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A review by yomireads
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
I read this book was a blend of The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson and, after reading this, there's no better comparison or analogy. I enjoyed this read from start to finish. Imagine if Percy were born to a far lesser known god rather than Posidon himself. Now imagine he were pushed into his deadly quests even so, only the quest isn't to save someone but to sacrifice a peer.
Deftly traversing between the action packed trials, the emotional whiplash of doing well only to realize others are suffering for it-- or to do poorly and be unsure how to celebrate a friend's accomplishments,-- and the more commonplace (but equally weighted with importance) of a teenage trans-man fighting against body dysmorphia and the isolation that comes with your best friend never truly understanding those struggles.
I was captivated by the humanity of every character, even and especially the antagonistic ones. Not once did the story suffer for inclusion; I'll admit i worried the plot might falter and morph into a story of being ostricized rather than the thrilling fantastical read I was promise, but it never felt soap-boxed or shoe-horned in. So. Worried the trans characters erase (what is an overcrowded representation) cis characters? Your fear is unfounded!
I adored the sweet youthful romances that were lightly explored. At times I thought my heart might leap out my mouth in my giddy excitement for the development of a bond. It was such a light-hearted a d realistic portrayal of how teenage love ignores circumstance so often. These types of gentle tensions of relationship or other inclusions of more mundane motivations effectively allowed the book to flow quickly without suffering in timing.
All this and I haven't even gushed over the stylistic choices in writing. I felt transported into the world! I have zero background knowledge of the deities (as I did with the Greek gods) but was never lost for it. The imagery invoked wasn't overly explored and so avoided becoming too prose heavy for its genre, yet at times I felt I could see the forest and cities. I also felt a impressive division of escapism and social commentary (though it never truly felt to be making a statement I drew the parallels anyway) as the plot confronted things such as the disparity of resources between the godly tiers, and the weight of expectation when your future is set out before you. Not to mention the exquisite execution of a plot twist that was foreshadowed so well without tipping its hand. I was genuinely shocked.
I eagerly await the sequel as a new diehard fan of Aiden Thomas and his writing.
If you're waiting for inspiration to take this book off your TBR, trust me when I say, this is absolutely worth it.
Deftly traversing between the action packed trials, the emotional whiplash of doing well only to realize others are suffering for it-- or to do poorly and be unsure how to celebrate a friend's accomplishments,-- and the more commonplace (but equally weighted with importance) of a teenage trans-man fighting against body dysmorphia and the isolation that comes with your best friend never truly understanding those struggles.
I was captivated by the humanity of every character, even and especially the antagonistic ones. Not once did the story suffer for inclusion; I'll admit i worried the plot might falter and morph into a story of being ostricized rather than the thrilling fantastical read I was promise, but it never felt soap-boxed or shoe-horned in. So. Worried the trans characters erase (what is an overcrowded representation) cis characters? Your fear is unfounded!
I adored the sweet youthful romances that were lightly explored. At times I thought my heart might leap out my mouth in my giddy excitement for the development of a bond. It was such a light-hearted a d realistic portrayal of how teenage love ignores circumstance so often. These types of gentle tensions of relationship or other inclusions of more mundane motivations effectively allowed the book to flow quickly without suffering in timing.
All this and I haven't even gushed over the stylistic choices in writing. I felt transported into the world! I have zero background knowledge of the deities (as I did with the Greek gods) but was never lost for it. The imagery invoked wasn't overly explored and so avoided becoming too prose heavy for its genre, yet at times I felt I could see the forest and cities. I also felt a impressive division of escapism and social commentary (though it never truly felt to be making a statement I drew the parallels anyway) as the plot confronted things such as the disparity of resources between the godly tiers, and the weight of expectation when your future is set out before you. Not to mention the exquisite execution of a plot twist that was foreshadowed so well without tipping its hand. I was genuinely shocked.
I eagerly await the sequel as a new diehard fan of Aiden Thomas and his writing.
If you're waiting for inspiration to take this book off your TBR, trust me when I say, this is absolutely worth it.