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A review by kingoftheworms
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
A solid 5 stars. Definitely in the YA genre, so it’s cheesy at times, but a fun read.
The trans representation was swell: casual, honest, meaningful. I wish I had this kind of content available to me in middle school and high school; ditch that white middle class Bad Boy meets Not Like Other Girls narrative for this gripping adventure ft. a trans dude and I might have realized some things a loooot sooner. I’m glad this is around for 22-year-old me, anyone else who can relate, and also the general public. Also! Gotta shout out the fact that there were multiple normalized queer characters, people had each other’s backs, and there wasn’t that overdone gay crisis trope— just some solid romantic tension between two young lads. 😎
THE PLOT: Marvelous. Definitely went 1 to 100 at the end there (warning, it gets intense), but overall the mystery, the ghosty vibes, and the balance of plot/character were fantastic.
Tip for the authors of the world: I cried a bit which is typical for me but got me most is why. Making your audience cry about a character death? Child’s play. Happy tears? We love ‘em, we need ‘em, but they aren’t groundbreaking. I was caught off guard tonight because it wasn’t any of the sad moments that made my eyes sting, it was adrenaline. It was the panic of the moment, the way the characters’ intense worry for each other yanked at my heart. Pretty sick that the writing pulled me into the high stakes so much that I felt them viscerally.
I just love these boys! I loved this world, brushing up on my Spanish, getting to know the characters, seeing myself in them, and enjoying the surprisingly colorful scenes for a story set primarily in a cemetery. The tropes felt familiar at times but other parts were refreshing. Not a challenging read, not particularly profound, but plenty of fun and exactly what my heart needed.
The trans representation was swell: casual, honest, meaningful. I wish I had this kind of content available to me in middle school and high school; ditch that white middle class Bad Boy meets Not Like Other Girls narrative for this gripping adventure ft. a trans dude and I might have realized some things a loooot sooner. I’m glad this is around for 22-year-old me, anyone else who can relate, and also the general public. Also! Gotta shout out the fact that there were multiple normalized queer characters, people had each other’s backs, and there wasn’t that overdone gay crisis trope— just some solid romantic tension between two young lads. 😎
THE PLOT: Marvelous. Definitely went 1 to 100 at the end there (warning, it gets intense), but overall the mystery, the ghosty vibes, and the balance of plot/character were fantastic.
Tip for the authors of the world: I cried a bit which is typical for me but got me most is why. Making your audience cry about a character death? Child’s play. Happy tears? We love ‘em, we need ‘em, but they aren’t groundbreaking. I was caught off guard tonight because it wasn’t any of the sad moments that made my eyes sting, it was adrenaline. It was the panic of the moment, the way the characters’ intense worry for each other yanked at my heart. Pretty sick that the writing pulled me into the high stakes so much that I felt them viscerally.
I just love these boys! I loved this world, brushing up on my Spanish, getting to know the characters, seeing myself in them, and enjoying the surprisingly colorful scenes for a story set primarily in a cemetery. The tropes felt familiar at times but other parts were refreshing. Not a challenging read, not particularly profound, but plenty of fun and exactly what my heart needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Death