This is the follow up to (& apparent conclusion of) the excellent YA novel, The Sunbearer Trials. The Sunbearer Trials was so good it would have been hard to beat, so perhaps it isn't surprising that this volume feels a bit underwhelming compared to its predecessor. The narrative switches back and forth between Teo and Xio, with the Teo chapters coming across as much stronger. Xio seems to be completely unable to acknowledge that there should be consequences for their actions and because of this doesn't seem to ever evolve over the course of the story, which significantly lessens the impact of both the reasons for their betrayal at the end of The Sunbearer Trials and their ultimate redemption arc. The story also felt rushed at several points, which further exacerbated the problem with Xio's story line, and the conclusion was so sudden and out of nowhere it almost felt as if the author was actively trying to end the series in a way that would preclude more stories within the world being written. Based on that conclusion, I'm guessing we won't be returning to the world, which is a shame.

I wish I had re-read The Sunbearer Trials before reading this one, because after a couple years I forgot who most of the characters are. That being said, I still enjoyed this book overall, and Aiden Thomas is quickly becoming an author whose books I will always pick up. Reading their books feels like watching a movie, and it is always a fun time.


I will say I remember the first book having tighter pacing than this one; there were a couple of meandering plot points that made sense by the end, but in the moment reading them I was anxious for the story to advance. 


Overall this was a satisfying conclusion to this duology, although I would recommend refreshing yourself on the events of the first book before diving in to this one.

The story being told here is vital for today's youth. It's one that I wish people in my generation had had more access to stories like this when I was younger. The representation and diversity is well done, age appropriate and key for so many of my customers. We carry the first book, and I look forward to adding this one to our inventory as well.

"Celestial Monsters" by Aiden Thomas is a captivating blend of magical realism and science fiction, drawing readers into a world where celestial phenomena unite a diverse group of characters. Thomas' vivid writing and strong character development create an engaging and emotionally resonant narrative. Themes of identity, belonging, and unity are skillfully woven into a plot filled with unexpected twists and heartfelt relationships.

I read The Sunbearer Trials almost two years ago I think and was super excited to get a chance to finish the duo logy early!

If you loved the characters in the previous book, you get to know those characters even better. Some of the side characters become main characters while also trying to save the world. I love the discussions about how the world that they live in isn't catered to the humans, but the gods and their children.
If you love Percy Jackson, but want more of a twist on that world with own voices latinx characters and world building, along with trans, non binary, and multiple queer relationships, this is a great duo logy to pick up.

A YA high fantasy steeped in Latinx mythology, full of incredible characters in an ever-changing world of monsters and magic. We follow a lovable main character who might have accidentally brought about his world's apocalypse and now is responsible for saving it. Great for those who loved Avatar: The Last Airbender and Percy Jackson.

trans mmc | high fantasy | Latinx mythology | friends-to-enemies-to-lovers | gods and monsters | queer friend group | banter | queernorm world

I really appreciated that this book focused so tightly on Teo, Niya, Aurelio, and Xio - by limiting the amount of interactions outside of this core group, we really got to see them bloom. I especially liked the way that Niya’s and Aurelio’s fears/anxiety manifested and how Teo and Xio come to understand just how much pressure is placed on even the privileged Golds.

Strangely enough I really wanted to see a bit more of Teo’s weakness? He keeps up really well with the others whose whole lives have been spent in training for physical exertion - and even though he TALKS about how exhausted he is, we don’t really see it. I wanted to see some consequences of that in the same vein as Aurelio’s and Niya’s emotional collapses.

Also props to the two times when there’s a fight, someone goes “actually I’m trying out these other pronouns” and the other side goes “I hate you but I’m going to respect your pronouns” and then continues fighting. Also also the sheer shared devastation when all of the prisoners have their hands bound and they all riot on behalf of the deaf character who now has no one to interpret the captors’ words or anyone else’s. It shows that 1) fantasy absolutely can be inclusive and 2) that Thomas really really wanted to put in the effort to prove 1.

Content warnings: violence, imprisonment, mental and emotional torture, sensory deprivation, murder, suicide

I honestly wasn't sure if Thomas was going to be able to wrap this whole thing up in only two books with SO MUCH happening, but CELESTIAL MONSTERS has one hell of a final battle and wraps up most of the loose ends with a satisfying conclusion. The twist of how the conflict finally ends had me in tears. This one has very different vibes from the first book and overall there is less action but they complement each other well.

I need a Niya spin-off because our girl was amazing and I loved seeing more of her humor and her emotional struggles with not being able to save everyone all the time. The Xio reveal at the end of the first book still had me reeling and I liked what Thomas does in this book to give readers a more in-depth picture of who Xio is and why they did what they did. There was a moment towards the end where Teo stepped up to be the voice against the powerful gods and I was cheering.

Overall this was a great read and a solid duology that I look forward to putting into the hands of our teen patrons.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.

Listen. I loved The Sunbearer Trials and expected another five-star read. I still liked this one, especially Xio, the boy I already had a soft spot for in the first book, but somehow, it couldn’t hold my attention like its prequel did. It might be because it dragged sometimes, and it took me a week to finish it, the longest in years, or because Celestial Monsters didn’t surprise me as much as Sunbearer. Anyway, I still loved Teo and Aurelio, I still had fun, and I still love this duology.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I literally squealed when I saw that I'd received the ARC! Celestial Monsters picks up right back to where readers left off and immediately dives into exciting adventure. Aside from the budding romance, which had me grinning the whole time, what I really loved in this book was the way that Teo, Aurelio, and Niya observe their world, the mistakes that their parents made, and other ways to live. It was such a good lesson of not repeating the mistakes your parents made and gave me hope about the new worlds that can be created if we think outside of the box and look towards the things people are doing right now that are working. I'm sad the duology is over but it was a delightful read and one I will definitely recommend and return to.

4.5/5

Celestial Monsters

This was such a fun sequel that brilliantly caps off a duology that I can’t help but recommend relentlessly and vigorously. The characters are so vibrant and warm, they’re each so unique and interesting and as a big found family, this had me smiling from start to end.

While there were a couple things I would have loved to see / see more of— like Sol and the history of the trials, a reckoning with Lumbre, and a final battle that was more exciting, this was a satisfying end and largely delivered and surprised.

The jokes really land and I loved seeing these characters come into their own and mature, while not completely feeling too adult and unrealistic. They have cute crushes and awkwardness, they’re emotional and volatile, they’re eager to please their parents and heroes, and yeah they don’t have a solid “save the world plan, but they also have that air of bravery and invincibility like only the young can have.

I love what the author did with Xio’s POV, and the overall themes and messages of acceptance, equality, and love were well written. There were so many rich elements of Mexican culture included which made my heart so happy. From the food to our legends and myths, everything about this is a beautiful celebration of the vibrancy of Mexican culture, community, cuisine, and history. Down to TúTube which constantly made me giggle.

Since this picks up right where The Sunbearer Trials, a warning that everything from here on out will be a spoiler.

I was so pleasantly surprised to see this told in dual POVs with Xio have nearly the same amount of page time and chapters at Teo. It was fascinating to take us into Xio’s head right after the betrayal and as he begins to war with himself and everything he thought he gained with the Obsidians. Xio makes for a good villain at first but an even more interesting nuanced character as we delve into his thoughts and emotions. You really start to see how all his life experiences led him to this betrayal and can’t help but feel for him. This was executed perfectly and Xio’s arc was my favorite.

Maybe it’s because of this that I felt like Teo was more of backseat character than the main character. And it’s not because he isn’t featured prominently, but maybe it’s because I just didn’t get the emotional arc from Teo that I expected. He feels guilt for the consequences of his actions sure, but I didn’t feel there was enough time spent really sitting with Teo with those emotions. This lack of setting in and feeling all the emotions since the betrayal is hinted given that the crew must immediately go on a quest to save the world, but it made Teo’s part in this book more forgettable.

I also felt the romance with Aurelio and Teo was a bit too stilted and awkward, and not because they’re young teens, but mostly because the emotional connection felt so stunted. There’s a lot swirling around emotionally with Aurelio which we see in bits and pieces which made me curious about our quiet emo love interest, but we just didn’t get enough of a big emotional breakthrough with him and Teo, so it felt a bit unfinished.

Adding to this is the lack of reckoning with Lumbre. We learned a lot about how terribly Lumbre treats her semidiose children, especially Aurelio, but there’s even more that Aurelio reveals and which we see directly at the end of CM. What bothered me is that there is never really a reckoning specifically with Lumbre. No other gods set her straight after Teo’s speech, and even when Sol makes his decision to remove the Gods from earth, I expected lumbre to argue back and be put in her place, instead, she and the other gods just stay silent and do nothing. There’s never even a quick reconciliation between Lumbre and her children or even signals that Auristela finally sees her mother for who she is. It was a missed opportunity for a big emotional payoff moment.

The ending in general felt a bit lackluster and a sacrifice is still needed for Sol. This felt unnecessary and honestly just lends credence to the belief that a sacrifice was always needed at every Sunbrearer Trial. So I wasn’t sure that it stuck the landing in the message that none of this was really needed and the power structure was warped. It would have hit home better had we seen that a sacrifice was not needed in fact. Instead it felt a bit confusing and empty. Will the obsidians be able to return from the stars banishment again without a sacrifice? If not, how did the sacrifice even start and why? If the world can just go on without the gods being there and ruling entirely, then why did Sol wait so long? It just didn’t make sense to simply say “ok humans, govern yourselves the gods are in time out” and deflated the overall power system a bit. It also makes me wonder in semi dioses will even continue or if gods will be allowed to procreate with humans or if Teo and his class are the beginning of the end of semi diocesan existing? I might be reading into it too much but it made me wonder about the overall sustainability of this world in the aftermath.

Lastly, while I loved the scenes of the semi dioces fighting the obsidians in the end, I wanted more of the gods themselves stepping in. I wanted to see more of their powers and what the semidioces might one day grow into power wise. The Sunbearer trials were so exciting as we saw how the semidioces used their powers in unique and challenging ways.

So ultimately, while I think this continued to build on the wonderful representation and themes of the first book, there were aspects that did fall a little short. I can forgive this since we got so much from Xio’s POV and arc, but I did wonder if maybe this lost the thread a bit on Teo and his journey.

Overall, still a wonderful story and duology that checks so many boxes and brings a breath of fresh air to a saturated genre!

Celestial Monsters tosses us right back into the world of The Sunbearer Trials – and the end to this colorful & charming duology did not disappoint.

Teo and his friends are forced to go on a monster-filled quest to return the sun and stop the chaos. Their crew doesn’t have much time, and they’re still reeling from the betrayal of a friend, the guilt of putting the world in danger … and the start of a romance.

Just like in The Sunbearer Trials, I deeply appreciated how inclusive this journey was. I teared up a few times while reading just thinking about how meaningful this story will be to so many young readers. While the heavy-handedness of some topics may be a bit off-putting to adults, I think both the clarity and optimism around a queernormative magical world working on reshaping their societal structures was perfect.

And the world expanded to be even more delightful! Beyond the magic and fun and incorporation of Mexican mythology, there’s also some beautiful community care and futuristic ways of building societies here (avoiding violence and prioritizing hearing from all voices). That was awesome.

I think my biggest stumble has to be with Teo. It kind of felt like he’d done it all already - like, checkmark on his growth - and I wish that wasn’t the case. He had a wonderful arc in the first book, and I’m not sure why he plateaued here. Xio and Aurelio and Niya all felt like they had much bigger arcs (some of them actually happened too rapidly), and I wonder what it would have been like to have Niya as a narrator. I was really interested in her worldview and maturation here.

Aurelio had an equally big shift, but we get to puzzle through that through Teo’s eyes. And Xio was a little bit of a mess (some decisions felt like plot decisions rather than in-character choices - and it all happened way too quickly).

It also felt like their journey was a tad too easy with their godly gifts and tools. I wanted them to face more challenges and figure out how to work together and combine their strengths as a team.

I think, overall, most of my issues were that this felt like a trilogy (or even longer series) that was condensed. The arcs were awesome in theory and a bit awkwardly fast on the page.

But the villains were deliciously villain-y, the world expansion was wonderful, and I loved getting more of our fierce little group of semidioses. The romance is super cute. There will be moments that crush your heart, but the ending and epilogue were very sweet.

Yay for an ending that challenges the status quo!

CW: death (parent/child), blood, violence, torture, fire

i was thrilled to get an ARC of this, one of my most anticipated reads! It did not disappoint. The plotting and pacing were perfect and I'm glad it was a duology rather than a trilogy - more YA duologies please! After the cliffhanger in The Sunbearer Trials, I was excited to see where this one was going to go with action etc and it kept everything going smoothly. Teo and friends are trying to get the stone facing dangers and trials and personal tribulations. But there is still humor and lightness.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends, for the chance to read one of my most anticipated book in 2024!

The sun is gone and now monsters are wreacking havoc on Reino del Sol. Teo refused to sacrifice a semidios during the Sunbearer Trials and now the Obsidians are back and they have kidnapped Teo's friends, Xio's betrayed them and the only way to stop everything is to take back the Sol Stone in Obsidians' hands and restore the Sun in the sky.
Teo, his crush Aurelio and Niya have to face monsters and dangers while travelling to the wilderness of Los Restos, dealing with traumas, blossoming romance and teasing moments. Easy, right?

I was over the moon when I got the chance to read this book! It's one of my most anticipated and it didn't disappoint me! It's filled with banter, romance, traumas and I loved it was told by Teo's and Xio's Povs, while both of them navigated the new world around them, coming to terms with what they know about the Gods and their powers, what lies and what truths and what's the right thing to do for everyone.
I loved having more time to know Xio and their costant battle between what he knows and knew, what the right thing to do for themselves and the others and who they want to be. In this heart-stopping sequel, filled with monsters, new allies and enemies, I really appreciated how the journey is both physical and psychological for everyone, how the characters start to open up and be true to themselves, revealing their fears, dreams and desires and I loved not only the blossoming cute relationship between Teo and Aurelio, but also the lovely and fiercely protective one between Teo and Niya.
Also, I loved how, through the gods, the author depicted not only parents, but being with their complexities and errors, driven by their own visions of the world.
I truly loved this book with all my heart. I laughed, I was moved, I cried a bit and I wanted to hug them all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance Kindle copy of this 9.3.24 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for the second book of this duology. I recently re-listened to The Sunbearer Trials, and loved being able to jump right into this after *that cliffhanger*. So now that Teo has essentially triggered the end of the world when he refused to sacrifice the loser of the trials, he sets out with Niya and Aurelio to fix things. Meanwhile, Xio thought he knew what he was doing when he worked with his real father, an Obsidian, to throw the trials and capture the Golds (minus Niya and Aurelio), but he is discovering that maybe he wasn’t exactly in the right. As Xio and Te both grapple with how to right their wrongs, they grow closer and closer to basically an apocalypse. Teo and Aurelio’s relationship grows, and Niya’s banter remains top-notch. Again, this is like if Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games had an f-bomb laced book baby. Recommended for grades 8+.

Aiden Thomas has done it again!!! This book was SO GOOD! A wonderful conclusion to The Sunbearer duology! This story picks right up from where we left off in The Sunbearer Trials. There are alternating POVs from Xio and Teo.

Niya, Teo, and Aurelio traveling to Los Restos was full of surprises and humor, but also deep moments between the trio. Niya being vulnerable with Teo. Aurelio being very timid, but slowly getting comfortable with them. Teo trying to be a strong leader. This trio was my favorite!!

The chapters with Xio and the other semidioses in Los Restos were so heartbreaking, but also funny with commentary from Auristela and Ocelo. I just wanted to hug them all. Atzi was my favorite! The relationship between the semidioses was complex.

Overall, I loved everything about this book! The writing, plot, and characters were all done so well. Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thanks to netgalley & macmillan children's publishing group for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

i read the sunbearer trials back in february 2023, so over a year ago now. additionally, my brain can't keep any information about a book for more than a month of two. so, basically, i forgot the entire plot of the sunbearer trials and didn't want to reread first.
despite my somewhat foolish decision to read this without refreshing my memory first, i found that most of the character had settled in my memory well enough for me to follow along without too much confusion. characters like aurelio and ocelo were easily recognizable, even with my impaired memory of the first book.
i'd say the sunbearer trials was a slightly better book, but its structure made it so that the pacing was easier to control. celestial monsters struggled in pacing a little, especially towards the beginning. things either jumped too quick or too much time was spent in one place for no apparent reason.
however, this was a good conclusion to the story. each character's arc was wrapped up nicely, and i appreciated the way the author made sure to allow each character to grow. it was refreshing to see genuine changes for the better in some of the characters that were universally hated in the first book.
read this if you enjoyed the first book, like percy jackson, or like lots of combat with gods.

This was probably my most anticipated 2024 release, and I'm so happy I got to read it already! I practically inhaled this, and it was so much fun. Plotwise, this would honestly be a 4 star read, because I did think the story sort of dragged a little and didn't always seem to go anywhere. But I love the characters and the writing so much that it still felt like a 5 star read for me. The writing is so fun, the characters are all so distinct, and I loooved seeing so much more of Xio in this installment.

Celestial Monsters is a satisfying conclusion to the duology that takes the story in several directions I wasn't expecting--about half the narration is from Xio's point of view, and Teo's portion is more of a fantasy road trip instead of the fast-paced competitions of the first book. Aurelio and Teo's developing romance is super cute, and I loved how the story deals with the flaws in the system rather than just trying to revert the world to the status quo.

Aiden Thomas has the perfect YA voice and characters, and I can't wait for his next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Aiden Thomas has truly done it again in this one. I was enthralled the whole way through this book. The surprise of a dual point of view was just the beginning for a thrilling conclusion to the Sunbearer Trials duology. I adore this series for many things: its rich cast of characters, incredibly detailed setting (not just physical, but all aspects of world building), its social commentary, its humor, its romance brewing at the heart. But most of all, I love the way it all comes together, as if the events of this book truly couldn’t have gone any other way, even though you’re on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next through every page. I’m so happy I got to read this book and so sad that it’s now over.