Cemetery Boys: Espíritu

It’s been five years since I read Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, and I was excited to finally revisit the characters in its long-awaited sequel, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu. Following the events of the first book, this one picks up shortly after, with Christmas fast approaching. But Julian is being haunted, and neither Yadriel nor Maritza can see the strange shadows hovering over him. What can they do to help Julian? Then a new bruje, Angel, shows up, bringing their own knowledge and secrets. It quickly becomes clear they’re all in danger, but they’ll need to learn to open up and trust each other in order to survive.

What I Liked:

• Focus on Julian. Cemetery Boys primarily followed Yadriel; in Espíritu, his boyfriend Julian gets the main spotlight. Julian is freaked out by the mysterious dark spot on his chest, and he gets increasingly scared as the haunting progresses. He’s still the same energetic, goofy guy he was before, but he’s having a hard time keeping his brujo side a secret from his brother and friends. I enjoyed getting his perspective and seeing the tightening web he’s tangled in.
• Family and community. Julian has a strong found family, between his misfit friends and his older brother caring for them all. But then he also has Yadriel now, along with his family and their secret brujx responsibilities. There are a lot of secrets being kept between the different groups of people, not to mention between the different generations. Can Julian feel happy and whole with these two separated parts of his life? Or might there be a way to bring everyone together?
• Lingering mystery and danger. Like the first book, this one comes with a supernatural mystery. Julian, Yadriel, and Maritza take it upon themselves to figure it out, but with wildcard Angel and something scary happening with Julian’s friend Luca, they may be in over their heads. The haunting aspect is spooky, and this book brings thrills and chills despite otherwise feeling light and fun.

Audiobook:

Cemetery Boys: Espíritu comes with dual narration. Avi Roque and Vico Ortiz voice our two main characters, Julian and Yadriel, giving each their own personality and energy. This was an engaging listen from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoyed the first book, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu will be just as absorbing. It highlights Latine culture, transgender and queer characters, and the importance of family and community… all within a supernatural mystery that our teen protagonists are brave enough to solve. This is a great book for YA and adult readers alike, and is well timed with Latine Heritage Month and Spooky Season upon us.

Special thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Cemetery Boys: Espíritu here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas
Series	Cemetery Boys (#2)
Audiobook Narrators	Avi Roque and Vico Ortiz
Audience	Young Adult
Genre	Fantasy; Paranormal Romance
Setting	California
Number of Pages	432
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	September 8, 2026
Publisher	Feiwel & Friends

Official Summary

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.