Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Sunbearer Trials

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!

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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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

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itsmeeryn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

There is a reason I keep coming back to Aiden Thomas, I have yet to be disappointed by one of his releases and this book is no different. The Sunbearer Trials follows Teo, as he and his fellow Semidioses compete for the title of the Sunbearer. The role given to the winner, who sacrifices the loser of the trials in order to keep their home safe for the next decade.

The Sunbearer Trials is home to incredible world building. The book starts with prologue of sorts which is used to set the scene for everything that comes after, explaining the world, how the trials came to be, and why. Throughout my reading I found myself regularly flipping back to both it and the map on the inside cover, and using them in a similar way that I would a glossary in a high fantasy novel. Throughout my reading it was easy to tell just how well thought out the world was, and I loved getting to experience it through the eyes of the characters who experience it first hand.

Teo is such a fun protagonist. There is a quote close to the end of the book where he is told “troublemakers make change” and I don’t think there is a better way to show exactly who he is as a person. And pairing him with a character like Niya who thinks with her muscles, but has a heart of gold just amplified his best traits. It’s incredibly clear that Thomas thought out every single character to their fullest, and one of my biggest wishes in the next book is that we get to spend more time with the supporting cast and we get to see the complex and interesting characterizations and relationships that get a bit shoved to the side in this novel seemingly because of the importance of the plot.

While the world building is very impressive, and the characters are fun and enjoyable, the plot was what really carried the story for me. Thomas does an incredible job of sprinkling hints for whatever twist he throws at the end of the book, they are typically easy to catch onto but vague enough that it leaves you with theories instead of a solid answer as to what will play out. He has a particular balance of showing you enough about a character to make you question, but never to spell it out, which is what makes his novels so much fun to read. The twist never comes out of nowhere, but I find myself patting myself on the back when one of my theories ends up correct (or almost correct in this case).

I cannot wait to be able to finish this duology. It only took his first two books for Aiden Thomas to claim his spot as favorite writer, and this does not seem to be a fact that will change anytime soon. Right now I’m just wondering who I will have to bribe to get an ARC of the second book in the duology.

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