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booknerdery's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Child death and Death
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Aiden Thomas the writer that you are!
The world of this book is so richly realized. It's incredibly modern, which can be jarring at times, but overall it's very fun and works well.
The comp titles of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games are definitely accurate, and Thomas balances the potentially conflicting vibes perfectly--This is a fun YA fantasy book filled with banter and friendship and memes and pop culture references (the TikTok and Vine parts are where I struggled the most, but not all readers will feel this way), and it is also a serious story about some very high-stakes death games.
Teo, the main character, is a seventeen-year-old trans guy who's the son of Quetzal, diosa of birds. As the semidios son of a Jade diosa, Teo doesn't expect to be anyone special. He covers his wings, which cause him some dysphoria due to their coloration, and he does not attend the elite training academy with all of the Gold semidioses. And then Teo is selected for the Sunbearer Trials, and everything changes.
The challenges were exciting and difficult. The character dynamics were compelling. I loved Teo and Niya. I want more from Niya especially. The ending made me gasp so many times.
And also, Aiden Thomas's economical and vivid descriptions continue to wow me. He puts sentences together with so much skill.
I'm glad I didn't read this sooner because now I only have to wait five months for the sequel!
The world of this book is so richly realized. It's incredibly modern, which can be jarring at times, but overall it's very fun and works well.
The comp titles of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games are definitely accurate, and Thomas balances the potentially conflicting vibes perfectly--This is a fun YA fantasy book filled with banter and friendship and memes and pop culture references (the TikTok and Vine parts are where I struggled the most, but not all readers will feel this way), and it is also a serious story about some very high-stakes death games.
Teo, the main character, is a seventeen-year-old trans guy who's the son of Quetzal, diosa of birds. As the semidios son of a Jade diosa, Teo doesn't expect to be anyone special. He covers his wings, which cause him some dysphoria due to their coloration, and he does not attend the elite training academy with all of the Gold semidioses. And then Teo is selected for the Sunbearer Trials, and everything changes.
The challenges were exciting and difficult. The character dynamics were compelling. I loved Teo and Niya. I want more from Niya especially. The ending made me gasp so many times.
And also, Aiden Thomas's economical and vivid descriptions continue to wow me. He puts sentences together with so much skill.
I'm glad I didn't read this sooner because now I only have to wait five months for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Bullying, and Blood
tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
honeycupreads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"You never said I could."
I loved this book so much. I love Teo dearly and wish nothing bad would ever happen to him, like he is my son. This book was amazing and there’s not a single thing I wish was different.
I found myself tearing up multiple times in this book,
Aurelio...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death and Child death
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Re-visited this because I got approved for the second book on NetGalley! And I wanted the story to be fresh in my head before I picked up the second book. I actually recommend this a lot at work because it's such a great read-a-like for those that like The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson. If you have kids or teens that love those series, definitely give them this book!
The world-building in this book is fantastic, with a cast of characters you will definitely be rooting for by the end. Thomas also keeps you guessing with plot twists that will make you want to read the next book ASAP!
If you like mythology based, competition style fantasy, definitely check out this duology!
The world-building in this book is fantastic, with a cast of characters you will definitely be rooting for by the end. Thomas also keeps you guessing with plot twists that will make you want to read the next book ASAP!
If you like mythology based, competition style fantasy, definitely check out this duology!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Child abuse
Minor: Child death and Death
zombiezami's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Blood, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Dysphoria, Classism, Grief, Death, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
asexualandriod's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book came alive in my hands, and it was incredible. The culture, characters, and setting were so incredibly vibrant. I have soooo many questions though.
I want to go through interviews with Aiden Thomas to see if he ever talks about how much he's pulled from real mythologies.
I'm confused why Guerrero is a gold, but Quetzal isn't. In the creation myth, Guerrero and Quetzal are mentioned side by side, seemingly as subordinate to Fauna. I don't think this is ever going to be explained, but it did leave me a little stumped.
The rest of my questions/theories:
I have so many questions/theories about Mala Suerte. Is Xio actually his child? Because it could be that Mala Suerte adopted Xio. If that's the case, did he know Xio was an obsidian, or did he think Xio was a mortal? That would be one explanation why he reacted so strongly to Xio being chosen. It could also be that he was working with the Obsidians, but still loved Xio as his own child. My most wild theory is that Mala Suerte was secretly always an Obsidian, or his bitterness over the centuries at being feared somehow turned him into one.
I also wonder if the Obsidians were somehow able to interfere with Sol's ability to communicate. Specifically, were the choices and rankings actually theirs? Because if Sol is really assessing the competitors' souls, should they not have known Teo wouldn't make the sacrifice? Unless they are playing the longest con, somehow knowing the Obsidians were going to escape and that Teo needed to be Sunbearer to be able to stop them once they did. Which would be absolutely wild.
I also have questions about Opción. As far as could tell, the dios/diose/ diosa of the region created their trial, right? So did she know there were real Venganza influences in the termple (seemingly more than the other trials, from what I could tell)? Which leaves the question of, if she did know, was it collaboration, or malicious indifference (as many gods with powers such as hers seem to display).
The Sunbearer Trials left me starving for more in the most delicious way, and I can't wait for September.
I want to go through interviews with Aiden Thomas to see if he ever talks about how much he's pulled from real mythologies.
I'm confused why Guerrero is a gold, but Quetzal isn't. In the creation myth, Guerrero and Quetzal are mentioned side by side, seemingly as subordinate to Fauna. I don't think this is ever going to be explained, but it did leave me a little stumped.
The rest of my questions/theories:
I also wonder if the Obsidians were somehow able to interfere with Sol's ability to communicate. Specifically, were the choices and rankings actually theirs? Because if Sol is really assessing the competitors' souls, should they not have known Teo wouldn't make the sacrifice? Unless they are playing the longest con, somehow knowing the Obsidians were going to escape and that Teo needed to be Sunbearer to be able to stop them once they did. Which would be absolutely wild.
I also have questions about Opción. As far as could tell, the dios/diose/ diosa of the region created their trial, right? So did she know there were real Venganza influences in the termple (seemingly more than the other trials, from what I could tell)? Which leaves the question of, if she did know, was it collaboration, or malicious indifference (as many gods with powers such as hers seem to display).
The Sunbearer Trials left me starving for more in the most delicious way, and I can't wait for September.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
sblank99's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I loved the world and the beautiful imagery and creativity and diversity! It was stunning and so were the characters and so so different from anything I’ve read. It took me a bit to really get invested in the story but once I did, I was hooked. Doesn’t feel too too YA but it definitely has a target audience. I wish there were no modernization elements like tiktok/instagram/youtube it took me out of the story and really made me question this reality that I had bought into. My final note is LET BOYS KISS!!!! They better be smooching in the sequel 😤😤😤
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia and Bullying
sundayfever's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Beautifully built fantasy world. At times it felt like the writing was more focused on the world building than the characters or plot. It made it feel cluttered. I enjoyed the story and the plot twist at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Dysphoria, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
brennaatmore's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail