This was a nice sequel and end to the story!

I thought that this was a middle grade book, but there was random swearing all over this book so maybe it's supposed to be young adult? If so, it definitely skews a bit younger YA in the plot and character development than I remember from book 1.

I really liked the quest/journey arc but also being able to see the golds in their captivity. The dual timelines was very helpful to keep me engaged and interested in everything that was coming together.

I had a good time, but wouldn't rave about it necessarily.

3.5 stars rounded up

Rating: 4 for diverse, queer normative fantasy duology

My Thoughts:
As a pushback to the 4+ fantasy series trend, more authors, especially divers fantasy authors are leaning into the duology. I am so here for that. I feel like as a long time YA fantasy reader, the second book in a duology is more crave worthy because I know that the story will come to an end at book 2. It makes the anticipation between book 1 and 2 even more luscious. I remember the characters more when I just need to wait a year and then say goodbye. If it is a longer series, I sometimes will wait until the final one comes out before going to book 2.

But back to this particular book. Teo, our Jade semidiose hero, his sassy best friend and Gold semidiose strong girl Niya, as well as huge crush and hottie Aurelio must literally save the world from darkness and monsters brought on by Teo's act of humanity and compassion.

As they work together to try and save the other gold semidioses being held captive by the Obsidians, we readers are also hopeful that Xio will remember the love and friendship shown to them by their family and new friends Teo and Niya.

Besides seeing the more humane side of the captured gold semidioses, this second book also gets into the social justice aspect of the role of the gods, the adults in charge, to actually break a system that is wrong. The gods must learn from their own children that they have the power to change an unjust system. Teo also calls them out on the idea of what protecting humans versus just lording over them actually means.

Finally, this is a queer normative series. What that means is that we do not have to talk about it. It just is. Enjoy the story as a story full of drama, fighting, romance, sacrifice and love.

From the Publisher:
Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light. With it, order can be restored.

The future of the whole world is in their hands.

Publication Information:
Author: Aiden Thomas
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (September 3, 2024)
Print length: 415 pages

I loved reading the ending to this duology. The queer characters going through the final trials and trying to outsmart the obsidians was so well written and amazing to read.

The final book in this duology and it absolutely delivered.

I really loved The Sunbearer Trials and with the ending it had, I couldn’t wait to read Celestial Monsters to see how things would go.

And go it did. This book starts off like a rocket, picking up right where the first one left off. It was so great to get even more character development and the personalities of the heroes. Aiden Thomas must have the world’s most detailed character board with red string weaving everyone together. It’s masterful.

A great ending for a wonderful story!

Ahhhh! This is another series that I will never shut up about! I am so grateful that I got to read this one early.

The world building and character development is spectacular and the amount of story that is packed into these two books is astonishing. ♾️⭐️

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s and NetGally for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Good wrap up to the duology, but I enjoyed book 1 better. I am definitely a character-driven reader and this one just didn't have the character development I yearn for. If you like a more action focused adventure you may really enjoy this conclusion.

One of the best duology and I devoured this uppppp!!!! If I have to recommend a duology to read, it would be this one!

Celestial Monsters ties off 'The Sunbearer Trials' duology with a heartfelt and memorable cast of characters that I can see becoming a mainstay of YA fiction. Aiden Thomas's skill in creating characters who can balance the need for levity in a dark, potentially apocalyptic situation is commendable. Also, the romance is incredibly cute.

This was a very good follow up to the first book. I was wondering how this book would be after the competition nature of the first book. Thomas kept the traveling aspect, but reduced the party by a lot, allowing us to focus more on Niya, Theo, and Aurelio and their relationships with each other. I will say though, this time the traveling got a bit repetitive. The focus on the characters helped, but there wasn't enough happening to warrant another travel story. It does pick up a lot towards the end, incorporating more aspects of Mexican culture. This book also includes Xio's perspective and I did enjoy seeing them struggle with their decisions and wonder if they made the right choice. The morality of the dioses being so prevalent in the world comes into play and leads to a very interesting finale. Overall, a wonderful follow-up to one of my favorite books.

I love this world and concept and the messages included. I missed the competition aspect from the first book but they had so many action sequences following their path that it gave it a similar tone. This is not an easy feat when following up the competition type books. Teo and Xio coming into their own and unlearning some of the things from their past and status quo. And Tea and Aurelio's lil romance is just so sweet and shy. I loved all these characters.

Also this may have just been my mood or the fact I primarily listened to the second half but YA-esque dialogue grated on me a bit. It reminded me a lot of TJ Klune’s The Extraordinaries dialogue which felt out of place in this fantasy realm. I can't recall feeling this way about the first book so it could have just been my own timing.

A great follow-up to the first title, though the ending was a bit cliched and anti-climactic. Readers who enjoyed the first book will enjoy the second, though the ending might leave them grasping for more. The redemption arcs were truly lovely and it was nice to see forgiveness and trust portrayed as something complicated. Definitely a first tier recommendation as a series, despite the first book being stronger than the second.

Aiden Thomas is a spectacular author who writes the most spectacular stories. Celestial Monsters is absolutely one of those stories! What an excellent conclusion to one of my NOW top favorite duologies! It was incredibly funny, full of adventure, and wonderfully diverse and complex characters.

So so so so good, and an excellent conclusion to the Sunbearer duology! I appreciated that the story started right where the first book left off, jumping straight into the mess and confusion and action! I also appreciate that Thomas works hard to make sure all of the characters shine, no matter how small their role in the story is.

Teo, Niya, and Aurelio make for a great trauma-filled adventure team, each working through their own problems while dealing with the whole apocalypse thing. I also enjoyed having a second POV, which I thought added a lot to the story.

This duology just brings me joy. Loved!

Thanks to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the e-ARC!

I love this duology. It's so well written, adventurous and funny. But also serious and full of community. I'll miss these characters.

Thank you for NetGalley for an e-Arc for this book.

I am astonished how this story continued after the first. I would highly recommend to read the first one as it’s a two book series. If you never experienced the writing of Aiden Thomas and this is your first time reading their work — please let this series begin your journey. As a Latinx and Trans reader, I couldn’t be my proud of a series of books that’s enriched with mythology, culture and wisdom of the world within the story.

(I got an ARC of this through NetGalley, but it’s out now.) This is the sequel to The Sunbearer Trials, and it picks up right where Sunbearer left off! Teo, Aurelio, and Niya have to work together to fight the Obsidians and bring back Sol. I loved learning more about the mythology and history of their world in this book, and loved the subtle political commentary about being ruled by gods / living “off the grid” and the power imbalances. And as always, I loved the diverse representation in the characters. This is definitely YA, so I had an idea where the plot was going, but still really enjoyed the ride.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the e-arc!
I have been waiting for this conclusion with bated breath ever since finishing book one! I adore Thomas's works and have read most of their books. The first book in this series was such an excellent addition weaving together fantasy, magic, and hope to create such a wonderful genuine story of self-discovery and emotion. Avoiding all spoilers, this was such a well-done conclusion, and I ended up devouring this book in one weekend. The action picks right back up with our beloved cast of characters and I am lowkey sad the series had to finish!

This duology is so special. It easily made it into by favorites list and I have started hand selling whenever I have the chance.

i feel like i'm getting too old for ya so i didn't enjoy this as much as i thought i would. regardless it was really fun and i will keep recommending it to people