Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys

by Aiden Thomas

A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys.

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Reviewed by moraa on

4 of 5 stars

Share

Let's do this, brujo.

4.5 stars

favourite bits
-representation (queer trans, Latinx)
-the plot: it was entertaining without being bogged down by too many world building elements
-the characters: Yadriel was the perfect protagonist for this story and his friendship and family dynamics were wonderful to watch unfold (though some characters could have been more fleshed out)
-the romance: sweet and wholesome (definitely didn’t grin like a fool)

not-so-favourite bits
-the writing: it was good but a few sections could have been better
-the antagonist: I guessed who it was early on and though I don’t necessarily dislike that in a book, I would've liked to see some plot subversion.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Cemetery Boys has definitely found its way to my reread list.

No, it wasn't the end. It was a better beginning.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 October, 2020: Finished reading
  • 25 October, 2020: Reviewed