Stunning. Absolutely beautiful fantasy!! I had heard so many amazing things about this book, before picking it up, and it lived up to every single one of them. I want everyone to read Cemetery Boys! It’s lovely. It’s important. (And as a special bonus, it has the perfect vibe for fall). An instant favourite that I’m sure will find its place on MANY people’s Favourites lists.

Wow wow wow wow. This is probably going to be a new favorite of mine. This is the story of Yadriel, a trans Latinx brujo who is having troubles being accepted by his traditional Latinx family. His family doesn't see him as a real brujo and refuses to preform the ritual. Feeling frustrated and with the help of his cousin, and dear friend Maritza (who I LOVED by the way) they perform the ritual themselves. He then goes on a quest to find and release the ghost of his murdered cousin.

Instead he gets Julian Diaz, a ball of energy and rumor. He is the schools' resident bad boy, and he won't go to death quietly. Julian wants to find out what exactly happened to him and tie up some loose ends before he goes. Yadriel agrees to help him before he sends him to the great beyond. This is where our story begins.

I'll start with the plot because this is the first thing that really sucked me in. The plot was exciting and moving. There was a solid balance between happy and sad moments and there were moments that had me laughing out loud. The twist was something that I didn't really expect, although the foreshadowing was definitely there when I was looking back on it. The mentions of Latinx culture blended wonderfully with the tales of the brujx and Latin tradition.

LOVED all of the characters. Yadriel was such a great character to read from the perspective of. He was honest and you felt for him as he struggled with his family's unwillingness to accept him. Julian was a smart ass, but SO goofy and unexpected. I loved the relationship that the two of them had and the way that it developed. It wasn't quick and easy, it developed over time (at least over the time of the novel) and it was well developed. There wasn't love at first sight. The characters of Yadriel and Julian, with two very different and distinct voices were perfect for each other, regardless of being so different. Maritza was a sassy Latina queen and I love her. I love that she was a vegan Latina too. As a vegetarian Latina, I know that I got a lot of funny looks growing up because I refused to eat meat. Food is such a HUGE part of Latin culture, being different or eating differently than those around you can get you some weird looks, even though it shouldn't. That being said, not just the romantic relationships are great. All of them are. They are so different, but well developed. You can really tell how much Maritza and Yadriel support each other and how willing they are to fight for the other.

Another thing I love is how diverse this book was. There were so many Latin and Caribbean cultures and traditions included here. Most of the time, unless something was describing someone gendered, there was no gendered language used. No "brujos" or "latinos" to describe the whole, but plenty of brujx and Latinx which is much more inclusive of how varied and wonderful the Latin culture is. That's another thing, reading all about these Latin traditions, foods, music and words woke memories in me that I forgot about. As a disowned daughter of a Latin, and Hispanic (yes, there is a difference), I was raised in the culture but once I was thrown out of my parents life I lost that connection to my culture. I truly loved this story from start to finish and it made me feel so much. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. I want to thank Xpresso Book Tours and Aiden Thomas for giving me the opportunity to find one of my new favorite books.

What a book!!! I don’t even know where to begin. Trans representation, ghosts, brujxs. For real. Can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive so I can get it in the hands of kids!!!

Everything I could've possibly wanted in a book! I was alternately laughing, crying, and paralyzed in fear over what would happen next. The casual queerness was beautifully written, touching the realism that many face without making it a focus.

I read this book twice. And... Oh. My. Gosh. This is one of my favorite books of 2020 full stop. This may be one of the few good things that came out of 2020 as far as I'm concerned. I feel kind of strange reviewing this book because while I do belong to a marginalized race, I am not Latinx, I am not trans. I am a black woman. I cannot speak to the trans experience or the Latinx experience.

I had so much love for Yadriel. Again, I can't speak to any of his feelings or experiences, but I can say that I sympathized with him in a way that felt so strong and so raw that there were moments when I had to put the book down and walk away before running back to it to see what happened next. In many books there can be an erasure of parents or adult figures but we were able to spend quite a bit of time with Yadriel's family (except his brother, I wish we had seen more of him).

Julian was such a shining star in the book. I think it would have been very easy for Julian to be a flat, boring character. He wanted to check on his friends, then we wanted to figure out how he died, he was kind of a "tough street" kid, and that could have been it. He could have been a modern twist on the Fonz. But he was so much more. He was tough, he was sensitive, he was goofy, he was chatty, he had a temper, he was a lover. Julian took my emotions on a roller coaster that I didn't want to get off of.

The magical aspects of the book were really well done. I recently read a book and it took a good 4 chapter before I had any idea what the author was talking about. Aiden (I say the authors name like I know him) did such a fantastic job of explaining the magical abilities of brujo's and bruja's, showing us what it all meant, and beautifully integrating it into Yadriel's family and culture (to the best of my black american understanding).

Yall I actually started reading this book for a second time because it was that good. I also want to make a plug to the Hey YA Podcast. Aiden Thomas was interview, talked a bit about Cemetery Boys and gave us a teaser of his next books which I'm already obsessed with.

Do yourself a favor. Read this book. Thank me later.

Great paranormal romance that’s a stunning #ownvoices debut with a Latinx trans brujo protagonist.

Content warnings include: transphobia, misgendering, murder, violence, mild gore.
Mentions of: parental death, deportation, homophobia/queerphobia, teenage homelessness, parents kicking out child for being trans, child abuse, child joining gang, racism.

In short, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It was perfect in every way.

The longer version: Strongest for me was the #ownvoices rep, which definitely showed through as authentic. I can’t comment so much on the Latinx rep, though it felt real to me. I liked the way it included Latinx folklore and traditions in the paranormal aspect.
I am trans, though not a trans man, but the trans rep in general was awesome. It shined through little details like Yadriel struggling with getting into his binder directly after showering, which is a situation I’ve been in countless times before and made me laugh and wince.

There was quite a bit of transphobia – not so much the violently obvious, but more the casual, permanent one, and mostly showed in Yadriel’s family and how his gender is seen as not combinable with brujx traditions.

Speaking of brujx culture, it’s very strictly binary, but that is questioned on page, as well as the static nature of the traditions, which I was very relieved by!

Another strong point were the characters. I adored Yadriel, the protagonist; Maritza, his best friend; and Julian, the ghost Yadriel summoned and who’s now refusing to leave. All three were loveable and rounded characters, with flaws and strengths. Julian made me laugh a lot, he’s lively and animated, though he also had a distinct temper that shows violently on the outside and was quite intimidating. If I was their age, I would be in awe and adoring of Maritza (and cuddle her dogs every chance I’d get.) And I would absolutely want to be Yadriel’s best friend, and I related to him a lot in particular.

They are also very definitely teens. The book is firmly in the YA category, not one of those that are only YA due to a technicality but feel more like adult. Cemetery Boys is definitely suited for younger readers, too, and I am especially excited what it can mean for trans and Latinx youth. I am not the target demographic, being an adult and white, but it already meant a lot to me with the trans rep and just being wonderful in general.

That said, there are also hints to more heavy topics. The above mentioned transphobia is one, but also racism and deportation of immigrants, especially South American ones, and what that can do the the US born children. Teen homelessness due to neglect, abuse, and being kicked out by parents for being queer was another, as well as the vulnerability of teens like that to gangs and their violence, and others who mean to do them harm.
These things were not explored in depth, and mostly shown through Yadriel’s POV, who transphobia and racism aside had a comparatively sheltered upbringing. He came across as a bit ignorant due to simply not having been confronted with these things before, but it was still handled respectfully in my opinion.

The one thing I wish had been adressed more in depth was Julian’s violent outbursts. He had a temper that showed in shouting, throwing and kicking things, going as far as pushing away people who are physically trying to hold him back. This is described on-page as him “lacking impulse control”, which I think is an alarmingly mild term. It admittedly mostly only escalated in highly stressful situations, and he is a teenager who was put under a lot of stress throughout the course of the book, but it was still an alarming tendency that has the potential to turn harmful.
However, the ARC I read was not a finished copy, and according to the author the book underwent heavy edits before release, so I’m hoping some of the changes made pertain to this!

Plot wise it was a nice mix of murder-tinged adventure and YA romance, though the foreground was always Yadriel and Julian’s arrangement to tie up Julian’s loose ends now that he’s dead.

Overall this was a wonderful, well-rounded read that I believe can appeal to a wide audience. It’s an incredibly strong debut, and I love that it exists, especially for the youth that will read it.

'Cemetery Boys' by Aiden Thomas has been one of my most highly anticipated releases of the year and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I'm still feeling a little raw from reading it..

Following the path of a trans boy named Yadriel, the story centers around his determination to prove his status as a brujo to his traditional Latinx family as he struggles with the inherent prejudices both inside and outside their community.

Wielding ancient magic gifted to them by their goddess, Lady Death, those who carry her gift are able to see spirits. Women have the power to heal bodies and souls, while men can release lost spirits into the afterlife, but as a trans boy.. Yadriel has never been able to heal like the brujas.. and the leader of the brujx has never allowed him to prove he can fulfill the role of a brujo.

Having been prevented from going through his quinces, Yadriel and his best friend Maritza take it upon themselves to see his opportunity come to fruition. When his cousin dies suddenly, Yadriel's focus on proving himself becomes laser-sharp.

When the spirit he summons turns out not to be his cousin, but rather the resident bad boy.. Julian Diaz, things grow even more complicated. Julian isn't interested in passing quietly into the afterlife. He's intent on discovering what happened to him and taking care of some things before he leaves.. and with Yadriel unable to force him, the two make a deal to help each other.

Much of the mythos here is born of a mixture of Aztec and Mayan legend that makes up the more recent Mexican-American folk Catholicism.. such as Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec goddess and queen of the underworld, also known as Santa Muerte (Saint Death or Holy Death).. la Niña Blanca (the White Girl).. la Huesuda (the Bony Lady).. la Flaquita (the Skinny Lady).. and many other names.

The magic origins are built largely from the stories of Xibalba (roughly translated as Place of Fright or Place of Fear), which is prominient in both early cultures.. though Bahlam, the Jaguar god and one of the Hero Twins of the Popol Vuh (though there are three translations of this text so it varies slightly), is born of Mayan sources who were said to have defeated the Lords of the Underworld (Xibalba) who had tricked and killed their father and uncle, also twins. Here though, Bahlam is no benevolent being.. and it is conflict between him and Lady Death that actually begins the story of the generations of brujx.

Obviously, the story is full of mystique and the tales from which portions of it are created only make it more interesting.. if that's possible. I've always been entranced by myths of gods and goddesses from all cultures and of the pantheons, the Aztec and Mayan remain amongst my favorites.

It's impossible not to feel for Yadriel, not to want to shout at those who make things unnecessarily difficult for him.. and not to warm to Maritza for being that ride or die chick by his side. The best friend who will fight the world for him, who wants to see him succeed maybe even more than he does.. even if she has a moral aversion to aspects of the lifestyle for herself.

Thomas did a fantastic job of painting Julian as an obnoxious, stubborn spirit with a wicked temper, all the while managing to offer us peeks of those parts of himself he preferred to keep hidden. If I'm being honest, Luca broke my heart more than anyone.. but there's a lot of beauty and a lot of pain sprinkled deftly throughout this bewitching debut novel with all the skill of an old hand.

I caught myself laughing and couldn't stop myself from crying. It's emotional and lovely.. and everything I could have hoped for...

Cemetery Boys is a must read for fans of urban fantasy, spooky fall reads, and LGBTQ+ stories. Thomas crafts a lively - and spooky - atmosphere around the brujx graveyard and Dia De Los Muertos traditions. Witty banter and strong characters hook the reader from the get-go. Aiden Thomas is an author to watch; this strong debut will leave readers eager for more.

While I love secondary world fantasy, I am always so impressed and excited when authors breathe magic in our reality and make it feel as though the supernatural and fantastic truly exist. CEMETERY BOYS is one of these books and is a tremendous addition to any classroom, library, or personal bookshelf.

Yadriel is a trans boy who seeks acceptance from his traditional Latinx family of brujx. With the exception of his cousin and BFF Maritza, many of his family members - especially his dad - make him feel like an outsider, misgender him, and deny his selfhood through tiny paper cuts of insensitivity. Because his elders do not view Yadriel as a brujo, they have denied him the opportunity to rightfully gain his magical inheritance.

On Dia de Muertos, Yadriel tries with Maritza's help to summon his abilities and find the ghost of his recently murdered cousin. While he calls a ghost, it's not his cousin but his high school's resident bad boy Julian who is shocked to learn he is dead. As a result, Yads gets drawn into solving two murders and learns that his past impressions of Julian were not the most accurate.

Author Aiden Thomas imbues Yadriel, Julian, and Maritza with distinct voices and quirks. I found the relationship between Yads and Maritza especially poignant because they showed time and again their love and respect for one another, in the face of fairly toxic family dynamics. Yadriel and Julian's plot shows the power of overcoming preconceived notions about one another and how love often happens when least expected.

The trans and Latinx representation in this book is vital to YA literature. Not only is CEMETERY BOYS an achievement in #ownvoices story-telling, it's also just an excellent book on its own merits. I laughed, I was scared, my heart grew three sizes. A must read for 2020 and beyond.

“Cemetery Boys” is a fresh, unique, diverse novel that is great for fans of Kacen Callender and Disney Pixar’s Coco.
What I loved most about Aiden Thomas’s debut novel was that he incorporated lgbtq+ characters with a fantastical world seamlessly. Many authors try and fail to add diverse characters into their stories but Thomas did this perfectly.
The world was atmospheric, the characters were inspiring, and the plot was action packed. From page one I was happy hooked.

My goodness! This book was so good! I don’t know why I don’t read more paranormal because I enjoy it when I do. This was definitely one I am so glad I had the opportunity to read!

Yadriel just wants everyone, especially his father, to accept him for who he is. When he summons a ghost to prove he is a real brujo he finds himself in the middle of the mystery around four missing teens. I think Yadriel is a great MC. He bravely navigates the tasks ahead of him with the help of Julian, the ghost he summoned, and his cousin and best friend Maritza. The three of them together are determined to discover what is really going on in their town and not only find Julian’s body but that of Yadriel’s cousin Miguel.

Maritza is a great supporting character. She loves Yadriel whole hearted and offers the support he needs from his family. She stands by him throughout this crazy adventure. She sees him for him and I love that about her. She’s the best cousin anyone could ever have!

Julian is so adorable. He’s witty and pushes Yadriel out of his comfort zone in some ways. He never judged Yadriel for being who he is and I enjoyed watching them fall for each other.

The concept of this book was so well done and I loved learning about the brujo’s and how they help the spirits of the world move on. This is a story of love, acceptance, and the support of family and friends. I’d love to read more about Julian and Yadriel any day. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves paranormal or contemporary. It was so much fun!

How can I even begin to try and talk about Cemetery Boys?

At first, I went in expecting a fun story with some LGBTQ+ romance thrown in. But what I ended up getting was so much more than that.

Cemetery Boys is an adventure, a mystery, a love story, and so many other things. Most importantly, it’s a beautiful coming-of-age tale about a boy who spends his whole life feeling like he doesn’t belong; like he has to prove his true identity to those closest to him, and so desperately wanting those around him to see his worth.

Aiden Thomas’ world feels so enriched with vivid descriptions and characters with a great amount of depth. I don’t have a lot of knowledge about brujo and the culture surrounding dia de muertos, so as well as being completely enthralled in the story, I also loved learning a lot about the culture.

Thomas does an incredible job of weaving in Spanish phrases throughout the dialogue, and even if you don’t speak the language, it doesn’t hinder the story in any way. It adds to the realness and the depth of the world that is being built, and I felt almost as if I was standing right inside the story.

Cemetery Boys has so many characters that bring its story to life, but Yadriel is right at its core. It’s a story driven by gender and the roles people are given, and how it can be difficult to break down those barriers — but determination and self-belief can conquer all. Yadriel is so motivated and so determined to show others that he belongs as a brujo, and he proves that how others perceive you doesn’t determine your worth.

Finally, let’s talk about the LGBTQ+ romance. I’m not a romantic in the slightest and I often prefer stories that don’t have any romance at all, and instead focus on friendship and the power of platonic love. But here’s the thing: the relationship between Yadriel and Julian was SO WONDERFUL. It’s a slow-burn, and at first, Yadriel and Julian seem like they could never in a million years fit together. But the progression of their relationship felt completely natural and realistic, and I loved it a lot.

I just want to thank Macmillan children's publishing group – swoon reads and Netgalley for providing me with the arc for my most anticipated read of 2020.

Cemetery Boys is a wonderful example of what an own voice fictional work should be.

Cemetery boys follows a transgender mc named Yadriel that is attempting to prove his gender and his place within his traditional Latinx community. In doing so Yadriel finds summons Julian, and the two go on a quest to help Yadriel prove he is true brujo and Julian check on his friends.

This novel showcases the trials of proving your identity to not only your family and community but yourself as well. And without even knowing it the people you least expect to understand, understand the most.

I kinned hard with both Yadriel and Julian. Since both belonged to a traditional Latinx family and belonged to the lgbtq+ community as do I.

The representation of so many Latinx cultures within the community of brujx was amazing. Not to mention the unique writing style. It's hard to believe that Aiden is a debuting author and I look forward to all future works and hopefully more of my cemetery boyfriends.

Julian and Yadriel made me smile so much! They've been stuck in my mind ever since finishing. I even made a playlist for them.

I highly highly recommend picking up cemetery boys this fall. You will not be disappointed.

review can also be found on goodreads

I expected to like this book, but I never expected I would adore it. This book is beautiful from cover to cover and I am so grateful I was able to read it!

Each character was so distinct and felt fully fleshed out. I could point out people in my life like them. And the way the author handled Yadriel's character as a trans boy was done in such a way that you can tell it's own voices. So much respect and clarity and compassion infused every part of his character and I love him to the moon and back. Plus, the relationship with Julian made my heart glow non-stop.

I also loved how atmospheric this book is! The brujx/latinx community and culture woven through the story shone brightly as a character of its own. With modern day stories, I've found that many authors gloss over the world because it's assumed to be as it is now. But really, whose world are we assuming? The author gave all the love and attention to the worldbuilding of this story that it deserves. I felt fully immersed in this world and I was so sad to leave when I finished the book.

This will definitely be a book I reread many times over!

Five stars means this was one of my absolute favorite reads of the year. See my full review on ChaptersandCharms.com, link below, after Sept. 1.

A queer, gender-inclusive, Latinx ghost-boy love story--the perfect read to start off your spooky season right. It's also a great quarantine read to give you hope that romance can bloom even with someone that you can't touch.

Yadriel is a brujo, although not all of his family members accept his trans identity. Julian is dead. Together, with the help of Yadriel’s best friend Martiza, they must work to solve the mystery of several deaths and disappearances including Julian’s before the first day of Dia de Muertos.
I laughed and cried and swooned as I read this book. I found the ending particularly touching, so much so that I needed to sit with and digest this book for an evening before moving on to my next read.

As a trans man himself, the author depicts Yadriel’s experiences of being misunderstood and feeling like an outcast without ever deadnaming him and by presenting scenes of misgendering in a delicate way immediately followed by corrections by the characters who do support Yadriel’s identity and stand up for him. I think this book would be a good read both for trans readers wishing to see themselves reflected more in fiction and for cis readers who could benefit from seeing the world through a trans perspective for 352 pages.

This novel also showcases the diversity of the Latinx community, as characters draw from their Mexican, Aztec, Mayan, Ecuadorian, El Salvadorean, Cuban heritages. Traditional foods are described in tantalizing detail and the colorful papel picado and decadent marigold petals that make up the Dia de Muertos preparations show up vividly in my mind. The book also reckons with cultural appropriation of sacred sugar skulls into cheesy Halloween costumes, the fear of deportation that prevents many in the Latinx community from feeling safe going to the police to report crimes, and the harmful stereotypes about gangs and delinquency that affect Latinx youth.

Words cannot express how highly I recommend this book.

CEMETERY BOYS is one of those books that you know you're going to love, and yet it still manages to beat almost all your expectations. It's as bright as the marigolds on the cover, and the kind of book that's going to mean the world to a lot of teens.

Yadriel, a trans Latino brujo, is an awesome protagonist, both for his determination and for his sense of self. He's also very much still a teenager, and that showed in his approach to doing things and his personality in general; it was really easy to see myself in him, something which is always good in YA books. The two other primary characters, Julian and Maritza, are just as awesome as Yadriel. Maritza is a powerhouse of a friend, the kind of character you would definitely want on your side. Her friendship with Yadriel is very much ride-or-die, and their interactions were gold. Julian is also another special character; he's so honest and so good that it's virtually impossible not to love him. He's really got a heart of gold, and the way he fits so well with Yadriel is wonderful.

The element of mystery and suspense was done really well, especially with the hints dropped and foreshadowing in the lead-up to the climax. I was completely hooked from the half-way point when things started to pick up, and even when things started coming together in a more predictable way, it's still not what you would expect. I enjoyed how it felt like a delightful blend of mystery and fantasy, which isn't quite what I had expected going in to this book: Aiden Thomas did a really good job of balancing the elements of both to create a fusion that was just so fun to read. The use of parallels and foils was also done really well, and there were definitely several moments where I felt like the embodiment of the 'surprised Pikachu' image hiding under my blanket in the middle of the night.

It's also such a vibrant book to read, and it really feels like it's a window into a pocket world where the story is actually happening. There was so much life to the cemetery and its inhabitants, and yes, I completely see the irony in that statement. Visualising many of the scenes was very easy, and the sense of community and cultural identity was strong throughout; at no point was the use of Spanish pushed aside or written for the comfort of non-Spanish speakers, which is something that is so awesome to see. There's a lot in Cemetery Boys that's painfully accurate, small things that a lot of people wouldn't get: the issue of going to the bathroom, even small things like how wearing clothing is a completely different experience. These experiences were really well written, and they really add that extra amount of depth to the story and to Yadriel.

I only had one issue with the book, and that was that some of the pacing and writing felt slightly off. For the most part, the style of the writing suited the way the book flowed, and the tone of the book itself, but there were a couple moments where the simplicity felt a little bit too fast flowing and some scenes could have lingered a bit longer. Some dialogue at times felt slightly like a caricature of how teenagers speak, but only in a few instance here and there. of However, I did read an advanced copy, and I know that there have been pretty significant edits to the final version, so this is really not a massive issue for me and I still loved the book overall.

A book bursting with character and not afraid to be bold and true, Cemetery Boys is a stand-out debut. There's so much to love about it, from characters to atmosphere to plot, and it's definitely not one to miss out on. If you have considered picking this book up, either for yourself or for someone else, I highly recommend doing it.

This review will be posted on my blog on August 31st as part of the Cemetery Boys Tour. Thank you to the publisher and to Xpresso Tours for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about change. Life and Death. Past and Future.
This examines who we are and how people see us. Do they see the real you are just what they want to see?
This is about accepting people for who they are. You may be surprised.

This was such a fast read! The story, magic, and characters drew me in so much that it was impossible to stop turning the pages. I haven't read many books by trans authors/about trans characters, so this was very eye-opening as an #ownvoices book. Yadriel's struggle with feeling accepted by his community and himself made for a powerful read and is representative of so many people's stories. I loved his relationship with Maritza and seeing how his relationships with others and himself changed as the book progressed. Julian was such a loveable character as well. The plot has a great amount of action and intrigue, with just enough breadcrumbs spread throughout the pages where I had guessed who the "bad guy" was but still didn't have all the pieces put together. I would love to read more from this author if their other books are anything like Cemetery Boys!

A cute, fast-paced debut that is fluffy and predictable but also full of very real, rounded characters and a lush, detailed world—the food seems good enough to eat, the flowers can almost be smelled off the page, and Lady Death herself is mysterious and just a bit creepy, I guessed the entire climax by halfway in (I looked at the numbers), and that made me less enthused to finished, but I legitimately teared up at the end. Aiden Thomas is definitely an author to watch.

This book has a lot of buzz right now and while I can see many people liking this story, it wasn't for me. It is a comfort that there are a growing number of titles with trans characters, enough that I don't have to like every one. I enjoyed the fact that the trans characters already knew who he was, the lush descriptions of various Hispanic cultures, and the magic. I just don't love ghosts. For fans of Adam Silvera and Karen Callender.