“Cemetery Boys”: The New Queer Latinx Paranormal Romance Novel by Aiden Thomas.

Cover art by Mars Lauderbaugh

Cemetery Boys is the debut novel by Aiden Thomas, a queer, trans, Latinx author who advocates for representation in mainstream media. Described as a Dia de Muertos paranormal romance novel, the book tells the story of Yadriel, a gay, trans brujo, who is determined to prove he is a real brujo because his traditional Latinx family has difficulty accepting his gender.

Art by Mars Lauderbaugh

To help prove himself, he enlists the help of his cousin Maritza and performs a ritual to conjure the ghost of his murdered cousin to help set it free. However, Yadriel summons the ghost of Julian Diaz- the school’s resident bad boy- instead.

Art by Mars Lauderbaugh

Swoon Reads has published an official Cemetery Boys excerpt: 

Yadriel cleared his throat, trying to breathe around the lump that had formed. “Te invoco, espíritu!”

He dropped the match into the bowl. For a second, it sizzled in the blood and alcohol before there was an explosion of heat and golden light. Yadriel sprang back, choking on the smoke.

A boy was doubled over on his hands and knees before the statue of Lady Death, clutching at his chest.

“It worked!” Yadriel said, hardly believing his eyes.

The spirit’s face was screwed up tight in a grimace, his fingers knotted into the material of his shirt. He wore a hooded, black leather jacket over a white tee. He had dark jeans and wore a pair of Chuck Converse.

“That’s not Miguel,” Maritza tried to whisper, but she never had a very good inside voice.

Yadriel groaned and dragged a hand over his face. On the bright side, he had actually summoned a real-life spirit.

On the not-so-bright side, he had summoned the wrong one.