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Cemetery Boys Kindle Edition
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.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSwoon Reads
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2020
- Reading age13 - 18 years
- Grade level7 - 9
- File size4885 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
A YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten pick
"This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic. I was bawling by the end of it, but not from sadness: I just felt so incredibly happy that this queer Latinx adventure will get to be read by other kids. Cemetery Boys is necessary: for trans kids, for queer kids, for those in the Latinx community who need to see themselves on the page. Don’t miss this book." ―Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift
"Aiden Thomas' debut novel can't help but charm and captivate readers of all ages, though teen readers will invariably identify with and appreciate the high jinks and emotional vulnerability that make each character and scenario deliciously enchanting." ― Booklist, starred review
" 'Scooby-Doo' meets 'Love, Simon' in this inclusive supernatural romance steeped in East Los Angeles Latinx culture.... Thomas injects the queer paranormal romance genre with a fresh shot of lavishly detailed Latinx culture, blending in Mayan, Mexican, Central American and South American traditions while commenting on cultural appropriation, deportation and class. Windows into the intersecting Latinx and L.G.B.T.Q. experience are plentiful here, and the opportunities for discovery and discussion are endless." -- New York Times Book Review
"This book is magical, tender, loving, and so so so important. I love it with all my heart." ―Mason Deaver, author of I Wish You All The Best
"The novel perfectly balances the vibrant, energetic Latinx culture while delving into heavy topics like LGBTQ+ acceptance, deportation, colonization, and racism within authoritative establishments." ―TeenVogue.com
"Cemetery Boys is a celebration of culture and identity that will captivate readers with its richly detailed world, earnest romance, and thrilling supernatural mystery. This delightful debut is a must-read for all paranormal romance fans." ―Isabel Sterling, author of These Witches Don't Burn
" Thomas marries concept and execution in a romantic mystery as poignant as it is spellbinding, weaved in a mosaic of culture, acceptance, and identity, where intricately crafted characters are the pieces and love―platonic, romantic, familial, and communal―is the glue." ― Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Cemetery Boys is nothing short of an astonishing work of art. Aiden Thomas masterfully weaves a tale of family, friendships, and love in a heartwarming adventure full of affirmation and being your best self." ― C.B. Lee, author of Not Your Sidekick
"A gay, transgender brujo with burgeoning powers seeks answers about his cousin’s death... Both the romance and mystery burn slow and hot until the climax... Their romance provides joyful, ground-breaking representation for gay, transgender boys. Heart-pounding." ―Kirkus
"A story much bigger than the paper that binds it, Cemetery Boys is the tender intricacy we have all been waiting for." ―Kayla Ancrum, author of The Wicker King
"Speaking from experience, this is the kind of book that you read and then immediately go force all your friends to read so they can share the pleasure." ―Buzzfeed
"A wildly memorable novel." ―Paste
"Magical, swoonworthy, and utterly charming." ―Bitch Media
"This one is just what your heart needs right now." ―TOR.com
"Thomas sensitively navigates Yadriel’s struggles as a trans teen, from the insecurity of not wearing his binder at night around Julian, to deadnaming by family members, to the emotional burden of constantly forgiving people who misgender him. In spite of some heavy themes, this is a pleasing ghost-story-turned-romcom ... Readers wary of tragic endings can relax―there’s a well-deserved happy ending in store for this ghost boy and brujo." ―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Packed with eerie adventure, tingly romance, and family drama, the novel lays bare the tension between upholding tradition and reaching full self-acceptance. Cheeky, relatable characters bring humor and lightness into Thomas’s debut, which also takes on themes of death, loss, abandonment, and rejection." ― Horn Book
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07TVZXQ5V
- Publisher : Swoon Reads (September 1, 2020)
- Publication date : September 1, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 4885 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 350 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #45,842 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,100 in LGBTQ+ Books
- #22,061 in Whispersync for Voice
- #44,248 in Kindle eBooks
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Aiden Thomas is a New York Times Bestselling author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, Oregon. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, winning Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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We have fun and realistic characters. Honestly, every character was meaningful and helped give the worldbuilding extra depth. Yadriel, Martiza, and Julian are simply the best. I would absolutely want to be friends with them and also defend them with my life. Which is how fictional characters should make you feel, right? AND I TOTALLY HAD A CASE OF THE FEELS…all the emotions while reading this one.
While there are stressful factors for our characters, including mysterious murders, death as well as grief, transphobia and misgendering, however the book truly is joyful. Full of Latinx culture, learning, growth, as well as love and acceptance. I think there are many morals to learn and especially for cis readers to understand and experience the agony that trans folx experience especially when misgendered. I can only hope that from understanding and experiencing these traumas will and can lead to empathy and visibility.
The debut narrator, Avi Roque, was perfect. Their voice was full of emotion and was absolutely brilliant in helping me get lost in the story. I’m looking forward to hearing more of Avi’s voice!
This book has my whole heart. I can’t even imagine how impactful it will be for teens to be represented and to see themselves in this novel. Plus it is perfect for this time of year with all the fall vibes, magic, and ghosts. It is one of my favorite books I read this year and I really hope many of you too, will read Cemetery Boys.
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a transgender boy who is trying to prove himself as a brujo to his Latinx family. They do not accept him because of their traditions, so he takes it upon himself to show them that he has what it takes. When Yadriel’s cousin Miguel is murdered, he wants to use this opportunity to summon Miguel, find out what happened, and set his ghost free. Yadriel hopes this will prove once and for all that he can be a brujo. With the help of his best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual to summon Miguel. However, things do not go exactly as planned. Instead of summoning Miguel, Yadriel accidentally summons Julian Diaz, the school’s bad boy. Julian refuses to be released until he finds out what happened to him and makes sure his friends are safe. Together, Yadriel and Julian team up to help one another achieve what they set out to do. The two then form a really close bond after getting to know one another, which makes Yadriel realize he does not want Julian to leave.
This book is no joke. It is packed full of representation and culture. It has everything anyone could want: a trans main character, gay romance, a latinx cast, Día de Muertos. I was so immersed and invested in this book. The writing was some of the best I have seen. Thomas does an amazing job at bringing their characters to life off the page. They are funny, charming, relatable, likable. Julian’s personality was so heartwarming and made me care even more about him. I also loved Maritza. She was strong, fierce, and knew what she wanted. I loved how all of these characters worked together to talk about identity and family.
I absolutely loved everything about Cemetery Boys. Thomas is an incredible writer, and I cannot what to see what they release next. I highly recommend this book because I do not see how anyone could possibly be disappointed by it.
*Content warning: death, blood, violence, transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, death of a loved one*
Yadriel comes from an ancient ancestral lineage of brujx who have been granted magical powers by Lady Death: men are able to release spirits to the afterlife and women can heal the living. Yadriel feels like an outsider from his community because he has been denied the rite of passage to become a brujo because he is transgendered. But when his cousin mysteriously dies and the brujx cannot find his body, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove himself. While trying to solve the mystery, Yadriel mistakenly summons the ghost of fellow teen: bad boy Julian. Now Yadriel must help resolve Julian’s unfinished business while still proving himself to his family and community!
It’s very apparent that as a queer, trans, Latinx author himself, Aiden Thomas has written CEMETERY BOYS as a love letter to Latinx culture and queer identity. The vivid descriptions of the brujx traditions and Día de Muertos celebration were fascinating and informative. Trans identity is thoughtfully represented with nuanced discussion around chest-binders, proper pronouns, and deadnames. I loved that the story highlighted many different types of relationships: romantic, familial, chosen family, friendships, and cultural. I do feel like the strict gendering of the brujx magic didn’t necessarily fit with the inclusiveness of the story though the possibility of nonbinary and agender brujx was briefly touched on. And though I found the mystery a little predictable, the characters are spectacular and the journey is well worth it!
Do yourself a favor and read CEMETERY BOYS! This book has something for everyone: it’s got magic, mystery, first-love, loss, evil spirits, all while celebrating Latinx and queer identity! It will make you laugh, cry, and swoon! This Own Voice YA debut is an absolute triumph!
Follow my Instagram for more book reviews and fun book content: @BookyNooky
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2020
Yadriel comes from an ancient ancestral lineage of brujx who have been granted magical powers by Lady Death: men are able to release spirits to the afterlife and women can heal the living. Yadriel feels like an outsider from his community because he has been denied the rite of passage to become a brujo because he is transgendered. But when his cousin mysteriously dies and the brujx cannot find his body, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove himself. While trying to solve the mystery, Yadriel mistakenly summons the ghost of fellow teen: bad boy Julian. Now Yadriel must help resolve Julian’s unfinished business while still proving himself to his family and community!
It’s very apparent that as a queer, trans, Latinx author himself, Aiden Thomas has written CEMETERY BOYS as a love letter to Latinx culture and queer identity. The vivid descriptions of the brujx traditions and Día de Muertos celebration were fascinating and informative. Trans identity is thoughtfully represented with nuanced discussion around chest-binders, proper pronouns, and deadnames. I loved that the story highlighted many different types of relationships: romantic, familial, chosen family, friendships, and cultural. I do feel like the strict gendering of the brujx magic didn’t necessarily fit with the inclusiveness of the story though the possibility of nonbinary and agender brujx was briefly touched on. And though I found the mystery a little predictable, the characters are spectacular and the journey is well worth it!
Do yourself a favor and read CEMETERY BOYS! This book has something for everyone: it’s got magic, mystery, first-love, loss, evil spirits, all while celebrating Latinx and queer identity! It will make you laugh, cry, and swoon! This Own Voice YA debut is an absolute triumph!
Follow my Instagram for more book reviews and fun book content: @BookyNooky
Top reviews from other countries
En cuanto a a la historia, es disfrutable. Me gustó.
Reviewed in Mexico on February 22, 2024
En cuanto a a la historia, es disfrutable. Me gustó.
- Fantasia adolescente que eu AMO, o trio é, assim como em HP e PJ, maravilhoso;
- Me diverti MUITO lendo, o Julian irritando o Yadriel 24/7, a Maritza maravilhosa sempre ali pra ajudar o Julian a fazer a vida do Yadriel um inferno kkkkk, ou seja, o famoso trio de fantasia adolescente;
- A história é cheia de elementos da cultura mexicana, chega da vontade de experimentar umas comidinhas da abuela do Yadriel, isso deixou o livro mais interessante pq, mesmo que se passe nos EUA ele tem traços marcantes da nacionalidade da família do Yadriel;
- A trajetória do Yadriel depois de se assumir é bem realista e cuidadosa, é heartbreaking lê como ele se sente depois de ouvir algumas coisas preconceituosas pela própria família, e o autor narra muito bem essas partes, até porque é um livro own voice.
- “Yadriel was always forgiving people for being callous. For misgendering him and calling him by his dead-name… He was tired of forgiving.He was tired of fighting to just exist and be himself.”
- OBS: É bom pesquisar “trigger warnings “pq esse livro tem alguns.
Reviewed in Brazil on September 14, 2021
- Fantasia adolescente que eu AMO, o trio é, assim como em HP e PJ, maravilhoso;
- Me diverti MUITO lendo, o Julian irritando o Yadriel 24/7, a Maritza maravilhosa sempre ali pra ajudar o Julian a fazer a vida do Yadriel um inferno kkkkk, ou seja, o famoso trio de fantasia adolescente;
- A história é cheia de elementos da cultura mexicana, chega da vontade de experimentar umas comidinhas da abuela do Yadriel, isso deixou o livro mais interessante pq, mesmo que se passe nos EUA ele tem traços marcantes da nacionalidade da família do Yadriel;
- A trajetória do Yadriel depois de se assumir é bem realista e cuidadosa, é heartbreaking lê como ele se sente depois de ouvir algumas coisas preconceituosas pela própria família, e o autor narra muito bem essas partes, até porque é um livro own voice.
- “Yadriel was always forgiving people for being callous. For misgendering him and calling him by his dead-name… He was tired of forgiving.He was tired of fighting to just exist and be himself.”
- OBS: É bom pesquisar “trigger warnings “pq esse livro tem alguns.
Abwicklung war wie gewohnt gut
I loved the way this story looked at gender through traditions and magic. Yadriel’s family was very traditional. They didn’t want to accept him as a brujo because he was born a girl. Some of his family members refused to use his correct pronouns or his preferred name. This was a little complicated, since the Spanish language uses only male or female genders. Similarly, their magic system only identifies someone as a brujo (a boy) or a bruja (a girl). That becomes a problem when someone identifies as male, but the family sees them as female. Yadriel had the support of a couple of family members who helped him find his true magic.
I was shocked at the ending. I didn’t see the final twists coming at all. During the last few chapters, I was getting worried that the story wouldn’t end the way I wanted it to. However, there were some surprises and I was pleased with the ending.
This is an amazing debut! I’m so glad I finally read it.
With the rude gay Julian he must find out if his friends are Allright and who killed him.
Honestly if you read a lot of books half way thru you kinda already can guess what is gonna happen if you pay attention to the details. But the end it worth it in my opinion. Their story is so cute 🥰 and it’s nice to have some Spanish and trans trown in a book.
Its worth the boy trust me!

















