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roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This was an adventurous read and was a lot of fun while still feeling high stakes at times. It has great representation and I loved the setting.
I did feel that some of the characters were a bit one dimensional but that didn't take away too much from the story and how enjoyable I found the book.
The audiobook format was excellent with narration that added to the story.
Looking forward to the next book!
I did feel that some of the characters were a bit one dimensional but that didn't take away too much from the story and how enjoyable I found the book.
The audiobook format was excellent with narration that added to the story.
Looking forward to the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: War and Injury/Injury detail
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
andelion's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Blood, and Animal death
Minor: War
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
jkneebone's review
adventurous
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
4.0
What a great fantasy novel! I really enjoyed Cemetery Boys, also by Aiden Thomas, which is why I picked up The Sunbearer Trials, and it did not disappoint. I wasn't even expecting the PJO meets Hunger Games vibes, but as an avid former fan of both series, this was a special delight!
The Sunbearer Trials follows Teo, the semidiose (demigod) son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds. Teo lives in Reino del Sol, a country where gods are real - each city has a patron god, and their demigod children protect the humans that live there. However, not all gods - or demigods - are created equal. Gold gods are most highly revealed, and Gold semidioses get to attend the Academy and learn to harness their godly powers, graduating as Heroes who will protect Reino del Sol. Meanwhile, Jade gods live in smaller cities, and Jade semidioses attend school with humans, their godly powers more minor. (Once upon a time, there was a third class of gods - Obsidians - who turned evil and had to be cast out by Sol, the god of the sun, who sacrificed themself to keep humanity safe.)
The only advantage to being a Jade semidiose, like Teo, is that when the once-a-decade Sunbearer Trials come around, you're pretty much guaranteed not to be chosen. Instead, ten Gold demigods will fight it out in the trials. The winner becomes the Sunbearer and the loser becomes a sacrifice, used to replenish the Sun Stones in every city that keep the Obsidian gods at bay.
Teo's biggest concern at this year's Sunbearer Trials is that his best friend, Niya, who is a Gold semidiose, will be chosen to participate. Although Niya is excited about the competition, Teo is worried for her safety. But Teo has bigger problems to worry about when he is unexpectedly chosen to compete - along with another Jade semidiose, Xio, who is only thirteen years old. Niya, Teo, and Xio decide to work together to ensure that none of them end up on the bottom, but the other Gold semidioses are not happy that Teo and Xio are there. Twin fire semidioses Auristela and Aurelio prove especially challenging - Auristela because she's determined to win, and Aurelio because he used to be best friends with Teo before they had a falling out. As the semidioses travel to different cities in Reino del Sol, Teo has to trust his own abilities and decide what is most important in the Trials, all while dealing with the reality of his status as a Jade, and getting closer towards the end of the Trials when someone - hopefully not him or one of his friends - will have to be sacrificed to protect the world.
I totally loved this book! One thing I think Aiden Thomas did really well in Cemetery Boys, which is also true with The Sunbearer Trials, is pulling off really thorough world-building without overwhelming the reader with a ton of information. The Sunbearer Trials is set in a totally new world, and although there are similarities to our modern world - the teens still have cell phones and use "Instagrafia" - it still felt like a fresh, different setting. But because we are first introduced to Teo's hometown of Quetzlan, before being introduced to the more powerful gods and cities, it never felt like too much information. I loved reading about the different cities in Reino del Sol, and how each were catered to the god that served the city. I also though the whole set-up of gods and demigods being divided into Golds/Jades was really interesting, especially as later in the book Teo realizes that Golds never actually interact with humans, while Jades live among their human counterparts. It's an interesting dynamic and I liked that we got to see how it played out in different cities!
The story itself was very fast paced - I finished this in under two days. All of the characters were engaging, and I liked the hints of depth that we got even of the characters who mostly sucked (Ocelo, I'm looking at you lol). I sort of wished there had been a larger overarching theme in the trials - like each one tested a different skill, or they got noticeably harder - what each trial was seemed pretty random, but they were still written very well and kept my attention. I liked that Teo being trans was treated as a non-issue, but that his wings stood in as a metaphor for him not yet fully accepting himself; I also liked that there were multiple other trans/non-binary characters, as well as background queer couples (and I'm waiting for the Teo/Aurelio romance that has to be coming in book 2!).
Plot-wise, I was totally shocked by the twist of Xio being an Obsidian - although I had a feeling from pretty early on that there was some sort of interference happening from the Obsidians, I was not expecting Xio to be involved! I'm not always the best at predicting twists, but this had me gasping out loud. I assume he was the one causing the other semidioses to be overwhelmed with vengeance and lash out, and that the plan was for him to come in last because his blood would free the Obsidians? I'm sure this is going to come up again in book 2 after Teo and Niya protected him, and I can't wait to see how that plays out. I also loved that Teo was such a hero that he wouldn't sacrifice Auristela even though not doing so doomed the world - I was expecting there to be some kind of loophole that would let him get out of doing the sacrifice, but no, it really did lead to the Obsidians arriving immediately. I can't believe I have to wait six months for book 2!
There were some minor continuity errors that I felt should have been caught at some stage in the editing process (e.g. a character who was mentioned as having already completed a trial later was listed as not having finished), and I found Auristela & Aurelio having such similar names confusing throughout (partially because I kept reading Aurelio as Aureliano), but those are minor gripes that didn't really impact my reading experience. Overall, I thought this was a WONDERFUL YA fantasy novel! I think calling it a Percy Jackson/Hunger Games mash-up is accurate, and I imagine fans of both would enjoy it (although I believe Thomas made up the fantasy elements, rather than them being based in any actual mythology, it still has strong Aztec-inspired and Mexico-inspired vibes). For me, the characters did feel more grown-up than in PJO (most of them are 17), but aside from some strong language (many a f-bomb) there's no content that would make this inappropriate for a middle school reader. A great fantasy read, I can't wait for book 2 and for whatever wonderful fantasy world Aiden Thomas creates for us after that!
The Sunbearer Trials follows Teo, the semidiose (demigod) son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds. Teo lives in Reino del Sol, a country where gods are real - each city has a patron god, and their demigod children protect the humans that live there. However, not all gods - or demigods - are created equal. Gold gods are most highly revealed, and Gold semidioses get to attend the Academy and learn to harness their godly powers, graduating as Heroes who will protect Reino del Sol. Meanwhile, Jade gods live in smaller cities, and Jade semidioses attend school with humans, their godly powers more minor. (Once upon a time, there was a third class of gods - Obsidians - who turned evil and had to be cast out by Sol, the god of the sun, who sacrificed themself to keep humanity safe.)
The only advantage to being a Jade semidiose, like Teo, is that when the once-a-decade Sunbearer Trials come around, you're pretty much guaranteed not to be chosen. Instead, ten Gold demigods will fight it out in the trials. The winner becomes the Sunbearer and the loser becomes a sacrifice, used to replenish the Sun Stones in every city that keep the Obsidian gods at bay.
Teo's biggest concern at this year's Sunbearer Trials is that his best friend, Niya, who is a Gold semidiose, will be chosen to participate. Although Niya is excited about the competition, Teo is worried for her safety. But Teo has bigger problems to worry about when he is unexpectedly chosen to compete - along with another Jade semidiose, Xio, who is only thirteen years old. Niya, Teo, and Xio decide to work together to ensure that none of them end up on the bottom, but the other Gold semidioses are not happy that Teo and Xio are there. Twin fire semidioses Auristela and Aurelio prove especially challenging - Auristela because she's determined to win, and Aurelio because he used to be best friends with Teo before they had a falling out. As the semidioses travel to different cities in Reino del Sol, Teo has to trust his own abilities and decide what is most important in the Trials, all while dealing with the reality of his status as a Jade, and getting closer towards the end of the Trials when someone - hopefully not him or one of his friends - will have to be sacrificed to protect the world.
I totally loved this book! One thing I think Aiden Thomas did really well in Cemetery Boys, which is also true with The Sunbearer Trials, is pulling off really thorough world-building without overwhelming the reader with a ton of information. The Sunbearer Trials is set in a totally new world, and although there are similarities to our modern world - the teens still have cell phones and use "Instagrafia" - it still felt like a fresh, different setting. But because we are first introduced to Teo's hometown of Quetzlan, before being introduced to the more powerful gods and cities, it never felt like too much information. I loved reading about the different cities in Reino del Sol, and how each were catered to the god that served the city. I also though the whole set-up of gods and demigods being divided into Golds/Jades was really interesting, especially as later in the book Teo realizes that Golds never actually interact with humans, while Jades live among their human counterparts. It's an interesting dynamic and I liked that we got to see how it played out in different cities!
The story itself was very fast paced - I finished this in under two days. All of the characters were engaging, and I liked the hints of depth that we got even of the characters who mostly sucked (Ocelo, I'm looking at you lol). I sort of wished there had been a larger overarching theme in the trials - like each one tested a different skill, or they got noticeably harder - what each trial was seemed pretty random, but they were still written very well and kept my attention. I liked that Teo being trans was treated as a non-issue, but that his wings stood in as a metaphor for him not yet fully accepting himself; I also liked that there were multiple other trans/non-binary characters, as well as background queer couples (and I'm waiting for the Teo/Aurelio romance that has to be coming in book 2!).
There were some minor continuity errors that I felt should have been caught at some stage in the editing process (e.g. a character who was mentioned as having already completed a trial later was listed as not having finished), and I found Auristela & Aurelio having such similar names confusing throughout (partially because I kept reading Aurelio as Aureliano), but those are minor gripes that didn't really impact my reading experience. Overall, I thought this was a WONDERFUL YA fantasy novel! I think calling it a Percy Jackson/Hunger Games mash-up is accurate, and I imagine fans of both would enjoy it (although I believe Thomas made up the fantasy elements, rather than them being based in any actual mythology, it still has strong Aztec-inspired and Mexico-inspired vibes). For me, the characters did feel more grown-up than in PJO (most of them are 17), but aside from some strong language (many a f-bomb) there's no content that would make this inappropriate for a middle school reader. A great fantasy read, I can't wait for book 2 and for whatever wonderful fantasy world Aiden Thomas creates for us after that!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
hannahhmh's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Dysphoria