A fantastic and fun read! Yadriel and Julian are original and fully-formed characters. Great for readers who love Nico from the Percy Jackson books.

Why you should get excited for Cemetery Boys:
- This story is set during the Day of the Dead and dives into folklore and traditions surrounding it.
- The protagonist is a gay trans Latinx brujo who can communicate with ghosts (yes, Yadriel is as epic as he sounds).
- The love interest is a ghost (a very, very cute one with chaotic neutral energy).
- These characters have strong “looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll” vibes.
- There are dogs! Dogs, I tell you!

Review:

“You ready?” Julian asked, a curious look on his devastatingly handsome face. “No,” Yadriel confessed, his voice tight.Julian grinned. “Do it anyways.”

I have been trying to put into words how I feel about this masterpiece of a story, but how can I find the right words when I literally just want everyone to check out Aiden Thomas’ Twitter feed that is funnier and more insightful than I could ever dream of being? I cannot, in coherent sentences, explain the awesomeness that is this book (and without screaming and flailing my arms no less), so enjoy this list of bullet points that will hopefully encourage you to pick up this book:

- Magic and paranormal content, oh my! Bestowed by ancient Maya gods, brujx are able to see spirits and communicate with them – it’s even their “job” to help them move on. There is also a lot of discussion about Día de Muertos and its history and Latino traditions involved with that holiday and if you’re a sucker like me and were already obsessed with movies such as Coco or The Book of Life, this deeper dive into the historical background of a vast culture will be just as magical to you!

- The family dynamics: I have never been part of a Latinx family, but after reading Cemetery Boys, I feel like I have. Thomas creates such an immersive experience of the intricacies of relatives that are (sometimes too) close to each other – from the abuela who will force feed you and keep an eye peeled on the staircase to know who’s sneaking out, to fathers not knowing how to talk to their children and uncles who try to keep the peace – all while doing their best to convey how much they love their tight-knit community.

- The discussion of identity: In a very poignant conversation between Julian and Yadriel, they discuss why Yadriel has to prove his gender identity to his family. It’s a central topic of the entire book and it hits home – though perhaps his family’s intentions are benign, not accepting someone for who they are especially when they tell you to your face is hurtful and discouraging. Without spoiling anything, this story takes a close look at what it means to be supportive and how to make transitions easier for the people you love. Yadriel is told time and time again that just because he “decides” to be a boy, does not mean he can become a brujo instead of a bruja in the eyes of Our Lady Death – which obviously isn’t the truth as Yadriel is blessed by her. Above all, Yadriel is just a boy who is trying to find his place in a very conservative community but as someone aptly says in this book, “we should be embracing differences, even if it scares us.”

- One of the biggest parts of this story that has my whole heart is the thoughts Yadriel has about people who keep misgendering him or use his deadname. The fact that he constantly feels like he has to accept everyone’s apologies and how he feels angry about the fact that he shouldn’t feel angry that this keep hurting him – it’s painful to read and realize how many people in this world go through this process day to day and it just resonates – we need to do better. No one should have to fight so hard just to exist.

- The way Julian helps Yadriel feel secure in his identity just broke my heart. There’s this passage in the book where they’re discussing one of Julian’s friends Flaca –

“I mean, Flaca isn’t any less of a girl just because other people look at her and don’t see her as one,” Julian went on. “Just because she’s not on hormones or whatever , or ’cause she’s not ‘passing,’ doesn’t mean other people get to decide who she is. And the same goes for you.” Heat bloomed in Yadriel’s cheeks. “You don’t owe anybody shit,” Julian told him, stormy anger brewing behind dark eyes.”

It’s just so *heart-eyes*. Cemetery Boys breaks through a lot of representational barriers in YA and the fact that anyone out there questioning the validity of their identity will get to read this and so many more passages like this…it just can’t be put into words of how important this feels.

- Intersectionality: In a story focusing on a Latinx gay transgender boy, the topic of intersectionality is going to come up – and Thomas handles the way in which stereotypes and societal expectations can hurt you in such an honest and no-bullshit way: Being transgender and gay had earned Yadriel the title of Head Black Sheep among the brujx. Though, in truth, being gay had actually been much easier for them to accept, but only because they saw Yadriel’s liking boys as still being heterosexual.

- It’s frustrating to read and even more frustrating to live in a world where expectations and rules are posed onto every aspect of one’s identity – and how much these social mores can mess with a person’s head. Reintroducing yourself to your family and having to contend with these expectations is discussed so openly in this novel and will have your mind reeling about all the things we don’t talk about enough.

- Freaking. Diaz: If you ever wondered what it would be like to fall in love with a hot Latino ghost who exudes chaotic energy out of his wazoo, let me introduce you to your new soulmate: Julian. Julian is such a whirlwind – he is lively, noisy, caring and carefree, and bright-eyed and energetic and confuses idioms and has the biggest, softest heart out there. Seriously, he loves everyone – except maybe himself. If I had to compare him to anyone, it’d be Doug from the Disney movie Up “I hid under your porch because I love you” is 100% something Julian would say and you cannot convince me otherwise. The book dives deeper into how we as a society attribute stereotypes and coin people bad boys for being lackluster about school instead of delving deeper into why they are having issues with focusing in school to begin with – and finding solutions instead of condemning people outright.

- Maritza needs to be protected at all costs – the sheer amount of support and encouragement this firehouse of a young woman delivers in this story is off the charts *cue Thank You For Being a Friend* Not to mention that she is a bit of an outsider herself because she does not want to conform to some of the conditions of becoming a bruja and that brings its own troubles with it – and just goes to show that to stand up for yourself will always matter!

- I don’t know how to explain this but I know this story would translate really well onto the screen? Thomas has that atmospheric writing down where you just immerse yourself into the story and whether it’s in Yadriel’s room, the underground where he meets Julian’s found family or in the cemetery preparing everything for Día de Muertos, it all just feels very cinematic and you can picture all these places so vividly in your mind with the way it’s described? *cue here my fingers crossing eternally for a movie or tv adaptation because I would legitimately stop breathing if I ever got to see Yadriel and Julian and that ONE scene in his bedroom*

- And lastly, the actual story just worked so well?! The subplot is a mystery of finding out who killed Yadriel’s cousin and who has been kidnapping teens and hiding their bodies and what the motive for all of this is? – we follow along as Julian loses more and more of his connection to his body and it’s chilling and drives up the stakes to unimagined heights! A real nail-biter!

I want to give this book a never-ending hug. By far one of the most spectacular debut novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Not to be missed!

4.5 stars

There is *so* much to like here. The main character, Yadriel, is a trans man who is aiming for one critical goal: "Be who he was, as he was," as noted toward the end of the novel. Yadriel is unwaveringly likable. He's dealing with layered issues of acceptance not only based on his trans identity but also because another of his identities - Brujx - operates on a gender binary: brujas and brujos. Because certain characters fail to accept Yadriel's gender identity and expression, they also thwart his progression toward being a fully recognized brujo. Oh, and he's Latinx and gay. He is the poster child of intersectionality, and he both benefits from inhabiting these many spaces and suffers from others' lack of understanding and acceptance.

Yadriel's quest for acceptance and his movement toward achieving central and internal goals make for a fascinating narrative on their own, but the secondary characters make this even more fun. Julian and Maritza are particularly awesome (and they're in good company).

At times, the description and/or minutiae of specific scenes feels a bit overwhelming, but while I hoped for a more succinct presentation at times, I never fell out of rooting for Yadriel and most of the folks in his life. Yadriel's identities are handled in a respectful and appropriate way in the sense that the related discussions are not heavy handed; this is who he is, and folks are sometimes accepting and other times not. For me, the ending of this also really works.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and can't wait to share it with my students in a few weeks!

When you're trying to summon the ghost of your cousin and accidentally summon the ghost of a sexy bad boy instead #justbrujothings

This was so good! I've been eagerly awaiting this book since I first saw its beautiful cover on twitter and it did not disappoint. I'm very excited to shove this book at all my friends and the teen patrons at my library. The 2020 YA releases this year are AMAZING.

What can I say about this book? So many feelings and emotions rushed to the surface as I was reading this FANTASTIC novel. Yadriel is part of the Brujx community, wanting to prove that he IS a brujo. His determination shined throughout the entire story. Throughout the plot, I cheered for his success. I loved all of the other characters: Maritza was strong and Julian was such a nice element to the mix. The character development was so well written. The world Aiden created contained such interesting and fantastical mesoamerican elements, bringing Latinx and LGBTQ awareness as well. I have been supporting Aiden since I learned of his story. It doesn't disappoint! Also, the cover is beautiful. 2020 has some AMAZING stories coming out, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to read his work!