Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Sunbearer Trials

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

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erikagibson126's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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mattiedancer's review

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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

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iamcortney's review

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adventurous funny 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? Yes

3.75

This feels like a YA novel although I don’t think it is. It’s a fun and interesting story, though the main character is a bit of an idiot sometimes. Spent the first half of the book pretty frequently frustrated with his choices and interpretations of what’s happening around him. I was much less annoyed for the second half, so he does turn it around.

Without spoiling the plot, it wasn’t too hard to predict the twists but they were still fun to read. I’m interested enough that I’m gonna read the second book so I know how everything turns out.

Also worth noting is that this book did a good job with LGBTQ+ inclusion and normalization. There was a lot of representation as well as positive and healthy discussions about gender dysphoria and taking time to figure it out.

Overall, a fun read I’d recommend, but nothing that blew my mind or felt overly exceptional.

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robinks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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 loved this audiobook and can’t wait for the second half of the duology! The characters are so lovable and complex, and the descriptions of each scene were so detailed that I could picture them easily. I would LOVE to see this story in a visual medium.

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stacy_27_'s review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.75

I loooooved this book so much. It had everything I've ever wanted. All the characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing. Also the plot twist at the end was great. I can't wait for the second book and I hope we get to learn more about the other characters. The only thing is that some of the dialogue is a little cringy, but it's not that big of a deal.

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braveprincess11's review against another edition

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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

5.0

“You are a loud, impulsive, persistent seeker of justice… And that makes people uncomfortable, but it doesn’t make you bad. It makes you very good, in fact. Far better than the rest of us who stay quiet because they’re afraid to speak up.”

Aiden Thomas has once again absolutely shattered my heart, and rebuilt it back differently and better.

From the very beginning of the book, Teo portrays himself as a caring and humble semidios, whose only prerogative is to keep his friends safe. He never shies away from speaking up for what’s right, and never lets his resolve waver, even in the face of potential death.

Aiden Thomas consistently writes characters that get to the heart of the complexity of gender, and explains and humanizes the experience of living outside of society’s expectations in a way that I haven’t seen from other authors.

His way of writing action and unexpected twists is… brilliant. Even when I thought I had it figured out, Aiden Thomas managed to create a reveal that had me gasping and left me unable to put book down until the end.

I am desperate for the conclusion to the duology.

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mallorypen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

I really liked this book - even more so than Cemetery Boys by the same author. The exploration of Mexican mythology in a Hunger Games-esque setting with a dash of Percy Jackson made for a very fun, enjoyable read.

The representation of LGBTQIA+ was strongly written with sensitivity and originality. The beauty of fantasy settings is the ability to approach things like sexuality and gender in ways unique to their world - the Gender Confirmation ceremonies being held on the same importance as quinceñeras was cool, as was the acceptance of gender affirming care. Gods and people being non-binary without it being a big deal was a large part of the universe.

The creation story, the cycle of sacrifice, and the divisions between the different types of gods and their offspring made for a compelling cast of characters, and set the trials up well. Teo’s journey from resentful outsider > reluctant and scared competitor > thinking he had a chance to win and change things for his people > seeing the trial in a new and terrifying light brought me through the story right in step with him. Niyo was an amazing best friend character with depth all on her own, and

though I suspected Xio of not being everything he seemed from the get-go

I also found Xio to be compelling in his own right. Aurelio, the childhood bestie turned indifferent ghoster to do-competitor heartthrob was a fun love interest who ALSO had his own depths. In fact, all of the characters - and there were a lot of them - were well fleshed out and completely their own people, which is impressive.

My main issue with the novel was the pacing. Much like in Cemetery Boys, there was a lot of repetitiveness in Teo’s inner musings to really make sure the reader got exactly what he was thinking and understood the nuances of the world around him. I think that’s fine - especially for younger readers - but it got a little long in places.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next part of this duology!

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