This book hit like pure nostalgia. Cemetery Boys was one of the first, if not the first book I ever got to review for #ReadWithPride so diving into Espíritu felt like a full circle moment.
While Cemetery Boys worked wonderfully as a standalone, I am so glad that Aiden Thomas decided to return and give us readers more time with Julian and Yadriel. Whereas the first book focused on Yadriel and his uphill battle to get his family to accept him, Espíritu shifts the focus to Julian as he struggles to catch up to everything that has happened to him—you know, being dead for a few weeks and not so casually chilling as a ghost, and then being undead and able to communicate with ghosts and all that fun stuff—while new issues arise as Julian suddenly begins to see things no one else can, shadows that do not seem all that friendly.
I was absolutely stoked when I learned that we get Julian’s POV, which may have been my only gripe with Cemetery Boys, which was (for very valid reasons) only Yadriel’s POV. I was itching to finally hear Julian’s voice and boy, I was not disappointed in the slightest. In Cemetery Boys, he won readers’ hearts with his sarcastic, funny remarks and genuine golden-retriever vibes but here, you get to hear his side of things and learn to understand his motivations behind always bringing the good mood to everything in a whole new way that made me even more endeared to him. Besides that, it also added a new layer of depth and a brand-new perspective to Yadriel’s family dynamics and the lore that many readers loved in Cemetery Boys.
Yadriel, who also gets his own POV in the novel, continues to be the soft place where Julian can land when his thoughts are all over the place. While their relationship is not the focus of the novel, these quiet and sweet moments felt like it gave you the space to breathe and take everything in when the plot and the action picked up and you needed a moment to sit with it. Despite the struggles and the secrets they keep (especially Julian), they find comfort in each other in various ways throughout the novel which made my heart soar. These moments of emotional intimacy and support truly showed their relationship blossom.
You’d think with such a big focus on Julian and his struggles Yadriel might be waylaid, but no, we still get to see plenty of growth from him. After what happened in Cemetery Boys, it felt vindicating to see him finally establishing himself as the brujo he was meant to be despite still having to fight to not just be seen as a little kid anymore by his family (mostly his dad). I appreciate that there wasn’t really a “villain” here for him. While it’s of course frustrating to see Yadriel being held back, you can also actually tell that Enrique is coming from a place of fear and a desire to keep his son safe from a world that seems to grow darker every day. I won’t spoil Cemetery Boys in case you haven’t read it yet, but let’s just say the betrayal that the family and mostly Yadriel experienced there still lingers and it was satisfying that it wasn’t just hidden under a rug but addressed and resolved.
Another highlight was of course the setting. Readers who loved Cemetery Boys will already be familiar with Yadriel’s family and their many traditions that invite you into a whole new world of rites and special occasions, and the fact that this book was set in the Christmas period felt like an absolute treat. We get even more glimpses of the Mexican-inspired lore that make everything feel even more magical.
The mystery was also well done. Those types of mysteries where you can tell who the bad guy is pretty early on can be hit or miss, but here the fast pacing and the already established bonds between characters helped keep you on your toes as the clues drop. The creepy shadows that linger add a darker tone to the narrative and somehow make the entire story feel more mature.
I also really liked the juxtaposition of thinking of Julian’s ability as a gift which quickly gets turned on its head and becomes entirely unsettling and traumatic in its own kind of way when you see dark spots enveloping the people you care about – and when they start following you. As always, I’m not a fan of miscommunication or hiding something when talking about it would actually just resolve everything but here at least it made sense that Julian doesn’t tell anybody about what he’s seeing. Overall, it gave his found family a chance to show him just how important he is to them, so in that way the resolution of the mystery will satisfy readers for sure.
The underlying themes of identity and belonging that I loved in Cemetery Boys are only stronger here. I loved how we got to see not only Yadriel but Julian trying to find their place and struggling with what belonging even means. Especially in connection to Julian’s power and the choice between what’s right and what would make life easier, this just resonated a lot with me.
While I could spend another fifteen books in this wonderful world, each one with new mysteries – and maybe some more new additions to their found family – I think fans of Cemetery Boys will feel wholeheartedly satisfied by this sequel, even if it is the last we see of Yadriel and Julian.
Whether you’re looking for a slightly haunted narrative with a great mystery and wholesome found family vibes to get you in the autumn mood or just want to reunite with beloved characters, fantastic queer rep and epic found family vibes, diving into Espíritu is sure to keep you turning those pages all night long!
Espíritu is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 8th 2026.
Will you be picking up Espíritu? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas returns to the beloved world of Cemetery Boys, this time following Julian—chaos magnet extraordinaire. With restless spirits vanishing and a dark demon from their past emerging, he and Yadriel might be the only ones reckless enough to stop a threat that could tear their world apart.
Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.
Ever since Julian was sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, he has been able to see and talk with spirits. And that’s really cool, since it allows him to be part of his new boyfriend’s community. But Julian’s seeing other things, too: flickers at the edge of his vision, eyes burning in the night, and “dark spots” on people—gaping wounds that thrum and bleed shadow. Yadriel has never heard of anything like it, either, and he’s so busy with his new brujx responsibilities that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time they have together.
Then a strange new brujx shows up. Angel, as a nonbinary bruje, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Angel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian.
With the shadows growing darker and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.
