Reviews

Os Garotos do Cemitério by Aiden Thomas

shawnapantzke's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

beginningbookend's review against another edition

It's a perfectly good YA as far as I can judge! But it felt very slice of life. By a third of the way through the book only two plot points had happened, and those were the inciting incidents. There was a lot of time spent on character building in really small ways that didn't hook me. 

The book also felt very conscious of its treatment of representation. I'm guessing that's more a facet of its genre than the author, but it did that YA thing of overexplaining things. 

I'm sure it's a good book for someone,just not for me!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia

lizcastillo's review against another edition

4.0

Es un libro muy fresco y ágil. Me encanto como reproduce y detalla las tradiciones latinas del día de mieleros y también la vida del latino en el este de Los Ángeles detalles como el nombre de los dulces populares, platillos etc me encantaron. Una trama ágil, sencilla y un romance muy tierno y bonito. Me gusto mucho

bardo's review against another edition

4.0

Yadriel has one mission, to prove to his traditional Latinx family that he is a brujo. The only way he can do that is with the help of his cousin Maritza and a restless ghost he did not intend to invoke. The Cemetery Boys is a captivating adventure through the Latinx culture and rituals. This coming of age book dives deep onto what it means to be apart of a community that is divided by gender and how these traditions need to evolve. Thomas is captivating writing and will have the reader absorbed in the clarity of detail provided to build the colorful and rich world of the brujx in Cemetery Boys. The central plot surrounds the disappearance of a missing brujo but Thomas weaves in deeper and complex themes of homelessness, transgender identity, and tradition to make the story a mosaic masterpiece. Readers will have a rich understanding of Dia De Muertos and have an appreciation for the celebration. The only shortcoming is the lack of action in the book that is supposed to be uncovering a brujo and young adult disappearances. Instead of Yadeil tracking down the culprit to find his missing cousin, the love story between Yadiel and Julian takes over most of the book. I appreciated the organic way the two boys found each other and the love that grows but it seemed to overshadow everything else. This included the ties between Yadiel and his family as well as his original goal. Overall, the story is fast-paced, clear, and visually stunning.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Edelweiss for sharing the ARC COPY with me in exchange for my honest review

samcknight's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were beautifully written, the interactions between characters were genuine, and it was so easy to relate to Yadriel's struggle.

I'm not Latina and it's not a culture I know a lot about, but you could tell it was personal to the author and came across as bright and vibrant instead of stilted and stereotypical like in some other books I've read.

I loved the acceptance of who people were in this book and the willingness of characters to change and admit that they were wrong.

The plot wasn't the most complex and I worked out what had happened a few chapters in, normally this is enough to turn me of a book but not this time. This was a character based read and I found myself caring far too much about the characters and their journeys to even consider not finishing the book.

emilysmoser's review against another edition

4.0

tears were shed and my heart was warmed. I think there were parts of this that were long-winded and I low-key guessed 2 of the major twists so it didn't feel as shocking as it could have been. HOWEVER, this story is so important and I am so so happy that this book exists. It dives into family, tradition self-expression, and gender in an open, honest, and wholesome way. Things weren't sugar-coated and I know this story will hit home for many people, especially those with a Latinx background or those who have experienced pushback about their identity and expression. A sweet treat. 

greysun69's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

4.5⭐️ As a queer POC trans man who practices non-Abrahamic spiritual rituals, this book is a TREASURE. Its so atmospheric. I was able to predict all the twists including the bad guy and the reason why Julian’s situation was so peculiar, but the ride to the conclusion was so GREAT! This was such a good coming of age story. The romance made sense and the message was beautiful. 

christinakann's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

isabelbrieler's review against another edition

4.0

another excellent October read.

I've never leaned into reading spooky books around Halloween time but I'm really feeling it this year

percy3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0