Cemetery Boys

       

Title: Cemetery Boys

Author: Aiden Thomas

Publisher: Swoon Reads, September 1, 2020

Pages: 350

Genre: LGBTQ YA Fantasy

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.

What a beautiful book. This book has been on my TBR forever, and I'm so glad that I've finally read it. Like I knew that it was going to be good. And it was!

I love the way that magic is portrayed in this world of the brujx. This family has death magic essentially. Though magic maybe isn't the right word. It doesn't seem to encompass the entirety of the brujx abilities. 

Gender plays a huge role in this book. Yadriel is a trans boy, and that really defines his journey as a brujx. Because their magic seems to be very closely tied to their gender identity. The women in this community are healers. And the men usher spirits from this life into the next. Yadriel knows that he's a brujo, but we see how his family can accept that he's a boy and still gatekeep his magic from him for a good bit of this book.

Then you have Yadriel and Julian. They meet because as a brujx, Yadriel can see ghosts, and Julian has just died but hasn't yet crossed over. They spend the time leading up to Dia de Muertos trying to figure out what's wrong in the cemetery where Yadriel and his family live and work. And they are so dang cute doing it.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5