A review by thehelenaiad
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

5.0

I can not believe this is a debut novel!

Aiden Thomas really did some amazing work on this book. Their crafting of characters I could see so vividly in my head made this reading experience so, so enjoyable!
The way, as well, culture was explored in a fantastical way was such a refreshing experience, especially in YA fiction.

Now, I did NOT expect this story to have such heartbreaking yet equally loving and lovely elements that moved me with such incredible force. I did not expect to cry! (Even if there were merely a few stray tears, the book made it happen, and it was great.)
Friendships, family, loyalty, love, and sheer determination were absolutely redefined with a whole new lens for me throughout this story.

All the good being said, I was en route to a 5 star read up until the last few chapters of the book. It was here where, I find, the plot gets a little skewed and at points quite typical. Perhaps since it is a YA book, it really did read that way to me at times, even if it was an older audience YA story. I predicted some twists—which took some of the fun of actually finding out for certain away—but, I did thoroughly enjoy most of it.
This is definitely a character driven book so my issues with the plot weren’t so grand, seeing as I was much more taken with the dear characters I grew to love and route for.

This is a high 4 star read for me but for the sake of this rating system, I’m rounding up to a 5!