could only bring one person back from the dead it would be Julian, and not Miguel?? Lastly I felt like the ending was a cop out. I came here for some murder and mystery. At the end of the day nobody died, but the uncle. Like death means nothing unless you’re a "bad guy". I also would’ve committed murder like the uncle if I was treated like mirable from encanto by all of the members of my family. Are the non magical ones useless?? I feel like they could also help the family. That one uncle is the ONLY ONE WITHOUT POWERS?? *that’s suspicious, that’s weird*. Now let’s talk about the dad only accepting Yads because he can do boy magic. What a let down. I wish it had been a I’ll love you no matter what, then Yads expresses that he got his powers. Lastly the book raises a lot of questions that are never explained. What happens with non-binary or gender fluid brujxes? Did Yads ever find other trans brujxes?/ inquiring minds would like to know. I know I just kind of ranted, but I did love:
* Julian for the most part
* Maritza and the boys
*Julian’s friends and the family they built 
* rio 
* the imagery of the world building 
* the different representation of Latinx culture

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Blood

lily1304's review

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

There are some plot holes. the magic rules are not well defined. you can see some of the plot twists coming a mile away.

But Yadriel and Julian are so dang cute 😭 it's a fun story with a good pace. Also the concept of a teen witch who won't use her healing powers because she's vegan is hilarious.

I'm curious how much of the "brujx" culture is real and how much is imaginary - I would love to learn more.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia

Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

nothingrhymeswithrachel's review

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Tell me a book exists where a transgender, gay Latino teenager saves a bunch of lives and I will give you all of my money. This book made me so happy, I am absolutely obsessed with it. I actually addressed every plot point it brought up and RESOLVED EVERYTHING, plus it had

a really happy ending which I am always and forever here for. Also, Yadriel and Julian are my new favorite couple, absolute kings.

 
Also, I never read the epilogue of a book. My brain is convinced that if it was that important for the story, it would have been in the chapters, ya know? READ THE EPILOGUE. It’s so important in this book and was so wonderful and wrapped everything up in a neat little bow. Absolutely brilliant, will be rereading. 

Side note: the fact that Yadriel’s dead name is never actually given in the book is absolutely gold. It is not necessary for the plot, and I am so glad it was never added. It may seem like a small detail but I can absolutely tell it was intentional, thank you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, and Violence