Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

73 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. 

---

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

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment

lifeinsherds's review

emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really loved Cemetery Boys. The setting, the main characters and the heartache of loss and coming of age in a family that doesn't understand you. The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because I think it wraps up the main mystery WAY too quickly.

I'm happy to say this is not a story where the LGBTQ+ characters end up dead. EVERYBODY LIVES.

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Transphobia, Abandonment, and Deportation

Minor: Deadnaming, Medical content, and Dysphoria

noxtins's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i liked this a lot! i struggled with the -x suffix on the spanish because im used to -e neutrally and the x popped me out of the energy. brujx is pronounced verrry similarly to bruje anyway :p 
i didnt expect the twist at the end, i was wondering how things would work out. i related a lot to yandriel as a hispanic trans guy myself

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Classism

Moderate: Blood and Abandonment

erika_winters's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

I’ve never read a book about brujx before or ghosts, so this was a wildly adventurous and engaging story! Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian were the best group of teens to follow in this story as we witness their coming of age in a cemetery and being a part of a huge Latinx family who have magic given to them by their goddess, Lady Death. I thought this story was fresh and new, while also being relatable and heartbreaking. There are so many layers of grief in this story from Yadriel and Julian going through personal losses, while also exploring the idea of Julian dying at such a young age. Aiden Thomas does a great job at constructing the magic system in their book, while also tackling social issues in our own world, such as racism, classicism, and transphobia. The cast of characters were overall lovable and came from all walks of life, and I loved how the setting became its own character; the cemetery in East LA  literally brimming with energy from the spirits that inhabit it, to the general areas in SoCal that make it palpable; like the ocean community of Malibu seen later in the book. Overall, this book is meaningful to those who are queer and have fought to have their identities be seen and heard, and a love letter to the Latinx community with its lush culture and heritage.

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Transphobia, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Deportation

annathechaoticreader's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Cemetery Boys found me at exactly the right moment and I’m in love. It’s a great romance but more than that it’s a fantastic exploration of colonialism, tradition and queer identities within a complex immigrant community/family. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I audibly yelled ”wait…WHAT?!”while reading. The best Y/A book I’ve ever read and a new edition to my Favourite Books of All Time list. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

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.

---

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

toastedoats42's review

adventurous funny hopeful 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? No

5.0

Great listen on audiobook! It's a super interesting world and concept and, while I predicted some of the things that happened, there were twists ai hadn't expected and kept the whole thing fresh. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment

erikagibson126's review

adventurous 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, Outing, Abandonment, and Deportation

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: Deadnaming, Death, Transphobia, Grief, Dysphoria, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment