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!