April 17, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Yadriel is a transgender teen boy growing up in East L.A., where for centuries, brujos have been responsible for releasing the spirits of the dead, and brujas have healed the living. When Yadriel's family can't accept that he is a boy and not cut out for healing, Yadriel is forbidden from attempting the ritual to become a brujo. Refusing to abandon tradition and helped by his best friend Maritza, Yadriel completes the ritual in secret, but abruptly discovers that his cousin Miguel has just been murdered. When searching for Miguel's spirit, Yadriel and Maritza instead stumble upon murdered schoolmate Julian Diaz, who demands that Yadriel help find out what happened to him. Thomas is generally successful at weaving various Latinx customs and traditions into this #OwnVoices supernatural romance. Spanish words and phrases are liberally peppered throughout, and their meanings are generally clear from context. The occasionally repetitive writing has minimal cursing; the characters and their struggles are authentic, showcasing their need for acceptance from their loved ones but also their refreshing certainty about who they are and what they stand for. VERDICT A whodunit with a tender and forbidden love story that will draw readers in as it gradually unfolds to a gratifying conclusion.-Alea Perez, Elmhurst Public Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2020
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* Yadriel lives with his family and his brujx community in a cemetery in East L.A., tending to the spirits of their ancestors, but he is unhappy and frustrated. Part of a very traditional Latinx community, his father doesn't want him to take part in the quince ceremony to become a full-fledged brujo, just because he's trans! One evening, with the help of his best friend, Maritza, he calls on Lady Death to bestow her blessing on him, providing the powers necessary to release spirits into the afterlife. But just as he finishes the rites, the whole community feels the loss of one of their own: Yadriel's cousin, Miguel. When Yadriel tries to find Miguel's spirit and its tether to the world, he instead summons an infuriating, yet alluring, young man named Julian, who has died under mysterious circumstances and who won't let his tether be severed until he can check in on his chosen family. Navigating terrifyingly real obstacles, Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian chase leads to find out how Julian died?including whether or not his disappearance is linked to Miguel's. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 29, 2020
In Thomas’s vibrant YA debut, Yadriel, a gay, trans 16-year-old, is determined to prove himself, as a brujo and as a boy, to the traditional brujx cemetery community he grew up in. After being denied his quinces and initiation rite as a brujo, Yadriel takes his fate in his own hands and performs the rite himself, unlocking his magical gifts. While seeking the lost spirit of his recently murdered 28-year-old cousin, Yadriel mistakenly summons the spirit of a recently departed schoolmate named Julian. Helping Julian to cross over would prove Yadriel’s worth as a brujo to his family, but as Yadriel discovers the sort of kind, protective person Julian is, Yasriel may not be able to let him go. 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. Though the puzzles that Yadriel unravels can be guessed, the emotional journey is worth every step. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary.

July 15, 2020
A gay, transgender brujo with burgeoning powers seeks answers about his cousin's death. Sixteen-year-old Yadriel also wishes for acknowledgement from his community but unexpectedly finds himself entangled in the unresolved wishes of a strong-willed, good-looking spirit. He descends from a long line of brujx who have been granted magic power by Lady Death to heal the living and to guide spirits into the afterlife. Although he's grown up surrounded by a close-knit community, Yadriel feels alone, excluded indefinitely from a sacred rite of passage because he is transgender. When he senses that his cousin Miguel has died suddenly but the family can't locate him, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove to everyone he's a true brujo by solving the mystery and releasing his cousin's lost spirit. His plan quickly falls apart, as he accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, a boy with unfinished business who died the same day as Miguel. Both the romance and mystery burn slow and hot until the climax. Stakes begin high, and the intensity only increases with a looming deadline and a constant risk that Julian might lose himself, turning maligno. The cast of characters represents a diversity of Latinx identities sharing a community in East Los Angeles. Julian is Colombian while Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican. Their romance provides joyful, ground-breaking representation for gay, transgender boys. Heart-pounding. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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January 1, 2021
Unlike the rest of his family, Yadriel is kept from having a quinces, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony to become a brujo. Yadriel is trans and gay, i.e., "Head Black Sheep among the brujx." Despite his family's reluctance to even try and find out if gender identity will affect his abilities to guide spirits into the afterlife, Yadriel holds his own ceremony with the help of a fellow black sheep of the family (for her vegan principles, which preclude her using her healing magic), his cousin, Maritza. When another cousin meets an untimely death, Yadriel and Maritza seek answers of their own, teaming up with a mysterious spirit, Julian, who is also queer and has an unconventional found family. 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. The natural integration of phrases in Spanish, Dia de los Muertos traditions, and varied community structures showcases the broad range of experiences that make up Latinidad.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2021
Unlike the rest of his family, Yadriel is kept from having a quinces, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony to become a brujo. Yadriel is trans and gay, i.e., "Head Black Sheep among the brujx." Despite his family's reluctance to even try and find out if gender identity will affect his abilities to guide spirits into the afterlife, Yadriel holds his own ceremony with the help of a fellow black sheep of the family (for her vegan principles, which preclude her using her healing magic), his cousin, Maritza. When another cousin meets an untimely death, Yadriel and Maritza seek answers of their own, teaming up with a mysterious spirit, Julian, who is also queer and has an unconventional found family. 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. The natural integration of phrases in Spanish, D�a de los Muertos traditions, and varied community structures showcases the broad range of experiences that make up Latinidad. Gabi K. Huesca

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)