I absolutely adored "The Sunbearer Trials" and thought it added a refreshing touch to the subgenre of mythology based books. Unfortunately, I had a time getting into "Celestial Monsters". The pacing of the book felt off for me. The book is split in two perspectives/subplots: Xio gets his own pov and the trio Teo, Aurellio, and Niya go on a quest. I actually thought Xio's pov was the strongest and compelling of the two while the trio's quest seemed repetitive to me - go to a new town/area, meet the town's monsters and battle them.

I was hoping for more character development, but it seemed like all of the big epiphanies that the characters had were told in the narrative instead of shown and the plot became convoluted. There were times that I wished this series was split into three books instead of stuffed in two. Despite these issues, I adored the characters and enjoyed the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an early review copy of the book.

The book is the second one in the Sunbearer Duology. Teo's world is plunged into perpetual darkness following the release of the Obsidian gods from their ancient prison. Teo's refusal to sacrifice a fellow semidios during the Sunbearer Trials has triggered catastrophic events.
The story centers on Teo, who, along with his crush Aurelio and best friend Niya, embarks on a quest to battle monstrous creatures and cope with personal guilt and trauma. The trio's ultimate goal is to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, vital to restoring the sun and the protective light for order in their world.

The novel picks up immediately where Book One left off. The story continues to excel in its world-building and well-developed characters. You will feel the struggle for Teo, who is grappling with the heavy burden of his decisions and their consequences. His growth from a reluctant hero to a determined leader is inspiring and a journey of sacrifice and redemption. Aurelio and Niya support the storyline. Their vulnerabilities and the emotional depth of their relationships add a compelling layer to the story, making the reader invested in their journey not just for the sake of the world but for the characters themselves. The narrative is fast-paced, humorous, and action-filled, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. It's a must-read for fans of epic adventures and richly crafted worlds. Teo and his friends are worth rooting for.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. The audio narration fills the story with drama and a voice that takes you on an exciting ride.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This series is truly everything I love about YA fantasy. It’s just so much FUN. I genuinely love Aiden’s story telling style and how he crafts his worlds and characters. It’s always so immersive and I’m always sad to leave.

This book picks right where Sunbearer Trials left off. Which I LOVED. This has some truly edge of your seat action & fight scenes, and scenes that made my heart absolutely soar. And the ending was so incredibly satisfying it made me SOB.

I will yap about and recommend this duology for the rest of my days.

The audio narration was particularly well done! I was so impressed.

It’s possible this is my favorite duology.

We are back exactly where we left off in the first books and dealing with the aftermath of the decisions made in that book (no spoilies) but it has adventure, romance, drama and so much heart.

There were a few parts that dragged a hair but it is just really great and the characters are so fun to be with.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

I love these characters so much. I will say it again but this is if Percy Jackson was written in 2024 and super gay. What’s better than that???

The plot of book one is pretty hard to beat and I think that hurt my rating of this one. This picks up right where the first left off and then follows both Teo and Xio as they navigate the aftermath. There is a great sense of adventure and I loved the shared pov but it felt a little simple. However, the ending again had a great twist. I can’t wait to see how book three, if there is one, will continue the story.

I will forever root for Aiden Thomas!

This was a terrific ending to this wonderful duology. I really enjoyed the quest that Teo, Aurelio and Niya went on. This book was adventurous and packed with action. Andre Santana did a great job with the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced copy! You can pick up Celestial Monsters on September 3, 2024.

I absolutely loved this conclusion to The Sunbearer Duology. Aiden Thomas did a phenomenal job creating beautiful character arcs for our main cast and weaving in heart-pounding action amid important character development scenes. The monsters were grotesque but vividly described, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the new POV introduced in this book. As much as I love being in Teo's head, it was refreshing to view the world of Reino del Sol through another lens that's been impacted by such vastly different experiences.

The slowburn romance between Teo and Aurelio was also SO incredibly sweet, and I loved every single interaction between them! But this book was about much more than just romantic love – Thomas also focused on the importance of friendship and the complicated love that exists within families. Every relationship just felt so achingly relatable, and it made the ending that much more emotional (yes, I did cry at my desk at work).

And, of course, it's beautiful and refreshing to see a queer-normative fantasy world full of people from diverse backgrounds (including disability rep!). I can't wait to see more books embrace this, and I'll be picking up the rest of Thomas's book expeditiously!

10/10, will always recommend.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this great book. This is the conclusion of The Sunbearer Trials Duology. I was looking forward to this book since I loved the first one so much; however, this book dragged in places so it wasn’t as enjoyable (plot-wise) as the first one for me. Yet, each character’s growth and development was evident in this book as well and it was a great conclusion to the series. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mythology and fantasy fiction.

Celestial Monsters is a great finale to The Sunbearer Trials. We follow Teo and his friends as they aim to restore Sol and rescue their friends. I liked the way that Shio had a redemption arc. This was a fun, quick read that will be satisfying to readers.

Celestial Monsters picks up exactly where The Sunbearer Trials left off and it’s a wild ride from the start! The world building in this series was already so lush, but it was expanded upon in this second book and I loved it. The plot did drag a little in the middle, but I am not too upset about that because the characters made up for it. I love Teo and Aurelio so much! Niya kind of annoyed me at times, but I also get that they’re also teenagers and are supposed to be annoying. The writing was also so so so good. It was so lush and descriptive without being purple. I just love this series so much and I was so thankful I got to listen to an advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley for an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think if you loved the first book, you’ll also love this one. It’s still engaging, fast paced, with high stakes and memorable characters.

Xio must grapple with their choices and the results of them. Teo, Aurelio, and Niya are on a quest to help stop the Obsidians, and they face many obstacles along the way. Teo and Aurelio are just the cutest. I love them and their burgeoning relationship. The end is bittersweet and triumphant, and I think well done for the duology.

My few nitpicks are that I really didn’t like most of the female characters. Niya and Aristella are insufferable. The male characters are so well done, it was just disappointing there wasn’t a balance.
Also this is very much a YA book. Parts could veer into after-school-special.

The audiobook narration is great, and the same narrator does both books. If you love YA books with great characters, amazing representation, and lots of action, I would recommend this duology.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

9/10 I enjoyed this a ton! It wasn't quite as breathtaking as the first book but still completely satisfying.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟♾️ audiobook ARC
Achillean fantasy romance
Trans 🏳️‍⚧️🇲🇽 main character & author

This book was actual perfection, this ending was amazing, the story was always entertaining! Something happening in every chapter! The romance between everyone in the group had my heart so freaken happy, cheesing and kicking my feet! The Mexican representation always coming through! Woven in throughout the story so beautifully 🥹🇲🇽 from all of the mentions of food to every.single. Mazapan scenes 😩🤭 the sweetestttt!!! There was so much culture! The way every community lived and worked with each other was incredible! I loved that the author also included the azabache bracelet which is from his Cuban 🇨🇺culture! It wouldn’t be an Aiden Thomas book if he didn’t make me bawl my eyes out with the ending 😭 I was a mess but it absolutely made sense and just worked! That doesn’t mean I’m not sad 🥲 BUT it’s also so funny! The characters are all so witty and Niya is hilarious and I love her so much 😂😭 she also had me crying!! I also absolutely need to mention all of the queer representation and inclusion with this whole world! It’s my absolute favorite 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🤩 if you can pls listen to the audiobooks! They make the reading experience 1000x better! The narrator does an amazing job and making you feel like you’re watching this as a movie or tv show! It’s amazingggg! I want this duology to get picked up for a movie/tv deal! I love the idea of seeing queer Latinx representation on screen 😩😍 also kinda see this being animated similar to Arcane 👀 like I would lose my shiiiit!

I really like Aiden Thomas books and I couldn’t wait for this sequel. I loved the first instalment in the series and wanted to know how the story continue. I wasn’t disappointed. However, the narrator made it more magical, which I adore it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
I absolutely loved The Sunbearer Trials and was so excited to receive this arc and let me tell you I was NOT disappointed!
I loved that in Celestial monsters we got to experience parts of the story from Xio point of view. I absolutely love so many of the characters in this book but i especially love Teo, Niya, Xio and Aurelio. Teo’s connection to birds is absolutely beautiful and I love that it plays a roll continuously throughout the story.
After the Sunbearer trials ended and the ending broke my heart, Celestial monsters took me on an emotional rollercoaster but by the end put the pieces back together.
This duology is so well written and full of adventure, found family, trans and lgbtq representation, back stabbing, and redemption. Absolutely one of my favorite duologies of all time.

*I received an ALC from Netgalley*

I read The Sunbearer Trials in October 2022, only a month after it was first released, and absolutely fell in love with the world, the writing, the characters, EVERYTHING. If you’ve read it, you know how that ending was painful knowing there wasn’t an official date for Celestial Monsters. Well, I’m so god damn HAPPY THAT WAD WORTH THE YEAR AND A HALF WAIT MY GOD!!!

Aiden Thomas strikes again with lovable characters, nail biting plot twists, and making you sob over fictional characters. If that’s what he wished for when they started to publish books, well YOU MADE IT.

I will forever love this duology and will continuously shove it down anyone’s throat who wants a YA fantasy with a trans MC, trans side characters, an achillean romance, a world with gods and children of gods, disability rep, and an overall amazing world.

This one is a better improvement over the first one. My biggest issue with the first one was that while reading it I couldn’t tell if the author meant for this book series to be middle grade or YA, and this one found its footing by leaning full into YA territory. I do enjoy how this one felt more flushed out story wise and wasn’t afraid to go into some darker themes. I had a fun time with this one.

I just finished the first book in this series and was SO excited to be approved for the audiobook for this! (Thank you NetGalley!) Celestial Monsters picks up right where the Sunbearer Trials leaves off. Teo, Niya, and Aurelio are off to save the other Semidioses and save the world from the Apocolypse. To do this they must confront the Obsidian gods, get the sunstone, and distract them long enough for reinforcements to come.

I thought this was a fantastic finish to the Sunbearer duology. The world building continues to be beautifully done and so rich in culture.
The trio struggle in many ways on the way to Los Restos. There is the obvious way; they are three kids trying to navigate the dark and dangerous world with ancient celestial Monsters that have been released from the stars. But more than that, Teo continues to question the status quo and they begin to learn so many more imperfections that exist in their god-run world. The trio also begin to find a better sense of their own worth and what should really be important to them. New in this book is a second perspective. Where the first had only Teo telling the story, in Celestial Monsters you have some chapters from Xio's point of view and what has been going through their mind. Honestly, the personal growth from all 4 of the focus characters in this book is just so well done.

While I do have a hard copy of the first book in this series and do plan on purchasing Celestial Monsters, I am glad that I listened to the audiobooks. If you do not have knowledge of the spanish language then listening to the pronunciations of the words gives the book that much more depth.

The Sunbearer Trials was such a fun trials-based fantasy and I was curious how the sequel would go without that structure. Now I think I loved Celestial Monsters even more than the first book. The chapters jump between Teo and Xio's POVs so that the reader could keep up with everyone. I loved being part of both the cross-country journey Teo, Aurelio, and Niya embark on as well as Xio's internal struggle now that the Obsidians have been released. As with the first book, the themes of gender, sexuality, and inclusiveness are given priority and handled so lovingly. I highly recommend this duology!

The audiobook narrator was excellent and I will absolutely be on the lookout for more of his work.

4.5 ⭐️

Ahhh, this duology!! I loved every minute in this world. I adore the folklore (absolutely gripped). Teo and his crew did not disappoint. No time was lost between books 1 and 2. We picked up with the traitor’s POV overlapping the last bit of book 1, and we’re off running. This book aims to fix the apocalypse triggered by book 1. Friends go on a quest together to save the world – you may insert your fav version of that plot line here for interest. Teo and his friends show their bravery, endurance, love (so many different kinds of love too), empathy and compassion throughout this story.

André Santana returns to narrate book 2 for us. Just as in book 1, phenomenal. I absolutely loved their performance and would recommend these audiobooks any chance I get.

I would LOVE to see a movie adaptation of this. Can you imagine a big screen version of the Obsidians and their wickedly evil creatures!? Yes please.

Self discovery and identity is absolutely the driving force behind this story – I do think Thomas could have taken this story a bit further at times. This is a very enjoyable, well written YA read. Comedic relief keeps things light and, while I loved it, I do think some emotional depth is missed as a result.

Thank you NetGalley, Aiden Thomas, and Macmillan Audio for this amazing audiobook ARC.