Thank you Netgalley for an e-ARC

Aiden Thomas is one of my favorite authors and they did not disappoint. I loved everything about this book and would recommend it to all of my friends!

I WANT A SEQUEL RIGHT NOW?! I loved it so much, the story line and the characters. Everything was pretty well developed, thought out, and inclusive. The only thing I didn’t really like was the real world pop culture parallels (although tútube and instagrafía sound really fun, much more than in english). Not a huge issue for me though, especially since it’s a YA book.

Teo is a Jade. In a world where Golds are designated as Heroes and worthy of holding the title of Sunbearer, Teo worries more about his best friend Niya being chosen to compete in the Sunbearer Trials, which are scheduled once each decade, than he does about his own selection. However, much to his surprise Teo is chosen to compete. Teo finds himself relying on his intelligence and his wings, a birthright of the children of Quetzal, since Jades are barred from the Gold training academy. As the trials progress, it becomes clear to Teo that something is amiss, but will he figure it out in time or will the consequences be catastrophic?

As a reader, I can see why The Sunbearer Trials is billed as Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games. But what Aiden Thomas excels at is creating their own worlds that pull from Latinx traditions. Readers who liked Cemetery Boys will find The Sunbearer Trials building on what worked. This was an easy read as the plot sped through the trials, dedicating only one to two chapters to each task, while the remainder of the time was spent exploring the various characters who make up the world.

And the characters were incredibly rich. As a protagonist, Teo was a great choice for point of view because he was smart and likable. By utilizing his viewpoint, it is clear to the reader what injustices govern Reino Del Sol, and Teo isn’t afraid to discuss them with those around him. Teo is also open about his identity and, like Cemetery Boys, Thomas isn’t afraid to include frank conversations that continue to normalize the full trans spectrum, including binders, hormonal therapy, body dysphoria, and gender reassignment surgery. I like the worlds Thomas creates where everyone is able to be their best selves. These are worlds I want to live in.

In addition to Teo, the surrounding cast is full of unique individuals. Standouts include Niya, Xio, and Aurelio. As Teo’s best friend, Niya speaks her mind and isn’t afraid to wear her feelings on her sleeve. Xio, another Jade, rounds out the group of outcasts and together the three become unlikely heroes. My assumption is that Aurelio will grow into Teo’s love interest in the second book of this duology. I appreciated that Thomas established a previous friendship, using the trials as a way to reconnect. As Teo and Aurelio rediscover each other, their friendship begins to regrow, allowing any potential romance to feel earned.

Overall, I very much enjoyed The Sunbearer Trials. I suspected the twist at the end, but I was wrong in the way it was executed, allowing me to enjoy the craft put into the novel. Without saying too much that will ruin the fun, I recommend The Sunbearer Trials to anyone who enjoys a good adventure with a tight plot and well-developed characters to fill out the story.

I'll be honest, I had high hopes for this one, but it just didn't do it for me. To be fair, I'm not the target audience, so I would certainly defer to reviews from actual YA-aged readers, but I found this book really hard to get into. The tone felt simultaneously middle-grade but also upper YA with its 17-year-old protagonist, and I feel like if it had stuck with one or the other, it would have succeeded even more as a novel. Again though, maybe I'm just not the right audience for this one. World-building was cool though, loved the way the story pulled in Mexican-based myths and characters. Overall, Aiden Thomas is doing some great stuff for young, queer fantasy, but maybe it's just not for me.

I have not had the opportunity to finish this book yet, but based on the first 50 pages I would highly recommend this book. The characters, setting, and intrigue are well set up in the beginning, as well as the main hook for the story. Teo has a charming voice and solid point of view that draws the reader in.

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a bit, you may know that I’m a bit obsessed with Aiden Thomas’s work! The Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods were both some of my favorite books of 2020 and 2021, and yet somehow they have both been dethroned in my heart by The Sunbearer Trials! I am downright smitten with this book. From the characters (and their fabulous development and depth) to the worldbuilding, The Sunbearer Trials is a book I want to read over and over again! With the tournament aspect of this book, I feel as though it is the book I wish The Hunger Games had been when I read it as a younger teen. I am so very glad that this will be a duology, because I am not ready to say goodbye to Teo, Niya, Xeo, and Aurelio!


My Recommendation-
If you loved the magical powers of Encanto, you need to grab a copy of The Sunbearer Trials! I would especially recommend this book to readers who’ve been searching for the perfect “deadly tournament” YA novel!

This is a book that I’m actually devastated to DNF—and I want to be clear that it’s not because there’s anything wrong with the book. Unfortunately, my tastes are just a bit too outside the target age for The Sunbearer Trials and I couldn’t do it. I try to avoid the younger-feeling YA fantasies just due to personal taste, and this felt bordering on middle grade except the characters could curse.

Everything about this is so, so well done though, and if I wasn’t in such a reading slump already I definitely would’ve powered through. The world building is amazing—I’m absolutely obsessed with the nods to classic high fantasy while still creating a diverse and unique land. Modern slang and technology are woven into this fantasy setting in a way that flowed and made sense, which is something that seems to be very difficult to do.

I absolutely love a competition plot, and The Sunbearer Trials brought both the comforting familiarity of this subgenre without feeling overdone or too tropey or too predictable. Throughout, I wanted to know more, and I loved how we learned more about the characters as things unraveled. Where this book felt youngest to me was the characters, though—reactions were very over the top and at times ridiculous (in a fun way, don’t get me wrong!) in a way typical of middle grade or early YA.

All in all, while this book wasn’t for me, I think it’s an incredibly important book. The younger age range that this seems geared for needs more books like The Sunbearer Trials. Full of diverse characters and important topics, I’m genuinely so glad this book exists.

People will call this the next PERCY JACKSON or HUNGER GAMES, and while it shares similarities with those, it also stands on its own as a deeply rooted story on queerness, gender identity, and latine culture. Full of gods, goddesses, magic, betrayal and competition, THE SUNBEARER TRIALS will have readers reading well into the midnight oil.

Wow! So well-written and exciting that I accidentally finished the whole thing in one sitting. I loved Cemetery Boys then somehow this book managed to be even better.

The Sunbearer Trials is the first book in a Latine fantasy duology inspired by Mexican mythology where, every ten years, ten semidioses are chosen to compete in a series of themed trials in order to replenish the sun’s power and hold off the end of the world. The winner becomes the Sunbearer, while the loser of the trials is sacrificed. The book was super queer, action-packed, and such a fun time the whole way through— I want to play in a D&D campaign written by Aiden Thomas.

Even with a pretty sizable ensemble cast, I was surprised how much I managed to learn about all of the competitors and how many of them I grew to love. Teo was also such a fantastic protagonist. He was funny, smart, and capable, and I couldn’t help but root for him right from the beginning. Honestly, the only complaint I have about the book is how long I have to wait until I can read the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is EVERYTHING to me. Easily, without a doubt, the best YA fantasy I've read this year and likely one of the best in my lifetime. Aiden Thomas is an absolute powerhouse, intricately weaving a modern fantasy that feels reminiscent of the "classic" YA of the 2010s in terms of worldbuilding, stakes, and mythos, while bringing in a much needed diversity of gender, race, and lived experiences that allows any reader to see themselves in the story.

I am constantly hesitant to comp my favorite / extremely popular books, but The Sunbearer Trial TRULY is The Hunger Games x Percy Jackson. The trials live up to every expectation and then go beyond that. The tension builds so intricately and I felt myself panicking along with the characters, frustrated that they even had to be there and anxious about what would come next and how they would inevitably get to the end. The godly parents (special shoutout to Mala Suerte) were so dynamic, showing a breadth of approaches to parenting and how immortality can impact your empathy and morality, especially while raising children that you know you may send off to potentially die.

Now onto my loves, our competitors. I did not like all of them, as intended, and in the most spoiler free way possible I found myself gasping, yelling, and crying at various points. But I also laughed, and cheer on their development from quiet and seemingly uncaring to truly so full of feelings you just don't know what to do, and even rooting for our "villainous" competitors who stuck to their expectations and were there to win. Teo's story of growing into himself as a Jade and with his powers was the centerpiece of this, and watching his journey, and knowing what he still has to face, I will always be his biggest cheerleader. Everyone in the world needs a friend like Niya, the best herbo in the world and my favorite sapphic, Dezi is just <333 and if you read this book, let's talk about Xio!

I cannot truly formulate words for just how much I adore this book and how talented Aiden is, but please read it to reimagine the height of YA fantasy in a modern way.

The Sunbearer Trials was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I had loved Thomas's debut novel and while I was lukewarm about his sophomore novel (though it was actually written first), I had high hopes for this one.

I struggled a lot with this book, in part because I wanted to like it so badly and it just was not clicking with me. The voice feels very Middle Grade aimed, while at the same time having an abundance of swears. A lot of the book includes pop culture references that are from our world but slightly off, which leaves this book feeling immediately dated. I also didn't understand the character motivations of most of the characters for most of the book. Teo is friends with some of the Dioses and even ropes some of them into creating chaos with him, but also seems to hate some of the Semi-Dioses for genuinely no reason other than they were born at a different status than him. I spent most of the book confused as to what was happening, the relationships between the characters, or why I was supposed to randomly hate certain characters.

When the book was captivating, it was stellar, unfortunately, those moments came so few and far between that they couldn't redeem my reading experience. I enjoyed the elements of the relationship between Teo and Aurelio, though, by the end, I had to wonder what the point of including it within this story was.

I wish I could say that the moment everything fell into place with the major plot twist, I was satisfied, but I honestly was dreading the reveal from the moment I pieced things together. I'm not a huge fan of stories that paint the main character as so good and pure just so that they can be majorly emotionally manipulated. I had seen other early reviewers say that the ending of the book made them desperate for book two, for me, it just made me want to put down the book and forget I read it.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this book, overall it just fell flat for me. Readers on the younger side of bridging into the YA-sphere of novels might find more enjoyment in it than I did, but for me, it just didn't work.

*I received this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Sol must be replenished to keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses are selected by Sol himself to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. While the winner will carry the light across Reino del Sol, the loser will be sacrificed to fuel the sunstones. Teo is a jade semidios, the son of Quetzal goddess of birds, and is unlikely to be chosen because of his rank as a jade. His best friend Nina is the daughter of Tierra, god of earth, and one of the strongest gold ranks. Teo is afraid that Nina will be chosen for the Trials and fears for her life. But Teo also worries for a former friend, Aurelio, who is now a sworn rival. But when two jades are chosen for the trials, Teo included, for the first time in over a century, Teo is worried about the outcome of the trials. They must survive five trials for glory or die and become the flame.

This book felt very similar to a few books but also felt entirely new! Teo is a main character that you can't help but root for! He has a fun point of view to read and also feels very familiar like a friend. As a trans main character, his identity is spoken of in the first few chapters and is very much a part of his story and what makes him feel so real. The other characters come from all different genders and identities. The action packed narrative was so fun to read and I found myself devouring the story. While it does end on a cliffhanger, I felt like the book kept me wanting more. The world building is fantastic and I can't wait to pick up the second book.

I keep seeing this book described as The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson and that's pretty accurate. ⁠
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💥 What I Loved:⁠
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World-building that wasn't an info dump at the beginning of the book. Thomas weaves this in throughout the plot as our characters travel and it works so well. ⁠
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Speaking of our characters- everyone is so unique, with their own quirks, weaknesses, and talents. I loved seeing their personalities mesh and clash.⁠
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That twist! I did not see that ending coming and now I have to read the next book to get some much needed closure. ⁠
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This was such an exciting read. I flew through it and really enjoyed it. Representation in this one is fantastic and I'm happy that a lot of readers will see themselves in so many ways within the many characters. ⁠
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🔖 SYNOPSIS: "Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Sunbearer Trials. He's a Jade, not a Gold- a real hero. But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival."⁠
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Thank you @macmillanchildren's publishing group for my advanced reader copy.

4,5⭐️

wow it was sooo good. The Hunger Games meets Mexican Percy Jackson with very queer and diverse characters and various dynamics. the story was completely captivated me from the very first page until the end. the setting was amazing and easy to understood even though I haven't read a lot Mexican inspired fantasy.

but I also felt that this book isn't perfect. for instance, 1) the second trial was a little bit chaotic and unimaginable. 2) it's noticeable niya's dialogue used too many exclamation marks. 3) and there's THE problem that remains unexplained. to be honest I didn't realize that this is a part of duology until I reached 95% and I knew there'll be cliffhanger but at least tell us HOW😭

that's it for now, I still need time to process what tf was happening. thank you very much Aiden.

I had such high expectations for The Sunbearer Trials as a big fan of Aiden's previous books and I was so impressed. This is such a big sandbox to play in with complex worldbuilding, a large and diverse cast of characters and relationships that need to be developed quickly in order for us to grasp the extent of the stakes for the larger narrative. I was so impressed with how well Aiden pulled all of this off and more.

I definitely got Hunger Games vibes from this book and while the plot (teen semidioses compete in the Sunbearer Trials in order for one of them to become Sunbearer and one of them to become a sacrifice necessary to keep the evil dioses from returning) is nothing out of the ordinary for YA fantasy books, this felt unique and fresh and with Aiden's characteristic wit and charm.

We mainly follow Teo, a Jade, meaning he is a lower semidios than the Golds who train in an Academy to prepare for the Trials. Teo is an absolute delight and I really appreciated how capable he was while at the same time I was nervous for him the entire time. There are so many different characters here and I really appreciated how well we got to know everyone in order to care about them and have our opinions grow and change as the characters themselves do. Among the semidios competing there are multiple trans characters, including Teo and a full cast of Latine characters as well. I loved how intense the trials were - my heart was racing this entire book! I had so much trouble putting it down. The ending of the book sets up where the next book will go and I am so excited to be on this ride. One of the most exciting books I've read this year.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Yallwest for giving me an opportunity to win this book as part of a giveaway.

This book was a very enjoyable read. It had excellent representation, and a fun storyline. The protagonist is the “relatable underdog” type, and it’s easy to find bits and pieces of yourself in him and the other characters. The plot takes known YA tropes, and smashes them together to create something new and fresh. Fans of “The Hunger Games” or “Percy Jackson” might enjoy certain areas of the story!
All in all, this book was delightful, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a new take on some of the teen classics.

Trigger Warnings: Fire, injury, transphobia, dysphoria, testosterone/needles, death of a child, bullying, fighting, violence, cursing, vomit, blood, emotional abuse

Representation: Transgender, hormone therapy, top surgery, sign language, Deaf, they/them pronouns, Non-binary, twins, Mexican

The Sunbearer Trials is the first installment in a young adult, fantasy duology. Every ten years, ten semidioses must compete to become the next Sunbearer, a great honor for the winner to carry light and life to all of the temples. The loser is set to be sacrificed to Sol to fuel the Sun Stones and protect everyone until the next trial. Teo, a Jade, is shocked when he is chosen to compete amongst the Golds, one of who is his best friend, Niya. Teo and Niya, along with the others must compete in five trials in order to survive.

This book was just *chef’s kiss*!! I want to say that it reminds me of my fav competition book about magical beings, but this one is so much better! And queer! I absolutely loved this read and am personally offended for that cliffhanger!

Teo is an awesome character and you root for him from the first page on! I also enjoyed Niya and his interactions with the other competitors. I loved the Deaf representation and Aiden makes it so simple to include into the story with the respect the community deserves.

I also loved that this book is current and can reference social media without being cringe. I definitely laughed out loud when a character said to “Fuck around and find out.” The storyline is fantastic and the author creates a beautiful world that I would love to live in. The descriptions are absolutely amazing and so well done.

Once a decade, the top ten semidioses compete for the honor of completing a ritual to keep the evil Obsidian dioses at bay. In a recreation of Sol's sacrifice, the top-scoring contestant cuts out the worst participant's heart. Teo figures he won't be picked because his mom is a mere Jade diosa, not a lofty Gold. He's wrong. Along with his best friend Niya, ex-bestie Aurelio, fellow Jade Xio, and six other teens, Teo crisscrosses the realm competing in themed battles. But there's something deeply wrong with this contest. A richly-detailed setting, well-realized characters (even the jerks are sympathetic), and one nasty cliffhanger.

A fantastical Hunger Games-esque battle between godly children for the honor of being crowned the Sunbearer, or the honor of becoming a human sacrific. The Sunbearer Trials was an incredible story with fast-paced, unique trials, a collection of interesting characters, and a final reveal that twisted my heartstrings. I look forward to the conclusion of this duology in the next book which will hopefully be dropping next year because I need it now!

(4.5/5) This was such a good book. The premise was dope, executed very well, and was easy to read and practically addictive. Like I’ve been sitting on my couch for 7 hours now. I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it too. I'm so excited for the sequel!!!! Things I did not necessarily appreciate: the modern references. instant ick. I mean these are real-life demigds and you’re telling me they’re quoting vines when preparing for battle??? be fr. also, I drew a lot of parallels between this book and cemetery boys. I really loved cemetery boys though, so that wasn’t a massive problem for me.