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A review by ezwolf
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
This is my first Aiden Thomas book (even though Cemetery Boys has been sitting on my bookshelf for probably a year now) but it looked so interesting I couldn't resist!
The way that gender and the normalness of having not "just" boys and girls was wonderful and I appreciated how Teo or Xio or any one else being trans was an obstacle. I also really loved the idea of gender confirmation ceremonies because it felt similar to how teenagers have b'nei mitvahs or quinceañeras as a symbol of reaching adulthood. There was also deaf representation that was also not made to be a big deal and was included well into the story.
Teo and Niya's friendship and subsequent acquisition of Xio was adorable and I loved it. Niya on her own I adored too, she was hilarious and a wonderful comic relief. Also Aurelio is exactly the kind of romantic interest I love to read about in books so that was a plus for me. Also his dark and broody tragic backstory was great (I mean, terrible, but great story-wise). Fantasma though was my absolute favorite side character and I hope we get to see and find out more about her.
I need to call out my absolutely favorite and funniest part of the book though, is the part when Teo is talking to Xio about his collection of Hero cards and Teo asks for Xio's binder and Xio thinks he's talking about his chest binder and not the binder of cards. I had thought of it the first time Xio's card binder was mentioned and it was a treat to see it played upon.
As a whole I really enjoyed this book and it's story even though there were some writing things I found fault in (ie the fact that I had to read "a puddle of sunshine" not once, but twice in less than ten pages), I still would recommend this book. The representation is fantastic and the story is fun! I could see how the story was going to play out very early on (which is not always a bad thing, and the pay out was there for this one!), but I read the last 15% on my lunch break and was still jittery with excitement by the end and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
The way that gender and the normalness of having not "just" boys and girls was wonderful and I appreciated how Teo or Xio or any one else being trans was an obstacle. I also really loved the idea of gender confirmation ceremonies because it felt similar to how teenagers have b'nei mitvahs or quinceañeras as a symbol of reaching adulthood. There was also deaf representation that was also not made to be a big deal and was included well into the story.
Teo and Niya's friendship and subsequent acquisition of Xio was adorable and I loved it. Niya on her own I adored too, she was hilarious and a wonderful comic relief. Also Aurelio is exactly the kind of romantic interest I love to read about in books so that was a plus for me. Also his dark and broody tragic backstory was great (I mean, terrible, but great story-wise). Fantasma though was my absolute favorite side character and I hope we get to see and find out more about her.
I need to call out my absolutely favorite and funniest part of the book though, is the part when Teo is talking to Xio about his collection of Hero cards and Teo asks for Xio's binder and Xio thinks he's talking about his chest binder and not the binder of cards. I had thought of it the first time Xio's card binder was mentioned and it was a treat to see it played upon.
As a whole I really enjoyed this book and it's story even though there were some writing things I found fault in (ie the fact that I had to read "a puddle of sunshine" not once, but twice in less than ten pages), I still would recommend this book. The representation is fantastic and the story is fun! I could see how the story was going to play out very early on (which is not always a bad thing, and the pay out was there for this one!), but I read the last 15% on my lunch break and was still jittery with excitement by the end and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Child abuse, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence