Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas (45)

• ASIN: ‎ B07TVZXQ5V
• Publisher: ‎ Swoon Reads (September 1, 2020)
• Kindle:‎ 4885 KB
• Print: ‎ 350 pages

AMAZON

A trans boy determined to prove he's a brujo to his Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

Bestowed by the ancient goddess of death, Yadriel and the gifted members of his Latinx community can see spirits: women have the power to heal bodies and souls, while men can release lost spirits to the afterlife. But Yadriel, a trans boy, has never been able to perform the tasks of the brujas - because he is a brujo.

When his cousin suddenly dies, 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 not his cousin. It's Julian Diaz, the resident bad boy of his high school, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off 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.

Aiden Thomas, author of Cemetery Boys, received their MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Born in Oakland, California, Aiden often haunted Mountain View Cemetery like a second home during their misspent youth. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden is notorious among their friends for always being surprised by twist endings to books/movies and organizing their bookshelves by color. When not writing, Aiden enjoys exploring the outdoors with their dog, Ronan. Their cat, Figaro, prefers to support their indoor hobbies, like reading and drinking too much coffee.

REVIEW:

I've been wanting to read this since I saw it come out and am glad I finally got to. I really enjoyed this story, and frankly, didn't have any idea anything about the Brujx before.

I loved the ghost story romance. Well done!! I didn't see it coming and then it was all I wanted. 

The magical elements in this story appeal to me. I like wiccan and voodoo stories and felt this was much of the same, just a different culture, but it still felt relatable. 

I definitely want to read more about Yadriel and his people. I was so invested in those parts of the story.

4.5/5

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