Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

543 reviews

evalynnfarkashasanbasri's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad medium-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

4.25

I enjoyed my time with this book, and thought it was pretty great for a debut, though I can see where the word in this book do not flow smoothly or is not engaging for every reader. I had heard a lot of hype from teens about this one, and I see why it is loved. The characters are a treat to have as company. The physical book itself is so gorgeous, for one thing. The spooky, dark atmosphere of the book make it a good choice for November, or as a Day of the Dead read. The mystery central to the story is somewhat easy to figure out, with many clues left by the author as to what is really going on, or how it will end. The premise is still interesting though, and the Spanish language sprinkled throughout, as well as the author's clear attitude of welcoming all cultures of Spanish-speakers, is really cool. 

As an adult closer to my 30s than my 20s, it made me think: This is what happens when we give our children minimal information about something, or make them feel misunderstood, or like they cannot come to us for help, or tell the whole truth. But because it is a YA book, nothing bad really happens. Yadriel is able to overcome all obstacles. His guardians come around, apologizing for the nearly grave errors of their ways. And by now, after so much media and real people that tell us otherwise, us in the LGBTQIA+ community deserve this happy ending. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Blood, and Abandonment

Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

noxsie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

3.75

This was a decent YA fantasy romance. I guessed the twist relatively early into the book but that didn't necessarily ruin the rest of the book for me.
The romance between Yadriel and Julian is sweet if a little fast paced considering they're ready to die for each other after knowing each other for only days. 
But the character development was well managed and it was great to see Yandriel finally excepted by his whole family at the very end. 

Overall, it was a good book. Not something I'd likely reach for again, but enjoyable while I was reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Deadnaming, and Death of parent

tallnecked_pancakeface's review

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Outing

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Deportation

library_kb's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

At first, I found this book a little hard to get into, but I really enjoyed it by the end of the story! The way that Yadriel and Julian's relationship develops throughout the story really worked and the tension of the future between the two characters put the pressure on the story to really resolve. I definitely saw the reveal at the end coming from the beginning of the book, but since at that point I was more invested in characters than plot, it didn't bug me too much. Aidan Thomas' writing style really works for me--it creates a really vivid picture of the setting and characters without being too over the top. Would recommend for 8th grade and up!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death and Death of parent

irisvdn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Fucking hell... Crying my eyes out

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, and War

Minor: Religious bigotry and Car accident

mplace613's review

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

5.0

This was a beautiful story about just wanting to fit in and about acceptance and being a part of something. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment

fishindices's review

adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Dysphoria

Minor: Kidnapping and Car accident

naoml's review

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

"Growth isn't a deviation from what we've done before, but a natural progression to honor all those who make this community strong"

I thought this was very well done. The representation of queerness and transness was not overworked, but beautifully woven into the story, which stands on it's own very well. I thought the world building and family dynamics were really well crafted. Not 5 starts because it felt a tad rushed in a few places

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Deportation

genevieve5's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse

spacecadetlav's review

hopeful inspiring tense slow-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

4.5

I felt the pacing was not ideal for me, but this was such a wonderful story told with careful consideration of the intersecting identities that were touched upon. The characters were so lovable and felt so real. This book was such a great experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent