Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

45 reviews

glen3's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Police brutality, Car accident, Classism, and Deportation

noxtins's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i liked this a lot! i struggled with the -x suffix on the spanish because im used to -e neutrally and the x popped me out of the energy. brujx is pronounced verrry similarly to bruje anyway :p 
i didnt expect the twist at the end, i was wondering how things would work out. i related a lot to yandriel as a hispanic trans guy myself

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Classism

Moderate: Blood and Abandonment

erika_winters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

I’ve never read a book about brujx before or ghosts, so this was a wildly adventurous and engaging story! Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian were the best group of teens to follow in this story as we witness their coming of age in a cemetery and being a part of a huge Latinx family who have magic given to them by their goddess, Lady Death. I thought this story was fresh and new, while also being relatable and heartbreaking. There are so many layers of grief in this story from Yadriel and Julian going through personal losses, while also exploring the idea of Julian dying at such a young age. Aiden Thomas does a great job at constructing the magic system in their book, while also tackling social issues in our own world, such as racism, classicism, and transphobia. The cast of characters were overall lovable and came from all walks of life, and I loved how the setting became its own character; the cemetery in East LA  literally brimming with energy from the spirits that inhabit it, to the general areas in SoCal that make it palpable; like the ocean community of Malibu seen later in the book. Overall, this book is meaningful to those who are queer and have fought to have their identities be seen and heard, and a love letter to the Latinx community with its lush culture and heritage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Transphobia, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Deportation

donttouchmyfeet's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

There was plenty to love in Cemetery Boys, including the character's personalities, character development, cultural relevance, and relatable scenarios. This is the kind of book I wish I had when I was a teen, it would have meant a lot to me to see trans representation. Aiden Thomas's writing style can occasionally feel over-embellished or repetitive in details that ultimately have little weight to the overall story. Avi Roque was an extraordinary choice for narrating the audiobook, I hope to hear Roque again for the second book! As a whole, I appreciate the space Cemetery Boys is holding, and I ultimately enjoyed the book. It comes down to personal taste; while this wasn't a style I normally enjoy, the story was interesting and heartwarming. I look forward to Yadriel and Julian's future shenanigans! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Outing, and Dysphoria

annathechaoticreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

Cemetery Boys found me at exactly the right moment and I’m in love. It’s a great romance but more than that it’s a fantastic exploration of colonialism, tradition and queer identities within a complex immigrant community/family. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I audibly yelled ”wait…WHAT?!”while reading. The best Y/A book I’ve ever read and a new edition to my Favourite Books of All Time list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

amy_in_the_city's review against another edition

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

This was such an interesting premise, and I loved Yadriel! I'm not sure how I felt about Julian. While I liked how playful he was and how he protected those he loved, his anger issues were concerning. The scene where he

got upset threw a skateboard around his friends

felt like a red flag. I did appreciate that Yadriel set firm boundaries and told Julian that his violent outburst was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated again, but I would have felt better if we got some indication afterwards that Julian was working on his anger management skills.

The plot was very predictable. I guessed who the villain would be as soon as they appeared and by 10% into the book I had already guessed the villain's plan.

I still really enjoyed the book because I liked the side characters, Yadriel's character journey, and the main relationship overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Deportation

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Car accident, and Classism

erikagibson126's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, Outing, Abandonment, and Deportation

chaos_sugar's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Racism, and Classism

briannagriffin567's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

I would give this book all the stars if I could. I rarely write a review, but want to remember how perfect I thought this book was. It was beautiful, funny, touching, and overall so much more than I thought it would be when I picked it up to read on a whim.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Transphobia, Grief, Dysphoria, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

I really wanted to like this book. And I had enjoyed it for the most part until the very end, which is why I think this feels so disappointing.

I thought the book had a pretty strong intro. It established the world effectively and did so in a way non-Latin readers could understand. I had a quick grasp on relationships and dynamics. I think the book ended up being a bit heavy handed in foreshadowing with this establishment of the world, but I still appreciated it and that there was foreshadowing.

I also really liked the complexity in the family dynamics. It didn’t feel like Yadriel’s family was villainised for not fully understanding him. It was upsetting, you understood Yadriel’s pain, and (at least with his father) you felt like he was TRYING. And when Yadriel revealed he had become a brujo how PROUD he was of Yadriel. It felt realistic and I appreciated that aspect. This also leant well to the story being told of Yadriel’s struggle as a trans teen, which was compelling and provided such great insight into what trans teens go through in trying to find comfort in their own body.

The biggest issue I had with the book was the romance. I had such a hard time buying into it, especially considering how short of a time the book takes place over. When it did fully turn to romance it felt sudden and like the story hadn’t properly built to it. I felt the book would have been better if it had been about forming a friendship instead of a romance. Especially considering how isolated Yadriel felt as the only noted “friends” outside his family were his cousin’s friends. This was only emphasised when in the ending there was a dramatic declaration that the Julian had feelings for Yadriel and all I could think of was the Sassy Gay Friend video for Romeo and Juliet. I had a couple other issues with the end, but they’re spoilers so I’ll refrain from sharing them.

Overall a book with a strong start that fumbled the ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation