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arthur_ant18's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
jarnbooks's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
I genuinely could not put this book down! The world is so built out that there could be a history class in each city. The main characters are very well written giving them personalities that conflict and mesh in the best way possible. The queer and Hispanic rep is amazing!! If you liked Percy Jackson, go read this book immediately!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, War, Murder, Cursing, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death
kbairbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
That ending though!!!! Oh my gosh I don’t think I’ve read a book that ends like that before?! I love it. This was so adventurous and fun and full of heart and there were so many sweet moments and the loyalty the friends shared made melt heart squeal. I can’t WAIT for book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and War
noahsingh's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Obsessed with this, and already quite desperate to read the next book.
Should be the Next Big YA Fantasy Thing imho, Percy Jackson should be shaking tbh
Really loved all the characters and has some Very Fun worldbuilding
Should be the Next Big YA Fantasy Thing imho, Percy Jackson should be shaking tbh
Really loved all the characters and has some Very Fun worldbuilding
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Grief, Medical content, and Murder
lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for this arc.
As a diehard fantasy fan this is hard to admit but the past year or so I've really been struggling to read many fantasy books. But the premise of this just dug it's claws in me and would not let go. Although I have many unread arcs (sorry netgalley) I knew I had to bump this one to the top.
This series is tipped as The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson, but with the added bonus of being set in a modern latinx fantasy world and having a trans mc.
Teo is a lil troublemaking Jade semidios (demigod), son of the Goddess of Birds, Quetzel. Teo has to go to a human school because, unlike the Gold semidios, he's not allowed at the academy.
Every ten years there is a trial to find the new Sunbearer, and the new sacrifice. The sacrifice's blood is used to keep the Sol stone burning and the Obsidian Dios trapped. There are always 10 semidios picked, and they are always Golds, however this year Teo, a jade, is picked, along with fellow jade, Xio.
Their world is a sort of modern fantasy world with tech like TúTube (Youtube) and their version of Instagram (who's name I've forgotten), so the trials are also televised.
The Golds are seen as celebrities in this world and are trained to hone their powers to help the mortals, causing them to be seen as superhero type characters (including having their own trading cards). Teo is pretty bitter about the disparity between the Golds and the Jades but despite this, his best friend, Niya, is a Gold.
Niya is the daughter of Tierra, dios of earth and is an absolute himbo. And I *know* himbo is meant to be for men but seeing as it's more complimentary than it's derogatory female equivalent I'm using it, also it fits Niya much better. (And I actually think she would appreciate being called a himbo so fight me).
Niya is a bit of an outcast with the Golds so her and Teo, along with a begrudging Xio, team up to try and survive the trials.
I just loved this book; It made me laugh out loud, fall completely in love with the characters and the world and feel genuine peril in the trials. Aurelio must be protected at all costs!
Whilst the ending, for me, wasn't a surprise I still enjoyed it immensely and found that I was just happy to be along for the ride.
I loved the casual queerness of the gods and everyone in this world. It's not explained, but the Gods can create children even in same sex partnerships. I think most, if not all, of the ten semidios competitors were on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum and one of them is also deaf, and I think a lot of attention was put in to make sure that you remembered that Dezi was deaf, and that people made the effort to sign without it being a big deal.
The embers of a romance are being kindled in this story but I think we've got a way to go yet. And as much as I loved getting to know Teo, Niya, Xio and Aurelio, I would like to know more about the other competitors. I'm kind of bummed that this is just a duology actually, I'd have loved a trilogy. Why do you have to write such loveable characters Aiden??
I really enjoyed watching Teo's journey in this book; with his wings, his confidence, his determination, his strength, especially considering he only had one power that we know of and couldn't use it very well 😅
He's the scrappy underdog who fights for what's right, is fiercely protective and loves a bit of mischief.
And for a lot of this book, the meme 'Teo no. TEO YES!' kept coming to mind!!
Anyway, I would like book two asap please! 💚
CW: blood, death, injury, fire, emotional abuse, child abuse
As a diehard fantasy fan this is hard to admit but the past year or so I've really been struggling to read many fantasy books. But the premise of this just dug it's claws in me and would not let go. Although I have many unread arcs (sorry netgalley) I knew I had to bump this one to the top.
This series is tipped as The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson, but with the added bonus of being set in a modern latinx fantasy world and having a trans mc.
Teo is a lil troublemaking Jade semidios (demigod), son of the Goddess of Birds, Quetzel. Teo has to go to a human school because, unlike the Gold semidios, he's not allowed at the academy.
Every ten years there is a trial to find the new Sunbearer, and the new sacrifice. The sacrifice's blood is used to keep the Sol stone burning and the Obsidian Dios trapped. There are always 10 semidios picked, and they are always Golds, however this year Teo, a jade, is picked, along with fellow jade, Xio.
Their world is a sort of modern fantasy world with tech like TúTube (Youtube) and their version of Instagram (who's name I've forgotten), so the trials are also televised.
The Golds are seen as celebrities in this world and are trained to hone their powers to help the mortals, causing them to be seen as superhero type characters (including having their own trading cards). Teo is pretty bitter about the disparity between the Golds and the Jades but despite this, his best friend, Niya, is a Gold.
Niya is the daughter of Tierra, dios of earth and is an absolute himbo. And I *know* himbo is meant to be for men but seeing as it's more complimentary than it's derogatory female equivalent I'm using it, also it fits Niya much better. (And I actually think she would appreciate being called a himbo so fight me).
Niya is a bit of an outcast with the Golds so her and Teo, along with a begrudging Xio, team up to try and survive the trials.
I just loved this book; It made me laugh out loud, fall completely in love with the characters and the world and feel genuine peril in the trials. Aurelio must be protected at all costs!
Whilst the ending, for me, wasn't a surprise I still enjoyed it immensely and found that I was just happy to be along for the ride.
I loved the casual queerness of the gods and everyone in this world. It's not explained, but the Gods can create children even in same sex partnerships. I think most, if not all, of the ten semidios competitors were on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum and one of them is also deaf, and I think a lot of attention was put in to make sure that you remembered that Dezi was deaf, and that people made the effort to sign without it being a big deal.
The embers of a romance are being kindled in this story but I think we've got a way to go yet. And as much as I loved getting to know Teo, Niya, Xio and Aurelio, I would like to know more about the other competitors. I'm kind of bummed that this is just a duology actually, I'd have loved a trilogy. Why do you have to write such loveable characters Aiden??
I really enjoyed watching Teo's journey in this book; with his wings, his confidence, his determination, his strength, especially considering he only had one power that we know of and couldn't use it very well 😅
He's the scrappy underdog who fights for what's right, is fiercely protective and loves a bit of mischief.
And for a lot of this book, the meme 'Teo no. TEO YES!' kept coming to mind!!
Anyway, I would like book two asap please! 💚
CW: blood, death, injury, fire, emotional abuse, child abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Violence
em_of_swags'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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
I’m going to briefly touch on one issue I had with this book before I get into this: repeatedly, non-binary characters are misgendered in here, not by any other characters as part of the plot, but mistakenly by the author in the prose. I hope this will be remedied when more copies are printed in the future.
I really liked the concept of this book. It really lived up to the ‘queer Lantix Hunger Games x Percy Jackson’, and I’m obsessed with that. The plot was very fun but also high stakes, the magic and world building was done very well, and I loved the concept of all the dioses and semidioses. I also loved the ending and the twist - I think it was the perfect ending to this story and am so excited for the sequel.
Teo was a great main character, and I loved watching his development. He wasn’t perfect, but very likeable and cheeky, and I was rooting for him the whole time. The other characters were great as well; there are lots of characters in here but I think Aiden managed to flesh them all out really well. I loved the friendships and glimpses of relationships that we get to see; the friendship between Teo and Niya, whatever is blossoming between Teo and Aurelio, even the glimpses of something between Dezi and Marino and the sibling relationship between Aurelio and Auristela. Speaking of Auristela, I loved how even the characters that Teo didn’t like had redeeming qualities and how I ended up rooting for them too.
And the rep! Excluding the issues with misgendering, the trans rep was wonderful. I LOVED how casual being trans was, and even celebrated in this world. The conversations around different types of dysphoria, the complexity of gender, Teo binding his wings — it was done so well. I also loved all the other rep; with most of the characters being unapologetically queer, and Dezi being deaf with most of the characters automatically signing around him. The little cultural references too were also great to see, things like specific foods and traditions.
Sometimes things got a little cringey (TicTac…) and some of the humour was, um, dated..? (What else do you call the line ‘two bros chilling in a *sauna* five feet apart cause…’) HOWEVER this was rare, and a lot of it had me laughing out loud.
I did really really like this overall. I just wish that there had been a little more time dedicated to editing to make sure there was no misgendering.
I really liked the concept of this book. It really lived up to the ‘queer Lantix Hunger Games x Percy Jackson’, and I’m obsessed with that. The plot was very fun but also high stakes, the magic and world building was done very well, and I loved the concept of all the dioses and semidioses. I also loved the ending and the twist - I think it was the perfect ending to this story and am so excited for the sequel.
Teo was a great main character, and I loved watching his development. He wasn’t perfect, but very likeable and cheeky, and I was rooting for him the whole time. The other characters were great as well; there are lots of characters in here but I think Aiden managed to flesh them all out really well. I loved the friendships and glimpses of relationships that we get to see; the friendship between Teo and Niya, whatever is blossoming between Teo and Aurelio, even the glimpses of something between Dezi and Marino and the sibling relationship between Aurelio and Auristela. Speaking of Auristela, I loved how even the characters that Teo didn’t like had redeeming qualities and how I ended up rooting for them too.
And the rep! Excluding the issues with misgendering, the trans rep was wonderful. I LOVED how casual being trans was, and even celebrated in this world. The conversations around different types of dysphoria, the complexity of gender, Teo binding his wings — it was done so well. I also loved all the other rep; with most of the characters being unapologetically queer, and Dezi being deaf with most of the characters automatically signing around him. The little cultural references too were also great to see, things like specific foods and traditions.
Sometimes things got a little cringey (TicTac…) and some of the humour was, um, dated..? (What else do you call the line ‘two bros chilling in a *sauna* five feet apart cause…’) HOWEVER this was rare, and a lot of it had me laughing out loud.
I did really really like this overall. I just wish that there had been a little more time dedicated to editing to make sure there was no misgendering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Dysphoria, Cursing, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Death
Minor: Murder, Child abuse, and Grief
dolores_madil's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
I definitely loved the book it's seamless inclusion of queerness is amazing and makes it feel natural. As someone who loves the ancient world and mythology this made me happy. I loved how it seemed like Aiden took from Aztec mythos and other ancient mythos to create his own world and pantheon of gods. The world feels real and the characters are lovable. There is some romantic tension but a full romance is not developed in this book. I definitely recommend reading this for a good time but beware you could get your heart broken.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Classism, Blood, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
purplepenning's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
For some reason, I thought this was a standalone. It's very much not, and now I have to wait a year to resolve a cliffhanger endng. I tried to not let that affect my rating, but I'm only human, not a semidiós!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body horror, Child death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Grief
booksdogsandcoffee'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
This book is a masterpiece!
In the beginning there was Sol and Tierra. Together they created the their races of godly children, Golds, Jades and Obsidians. Mortals were also born from Sol when they hurried their heart in the earth. The Obsidians being the problem child were cast out of Reino Del Sol and could not step back in as long as there were sun stone lit with in the land.
Years later is where our story begins. A hierarchy has been built, Golds are the more powerful dios/semidios, while Jade dios and semidios are lesser, and humans being even lower than Jades. To keep the Sun Stones lit the Sunbearer Trials are fulfilled every ten years. Sol choses 10 semidios (Half god/half mortal) children to compete for the honor of becoming the Sunbearer. The semidios that comes in last is sacrificed to the Sunstones, while the winner is honored.
Jades are rarely if never picked. So when Teo, son of Quetzal is picked as one of the contenders he is sure that he will be the sacrifice that saves Reino Del Sol for the next 10 years.
Many will tell you it is a perfect combination of The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson, only with Mexican gods, but it is so so much more than that. It delves into so much about Mexican culture and mythology. The world building is top tier and so immersive. The characters, even though there is a full cast, are so fleshed out and you love and hate each of them in their own right. Not only that it is goes in depth about classism without being an outright slap in your face. It shows the inequalities between the people of Reino Del Sol with such nuance!
It is also queer af and I loved it! It has so much Trans rep, as well as gay and sapphic rep. The Bipoc rep is fantastic and well done. Plus it is sassy and quippy. Overall a five star read all around. I need the second book asap!
CW
Blood
Swearing
Gore
violence
bullying
child death
child abuse
dysphoria
fire
classism
In the beginning there was Sol and Tierra. Together they created the their races of godly children, Golds, Jades and Obsidians. Mortals were also born from Sol when they hurried their heart in the earth. The Obsidians being the problem child were cast out of Reino Del Sol and could not step back in as long as there were sun stone lit with in the land.
Years later is where our story begins. A hierarchy has been built, Golds are the more powerful dios/semidios, while Jade dios and semidios are lesser, and humans being even lower than Jades. To keep the Sun Stones lit the Sunbearer Trials are fulfilled every ten years. Sol choses 10 semidios (Half god/half mortal) children to compete for the honor of becoming the Sunbearer. The semidios that comes in last is sacrificed to the Sunstones, while the winner is honored.
Jades are rarely if never picked. So when Teo, son of Quetzal is picked as one of the contenders he is sure that he will be the sacrifice that saves Reino Del Sol for the next 10 years.
Many will tell you it is a perfect combination of The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson, only with Mexican gods, but it is so so much more than that. It delves into so much about Mexican culture and mythology. The world building is top tier and so immersive. The characters, even though there is a full cast, are so fleshed out and you love and hate each of them in their own right. Not only that it is goes in depth about classism without being an outright slap in your face. It shows the inequalities between the people of Reino Del Sol with such nuance!
It is also queer af and I loved it! It has so much Trans rep, as well as gay and sapphic rep. The Bipoc rep is fantastic and well done. Plus it is sassy and quippy. Overall a five star read all around. I need the second book asap!
CW
Blood
Swearing
Gore
violence
bullying
child death
child abuse
dysphoria
fire
classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder