"The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas is a captivating and imaginative fantasy novel that immerses readers in a world of magic, adventure, and trials of strength and character. Thomas' storytelling prowess shines as they craft a tale of courage, discovery, and the power of destiny. The book's richly developed world and well-defined characters create an immersive reading experience that resonates with young adult readers. Thomas skillfully weaves together elements of fantasy and adventure, leading readers through a journey filled with challenges and self-discovery. "The Sunbearer Trials" is an enthralling read that offers a thrilling escape into a realm where magic and bravery intertwine, leaving readers eagerly anticipating each new twist and turn. As the trials unfold, readers are left with a sense of wonder and anticipation for the epic adventures that lie ahead.

I used this book in my college young adult literature course. The students absolutely loved it, and it inspired them to buy more of Aiden Thomas' books. This is a beautiful text and very well-marketed!

As a queer puerto rican and a fan of both this books inspiration and Aiden Thomas himself, this book delivered in every way it possibly could. Aiden Thomas could never disappoint. I saw so much of myself so much in Teo, and I am so nervous for what is to come for him.

Aiden Thomas creates such compelling worlds and characters and draws his audience in so majestically without fail every time.

Aiden Thomas never ceases to amaze me. I hate that I waited so to read this, and I’m very scared and impatient for its sequel. It isn't too often that pitches are true to their word, but this very much was true to its word of being a hunger games meets Percy Jackson story. I truly came to love many of the character and became invested in how they might succeed and feared where they may fail. I need its sequel immediately!

As always, Aiden Thomas writes the most atmospheric books! The final few scenes are burned into my memory even weeks after reading this. I did see the "twist" coming but it didn't make it hurt any less. I can't wait for the sequel!

Another winner by Thomas. This was such a great concept and it was executed so well. I did not see the ending coming and I am really eager to read what comes next.

Oh my gosh. Words cannot adequately describe how much I love this book. Watching Teo become a sideline semidiós into a hero was amazing. It wasn’t instantaneous either. The build up of his confidence grew with every challenge, as did his relationship with the other competitors. The world building was just as natural, taking aspects of Mexican/Latine culture and reforming them into this magical world. The pacing was brilliant, offering high stakes competitions balanced with character building outings in the cities.

Gender and sexual identity are not treated as an “other” aspect of life, but as something accepted and celebrated, especially with a genderless Sol god.

The only thing that took me out was the shoehorning of social media. It was unneeded, especially with the cheesy renames, but it is otherwise an amazing read and I can’t wait for book two.

This book was gifted in a giveaway.

I enjoyed this book! It was such a fun and new read. I will for sure be looking at more from this author! Full review will be written soon.

So glad I finally got to this book! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to this book when I won it and life got in the way. But I am so glad I read it. It definitely deserves the hype. What a unique story thats wonderfully written. A great balance action and adventure in this Mexican inspired fantasy tale that highlights a hunger games like trials. Couldn’t put it down!

Full of vibrant, interesting characters, this story leaps off the pages. The premise of the novel is fresh, new, and unique. It carves its own place out on the shelf amongst other fantasy, mythology retellings and is almost constantly checked out at the library. This book is easy to convince readers to pick-up, you mention Percy Jackson melted with the Hunger Games with a queer, Mexican twist and teens are hooked!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

It’s a very lighthearted and enjoyable read! Although it’s YA, it’s more similar to middle school aged reads like Percy Jackson than I expected.

Aiden’s work is always a joy to read, his characters are well developed and god, the representation. I really wish I had Aiden’s books growing up!

Teo is an unlikely choice to compete in the Sunbearer Trials, a competition to decide the victor and sacrifice to keep the world safe from the Obsidian gods, as he is only a Jade semidios and ranked lower than the Golds who train for this honor. Despite this, the Sun god selects him for the competition, and he must face conflict in the arena and within himself to survive and make sure his friends survive with him.

The Sunbearer Trials brings Teo and his friends through tense battles with gorgeous prose and Mexican-inspired worldbuilding. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Teo to think his way through the artfully crafted tasks made to test to the semidioses. I only wish this book had been able to spend more time developing the characters, both the semidioses and their parents, so the twists and turns would feel a little more grounded. Overall, I loved this book and was surprised many times as the story weaves through plot twists. I can’t wait for the sequel.

The Sunbearer Trials
Aiden Thomas
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5)

spoiler free

summary/plot: The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas tells the story of Teo, a Jade semidiosa who gets picked to compete in the sunbearer trials with Golds. I really liked the pace as it was fast paced but the pace never really changed.

characters: I loved Teo and honestly I loved reading from his pov. I also loved just how the other characters were so different from each other and they each had their own characteristics.

what i liked: The representation in it was awesome, and honestly very normalized within. So that made me happy.

final thoughts: Aiden Thomas will honestly never fail to make me feel so seen and so happy as a trans person. This was truly a great read. I have a slight theory of something that I'm not going to mention cause of spoilers, but it makes me excited for the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Fierce Reads for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

The adventure, the mythology, and the moxie. This book has it all. Thomas does Mexican mythology a favor by creating the Sunbearer Trials and introduces the masses to a beautiful culture. The writing is lush and descriptive, with care and effort given to depict each location. The sounds, the smells, and the sights are all depicted in a way that has you absorbed. The action? Fast paced, not too confusing, and extremely exciting. After the initial figuring out the gods that comes with any mythology, this book is endearing. Trans rep, found family, and a potential enemies to lovers? Sign me up!

The Sunbearer Trials was a creative and beautiful fantasy novel. The background of this book is positive for school environments. This book has an entire cast of strong characters which makes it a must for all school libraries. The story did have some triggers that must be listed before allowing anyone to check it out from a school library, but none that would keep it from being used in a school setting.

The story starts strong by showing us who Tío truly is and the struggles they are currently dealing with. By the time we get into the trials, you will become so invested in all the characters. The author has done a wonderful job keeping the reader intrigued throughout all of the trails and leaves them begging to know what will happen next. This book is a reminder to all that strength comes in many forms.

Aiden Thomas is an auto-buy and this book was no exception. Fantastic characters, interesting world, stunning book.

It took me over a week to read the first 25% of this book because it took some time for me to immerse myself in the world because I struggle a little with fantasy. Then I read the rest of it in under 24 hours because I literally couldn’t put it down.

Honestly, I’m struggling to figure out how to write a little summary of the plot because of my aforementioned reasons, so instead, let me rave about the characters and the vibes of this book. Should that be a reason for 5 stars? Maybe not for some, but for me it absolutely was.

I loved that these are teens who act like teens!! In this fantasy world with all this mythology where they’re demigods and have these massive followings because of who they are and their abilities. Of COURSE some of them will be loud and egotistic and obnoxious. Of COURSE there would be cliques and the ones who underdogs will band together. I’ve watched this happen in enough real-life competitions.

I wanted Teo to win and prove himself! But I also didn’t because of all the plot reasons!

Full disclosure: this plot ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you screaming for the sequel.

Welcome. Join us in this hell. We’re all in this together now.

4.5 stars rounded up!

I enjoyed this book and will read the second for sure. As a big fan of Aiden Thomas (LOVED cemetery boys), I was very excited for this. It did take me a while to read it (I started in September and stopped because I couldn’t get into it. Then started it back up in March) but I think the last half is very engaging.

*important note. The editing of this book was really not great - some many grammatical and continuity errors. But more importantly one of the characters who uses they/them pronouns is constantly misgendered due to editing. Which is frustrating*

I will say this book reads more middle grade, but with lots of cursing. It definitely felt younger - Teo felt very childlike, which isn’t bad (17 year olds are kids!) but I think the writing lends itself to more MG.

The mythology was amazing - I loved all the dios and semidioses and their magic. It was fun to learn about that and super well done. With that being said, the worldbuilding was a little rough imo. I like fantasy worlds that feel 100% new, with nothing that ties the reader to our current world. This had a whole new world but then social media called TicTac, Instagrafia, and TuTube. Like come on. I rolled my eyes every time that came up because it immediately took me out of the story.

I don’t care for the budding love story with Teo and Aurelio - I don’t actually see the appeal between the two of them and which there wasn’t a romantic arc. But maybe I’ll feel different. I loved Niya a lot and want more Marino, Dezi, Xochi, and Atzi.

I loved the trans rep and how this world embraced non-binary and trans experience. I also liked the metaphor for Teo’s wings for his body dysmorphia and ultimate body acceptance (the binder for his wings). I did a read a few reviews from trans readers who questioned some of the pieces of Teo’s experience (top surgery and T before 17) but since that isn’t my lived experience I won’t comment.

Overall, I enjoyed this. There were things I loved but things I really didn’t enjoy. Definitely a decent read if you like Aiden Thomas, Latinx fantasy, and great trans characters.

This was a beautifully done book. I loved how Teo really came to understand themselves. The transformation of his wings was probably my favorite part!

The plot and characters are amazing and I didn’t see the twist coming until it hit me in the face.

I can’t wait to relay the sequel.