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A review by beforeviolets
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? N/A
5.0
Yes. Period.
I don't know what I was expecting but I was not expecting this to quickly become a new favorite book and I was NOT expecting to be breaking out the waterworks at midnight after staying up to finish it in a day because I could not physically bring myself to put this book down.
This book has my whole heart and soul and I am so grateful to have spent my Saturday visiting this world and this story. Aiden Thomas flawlessly developed an environment and community in this book that is so incredibly approachable and engaging to the reader at every turn. My emotional and mental attention was constantly and fully plugged in to each and every moment. And the pacing was impeccable. I never felt dragged along or like a moment was inappropriately lingering but I also never found myself feeling rushed through the experiences or through the beats of the story, which is incredibly impressive - especially since a lot of the YA books I've read tend to sacrifice the tension and the dramatic rhythm for the sake of a quicker pace.
Though this book is YA, it handles such a large amount of deep and difficult topics such as transphobia, racism, death, grief, and more with such an immense amount of ease and grace. Any book that can make me both cry and laugh within a matter of sentences is going to be a fast favorite, and this is no exception. I can't wait to read more of Thomas's work.
If you've been thinking about picking this one up, this is your sign to do so.
I don't know what I was expecting but I was not expecting this to quickly become a new favorite book and I was NOT expecting to be breaking out the waterworks at midnight after staying up to finish it in a day because I could not physically bring myself to put this book down.
This book has my whole heart and soul and I am so grateful to have spent my Saturday visiting this world and this story. Aiden Thomas flawlessly developed an environment and community in this book that is so incredibly approachable and engaging to the reader at every turn. My emotional and mental attention was constantly and fully plugged in to each and every moment. And the pacing was impeccable. I never felt dragged along or like a moment was inappropriately lingering but I also never found myself feeling rushed through the experiences or through the beats of the story, which is incredibly impressive - especially since a lot of the YA books I've read tend to sacrifice the tension and the dramatic rhythm for the sake of a quicker pace.
Though this book is YA, it handles such a large amount of deep and difficult topics such as transphobia, racism, death, grief, and more with such an immense amount of ease and grace. Any book that can make me both cry and laugh within a matter of sentences is going to be a fast favorite, and this is no exception. I can't wait to read more of Thomas's work.
If you've been thinking about picking this one up, this is your sign to do so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Self harm and Animal cruelty