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A review by twistykris
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
This book gave me all the feels and I'm tearing up looking at fan art of my two sweet boys! It got me KICKIN' MAH FEET!!
I love the cast that represents diversity within the Latinx community- Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican, and Julian is Colombian- as well as the diversity in the queer community- Yadriel is trans and gay, Julian is gay.
There were so many funny, sweet moments as Yadriel and Julian got to know each other while (sort of) solving the mystery of Julian's death (to be honest, the mystery was less a part of the plot than I expected, but I'm okay with it?). The moment whenJulian crosses out Yadriel's dead name in the yearbook</spoiler had me SOBBING😭 Also, I adore Maritza.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Avi Roque and it was wonderful to hear a Latinx, trans person narrate a book that was so important to them. There was an interview between Avi and Aiden at the end and it was great to hear how Macmillan was dedicated to finding an audiobook narrator and cover artist that was representative in the community this book was meant for, by being either POC, trans, or both.
However, it is noticeable that this is Avi's first audiobook. There are certain sentences where the emphasis would be on the "wrong" word, or awkward pauses or lack of pauses. It brought me out of the immersion at times, but overall, it wasn't super distracting. The fact Spanish phrases and names were pronounced as they should be-rather than butchered in my head- outweighs the inexperienced narrator.
Overall, a really sweet, charming story about two boys that I will never forget 💜
I love the cast that represents diversity within the Latinx community- Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican, and Julian is Colombian- as well as the diversity in the queer community- Yadriel is trans and gay, Julian is gay.
There were so many funny, sweet moments as Yadriel and Julian got to know each other while (sort of) solving the mystery of Julian's death (to be honest, the mystery was less a part of the plot than I expected, but I'm okay with it?). The moment when
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Avi Roque and it was wonderful to hear a Latinx, trans person narrate a book that was so important to them. There was an interview between Avi and Aiden at the end and it was great to hear how Macmillan was dedicated to finding an audiobook narrator and cover artist that was representative in the community this book was meant for, by being either POC, trans, or both.
However, it is noticeable that this is Avi's first audiobook. There are certain sentences where the emphasis would be on the "wrong" word, or awkward pauses or lack of pauses. It brought me out of the immersion at times, but overall, it wasn't super distracting. The fact Spanish phrases and names were pronounced as they should be-rather than butchered in my head- outweighs the inexperienced narrator.
Overall, a really sweet, charming story about two boys that I will never forget 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Deadnaming, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty