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kickitupanotch7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Transphobia
Minor: Child death, Deportation, Kidnapping, and Deadnaming
briannagriffin567's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
I would give this book all the stars if I could. I rarely write a review, but want to remember how perfect I thought this book was. It was beautiful, funny, touching, and overall so much more than I thought it would be when I picked it up to read on a whim.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Dysphoria, Grief, Deadnaming, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Deportation, Death of parent, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Ableism, Blood, Homophobia, Bullying, Car accident, Biphobia, and Abandonment
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really wanted to like this book. And I had enjoyed it for the most part until the very end, which is why I think this feels so disappointing.
I thought the book had a pretty strong intro. It established the world effectively and did so in a way non-Latin readers could understand. I had a quick grasp on relationships and dynamics. I think the book ended up being a bit heavy handed in foreshadowing with this establishment of the world, but I still appreciated it and that there was foreshadowing.
I also really liked the complexity in the family dynamics. It didn’t feel like Yadriel’s family was villainised for not fully understanding him. It was upsetting, you understood Yadriel’s pain, and (at least with his father) you felt like he was TRYING. And when Yadriel revealed he had become a brujo how PROUD he was of Yadriel. It felt realistic and I appreciated that aspect. This also leant well to the story being told of Yadriel’s struggle as a trans teen, which was compelling and provided such great insight into what trans teens go through in trying to find comfort in their own body.
The biggest issue I had with the book was the romance. I had such a hard time buying into it, especially considering how short of a time the book takes place over. When it did fully turn to romance it felt sudden and like the story hadn’t properly built to it. I felt the book would have been better if it had been about forming a friendship instead of a romance. Especially considering how isolated Yadriel felt as the only noted “friends” outside his family were his cousin’s friends. This was only emphasised when in the ending there was a dramatic declaration that the Julian had feelings for Yadriel and all I could think of was the Sassy Gay Friend video for Romeo and Juliet. I had a couple other issues with the end, but they’re spoilers so I’ll refrain from sharing them.
Overall a book with a strong start that fumbled the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Child death, Dysphoria, Racism, Classism, and Murder
Minor: Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Deportation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Gun violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Outing
livreads16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? N/A
4.5
This book is like a hug. The characters are well written, the plot is so interesting, pacing is almost perfect, and the end will have you crying your eyes out. I will probably re-read this at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Grief, Religious bigotry, Torture, Child abuse, Deportation, and Bullying
sp00ky_girl28's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, and Deadnaming
zydecovivo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Transphobia, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death of parent, Bullying, Violence, Outing, Deportation, Dysphoria, and Deadnaming
Minor: Animal cruelty
withlivjones's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
4.0
I loved the celebration of Latin American culture in this book, and I learned a lot. Yadriel is a great protagonist who is very easy to root for, and the romance between him and Julian was very sweet. I was expecting Julian to be a little more brooding and standoffish since he’s immediately described as a “bad boy”, but I ended up quite enjoying his golden retriever boy personality. I also felt like the ending was a little rushed in terms of pace, considering the first half of the book was pretty slow-paced. I also thought that the ending was a little too tidy and happy? Idk, Yadriel being able to bring everyone back like nothing had happened and surviving doesn’t sit quite right with me. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
Minor: Deportation
thebostonbibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Death of parent and Deadnaming
arkwen452's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
5.0
To be perfectly honest, I have not been reading YA books anymore. I picked this book up after it sat on my TBR for so long and it match a qualification for the Trans Rights Readathon. I am so very happy that I did. It was a fresh and exciting story that combines Latinx cultures, family, Latinx lore, love, devotion, self-discovery, and yes teenage angst. More than that, readers form a bond of understanding and acceptance when introduced to the main character, Yadriel.
Yadriel, a young, shy trans teenage boy from a mixed Latinx family who desperately to be welcomed and accepted by his family members of brujx. A secret community of healers, ghost seers and ghost releasers—roughly translated into a crude form ‘witch’. After secretly completing the selection ceremony with the help of his BFF and cousin, Maritza, Yadriel is accepted by the spirits as a Brujo. However, the sudden and violent feeling of loss felt by the family of his cousin sets Yadriel and Maritza off to find his ghost and release him to the after-world before day of the dead.
Yadriel and Maritza find themselves in over their heads when the lead they follow does not lead them to their missing cousin but to a peer from their school. Bad boy, Julian Diaz.
Cemetery Boys will take readers through a world-win of emotions, fear, love, grief, longing, comradery, adventure, and a celebration for life. I enjoyed the way Yadriel began to open up to Julian—even if it was semi-forced since Julian was a ball of energy lol.
Besides, Maritza it was clear that Yadriel needed that connection with someone outside of his family and immediate family who would see and accept him for who he was. It was clear that there was a void in his life since he lost his mother who was the beacon of support for him. Likewise, Yadriel’s desire to prove himself as a brujo within his family also seemed like his only real way to show his family that he was who he was because even with how he presented himself, what he called himself and how he told them who he really was—at the heart of it all they still didn’t seem him as Yadriel.
But Julian was different. He is squirrely, wild, blunt, easy going but quick tempered. Julian saw things as face value and accepted things in the moment for what they were. He didn’t think too deeply about things but also had this ability to accept people and things for what they were.
When he realized he was brought back as a ghost he was shocked, but he didn’t dwell on that fact too much and immediately wondered about his friends who were with him when he was attacked. I can only imagine how relieving that must have been for Yadriel. And why couldn’t his family been that way?!!
I also appreciated the way Yadriel got Julian to think more about things and the seriousness of their shared situation.
Cemetery Boys does not skimp on the mystery element of the narrative either. As readers follow Yadriel, Maritza and Julian look deeper in the events of Julian’s death, they begin to realize that the disappearance of their cousin and Julian’s death are in fact connected. Without giving away spoilers, I believe readers with be hooked onto the story until the very last heart-pounding and adrenaline fill end as Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian fight to save the lives of everyone against the forces of evil.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
kamiqr12'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Deadnaming, and Transphobia