Scan barcode
A review by libraryofpeculiar
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
First of all, this does not deserve all the hype it has. Sure, it's not a bad book, and yes, I rated it four starts, but it's really not that good. My actual rating would be somewhere between 3.5 and 3.75? And that was right after I read it, now couple of days after that I've realized I don't remember a single fucking thing and that it in now way sticked with me, it's more of a pure 3.
As a queer, I'm always happy to read queer books, and I think this book did an absolutely amazing job regarding the representation. That part is pure 5 stars! Seeing the life of a trans boy, Yadiel. From his thoughts to his battles to how his family still sees him as a girl, to him being scared to use boys' bathrooms, etc. It was absolutely amazing to read, beautifully written and at points, to me, heartbreaking.
As for Yadriel and Julian romance... I did not buy it. To me, they had absolutely no connection, and I was not interested in it a bit. While I did find them cute at times, they felt too distant for me to actually care. Maybe because they're kids and I couldn't connect, I don't know. People say this is a romance focused novel, but I honestly did not see it that way. Maybe because I, a romance slut, was more interested in the plot than romance for, probably, the first time in my life. Everyone was screaming how cute and fluffy Yadiel and Julian are, but I only started to care about them at the very end.... like literally the last three chapters. Thought, I do have to admit that I found it quite nice that it was not overly sexualized like some YA novels tend to be. It was very innocent and... I wouldn't necessarily call it slow burn because there was no burn, but it does take them long to get together. So that was nice because I don't wanna read about sixteen year olds hitting it off, you know what I'm saying?
As for the plot and magic system, it's probably the only thing that had me going. I was very interested what was going to happen plot wise, even though I predicted quite alot of it. I love that the author drew inspiration for the magic system from latinx culture.
I think that the reason I did not enjoy this book so much is because I'm just too old for YA. Which is funny because I'm not even old; I'm twenty-four. But YA simply doesn't do it anymore for me — it's all the same old teen drama, with forbidden or impossible love, parents are being problematic, one parent (always the more compassionate one) is dead, love interests are pining over each other but arenin no way working torward communicating their feelings... blah blah blah!
If I were younger and still in my Twilight and The Mortal Instruments phase, I would be eating this shit up! This would probably be my favorite book ever. But now I just draw no enjoyment or pleasure from this sort of books (unless I'm rereading an old favorite). It's not a bad book. It's a great book. It's a book that teen me would kill to read because of all the LGBTQIA+ representation. But now, I'm simply not in the mood for this sort of books, which is why I left a higher rating — the book is good, just not my cup of tea anymore.
As a queer, I'm always happy to read queer books, and I think this book did an absolutely amazing job regarding the representation. That part is pure 5 stars! Seeing the life of a trans boy, Yadiel. From his thoughts to his battles to how his family still sees him as a girl, to him being scared to use boys' bathrooms, etc. It was absolutely amazing to read, beautifully written and at points, to me, heartbreaking.
As for Yadriel and Julian romance... I did not buy it. To me, they had absolutely no connection, and I was not interested in it a bit. While I did find them cute at times, they felt too distant for me to actually care. Maybe because they're kids and I couldn't connect, I don't know. People say this is a romance focused novel, but I honestly did not see it that way. Maybe because I, a romance slut, was more interested in the plot than romance for, probably, the first time in my life. Everyone was screaming how cute and fluffy Yadiel and Julian are, but I only started to care about them at the very end.... like literally the last three chapters. Thought, I do have to admit that I found it quite nice that it was not overly sexualized like some YA novels tend to be. It was very innocent and... I wouldn't necessarily call it slow burn because there was no burn, but it does take them long to get together. So that was nice because I don't wanna read about sixteen year olds hitting it off, you know what I'm saying?
As for the plot and magic system, it's probably the only thing that had me going. I was very interested what was going to happen plot wise, even though I predicted quite alot of it. I love that the author drew inspiration for the magic system from latinx culture.
I think that the reason I did not enjoy this book so much is because I'm just too old for YA. Which is funny because I'm not even old; I'm twenty-four. But YA simply doesn't do it anymore for me — it's all the same old teen drama, with forbidden or impossible love, parents are being problematic, one parent (always the more compassionate one) is dead, love interests are pining over each other but arenin no way working torward communicating their feelings... blah blah blah!
If I were younger and still in my Twilight and The Mortal Instruments phase, I would be eating this shit up! This would probably be my favorite book ever. But now I just draw no enjoyment or pleasure from this sort of books (unless I'm rereading an old favorite). It's not a bad book. It's a great book. It's a book that teen me would kill to read because of all the LGBTQIA+ representation. But now, I'm simply not in the mood for this sort of books, which is why I left a higher rating — the book is good, just not my cup of tea anymore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Blood, and Death of parent