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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
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
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
ambers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I so badly WANTED this book to be a 5 star read, which may have affected my enjoyment of it.
Obviously, at nearly 4 stars, I still enjoyed this book. If I were a teenager, I would've LOVED it. It's refreshing to see more than one trans character on the page, and the main romance arc was lovely and fun. The romance and the world-building is what this book does best, in my opinion. While I do think much of the plot was predictable, I don't mean that as a bad thing - I think they did a decent job of foreshadowing their ending, which is something I actually think all stories should do. Even a book that has a plot twist should allow the reader to either see it coming, or go back and go OH I SEE IT NOW once they hit the finale.
But overall, I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. I think I'm a little older than the intended audience, to be fair, although ironically enough I also suspect I'm probably about the same age as the author - it feels like he put Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and Avatar into a blender (Zuko and Azula, but make them half God, and put them in a teen death match), and those were the stories that I loved in middle school and high school. That being said, I think those stories have greater staying power than this one will have, if only because of how MUCH slang and pop culture references are packed into The Sunbearer Trials. I never thought I'd read a book that made a "two guys, sitting in a hot tub" joke, and in five to ten years, that (and other similar references) will date this book big time, assuming readers then even remember that Vine.
I do still recommend this one, especially to younger readers - and, after all, it's marketed as YA, so take my review with a grain of salt. It wasn't a 5 star read for me, but if you love the YA genre, and don't mind a book that feels a little fanfic-y, this might be the one for you.
Obviously, at nearly 4 stars, I still enjoyed this book. If I were a teenager, I would've LOVED it. It's refreshing to see more than one trans character on the page, and the main romance arc was lovely and fun. The romance and the world-building is what this book does best, in my opinion. While I do think much of the plot was predictable, I don't mean that as a bad thing - I think they did a decent job of foreshadowing their ending, which is something I actually think all stories should do. Even a book that has a plot twist should allow the reader to either see it coming, or go back and go OH I SEE IT NOW once they hit the finale.
But overall, I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. I think I'm a little older than the intended audience, to be fair, although ironically enough I also suspect I'm probably about the same age as the author - it feels like he put Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and Avatar into a blender (Zuko and Azula, but make them half God, and put them in a teen death match), and those were the stories that I loved in middle school and high school. That being said, I think those stories have greater staying power than this one will have, if only because of how MUCH slang and pop culture references are packed into The Sunbearer Trials. I never thought I'd read a book that made a "two guys, sitting in a hot tub" joke, and in five to ten years, that (and other similar references) will date this book big time, assuming readers then even remember that Vine.
I do still recommend this one, especially to younger readers - and, after all, it's marketed as YA, so take my review with a grain of salt. It wasn't a 5 star read for me, but if you love the YA genre, and don't mind a book that feels a little fanfic-y, this might be the one for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury
jacobandthefrogs's review
dark
emotional
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
A cliffhanger ending as a series, but a satisfying conclusion as a standalone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, and Homophobia
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
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
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