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thebookpaiges's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Transphobia, Violence, Homophobia, and Blood
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Deadnaming, and Death of parent
Minor: Outing and Medical content
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
I am very late to the Cemetery Boys fan club, but I’m so glad I finally made it! This story had a ton of my favorite things and took me through a classic YA coming-of-age story through a less common lens. Yadriel’s journey to prove himself to his community and family while also doing a Big ThingTM was so exciting but also had an incredible amount of emotional depth.
The thing about this book for me is that solving the mystery of who killed Julian and Miguel was not the main event…I was reading for the emotional and personal growth journeys for the characters and OH BOY DID THIS BOOK DELIVER.
A short list:
Julian, Julian, Julian. This kid is so real. He’s gritty and larger than life and emotionally deep and kind. I could not get enough of his big heart and sweet nature despite the hurdles his life threw at him. In a word: fierce.
Yadriel. YADRIEL!! There were so many small moments with Yadriel and his family that broke my heart but also felt like a huge hug. I adored the moments with Yadriel and his (large) family, especially his father. Thomas provided an incredibly nuanced and touching window into Yadriel’s life with its good and bad all mixed together while also giving us a ton of plot action. Yadriel is now one of my all-time favorite YA main characters.
Maritza. Okay, everyone needs a Maritza in their life and I’m so glad Yadriel had her. She’s an incredible bestie. She’s basically the definition of ride-or-die. I’m going to need Aiden to write like four to five spin off books and Martiza needs to be the MC in the first one.
Julian’s friends. I LOVE found family and this one is top-notch. Also, these kids activated my Mom Mode in a big way. I really wanted to feed them a good meal, give them a warm safe place to sleep and make sure they got to school. On the other hand, I adored how they found and cared for each other with what they had, showing that we can (and should) take care of each other.
This story underscored the importance of the #TransRightsReadathon and other movements to make sure that organizations that help traditionally marginalized communities are well-funded. Additionally, the readathon is a way for those of us outside of the community to understand the depth of the issues trans youth are facing. If you’re reading for the readathon this week, I challenge you to take a moment and try to internalize the things you’re learning about. What can you do as an individual to help? What level of understanding did the books you read provide you and how can you update your thinking or actions to reflect that new point of view? How can you scale your impact to make sure the things you learn don’t stay in your own brain?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Violence, Abandonment, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, and Child abuse
clockworkstars's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
“Why do you have to prove anything to anyone?"
"It's just how it is, how it's always been. In order for them to let me be a brujo—"
"You don't need anyone's permission to be you, Yads”
4.5☆|5
Ce roman est absolument parfait, lisez le. Mais étant donné que je ne peux pas juste dire cela, je m'en viens détailler un minimum.
J'ai su que j'allais aimer dés le premier chapitre et ce n'est même pas une exagération. Et ma prédiction était exacte, car j'ai tout simplement adoré ma lecture. Déjà de part le personnage principal. Yadriel est incroyable. La manière dont le personnage est décrit ? Le comment il gère et vit son identité de genre ? Le comment sa transidentité est décrite, le comment cela se passe dans sa famille, les scènes avec Julian où la citation apparait (phrase qui m'a tout simplement rempli le cœur de joie tout en me faisant pleurer.) ?? Ce fut exceptionnel, la représentation est immaculée.
Et si j'ai aimé Yads de tout mon cœur, j'ai également sombré pour Julian. Je l'aime avec tout mon cœur. Au chapitre 10, j'ai déclaré dans les DMs d'un·e ami·e "De toute façon ça fait 9 chapitres qu'il est chaotique et adorable, je l'aime". Et oui. Juste oui. Ce personnage est un chaos incarné, qui a peu de self control, qui est impulsif au possible mais c'est pour ça qu'on l'aime et qu'on s'y attache. Quand je dis qu'on a tous besoin d'un Julian Diaz dans nos vies, je le pense sincèrement.
Et j'ai aussi beaucoup, beaucoup aimé ce roman grâce au worldbuilding qui était exceptionnel. On est plongé dans la mythologie latinx et j'aime fort fort fort. Le comment leur société marche, les préparatifs de Dia de los muertos, le fait qu'il y a des mots espagnols un peu partie, le système de magie. Absolument fan, je veux lire les autres livres de l'auteurice maintenant. Dans la semaine. S'il vous plaît.
Aiden Thomas nous plonge dans une fantasy exceptionnel, avec une petite touche de romance qui m'a fait sourire au possible, c'était juste incroyable à lire et j'ai un peu beaucoup fondu pour les personnages mais vous n'avez aucune preuve.
J'ai beau avoir adoré ce roman, je regrette légèrement la fin. Je ne suis pas entièrement fan de comment s'est passé la résolution du plot même si j'ai beaucoup aimé celui-ci en général. Ça a été peut-être un peu trop vite sur certains points et c'est je pense le seul point négatif que je trouve à aborder ici, tellement ce roman m'a semblé exceptionnel et parfait.
En conclusion : lisez le. Maintenant. Je vous assure que vous ne le regretterez pas.
TW : deadname (il n'est pas spécifié) ; déportation (hors page) ; dysphorie de genre ; homophobie ; magie du sang ; mégenrage ; mort d'un parent ; sang ; transphobie ; violence
Rep : MC latinx (mexicain, cubain et nord-américain) trans et gay ; LI latinx (colombien et nord-américain) et gay ; SC latinx ; SC trans
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Deportation and Car accident
There is mention and usage of the deadname of the main character. The deadname is not specified, the reader doesn't know itchloeismay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Death
hollybasiuk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, and Blood
robinks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I forgot how much I love paranormal romances 🥲 I loved all the characters and all the important topics Thomas was able to seamlessly include in the story. Even though I was able to predict the ending pretty early on and the ending was a little too perfect, I still enjoyed it. I highly recommend the audio book, as Roque does a phenomenal job of narrating, and the bonus interview with Thomas at the end is so lovely. I love #Yadrian!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Deportation, Violence, Xenophobia, Death, Classism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexism, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Racism
Minor: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Animal death, Child death, and Bullying
chusingviolence's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
I read this book via audiobook, and the narrator ensured that an already wonderful book was an exciting journey. I greatly enjoyed the lore and worldbuilding the author used to expand upon a very familiar and modern setting - Los Angeles was fairly faithfully represented, and yet expanded upon with the added magic of what the brujx can experience added new layers to the city. I loved the main characters, their growing romance, and the complexities of their situations as the story unwinds. While I did feel that Maritza was a fairly shallow character (in terms of development) she was still a loveable addition alongside the much more complex narratives of Yadriel and Julian's characters and the lives they live. While the ending was predictable, I imagine that's more a factor of my being a grown adult rather than a flaw of the narrative.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia
kymberly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
brooooooo this was so good!!! 😭
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Deadnaming, Murder, Homophobia, Death, and Emotional abuse
roadesntoades's review against another edition
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.
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
karobiner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? No
4.5
Lovingly crafted YA, which treats it's Latino trans protagonist with love and respect as a teenager going through a series of fantastical misadventures. I would argue that the main romance happens pretty quickly, but they are teens so I'll forgive it 😂 Came for queer romance - stayed for the nuanced portrait of Latinx family dynamics ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Classism, Transphobia, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Deportation, Racism, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Abandonment, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Bullying, Outing, and Homophobia