Cemetery Boys

I wasn't sure at first if I was going to give this book 3 stars or 4, but then I noticed that I was giving my husband side-eye every time he interrupted me during the last 25% of the story, and I realized I was so engaged that it deserved 4 stars. It's not a perfect book by any means; the plot has some inconsistencies, and there are too many repetitive scenes of Yadriel and Julian hanging out in Yadriel's bedroom or at school. Plus there's a weird POV shift towards the end that totally throws the book's rhythm off. But the premise is so amazing, the culture is so rich, and the characters are so endearing, that all is forgiven.

Yadriel is a bit of a wet blanket at times, but he is loyal, brave and persistent. His BFF Maritza is show more completely badass, and I would love to read a book that centers around her journey. And can we take a minute to appreciate Julian? Worst ghost ever! When he enters the story, his energy and humor simply take over. He's downright irresistible, he broke my heart into a million pieces, and although I couldn't figure out how he and "Yads" could find a way to be together, I wanted it more than I wanted a pony for Christmas when I was a little girl.

This is a book should probably be read twice. I raced through it to find out how the main plot was resolved, but a second, slower reading would allow me to fully appreciate all of the cultural richness of the Latinx community and traditions, look for clues to the mystery that I missed the first time around, and just savor the wonder that is Julian. The more I think about it, the more I realize this is a gem of a book, especially for a debut. I don't know how Aiden Thomas can top this, but I can't wait to see them try. show less

Perfection! Amazing story, Yadriel is such a fantastic character. A queer, trans, latinx, lovable character whose desire to not only fit in with his community of brujx, but be accepted for who he is by his family will resonate with so many. Julian is such a bright fireball of a character, completely charming and endearing. Maritza and her spitfire self! A fierce and loyal friend to Yadriel from jump. Such rich characters throughout. Did not see the twist coming because I was so invested in Yads and Jules' relationship. Aiden Thomas was like "look over there"! It's not fair to start the twist when my tears are still falling.

Read this book! It's important, representation is important. Aiden Thomas just landed on my radar, off to find show more some more of their brilliance. show less

Listen. I am still a little salty about this because I was promised by multiple people the coziest, most trans-affirming love story wrapped in a fantasy/mystery, and while this may have gotten there by the end, it starts out in some pretty intense transphobic angst, and my heart was feeling fragile enough at the time that I almost DNFed this.

I think this novel's depiction of the in-between place of a family's trans-acceptance is important and vital, and I'm glad it's in the world. I just wish I'd had the warning that this starts out as a bit of a tough hang, thought it gets to an affirming place in the end, and all of it gets a heck of a lot more bearable once Julian shows up.

This is a powerful story of identity and perception and show more acceptance, with ghosts and magic and Latinx culture and superficial high school reputations and fast cars and the beach and colonialism and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Perceived and again, the richness of Latinx culture.

This was lovely. BUT NOT COZY. show less

In addition to caretaking their neighborhood cemetery in East L.A., Yadriel's extended family are also brujx. The brujas possess enhanced healing abilities, while the brujos' role is to assist the recently dead by releasing them from their tether to an earthly object. Yadriel, however, is trans, and his family is struggling with denial and acceptance, in particular with respect to what his role will be. In secret, inside the old church with the support of his cousin Maritza, Yadriel undergoes the ceremony to become a brujo, and to his joy (and relief), is accepted by Santa Muerte. There's just one snag: in the church they also discover the spirit of the recently murdered Julian Diaz. Now there are two secrets to keep.

I selected this show more title to fulfill the Read Harder category "a YA book by a trans author," but I approached it with skepticism, as I have never cared for magical realism. Despite my hesitance, I was hooked within the first three chapters and couldn't put it down. The characters felt genuine, and I came to care strongly about them. The writing is also quite wonderful. I have to say it was a very strange experience to have chanced to read this at the same time as Under the Whispering Door. The parallels are eerie and many. show less

I appreciated Cemetery Boys for its trans representation and its Latinx cultural grounding, and I can see why it resonates so strongly with many readers. On a surface level, it’s heartfelt and accessible, but for me it felt like a sugar cookie—sweet and comforting, yet ultimately simple, without much depth or complexity beneath the surface.

What held me back was how rigid and unexamined the gender roles remained. The magic system is aggressively binary: boys are associated with power, death magic, and action, while girls are confined to healing and emotional labor. Maritza in particular, felt like a token female character whose primary role was to support the main character rather than exist with her own aspirations or growth. While show more I value the representation the book provides, I was disappointed by how much it centered a boys’-club dynamic and missed an opportunity to uplift women and imagine a more genuinely inclusive community. show less

Felix is trying to prove himself as a man in his Latinx family. In his family of brujx women are healers and men are the ones who can send spirits to the afterlife. As a transguy Felix is determined to be recognized as a brujo, but his father won't hear of it. Denied participation in the quinces, the coming of age ceremony, Felix sets out to have his own private ceremony with the help of a friend Maritza. But when things go wrong and Felix summons the wrong spirit, he has to figure out how to correct his mistake before anyone notices.

I loved this story. I admire Felix's tenacity and his drive to prove himself to his family and gain acceptance as part of the community. Maritza was hilarious and just the right blend of supportive and show more sarcastic. And Julian... I loved getting to know Julian. From our first ideas of him as this abrasive tough guy ready to throw hands with all comers to the slow revealing of who he really is as a person underneath all that bravado.

SpoilerFinding out that Julian is protecting this group of queer kids who have been thrown out of their homes made my heart break a little. Julian is taking on so much at such a young age. Even with all that he's already lost himself, he still stepped up to help them. And then the moment that Julian writes Yadriel's real name over his deadname in the yearbook was just so good. I literally hugged the book to my chest when I read that bit. So good.

And that ending was PERFECT. So good. If I had one tiny nitpick, I would have loved to see a LITTLE bit more conversation between Yadriel and his dad at the end around WHY his dad was SO set against accepting Yadriel as a brujo, but that is really a nitpick. SpoilerSeeing his dad proudly proclaim his love and acceptance for his brujo son at the ceremony was AWESOME. show less

Oh my heart. This is Disney's Coco but with a trans main character, Yadriel. He comes from a long line of brujx (witches and socerers basically) but his traditional family struggled with accepting his gender. While trying to prove himself a real brujo, he accidentally summoned the ghost of Julian Diaz, the school's resident troubled kid. Struggling to hide a restless spirit with ADHD from good family while solving murders got a bit stressful for Yadriel. Luckily he has a bad ass vegan bruja cousin with pink and purple hair, Maritza, who often sassily saved his arse (she is obviously my favourite character). There are several tear-jerking moments towards the end but full of heart and comfort. I've had to stop myself from aggressively show more waving the book at all my QTBIPOC clients going, "LOOK! NON-DEPRESSING REPRESENTATION!!!" Very worthwhile read. show less