Review: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Title: Cemetery Boys

Author: Aiden Thomas

Pages: 352

5 stars – I loved it!

Yadriel, a trans boy, is trying to prove to his family that he is a real brujo. When he summons the ghost of bad boy Julian Diaz things quickly get complicated. Now Yadriel and Julian have to work together to find out what happened to him so they can release his ghost.

I knew by the end of the first chapter that this was going to be a great book. I couldn’t put it down and I was instantly sucked into Yadriel and Julian’s story. Not only were the characters amazing but the details about the brujx and Dia de Muertos were fascinating.

This story focuses mainly on Yadriel’s anxiety and worry over proving he is a brujo to his traditional family. This causes him to perform the brujo ritual and to summon a spirit all on his own. He is determined to be a brujo and to show his family that just because he is trans doesn’t mean he isn’t a brujo. I loved how determined and passionate Yadriel was about being true to himself.

I really enjoyed the relationship that developed between Yadriel and Julian. Julian is energetic, loyal, and full of life, even when he is dead. He accepts everything about Yadriel which made this relationship even sweeter for me. These two are complete opposites but their relationship was perfect.

This story is about acceptance and family. A family can be who the one you were born into or the one you find along the road of life that accepts the true you. I loved that there are both kinds of family in this book because a lot of people can’t rely on the family they were born into, especially LGBTQ folx. Also all the supportive side characters in this book were perfect, especially Yadriel’s cousin Maritza.

Overall, this was an amazing YA novel and I couldn’t put it down. I don’t usually like YA but I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I will definitely be checking out Aiden’s future books.

Reader Warning: