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tovetott's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'm in Spain without the S. But in Eastern LA lol.
This is the second book I've read by Aiden Thomas, and I can't believe I was tricked into thinking it WOULDN'T take a dark turn AGAIN by the wholesome, sweet buildup and the lovable characters. 😭 I'm onto you now, though, Thomas! You're not getting me next time !! 😭
Absolutely loved the story, and the queer and trans rep was really well done and felt like it elevated the story in a really, really cool way. I loved the way things were foreshadowed (I managed to figure it out about halfway through without the book being obvious about it) AND EVEN STILL it had me gasping at the end because of twists I didn't see coming.
The ONLY THINGS pulling down the score from a full 5 stars for me is the writing itself feeling a lil ?? Idk how to put it but the prose is not as "artsy" as I'd like a 5-star book to be? Does that make sense? This might also have been an expectation I applied myself after all the good things I'd heard about this book, and it just didn't quite live up to what I had in mind hsjdbbd
The second thing knocking this down SLIGHTLY is the way the dark twist is REALLY DARK in contrast to how lighthearted the rest of the book is (I had the same reaction with 'Lost In The Never Woods' even though I ofc absolutely LOVED it still!!). It's definitely a style choice but it really threw me off balance this time too.
All in all, I had a great time! I loved all the Spanish dialogue (and accents !!!) and mexican culture references and mythology etc about Día de Muertos! It was weaved in so seamlessly into the story and I loved it (even though my frantic googling and translating and pronounciation guides LOL)
Julian and Yadriel's stories will live with me for a long time, precious lil beans 🥺🥺🩷✨️🩷✨️🩷
This is the second book I've read by Aiden Thomas, and I can't believe I was tricked into thinking it WOULDN'T take a dark turn AGAIN by the wholesome, sweet buildup and the lovable characters. 😭 I'm onto you now, though, Thomas! You're not getting me next time !! 😭
Absolutely loved the story, and the queer and trans rep was really well done and felt like it elevated the story in a really, really cool way. I loved the way things were foreshadowed (I managed to figure it out about halfway through without the book being obvious about it) AND EVEN STILL it had me gasping at the end because of twists I didn't see coming.
The ONLY THINGS pulling down the score from a full 5 stars for me is the writing itself feeling a lil ?? Idk how to put it but the prose is not as "artsy" as I'd like a 5-star book to be? Does that make sense? This might also have been an expectation I applied myself after all the good things I'd heard about this book, and it just didn't quite live up to what I had in mind hsjdbbd
The second thing knocking this down SLIGHTLY is the way the dark twist is REALLY DARK in contrast to how lighthearted the rest of the book is (I had the same reaction with 'Lost In The Never Woods' even though I ofc absolutely LOVED it still!!). It's definitely a style choice but it really threw me off balance this time too.
All in all, I had a great time! I loved all the Spanish dialogue (and accents !!!) and mexican culture references and mythology etc about Día de Muertos! It was weaved in so seamlessly into the story and I loved it (even though my frantic googling and translating and pronounciation guides LOL)
Julian and Yadriel's stories will live with me for a long time, precious lil beans 🥺🥺🩷✨️🩷✨️🩷
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Transphobia, and Violence
peachy_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katherineannpotter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
any_direction's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is good, the execution not so much. This book adds to a growing collection of diverse representation in YA literature. For that I applaud it, I just wish it was better written.
neimillis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-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
cranea653's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
katkfern's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was so good! The cultural magic system was really cool once they finally accepted that change is a good thing and that Yulian was a brujo, and a damn powerful one at that . Maritza made a fierce and funny sidekick, and I loved that “the boys” were just two giant scary protective dogs. Julian’s fierce spirit (pun intended) was a joy, and I am SO glad he wasn’t actually dead because I would not have accepted anything but an HEA for him and Yulian. There was so much representation in this book, too. And we love a found family <3 The end had me crying with joy :’)
danielle_buljan's review against another edition
5.0
I really appreciate it. The twist in terms of the book took me through. I think it’s a great commentary on the themes of family loyalty and being true to oneself. I found the book to be suspenseful enough to keep me engaged and wanting to read more.
smakinde's review against another edition
3.0
I am so glad that I decided to listen to this on Audible. I really feel like I got the full experience! The book was narrated by Avi Roque and it was well done.
Yadriel is our MMC and he is like the sweetest cinnamon roll character. He is a young gay trans boy who desperately wants the approval of his family so he can become a brujo like the rest of the men in his family. The brujos help the dead spirits pass to the other side, but the biggest hang up is that Yadriel's family isn't fully accepting of him. They teeter on the line of acceptance, but they still try to keep him with the women in the family most of the time. Thankfully he has his cousin Maritza, who is his biggest support(besides his mom who died). She is able to help him become a brujo and from there the story takes off.
Yadriel finds himself in a position where he can help a boy who has recently passed. Julian is brave, kind, doesn't follow the rules and.... he has no clue how he died. So the journey begins in helping Julian and also finding out how Yadriel's cousin, who died on the same night as Julian did, died.
I really liked that the author showed how Yadriel was feeling about his family, his love for his people, and wanting to make his mom proud. Julian was also well written and I enjoyed their story. While the villain did become obvious, I didn't mind it. I only wish that the scene when it all comes together and we get all of the answers that it would have been more intense. It didn't feel as deep as I thought it would have.
Overall a great read.
3.5 stars for me!
Yadriel is our MMC and he is like the sweetest cinnamon roll character. He is a young gay trans boy who desperately wants the approval of his family so he can become a brujo like the rest of the men in his family. The brujos help the dead spirits pass to the other side, but the biggest hang up is that Yadriel's family isn't fully accepting of him. They teeter on the line of acceptance, but they still try to keep him with the women in the family most of the time. Thankfully he has his cousin Maritza, who is his biggest support(besides his mom who died). She is able to help him become a brujo and from there the story takes off.
Yadriel finds himself in a position where he can help a boy who has recently passed. Julian is brave, kind, doesn't follow the rules and.... he has no clue how he died. So the journey begins in helping Julian and also finding out how Yadriel's cousin, who died on the same night as Julian did, died.
I really liked that the author showed how Yadriel was feeling about his family, his love for his people, and wanting to make his mom proud. Julian was also well written and I enjoyed their story. While the villain did become obvious, I didn't mind it. I only wish that the scene when it all comes together and we get all of the answers that it would have been more intense. It didn't feel as deep as I thought it would have.
Overall a great read.
3.5 stars for me!
charlieswrittenadventures's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The concept was really cool and there was a lot of diversity which was nice to read. However, I was able to guess the entirety of the plot and the solution to the mystery after only five or six chapters (and I am not even someone who tries to guess the solution of a mystery. The book was just glaringly obvious about it.), so that kind of made reading the rest of the book feel a bit like a waste of time.