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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
purely_romantic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
5.0
⭐️ Trans Rights Readathon Review ⭐️
CWs and CNs at the end.
What a perfect first book to kick off my #TRR24 reading! After reading *Cemetery Boys*, I was excited to read Thomas’ other book. And friends, this did NOT disappoint. I was immediately sucked into the incredible world Thomas has built that melds mythology and action and quests and the big feelings of teenage protagonists.
I love a good underdog story and throughout the novel we see Teo flounder in a competition that he has not really prepared for and one that he’s not even sure he wants to be involved in. The dynamic between Teo and the rest follows familiar patterns in narratives like this–you have the friends, the bullies, the cool kids and of course, the broody boy who is just so annoying and yet somehow so captivating. And yet Thomas makes each character distinct and not just because they have different powers. They way this story functions both as an ensemble and yet very clearly also offers up Teo as the protagonist was masterful and I found myself captivated by every single character and even rooting for all of them at times.
Thomas also writes some of the best teenagers I’ve read. All these characters captured the big feelings we have as teens and somehow these fit in perfectly with their godly personalities. They were goofy and funny and dramatic and scared and angsty and I just adored how real and messy they were. The palpable chemistry between Teo and Aurelio that is riiight on the precipice of exploding was such a delicious example of this and I’m loving seeing the beginning of their relationship.
The lore and worldbuilding in this novel might also be among the best I’ve read. Drawing on familiar mythological tropes, Thomas crafts an incredible set of divine figures and somehow seamlessly embeds them in a contemporary setting. Each facet of the world only added to the action and the high stakes and I found it impossible to put this book down. With some amazing twists that I did NOT see coming, I was hooked from start to finish, and can’t wait for the sequel. A fiery set of 5 stars for this one!
CWs: mild violence and blood; brief mentions of body dysphoria
CNs: This is a YA fantasy MM novel featuring a transmasc teenage demigod. It is the first book in a duology. At this stage in the novel there is no romance but it is building up to one that will manifest in the sequel. There are no romantic scenes and no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
CWs and CNs at the end.
What a perfect first book to kick off my #TRR24 reading! After reading *Cemetery Boys*, I was excited to read Thomas’ other book. And friends, this did NOT disappoint. I was immediately sucked into the incredible world Thomas has built that melds mythology and action and quests and the big feelings of teenage protagonists.
I love a good underdog story and throughout the novel we see Teo flounder in a competition that he has not really prepared for and one that he’s not even sure he wants to be involved in. The dynamic between Teo and the rest follows familiar patterns in narratives like this–you have the friends, the bullies, the cool kids and of course, the broody boy who is just so annoying and yet somehow so captivating. And yet Thomas makes each character distinct and not just because they have different powers. They way this story functions both as an ensemble and yet very clearly also offers up Teo as the protagonist was masterful and I found myself captivated by every single character and even rooting for all of them at times.
Thomas also writes some of the best teenagers I’ve read. All these characters captured the big feelings we have as teens and somehow these fit in perfectly with their godly personalities. They were goofy and funny and dramatic and scared and angsty and I just adored how real and messy they were. The palpable chemistry between Teo and Aurelio that is riiight on the precipice of exploding was such a delicious example of this and I’m loving seeing the beginning of their relationship.
The lore and worldbuilding in this novel might also be among the best I’ve read. Drawing on familiar mythological tropes, Thomas crafts an incredible set of divine figures and somehow seamlessly embeds them in a contemporary setting. Each facet of the world only added to the action and the high stakes and I found it impossible to put this book down. With some amazing twists that I did NOT see coming, I was hooked from start to finish, and can’t wait for the sequel. A fiery set of 5 stars for this one!
CWs: mild violence and blood; brief mentions of body dysphoria
CNs: This is a YA fantasy MM novel featuring a transmasc teenage demigod. It is the first book in a duology. At this stage in the novel there is no romance but it is building up to one that will manifest in the sequel. There are no romantic scenes and no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Dysphoria and Injury/Injury detail
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
hal00alex's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Perfect for mythology lovers. It is fast pace without feeling like a Lightning Thief copy cat. I knocked some points off for cliff hanger at end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
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
fanboyriot's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
The world building to this was so interesting, I loved how it all came together and how the gods were there with the humans. Think a young adult mash up of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games—and make it queer.
It did take me a few chapters to fully get invested in this but once I did I ended up reading twenty-two chapters in one sitting.
Obviously, I’m not a fan with how this ended but luckily I waited long enough to read this to know it ended on a major cliffhanger. So it wasn’t quite as devastating.
Release Date: 06, September 2022
POV: Third Person
Rep: Trans (MC), LGBTQIA+ characters, BIPOC characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Bullying, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Grief, War, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Death
Minor: Transphobia, Child death, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
handful_of_frogs's review
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Violence, Bullying, Physical abuse, Blood, Classism, and Death
sapphic_necromancer's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, and Violence
mattiedancer's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Writing: 3.5⭐️/5
The writing in this story is serviceable and clear. Personally, I found a hard time getting into the novel. It took me two attempts to get into the novel, despite reading several chapters into the story both times. The lack of a clear and immediate hook presented a problem; however, as the novel went on, the stakes definitely pulled me in and I was more engaged. If you’re thinking of picking up this book, there might be a bit of a waiting period for the writing to grab you.
Characters: 4⭐️/5
The characters were both fun and realistic. I loved learning about their connections, their various personalities, and their motives and dreams. Some of the characters lacked a bit of polish to me, and I certainly would have loved a few more characters to develop a bit more clearly, but overall the characters shined.
Plot: 3.5⭐️/5
The plot is fun – and predictable. I enjoyed the world, honestly, more than the plot. I had fun sinking into this world classified by your connection to the gods, and loved learning about the powers and the trials. The actual plot though felt like an aside to the world and, though it eventually wrapped me in, I would have loved a bit more focus here.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of LGBTQ+ fantasy novels
- Fans of young adult fantasy books
- Those looking for a cute but strained-by-situation love story
- Those looking for something a bit different, but backed by familiar tropes and plotlines
Content Warnings?
- Violence, blood, bullying, dysphoria, child abuse, fire, fire injury, injury detail, classism, child death, death,
Post-Reading Rating: 3⭐️/5
I had fun, but I wouldn’t seek out the next one.
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail