Snapshot (ARC) Review: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Series: N/A
Pages: 352
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date: September 1st 2020

TW: misgendering, transphobia, death of a parent, child abuse

      “Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
      When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his 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 up 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.”

Yadriel – Yadriel is part of a brujx community, one that is often rigid in its practices. As a result, Yadiel, a trans teen, has never had his own quices ceremony in which he would pledge himself to Lady Death and serve her as a brujo. His mother was always supportive of him, but her passing left him feeling marooned. Yadriel, with the help of his cousin Maritza, defies his father, leader of the East LA brujx, and performs his own ceremony. Despite being acknowledged by Lady Death, Yadriel still isn’t sure it’s enough to prove to his father and the rest of the brujx community that he is a brujo. He’s the kind of character who sets up high expectations for himself in the name of proving others wrong when it’s his own inner doubts that he needs to overcome.

Julian – Most people’s first impression of Julian is that he’s a delinquent who is on a path to nowhere. When Yadriel accidentally summons Julian’s spirit, all he knows about him are the rumors. But it quickly becomes apparent that Julian is much more. He’s stubborn and obnoxious, but also perceptive and caring. He pushes Yadriel to see beyond the box he has put himself in. Julian’s first concern when learning he is dead are his friends, who are more like family to him. Many of whom are living on the streets because they do not have a safe place to go back to. The novel touches on houseless youth, the way they are perceived and the lack of concern shown by authorities when they go missing.

Trans character in a gender-based magical system – I love seeing more books with gender-based magical systems acknowledging those who are transgender and/or nonbinary. Cemetery Boys does such a wonderful job of centering a trans character and upholding their identity within the established system.

Latinx cultures mixed with magic – I am in love with the magical system in this book. Thomas incorporates a number of Latinx cultures in this brujx community which made me really happy to see. Yadriel himself is from a multicultural Latinx family. His mother’s family is Mexican and his father is Cuban. Yadriel is always surrounded by family, they are always in each other’s business and sometimes you just can’t escape them. There are always cousins, aunts, and uncles filling their house. I loved it.

The writing – It is so easy to fall in love with this book and one of the reasons is the writing. Thomas’s writing is so descriptive, I felt immediately transported to these places. There are no flat minor characters and appreciated that every detail we are given about them helped flesh them out.

The humor – One of my favorite things about Cemetery Boys is how much humor Thomas infuses into his characters. The unexpected snark from several of the characters had me laughing out loud throughout the novel. If it wasn’t Yadriel and Maritza snide remarks with one another then it was Julian and Yadriel’s snarky and often flirtatious exchanges, which I just ate up.

Nothing to note.

Aidan Thomas’s Cemetery Boys is a nearly flawless paranormal debut that celebrates Latinx cultures with characters who are an absolute delight. Crossing my fingers we get a sequel to this one sometime in the future.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

(5/5)