Yadriel, a transgender teenager living in East Los Angeles, is frustrated by the lack of tolerance shown by his colleagues at school and his community. In secret and without the approval of his elders, he performs the rites that allow him to become a brujo- a magic practitioner. Meanwhile, his community is shaken by the mysterious death of Miguel, a young and promising brujo. Yadriel attempts to help with the investigation, but his father’s concerns and anger halt his enthusiasm. To prove his claim on the ancestral magic that is traditionally performed only by man, Yadriel decides to summon a ghost in order to release his soul to the afterlife in front of his community.⁠
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Cemetery Boys is a fascinating read. The world created by the author is vivid and complex. It’s a magical rendition of the Latinx culture, full of traditions, stories, rituals and rules. ⁠The community is small and close-knit, where everyone has a role to perform. Yadriel challenges conventions essential for his relatives by his demand to be treated as a boy. His struggle for acceptance was very well described, and it was easy to empathise with him.

I believe the most significant advantage of this novel are the characters created by the author. They all are well developed, even those who do not bring much into the plot. They all have distinctive personalities, background histories, ways of talking or tics. What’s the most fascinating is that they are all struggling with some internal conflict, like lack of understanding, neglecting parents or LGBTQ issues. That’s what makes them seem realistic— they remind us of our own struggles.

Cemetery Boys is a fast-paced fantasy YA read. The only fault I found in it was in some cliché dialogues, mainly where ‘bad boy’ language was used. Although, it’s possible that younger people would find it more authentic. I would recommend this position to all fans of fantasy and YA fiction.

This book is amazing, I love the fact that Yadriel is never dead named and from the start, we know who he really is. I loved the relationship between Yadriel and Maritza and the relationship that develops with Julien. Although this story is partly about recognition and acceptance of who someone really is, it's told in such a different way. I couldn't stop reading it and when I finished it, I was desperate to find out more about what happens next. I really hope that there is a sequel! Please, please Aiden Thomas, tell me that there is!?!? I would love the children in my school to read it, although as I teach primary, I think it might be just a share too old for them. Also, it does deal with death and people's relationships with the dead and so I would strongly suggest that that is considered when recommending this book.

Although it's obvious this is a debut, CEMETERY BOYS is a fun, light-hearted Mexican romcom with a compelling mystery.

To prove he is a boy to his traditional family, trans teen Yadriel tries to summon his missing cousin from the afterlife. Only who appears instead is the ghost of Julian Diaz, his dead schoolmate – and he's not willing to leave until he gets some answers about how he died.

I very much enjoyed main character Yadriel as he struggled to prove to his family, and himself, that he was a capable brujo. Together he and Julian Diaz, love interest-turned spirit, propel themselves into the mystery as they try to figure out how, exactly, Julian died.

Every person within the universe, and even the novel's blurb, places emphasis on Julian’s 'bad boy' nature when he simply isn't one. Sure, he wears leather jackets and skips school, but he's overly emotional, never serious, and goes from 0 to 100 at the slightest provocation. He doesn't have that brooding personality required of an actual bad boy, so it's a laughable kind of a comparison.

That said, he and Yadriel have good chemistry together, and when Yadriel’s spitfire cousin Maritza was there they have a fun dynamic as a trio. It is pretty apparent that some of the clue-searching is padding, as the book sends them to place after place to prolong the story. What makes this book very obviously a debut, however, is the overwritten, state-the-obvious prose and melodramatic scenes. The writing is clunky and doesn't offer any room for the reader to parse things on their own. Characters tend to get provoked easily into yelling in all caps, often with no build-up, so some exchanges don't feel natural at points.

Yet despite this, I had a great time with this novel. There feels like more to this world than we get to see, considering the lore behind the brujx, almost like this book is only scratching the surface of a world Thomas wants to explore, so I'm glad there's a sequel coming – but there is enough closure here to feel satisfying. CEMETERY BOYS is not the most well-executed novel you'll ever read, but it is a lot of fun, and if you don't take it too seriously you'll enjoy the humour, shenanigans and sweet romance.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Yes!

Cemetery Boys is the story of Yadriel, a trans boy struggling to be accepted by his family. To prove he's a brujo he attempts to summon the ghost of his deceased cousin, only instead he ends up summoning the school bad boy, Julian. To make matters worse Julian does not want to move on and has a condition that Yadriel must complete. But the more time they spend with one another the harder it is too let go, and with a murderer on the loose and the death of Yadriel's cousin still to uncover, the complications could be deadly...

So many people love this book and you can see why right from the start. With a richly drawn world and filled with lovable characters, this is a wonderful look into acceptance, not just by others, but by yourself. The self doubt that plagues Yadriel throughout the book is heartbreaking and it's lovely being along with him on his journey as he learns to love himself first and foremost.

I absolutely adored Julian, the care he has towards his friends is clear right away. He's so worried about them he refuses to move on and I really enjoyed the whole found family aspect of it. The romance that develops between Yadriel and Julian is very sweet and the way Julian just wholeheartedly accepts Yadriel was so heartwarming.

Overall this was a lovely read, full of family and friendship and acceptance. An absolute joy to read and one I believe is very important and needed in today's young adult literature.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was amazing! Trans rep and loveable characters with cultural influence! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in YA LGBT+ fiction!!!

I loved everything about this book. It was such an easy 5 star read for me.

Yadriel is one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever read about. He’s so strong. His friendship with Julian melted my ice queen heart.

I loved the paranormal aspects of this, I’m not always completely sold on paranormal activity in books but Aiden Thomas pulled this off soo well!

Such a lovely story of acceptance and love, with a lil fantasy mixed in!

I adored this book. Everything about it from the characters, the writing, the atmosphere. Just everything!

The story of Yadriel trying to be accepted as a brujo is one that will give you all of the emotions and the unlikely relationship between him and Julian is just perfection.

Cemetery Boys is a young adult novel about a teenage boy who summons a ghost to prove he's a brujo and then finds himself dealing with the consequences. Yadriel is a trans teenage boy in LA, part of a community of brujx who keep their powers secret from the wider world. He just wants to prove he's a brujo by summoning a spirit, so his family will accept his role, but he finds himself with the ghost of a teenage boy, Julian, who can't stay still and desperately wants to check on his friends. Yadriel and Julian must come to an arrangement so Yadriel can prove himself and Julian can accept his fate, but as they grow closer, it gets more complicated.

This book has had a lot of hype around it and it's easy to see why: you are drawn into the modern fantasy setting, the characters are charming, and the ideas it explores are really interesting, particularly around gendered magic. Yadriel and Julian have a great conversation about the likely histories of trans brujx in the past and the present implications for intersex and non-binary people that feels like it leaves space for Thomas to write more in this world that explores some of those ideas as well as furthering Yadriel's story.

The characters are a real highlight. Yadriel's best friend Maritza, a vegan who refuses to do the traditional women's healing magic as it involves animal blood, is an engrossing character who could also have her own spin-off. Julian's friends, who have brief appearances, bring other elements to the book, and also start to challenge some of Yadriel's ideas, as a teenage boy who has been quite sheltered from some of the wider world at times and doesn't always think about his own privilege. The romance between Yadriel and Julian is sweet and predicable, which makes sense in a book that isn't really about the romance, as much as proving yourself and navigating magic outside of what are seen as the traditional ideas.

Cemetery Boys is an often joyous read that explores magic, tradition, family, and friendship. I enjoyed how the magic elements were part of the real world and the dimensions this brought to the conversations about trans existence within communities, with Yadriel facing different issues for example at school versus within the brujx community.

I was so excvited to be accepted to review this book and it didn't disappoint in any way. It is well written with a riveting storyline and well deveoped characters. There were some things that I thought vould have been developed more, but homestly I think I just didn't want it to end. I loved it.

I have been wanting to read this book for AGES. And boy, it did not disappoint. The world felt so real and vibrant and I loved Yadriel. His struggles felt so real. Maritza and the boys were also great, and Julian really grew on me.

Some very minor issues are that the romance, unsurprisingly, was very quick. Also, I'd have liked to have seen more of Julian's friends and brother. The ending, bar one thing, was very predictable imo. Still a great, dramatic ending, but I wasn't entirely surprised at the reveal.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

Boy, am I glad this lived up to expectations!

Yadriel, a sixteen-year-old trans guy, wants to prove to his family and community that he is a brujo. One thing leads to another, and he ends up accidentally summoning the ghost of his high school’s resident bad boy, Julian Diaz. The two boys must work together if Yadriel is to move forward with his plan to win over Yadriel's community.

This ended up being everything I’d hoped it would be. Loveable characters and a setting to get truly invested in, and then plenty of representation on top. Yes, the plot was a little predictable at times, but this was such a fun read I barely cared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books for the advance reader copy.

It was an entertaining story. I barely read YA but this one was refreshing and somehow different to what I usually read.it got me out of a reading slump. It was quite predictable in terms of the love story but loved the twists on the main plot! I

Five stars aren’t enough. I couldn’t have put it down if I wanted to, which I most certainly didn’t. I’ve never regretted a sleepless night less.

Yadriel is a trans boy within a brujx community who, because of their traditional understanding of gender and magic, won’t allow him to take the brujo rights of passage. In attempting to go through them without the community’s blessing, and with just his best friend Maritza at his side, Yadriel accidentally summons the wrong spirit: notorious bad-boy Julian. Julian doesn’t remember dying, but he wants to make sure the friends he was with are okay, and they set out to work out what happened so Yadriel can release him to death. But the longer they spend together, the less Yadriel wants to let him go.

The characters are what really makes this book sparkle. Yadriel is slightly anxious and quietly grieving, trying to navigate the yearning he feels for belonging in his family and community, which is conditional and incomplete. His deep, deep love for his family permeates the entire book and with it, the thousand cuts of Spanish’s gendered language and the frustration of constantly having to tell people ‘it’s okay’ when they misgender him.

Julian is a lovably foolish smartass with a frenetic energy. And he’s such a soft boy beneath the surface, quietly but consistently considerate despite his temper. He is chaos personified and I adore him. The dynamic between him and Yadriel is intimate, reciprocal and almost domestic, which is just adorable to read - it’s not often a portrayal of teenage boys we get to see.

Maritza is a powerhouse of a best friend, and also provides an interesting counterpoint to Yadriel’s longing for acceptance - as a vegan, she isn’t a practising bruja by choice (since her magic requires animal blood), instead choosing to contribute to the community by learning metal-smithing to make ritual daggers. She is happy with the separate-ness of her position, in part because it is something she chose based on her values, unlike Yadrial, who is an outcast against his wishes.

The world-building is immersive despite it being low fantasy (it was the grounding in the sense of place that really worked for me), and while you don’t get a lot of info about how the magic system actually works, I don’t think you need to. The relationality of the brujx community with the magic is the important part - in the same way that Yadriel’s character development is what it is within the context of family and community. But there is a certain parallel there, in the way we’re shown acceptance and self-acceptance as two separate journeys, because they’re not the same thing, no matter how much they might draw from each other. (Part of this exploration is guided by Julian’s gentle interrogations of *why* Yadriel wants what he wants, and who he wants it for.)

There were obviously flaws. Probably. I can honestly say that I don’t care what they were. The pacing might not be for everyone; the prose might not be for everyone; the mystery elements might not be for everyone. I loved it all, and that’s that.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this.

This book made me so emotional. The writing style made it easy to get incredibly invested in the plot - it was so difficult to put down. The protagonist being a Latinx, Gay, Trans Boy was fantastic and amazingly written. Often when a character is trans or queer, the entire plot and focus can be put on that, but with Cemetery Boys that was not the case. This book was excellent representation, and what many books should strive to be.

I would definitely read this again, it is too good. I loved the plot and characters and the character development for not just the protagonist was incredible.

T.W:// transphobia, violence, blood, death, death of parent, deadnaming, grief.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“[but] with Julian, there was no training involved because he already understood him. It was…easy. Yadriel hadn’t known it could be that painless and simple for someone to see him as he was.”

Publisher: Swoon Reads (US), Pan Macmillan (UK)

Release date: 1st September 2020 (US), 4th August 2022 (UK)

Pages: 342

Representation: LGBTQIA+ (Gay, FTM Trans, MTF Trans), Latinx

Trigger warnings: Transphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Death, Missing Persons, Parental death, blood, deadnaming, violence, anxiety

Summary: In a family ruled by Gender Roles, Yadriel is determined to prove to his family that he’s a real Brujo-not their little girl. Only Brujos can help ghosts cross into the afterlife, so obviously that’s all he needs to do to prove it to them-until he ends up summoning the wrong one. Julian Diaz was the high school bad boy, now he’s a ghost with some unfinished business that doesn’t want to go into death quietly. The boys must work together to get what they both want, with one big problem; The more time they spend together, the harder it’s going to be to let eachother go.

'Cemetery boys' opens our minds to a world beyond the one we live in, and when that door closes again we leave with nothing but Joy.

Aidan Thomas’ Debut Novel has put them on my author to-watch list. In a beautifully haunting narrative, they manage to tell a story haunted by ghosts yet full of fear and joy.

Yadriel was loveable, and I wanted nothing more than for him to get his happy ending. He was brave, even when he was scared, and it was a pleasure to watch him figure out the challenges that presented themselves to him. Julian was a shining light in the dark for the reader as well as for Yadriel-he was smug, he was funny and despite his grumpy exterior the sunshine he emits radiated off the page. He is definitely one of my favourite characters now. It’s not because of anything specific he does, but the small things that make him seem extremely realistic. The small moments of a playful teenage boy that shine through.

The plot did seem to be in the background at points-hidden behind Yadriels internal struggles, but never enough that I forgot what was going on (which has definitely happened in other books). It had moments of slow pacing, but this was often drowned out by the colourful, creative world that had been built. Do I wish there was more tension around the evil the book offered? Yes. Did it disappoint me? I wouldn’t go that far, because it was still a great book-one of my top reads! The lack of tension was the only thing that stopped it being a perfect book. Evil aside, the rest of the atmosphere was there and it built up the perfect spooky feeling. Supernatural magic, ghosts, goddesses and a whole bunch of angst and love make this book one that you won’t want to miss.

As a queer reader, it did become hard to read at points because it hit so close to home. Yadriels struggles struck a chord in my chest, and the words of his family hit hard. It can be hard sometimes to still love those that hurt you, as so many people do with their families. It felt like this book was written for those that struggle with it-it’s okay to be unsure, it’s okay to still love them, it’s okay if it takes time. Whatever you do, it’s okay.

As a white reader, I encourage you to find and read reviews by members of the Latinx community for a full-rounded view of this book.

Its shining glory: It’s a unique, beautiful story that manages to always have your attention. It never makes you stop to ask why-things just are, and it shows you that that’s okay.

Its fatal flaw: At times it was slow, and I found myself wishing for less description. Not often, but it was the biggest ‘flaw’ this book had to offer.

Read this if: You want an exciting yet not too fast paced read. You like even the slightest hint of the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Skip this if: You prefer solely plot-based stories, or stories that focus on one main plot/issue rather than different plot branches equally.

This book is outstanding. I devoured it so quickly. I adored the whole thing. It was such an amazing read. Yadriel is such a beautiful soul and I felt immediate love for him. Julian is that wonderful bad boy that we all want to love! This story swept me away and kept me so captivated. I loved all the big themes running throughout. I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone!