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1quillb's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.5
cw for review: mentions of blood
This was so good! Teo is an amazing character, one that’s really relatable (especially for me) and funny. The other characters were all really well-written as well, and I really wish I could meet some of them (Dezi😩).
The plot is basically: A long time ago, Sol (sun god) sacrificed themself to protect their people when the Obsidian gods rose up and tried to send the world into eternal darkness. From then on, every ten years “The Sunbearer Trials” are held for kids (because of course it’s kids) ages 13-17. The winner of the trials gets the grand honour of knifing the loser and using their blood as a sacrifice to Sol, which keeps the Obsidian gods locked away and the general population safe from them. Teo, the main character, gets chosen to compete in the trials, even though he’s not super powerful, and so he and the other competitors compete and visit other cities in Reino de Sol. It’s basically a Hunger Games scenario, except they get to travel around in a luxurious boat. It ends on a semi-major cliffhanger, with the promise of a second book.
Overall it was amazing. It has excellent rep (obviously hispanic/latine characters, but also nonbinary/gay/trans/deaf characters as well), and the plot makes senses once you get past the fact that every ten years a child is stabbing another child and pouring their blood over a rock.
This was so good! Teo is an amazing character, one that’s really relatable (especially for me) and funny. The other characters were all really well-written as well, and I really wish I could meet some of them (Dezi😩).
The plot is basically: A long time ago, Sol (sun god) sacrificed themself to protect their people when the Obsidian gods rose up and tried to send the world into eternal darkness. From then on, every ten years “The Sunbearer Trials” are held for kids (because of course it’s kids) ages 13-17. The winner of the trials gets the grand honour of knifing the loser and using their blood as a sacrifice to Sol, which keeps the Obsidian gods locked away and the general population safe from them. Teo, the main character, gets chosen to compete in the trials, even though he’s not super powerful, and so he and the other competitors compete and visit other cities in Reino de Sol. It’s basically a Hunger Games scenario, except they get to travel around in a luxurious boat. It ends on a semi-major cliffhanger, with the promise of a second book.
Overall it was amazing. It has excellent rep (obviously hispanic/latine characters, but also nonbinary/gay/trans/deaf characters as well), and the plot makes senses once you get past the fact that every ten years a child is stabbing another child and pouring their blood over a rock.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
aliciawhatsthestory's review
adventurous
dark
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? N/A
5.0
If The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson got smushed together with Indigenous American mythology, it would be this book. Plus, as is typical with Aiden Thomas, it’s super queer, with a trans protagonist and other characters across the gender and sexuality spectrums.
The scenery in The Sunbearer Trials is so lush, and the mythology of Thomas’ world is fleshed out from the very beginning. I have always loved mythology and demigods, and this is a wonderful take on that type of story. Aiden Thomas consistently incorporates their own heritage into their stories in unique and exciting ways.
This book also does a good job of coming to a conclusion for the Trials while setting up the obvious sequel. I will be looking forward to the second book in this series, and I highly recommend it to readers in their teens and up.
Thank you to #netgalley, #bookishfirst and #feiwelandfriends for giving me and advanced copy of this book for review. This book was released yesterday, Sept. 6.
The scenery in The Sunbearer Trials is so lush, and the mythology of Thomas’ world is fleshed out from the very beginning. I have always loved mythology and demigods, and this is a wonderful take on that type of story. Aiden Thomas consistently incorporates their own heritage into their stories in unique and exciting ways.
This book also does a good job of coming to a conclusion for the Trials while setting up the obvious sequel. I will be looking forward to the second book in this series, and I highly recommend it to readers in their teens and up.
Thank you to #netgalley, #bookishfirst and #feiwelandfriends for giving me and advanced copy of this book for review. This book was released yesterday, Sept. 6.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
ezwolf's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
This is my first Aiden Thomas book (even though Cemetery Boys has been sitting on my bookshelf for probably a year now) but it looked so interesting I couldn't resist!
The way that gender and the normalness of having not "just" boys and girls was wonderful and I appreciated how Teo or Xio or any one else being trans was an obstacle. I also really loved the idea of gender confirmation ceremonies because it felt similar to how teenagers have b'nei mitvahs or quinceañeras as a symbol of reaching adulthood. There was also deaf representation that was also not made to be a big deal and was included well into the story.
Teo and Niya's friendship and subsequent acquisition of Xio was adorable and I loved it. Niya on her own I adored too, she was hilarious and a wonderful comic relief. Also Aurelio is exactly the kind of romantic interest I love to read about in books so that was a plus for me. Also his dark and broody tragic backstory was great (I mean, terrible, but great story-wise). Fantasma though was my absolute favorite side character and I hope we get to see and find out more about her.
I need to call out my absolutely favorite and funniest part of the book though, is the part when Teo is talking to Xio about his collection of Hero cards and Teo asks for Xio's binder and Xio thinks he's talking about his chest binder and not the binder of cards. I had thought of it the first time Xio's card binder was mentioned and it was a treat to see it played upon.
As a whole I really enjoyed this book and it's story even though there were some writing things I found fault in (ie the fact that I had to read "a puddle of sunshine" not once, but twice in less than ten pages), I still would recommend this book. The representation is fantastic and the story is fun! I could see how the story was going to play out very early on (which is not always a bad thing, and the pay out was there for this one!), but I read the last 15% on my lunch break and was still jittery with excitement by the end and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
The way that gender and the normalness of having not "just" boys and girls was wonderful and I appreciated how Teo or Xio or any one else being trans was an obstacle. I also really loved the idea of gender confirmation ceremonies because it felt similar to how teenagers have b'nei mitvahs or quinceañeras as a symbol of reaching adulthood. There was also deaf representation that was also not made to be a big deal and was included well into the story.
Teo and Niya's friendship and subsequent acquisition of Xio was adorable and I loved it. Niya on her own I adored too, she was hilarious and a wonderful comic relief. Also Aurelio is exactly the kind of romantic interest I love to read about in books so that was a plus for me. Also his dark and broody tragic backstory was great (I mean, terrible, but great story-wise). Fantasma though was my absolute favorite side character and I hope we get to see and find out more about her.
I need to call out my absolutely favorite and funniest part of the book though, is the part when Teo is talking to Xio about his collection of Hero cards and Teo asks for Xio's binder and Xio thinks he's talking about his chest binder and not the binder of cards. I had thought of it the first time Xio's card binder was mentioned and it was a treat to see it played upon.
As a whole I really enjoyed this book and it's story even though there were some writing things I found fault in (ie the fact that I had to read "a puddle of sunshine" not once, but twice in less than ten pages), I still would recommend this book. The representation is fantastic and the story is fun! I could see how the story was going to play out very early on (which is not always a bad thing, and the pay out was there for this one!), but I read the last 15% on my lunch break and was still jittery with excitement by the end and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Child abuse, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
WOW WOW WOW. Aiden outdid themselves in this one. His writing and talent really shine. Fans of PJO will LOVE this one. It was so flipping good.
The Sunbearer Trials takes Mexican mythology and brings it to life. In this story we follow Teo, a jade semidiós. He never thought he'd have to worry about the Trials except for his best friend, Niya. But this time Sol nominates two jade semidióses for the trial: Teo and Xio, the 13 year old son of Mala Suerte. Now Teo must compete for his life and he is very much underprepared to face off against the other gold semidióses, even with Niya on his side.
Y'all! I am just going to be screaming about this one forever!!! SO FUCKING GOOD!! I love Teo so much. He was precious and must be protected at all costs. I loved seeing him embrace himself for who he is and seeing his wings manifest that (I was so emotional during that scene). Also the way he guided Xio and looked out for him made me soft. I loved that Teo never misgenders the nonbinary character who is a jerk. Because even bullies don't deserve to be misgendered.
Also I'm pretty sure Niya had a hate attraction to the mean girl in this and I kind of ship it??
Rep: All Latine cast. Trans gay male MC, sapphic cis female side character, trans male side character, nonbinary side character, achillean cis male side character, deaf cis male side character, various Latine side characters, queer-normative world.
CWs: Bullying, violence, injury/injury detail, death, attempted ritual murder, blood, fire, classism. Moderate: dysphoria, death of parent.
WOW WOW WOW. Aiden outdid themselves in this one. His writing and talent really shine. Fans of PJO will LOVE this one. It was so flipping good.
The Sunbearer Trials takes Mexican mythology and brings it to life. In this story we follow Teo, a jade semidiós. He never thought he'd have to worry about the Trials except for his best friend, Niya. But this time Sol nominates two jade semidióses for the trial: Teo and Xio, the 13 year old son of Mala Suerte. Now Teo must compete for his life and he is very much underprepared to face off against the other gold semidióses, even with Niya on his side.
Y'all! I am just going to be screaming about this one forever!!! SO FUCKING GOOD!! I love Teo so much. He was precious and must be protected at all costs. I loved seeing him embrace himself for who he is and seeing his wings manifest that (I was so emotional during that scene). Also the way he guided Xio and looked out for him made me soft. I loved that Teo never misgenders the nonbinary character who is a jerk. Because even bullies don't deserve to be misgendered.
Also I'm pretty sure Niya had a hate attraction to the mean girl in this and I kind of ship it??
Rep: All Latine cast. Trans gay male MC, sapphic cis female side character, trans male side character, nonbinary side character, achillean cis male side character, deaf cis male side character, various Latine side characters, queer-normative world.
CWs: Bullying, violence, injury/injury detail, death, attempted ritual murder, blood, fire, classism. Moderate: dysphoria, death of parent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Dysphoria and Death of parent
starrysteph's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
The Sunbearer Trials is a vibrant, imaginative young adult fantasy with playful teenage wit and heartfelt storylines.
Once every ten years, a new Sunbearer must be crowned in order to fuel Sol’s Sun Stones, magical containers of power that ward off the evil Obsidian gods. Ten teenage semidioses are selected by Sol to compete in The Sunbearer Trials; the winner becomes Sunbearer and the child who ends up in last place becomes an honorable sacrifice.
Teo is a Jade semidios (son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds) and has never worried about the Trials - generally, only the most impressive Gold semidios heroes are selected. He’s ready to cheer on his best friend Niya and hope for the best. But unexpectedly, two Jade teenagers are chosen for this year’s competition … and Teo suddenly has to fight for his life.
The stakes are very high (we’re of course gearing up to the end of the tournament - a sacrifice of the lowest-ranked competitor), but the book generally feels light-hearted and not too intense.
The world is inclusive and queernormative in a way that is so comforting + welcoming to young readers. There’s gender and sexuality fluidity across all the characters, from mortals to the gods themselves. And yet Thomas still covers topics like discovering your identity + gender dysphoria - they’re just discussed within different boundaries (ie. at the start of the book, Teo binds his wings and feels like they are not part of him because they have traditionally “feminine” colorings). I’m SO excited for young readers who may be on their own journeys discovering their identities to experience this writing and feel held and safe. Additional representation includes a deaf character that is a fellow competitor in the Trials.
I found it to be a refreshing take on a concept (gods and their children) that we’ve seen explored in young adult fantasy before. The setup of each dios and semidios and family unit and how gods interacted with mortals felt delightfully new and engaging. While The Sunbearer Trials is Mexican-inspired, Thomas came up with a brand new, very fleshed-out creation story and lineup of dioses. The world-building was SO well done; intricate and creative but very easy to follow.
The descriptive language - of the people and cities and outfits and challenges - was riveting and transformative. Everything came to life before my eyes. I could easily see this as a movie; a show; an immersive theme park world. It was so rich!! I want alllll the art of this.
Teo is a great lead, even when you want to shout at him through the page. He’s age-appropriately frustrating but also incredibly endearing. He’s a very easy person to root for and I can’t wait for his journey to continue during the following books.
In general, I adored how personal and fleshed-out EVERY character was - even when I disliked their actions. There’s also some great development around classism and bringing the “Heroes” down to reality // exploring their flaws and challenges.
I also think this is one of the better-paced YA books I’ve read in a while. The action was fast & engaging, and between the more intense scenes were just the right amount of light-hearted, character-driven moments. I simply couldn’t put this one down.
The tone of the book is quite modern, but with fantastical alternative takes on social media and memes and turns of phrase. Sometimes this was too much for me (it felt like it was trying a bit too hard; and why SO many 2022ish references?) - I don’t know if teenage readers will also roll their eyes or laugh & love them.
But overall ... this was truly excellent. I don’t remember the last time I felt THIS excited about a fantasy world. I’m so excited for the rest of the world to experience The Sunbearer Trials.
PS. I LOVED the “hero cards” included both within the plot of the book and on the author’s website: it was a fun added layer to the experience. I want physical versions!
(I received an advanced reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
CW: death, murder, injury, blood, violence, bullying, dysphoria, emotional abuse, child abuse, child death, physical abuse, fire, classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Blood, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
caseythereader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Thanks to I Read YA for the free advance copy of this book.
- Welcome to my new favorite YA fantasy series. THE SUNBEARER TRIALS has it all - intricate worldbuilding, emotional weight, big plot twists, and characters with a range of identities, and it's all done with deep warmth and love.
- Teo and his pals are a wonderful crew, and I had such fun following them through the various trials that took us all around this world. Thomas can write the heck out of both a heart-pounding battle and a heartfelt conversation.
- Welcome to my new favorite YA fantasy series. THE SUNBEARER TRIALS has it all - intricate worldbuilding, emotional weight, big plot twists, and characters with a range of identities, and it's all done with deep warmth and love.
- Teo and his pals are a wonderful crew, and I had such fun following them through the various trials that took us all around this world. Thomas can write the heck out of both a heart-pounding battle and a heartfelt conversation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
cemeterygay'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
5.0
This book really exceeded my expectations and the comp titles are a very good comparison. This book does read more Percy Jackson than Hunger Games in terms of tone.
This book very much reads as Percy Jackson for older teens, mostly due to the more mature humor (still teen appropriate though) and heavier themes, think like early high school rather than later middle school. The humor could be a bit hit or miss, especially with the pop culture references, but the pace moves so quickly that I honestly didn't care. If I were to compare this book to anything else, the dynamics between Golds, Jades, and mortals gave me big My Hero Academia flashbacks in the best way.
I was initially concerned about the large cast and that characters would start to blend together but each semidios and Diose is so distinct that I had almost no problem with differentiating between the characters. I also was rooting for everyone to survive by the end of the book. This also goes into how much I love the worldbuilding and the attention put into setting. The world was given so much lovely description, I adored the lore especially the opening prologue, and the descriptions are just so vivid. This book also continues the trend of the food descriptions being so good that they actually make me hungry reading them.
The actual tournaments and main plot were so well-paced and plotted out. I loved the progression of reveals in this story leading to the climax. I think the emotional stakes were always very much there. I think the ending both resolved enough that I didn't feel too mad about where it ended while still very much setting up intrigue for the sequel.
Now onto Teo. Teo is my favorite protagonist written by this author to date. I love his strong convictions, the way he shows affection, and his more prankstery attitude. I just really bought into his beliefs and the emotional strength and conviction he had just really made me root for him. I also adored the build up for the romantic relationship in the series and the relationship between Teo and the main "antagonists" of the book.
I also absolutely adored the relationships between the Dioses and their kids and it provided so much intense emotion in this book
Ultimately, the book was surprisingly fun for a book about a death tournament while still having a deeply emotional center. I could not recommend this book enough.
This book very much reads as Percy Jackson for older teens, mostly due to the more mature humor (still teen appropriate though) and heavier themes, think like early high school rather than later middle school. The humor could be a bit hit or miss, especially with the pop culture references, but the pace moves so quickly that I honestly didn't care. If I were to compare this book to anything else, the dynamics between Golds, Jades, and mortals gave me big My Hero Academia flashbacks in the best way.
I was initially concerned about the large cast and that characters would start to blend together but each semidios and Diose is so distinct that I had almost no problem with differentiating between the characters. I also was rooting for everyone to survive by the end of the book. This also goes into how much I love the worldbuilding and the attention put into setting. The world was given so much lovely description, I adored the lore especially the opening prologue, and the descriptions are just so vivid. This book also continues the trend of the food descriptions being so good that they actually make me hungry reading them.
The actual tournaments and main plot were so well-paced and plotted out. I loved the progression of reveals in this story leading to the climax. I think the emotional stakes were always very much there. I think the ending both resolved enough that I didn't feel too mad about where it ended while still very much setting up intrigue for the sequel.
Now onto Teo. Teo is my favorite protagonist written by this author to date. I love his strong convictions, the way he shows affection, and his more prankstery attitude. I just really bought into his beliefs and the emotional strength and conviction he had just really made me root for him. I also adored the build up for the romantic relationship in the series and the relationship between Teo and the main "antagonists" of the book.
I also absolutely adored the relationships between the Dioses and their kids and it provided so much intense emotion in this book
Ultimately, the book was surprisingly fun for a book about a death tournament while still having a deeply emotional center. I could not recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Bullying, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
Additional CW: Abuse is pretty discussed but occurs off-page, human sacrifice, natural disasters, attempted murderbookcaptivated's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Violence, Blood, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping and Murder
arachkiid's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
This book had me engaged from cover to cover.
Every ten years Reino del Sol chooses ten competitors from the ages of 13-18 to compete in the Sunbearer Trials to re light Sol's flame in order to keep their civilization from falling In to chaos. There are five trials that competitors must face and despite our protagonist, Teo, not being trained for the competition the pages are packed with adventure to make you want to keep reading.
There are also incredibly tender moments in between trials that humanizes every character and make you care for their arc.
This book also had a lot of humor intertwined in any situation weather Teo is fighting for his life in a trial or asking gods to make him and his friends hot chocolate , there's always a quip to keep you engaged and wanting more.
I am anxiously awaiting the release of the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
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