Book 42 Cemetery Boys

 

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas fulfilled the category “Book about Gender Identity” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. In this title, Yadriel is transgender, and his family is having a hard time accepting him.

Cemetery Boys centers on gender identity and acceptance, but also cultural norms and practices. Yadriel’s family are brujix—people with special abilities to call spirits and heal people. But the roles divide by gender. Women are healers, and men guide spirits. Yadriel is left out of the loop because the family is unsure what to do with him. He should receive a dagger that will help conduct Lady Death’s power, but his family keeps delaying, unsure if Lady Death will accept Yadriel as a man.

Tired of waiting, he takes the bull by the horns and ask her anyway. He and his cousin, Maritza, work together to create the ritual to make Yadriel a full brujo. It works. He is accepted by the spirit. Just as he finishes his ritual, disaster strikes the community as one of the other brujos is killed. All the other brujos feel horrible pain as the man dies. 

Yadriel is determined to find the spirit of his lost brother brujo but accidentally summons another spirit. He conjures the “ghost” of a young man who was struck down in the same spot. Together, Yadriel and the summoned spirit of Julian Diaz work to find out how and why the brujo died, and why Julian was attacked. And oh, is that the spark of new love building between the two boys? Oh yes, it is!

The novel spoke to me on many levels. Not only did it have a well-thought-out external plot with the murder mystery, but the internal conflict was amazing. Yadriel had much on his shoulders before he stumbled into the puzzle that is Julian and the death of the other brujo. The story didn’t center on his coming out. He was out and comfortable for the most part. It focused on the acceptance of his community to his new identity. Many trans people face the same hurdles as Yadriel. It was excellent to see those conflicts presented well in a well-written book. 

Cemetery Boys is a perfect choice to grab this weekend. The tale culminated at the stroke of midnight on Halloween when the Day of the Dead begins. The Latinx culture and traditions give richness to the story with the modern blend of LGBTQ issues at the heart. 

All I can say is, “Read this book.”

I give Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Five Saint Jude Necklaces.

 

 

 

 

Book 41 First Grave on the Right

 

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones fulfilled the category “Book about the Afterlife” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. I read several books for the prompt, and none of them hit an authentic note with me. None were really about the afterlife, either dead people, ghosts, or reapers.

I read Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune which I mentioned in another post. Our hero Wallace was dead and working through his life and death with his ferryman, Hugo. But it wasn’t that ethereal heaven stuff. Just a coffee shop with many wonderful characters.

I read Circe by Madeline Miller, which fits so much better as a witch book, and you have already read my review for that one, right? 

I also read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I enjoyed this fantasy novel. The use of magic was unique, as was the characters' interaction with their magic and with each other. It definitely kept my attention. Karou’s journey to find out her origins and solve the mystery of the blackened handprints is thrilling and keeps your attention. Still, it wasn’t a story about the afterlife.

Finally, I read First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. In this novel, Charlie Davidson has the unique position of being both a private investigator and a Grim Reaper. Charlie solves crimes with the help of the ghosts of the victims. The story was a brilliant combination of romance, suspense, comedy, and mystery. Charlie is an interesting character, a woman we can all get behind. In this busy world, we have to multitask. Charlie just has supernatural duties as well. She’s also totally snarky and overshares. It’s a defense mechanism she uses after all the doubt and abuse she’s taken regarding her gift. (She talks to spirits only she can see, and people judge her.) Deep down, you can see she works hard to help her charges and wants to make the world a better place. I plan to read the entire series.

I picked this title as the main one for the post as it had characters living in the hereafter—our three ghosts who help Charlie find the killer. Even so, I feel like I failed the category. None of the books were expressly about the afterlife.

I should have grabbed What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. In that title, the main character, Chris Nielson, goes to heaven and learns the true nature of life and death.

There are some wonderful books with views from other cultures about the afterlife. I could read the category for months if I could find the books. 

Sorry this post was a little meh, but I didn’t do justice to the category. It’s October. I’m running out of time to read and reread. LOL.

I give First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones Five Ghostly Lawyers with Family Issues that Resolve… eventually.

Book 40 Final Girls Support Group

 

Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix fulfilled the category “Book with a Quote from your Favorite Author on the Cover or Amazon Page” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. I read so many books.

My search for this category was difficult. I love many authors and try to find titles I wanted to read with quotes already built in. Yeah, that didn’t work out well. Among the four I ended up reading, one seemed worthy of a blog post. But here they are.

The Troop by Nick Cutter has a quote from Stephen King on the jacket and the Amazon page. I use horror books for the October posts and figured here was a good match. The story centers on a troop of boy scouts on an overnight trip to a secluded island to earn their last few badges. Unbeknownst to them, a man exposed to a deadly virus has escaped a laboratory and is hiding on the island. Let the chaos ensue.

I mostly liked the novel. The plot was solid, and the horror factor good. I thought the author went too far. Adding more conflict with a sociopathic kid felt a bit much. But honestly, the lack of editing on the description of the horrific events killed me. The author would describe some gnarly, bloody scene and, as a reader, I was like, “whoa.” He added more and more description until the whole thing became comical. Less is more, Mr. Cutter. Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I had months to find others.

The second title was The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. This book also has a quote from Stephen King on the Amazon page. I’d seen it go in and out of the library many times and grabbed a copy.

The Plot centers on a writer stealing a plot idea from a student. The writer is struggling to become successful with something new and exciting. The student tells the teacher his idea, then dies under mysterious circumstances. So, our writer writes the book. Afterward, he is stalked and terrorized by both his own guilt and a stranger who calls him out over his “theft.”

I had a few issues with the concept of the book. First, plots are not subject to copyright. As a teacher, he would know that. The whole guilty conscious bit felt contrived and unrealistic in today’s writing world. No plot is unique. It’s the author’s interpretation and words that make writing original. And the “amazing” plot he “stole” was just another story told a thousand times—secret identities, murder, sociopathic behavior. The book fell flat for me.

I can’t seem to find the quote that got me to Devil House by John Darnielle. My hopes for this title fell flat. The end of the book didn’t match the beginning. It seemed as if the author’s idea ran its course before he finished. Instead of reworking it, he switched the plot and ruined the story for me. I won’t say more.

The last book I grabbed was Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix. It has a credit on the “blurb” page from David Wong, author of John Dies at the End and Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I’ve read a few others by the author, HorrorStör being my favorite. In this novel, Mr. Hendrix pays tribute to the women who’ve survived slasher horror films. Each woman has a unique backstory and current trauma from dealing with being the last person standing against a slasher killer.

The book was so fun. I loved putting the movies with the characters he created. Each person had their own unique trauma and method of dealing with it. Some choose fame, some hiding, some something in-between. The women attend a group therapy session to help work through their ordeals, but the group is breaking up. Someone is after the last five women standing. The plot twists and turns until you have no idea who the killer is. I suggest boning up on your slasher movies—Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.

So, for your reading pleasure, here are four scary books that might tickle your fancy this October. I liked Final Girls Support Group the best.

I give Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix Five Butcher Knives Hidden under your Pillow.