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Cemetery Boys Sequel Reveals a Critical Role Connection New Reveal
New York Times bestselling author Aiden Thomas has published Cemetery Boys: Espíritu, a sequel to their acclaimed 2020 queer urban fantasy novel Cemetery Boys, releasing on 8 September. The sequel continues the story of Yadriel and Julian, following the pair as they navigate their community and a new supernatural mystery, and matters to fans as a continuation of a beloved coming-of-age story that explores identity, love and belonging.
Espíritu picks up shortly after the first book and centres on Julian, who begins seeing unexplained dark spots on people that neither he nor Yadriel's community can identify, until a nonbinary brujx named Angel arrives with answers. Ahead of release, Polygon shared an excerpt from a later chapter, narrated in audio form by Puerto Rican actor and Critical Role newcomer Vico Ortiz, offering readers a glimpse of the East LA brujx community preparing for its Midnight Vigil and Candle Dance of Eternal Light.
In short
- Cemetery Boys sequel Espíritu, by Aiden Thomas, releases 8 September
- Story follows Julian seeing mysterious dark spots on people
- Audiobook excerpt narrated by Critical Role's Vico Ortiz shared
Explained simply
Cemetery Boys is a fantasy novel by Aiden Thomas, centred on Yadriel, a trans boy in a Latin American brujx community in East Los Angeles. In the story, brujx practise magic and honour their dead; Yadriel’s efforts to prove himself bring him into contact with Julian, a boy who has died.
The sequel returns to Yadriel and Julian and introduces Angel, a nonbinary brujx, amid a supernatural mystery. The books combine fantasy with questions of identity, love and belonging, and draw on a community and traditions that shape the characters’ lives.