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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
purely_romantic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
⭐️ Trans Rights Readathon Review ⭐️
CWs and CNs at the end.
What a perfect first book to kick off my #TRR24 reading! After reading *Cemetery Boys*, I was excited to read Thomas’ other book. And friends, this did NOT disappoint. I was immediately sucked into the incredible world Thomas has built that melds mythology and action and quests and the big feelings of teenage protagonists.
I love a good underdog story and throughout the novel we see Teo flounder in a competition that he has not really prepared for and one that he’s not even sure he wants to be involved in. The dynamic between Teo and the rest follows familiar patterns in narratives like this–you have the friends, the bullies, the cool kids and of course, the broody boy who is just so annoying and yet somehow so captivating. And yet Thomas makes each character distinct and not just because they have different powers. They way this story functions both as an ensemble and yet very clearly also offers up Teo as the protagonist was masterful and I found myself captivated by every single character and even rooting for all of them at times.
Thomas also writes some of the best teenagers I’ve read. All these characters captured the big feelings we have as teens and somehow these fit in perfectly with their godly personalities. They were goofy and funny and dramatic and scared and angsty and I just adored how real and messy they were. The palpable chemistry between Teo and Aurelio that is riiight on the precipice of exploding was such a delicious example of this and I’m loving seeing the beginning of their relationship.
The lore and worldbuilding in this novel might also be among the best I’ve read. Drawing on familiar mythological tropes, Thomas crafts an incredible set of divine figures and somehow seamlessly embeds them in a contemporary setting. Each facet of the world only added to the action and the high stakes and I found it impossible to put this book down. With some amazing twists that I did NOT see coming, I was hooked from start to finish, and can’t wait for the sequel. A fiery set of 5 stars for this one!
CWs: mild violence and blood; brief mentions of body dysphoria
CNs: This is a YA fantasy MM novel featuring a transmasc teenage demigod. It is the first book in a duology. At this stage in the novel there is no romance but it is building up to one that will manifest in the sequel. There are no romantic scenes and no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
CWs and CNs at the end.
What a perfect first book to kick off my #TRR24 reading! After reading *Cemetery Boys*, I was excited to read Thomas’ other book. And friends, this did NOT disappoint. I was immediately sucked into the incredible world Thomas has built that melds mythology and action and quests and the big feelings of teenage protagonists.
I love a good underdog story and throughout the novel we see Teo flounder in a competition that he has not really prepared for and one that he’s not even sure he wants to be involved in. The dynamic between Teo and the rest follows familiar patterns in narratives like this–you have the friends, the bullies, the cool kids and of course, the broody boy who is just so annoying and yet somehow so captivating. And yet Thomas makes each character distinct and not just because they have different powers. They way this story functions both as an ensemble and yet very clearly also offers up Teo as the protagonist was masterful and I found myself captivated by every single character and even rooting for all of them at times.
Thomas also writes some of the best teenagers I’ve read. All these characters captured the big feelings we have as teens and somehow these fit in perfectly with their godly personalities. They were goofy and funny and dramatic and scared and angsty and I just adored how real and messy they were. The palpable chemistry between Teo and Aurelio that is riiight on the precipice of exploding was such a delicious example of this and I’m loving seeing the beginning of their relationship.
The lore and worldbuilding in this novel might also be among the best I’ve read. Drawing on familiar mythological tropes, Thomas crafts an incredible set of divine figures and somehow seamlessly embeds them in a contemporary setting. Each facet of the world only added to the action and the high stakes and I found it impossible to put this book down. With some amazing twists that I did NOT see coming, I was hooked from start to finish, and can’t wait for the sequel. A fiery set of 5 stars for this one!
CWs: mild violence and blood; brief mentions of body dysphoria
CNs: This is a YA fantasy MM novel featuring a transmasc teenage demigod. It is the first book in a duology. At this stage in the novel there is no romance but it is building up to one that will manifest in the sequel. There are no romantic scenes and no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Dysphoria and Injury/Injury detail
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
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
molliford's review
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Dysphoria
asexualandriod's review
adventurous
emotional
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
This book came alive in my hands, and it was incredible. The culture, characters, and setting were so incredibly vibrant. I have soooo many questions though.
I want to go through interviews with Aiden Thomas to see if he ever talks about how much he's pulled from real mythologies.
I'm confused why Guerrero is a gold, but Quetzal isn't. In the creation myth, Guerrero and Quetzal are mentioned side by side, seemingly as subordinate to Fauna. I don't think this is ever going to be explained, but it did leave me a little stumped.
The rest of my questions/theories:
I have so many questions/theories about Mala Suerte. Is Xio actually his child? Because it could be that Mala Suerte adopted Xio. If that's the case, did he know Xio was an obsidian, or did he think Xio was a mortal? That would be one explanation why he reacted so strongly to Xio being chosen. It could also be that he was working with the Obsidians, but still loved Xio as his own child. My most wild theory is that Mala Suerte was secretly always an Obsidian, or his bitterness over the centuries at being feared somehow turned him into one.
I also wonder if the Obsidians were somehow able to interfere with Sol's ability to communicate. Specifically, were the choices and rankings actually theirs? Because if Sol is really assessing the competitors' souls, should they not have known Teo wouldn't make the sacrifice? Unless they are playing the longest con, somehow knowing the Obsidians were going to escape and that Teo needed to be Sunbearer to be able to stop them once they did. Which would be absolutely wild.
I also have questions about Opción. As far as could tell, the dios/diose/ diosa of the region created their trial, right? So did she know there were real Venganza influences in the termple (seemingly more than the other trials, from what I could tell)? Which leaves the question of, if she did know, was it collaboration, or malicious indifference (as many gods with powers such as hers seem to display).
The Sunbearer Trials left me starving for more in the most delicious way, and I can't wait for September.
I want to go through interviews with Aiden Thomas to see if he ever talks about how much he's pulled from real mythologies.
I'm confused why Guerrero is a gold, but Quetzal isn't. In the creation myth, Guerrero and Quetzal are mentioned side by side, seemingly as subordinate to Fauna. I don't think this is ever going to be explained, but it did leave me a little stumped.
The rest of my questions/theories:
I also wonder if the Obsidians were somehow able to interfere with Sol's ability to communicate. Specifically, were the choices and rankings actually theirs? Because if Sol is really assessing the competitors' souls, should they not have known Teo wouldn't make the sacrifice? Unless they are playing the longest con, somehow knowing the Obsidians were going to escape and that Teo needed to be Sunbearer to be able to stop them once they did. Which would be absolutely wild.
I also have questions about Opción. As far as could tell, the dios/diose/ diosa of the region created their trial, right? So did she know there were real Venganza influences in the termple (seemingly more than the other trials, from what I could tell)? Which leaves the question of, if she did know, was it collaboration, or malicious indifference (as many gods with powers such as hers seem to display).
The Sunbearer Trials left me starving for more in the most delicious way, and I can't wait for September.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
sundayfever's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Beautifully built fantasy world. At times it felt like the writing was more focused on the world building than the characters or plot. It made it feel cluttered. I enjoyed the story and the plot twist at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Dysphoria, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
ehwesson's review
I am not interested in YA and the Teenage flirt scenes and undeveloped brains were giving me anxiety
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Death and Child death