In a Mexican-inspired fantasy of dioses, semidioses and humans, the Sunbearer Trials are used to facilitate the continued imprisonment of the evil Obsidian dioses. Ten teenaged semidioses compete to be the winner of the trials and named Sunbearer — and the loser ends up as the sacrifice that fuels the protective Sun Stones. This year’s competition is special though, it’s not just the trained Gold heroes being selected for the trials. Sol has a different plan and it involves a couple of Jades that are just as shocked as everyone else at being selected.

I enjoyed the underdog angle to this story which follows Teo, a Jade, as he deals with being thrust into a role that he never, ever expected. Not only is he a teenager who still is struggling with his true identity, voice and self esteem but he has past relationships affected by his social status as a Jade to figure out too — all while competing in trials he has no training for. I did struggle with the pacing of the novel. I felt each trial had Teo cycling through the same emotions and challenges with no substantial advancement of the story line. It’s not until the last trial when any action takes place. But when it does come, it is entertaining and engaging and leaves you ready for the second book. 3 stars.

Review based on an eARC provided by Fierce Reads and NetGalley. Thank you!

Aiden Thomas has officially become an automatic buy for me.

Pitched as Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson with Mexican folklore and LGBTQ characters?! I was already in love with it on the premise alone. The first book in the duology, The Sunbearer Trials does an incredible job at inviting you into this world, its characters, and the rules without confusing its reader. It's obvious what kind of story Thomas is telling here.

Teo is our protagonist, a Jade in a world where Golds are considered the heroes. I loved following this story through his eyes, watching his character grow and regress and change. The side characters are rich and lively. Niya is the Luisa from Encanto character we want! I love her.

Despite the plot being heavy, with ten semidioses between thirteen to eighteen to compete in trials in which the "loser" will be sacrificed, Aiden Thomas manages to add humor, friendship, and genuine sweet moments without shifting the tone too drastically. There's so much heart here, so much love. You can tell this was an important story for Thomas to tell. The lore and the cultural significance felt so rich. The action bits were tense. I enjoyed reading how Teo was putting things together, and how he was planning to get himself out of situations that seemed impossible. Some bits were predictable but it didn't take away from the joy I had when reading this.

I was so impressed with the amount of rep in this. I don't want to give too much away but if you've ever read a book and thought: I wonder if there are any trans characters in this world, or gay, or nonbinary they/them- you do NOT have to worry about that with Aiden Thomas' stories. They also don't shy away from making LGBTQ characters bad people- which is an odd thing to praise but I appreciated it so much. Aiden isn't adding representing to just add it. They're creating characters and sometimes characters are bad and they happen to also be queer. That's what we want from books. Real LGBTQ characters, not perfect minds just sprinkled in the background to check off a box. There are also deaf characters with depictions of sign language.

Aiden Thomas has really put their mark on the book community. I loved Cemetry Boys so much. The Sunbearer Trials are no different. Their descriptive, funny writing will always be a hit for me. As long as Aiden keeps writing, I'll keep reading. So excited for the next one!

Thank you, NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends, for the chance to read one of my most anticipated read in 2022 in exchange of an honest review.

TW: violence, burning, discrimination, bullying, emotional and physical abuse

Every ten years, the Sun's powers myst be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the monsters and chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. So each decade ten semidioses are chosen to compete in the Sunbearer Trials and as the winner carries light to all the temples of Reino del Sol, the loser has the greatest honor: to be sacrificed to Sol, their body melted down to fuel the Sun Stones and protecting the world.
Teo is a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, Quetzal and he's not worried for himself, since Jades are never selected to be part of the trials, but for his best friend Niya. Unexpicably, though, something unexpected happens and two Jades are chosen to compete: Xio, the thirteen son of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck and Teo himself. Thrust in a world highly competitive, forced to compete with Golds who trained all their lives for this opportunity, Teo has to rely on his friends and his wit to survive and protect his loved ones. To complicate everything, another competitor is Teo's ex best friend and now famous semidios, Aurelio, who ditched him when he started the Academy reserved only to Golds and while feelings and dangers are all around them, Teo, Niya and Xio start an alliance, trying to protect each other.

Set in a lush and immersive Mexican inspired fantasy world, The sunbearer trials is the first book of a brilliant duology created by the AMAZING Aiden Thomas.
Writing that I loved The sunbearer trials could not possible cover how much this book meant and means for me. I'm not surprised, since I LOVED everything written by Aiden Thomas, but Percy Jackson meets The hunger games in a story deeply original, mixing mythology, trials, challenges, alliances, love and friendships? This book is absolutely magnificent.

The world created by Aiden Thomas is totally immersive and brilliant, a world where gods and mortals can live together, where people can control fire, water, earth, where they can fly and so much more.
Teo is the main character, very relatable, hilarious and sarcastic, impossible not to love and the reader is able to follow him while he's thrust into an unknown world, dangerous, competitive, where he can only rely on his friends and wit to survive.
The cast is rich and diverse, with a great queer representation, and also race, age, disabilities, sexual orientations and gender one. Dezi is deaf and many are able to sign in this book, Teo and Xio are trans (with Xio trying to figure out himself as how he wants to identify), Niya has two dads and they live in a world where being discriminated for their sexual orientations, gender and disabilities don't exist.

The characterization, as always, is incredible. Not only Teo is a great main character, but also the side ones are skillfully crafted and written and the reader is able to understand their motives, their desires, fears, bonds as, slowly, a group of competitors become a group of friends and allies, while facing unknown dangers inside and outside the trials.
Niya, Teo's best friend, is hilarious, boisterous, showing her love for Teo, their strong friendship and bond, while Xio, right away, becomes the boy they need to protect, the littlest in their group and Aurelio, Teo's ex best friend becomes an unknown variant, while Teo, and the reader with him, tries to understand his motives, goals and as they slowly try to get back to what they were before they grew apart...and maybe something more. I can't wait to know how their bond will grow in the next book.

In The Sunbearer trials is right away clear the separation between Golds and Jades and their respective offsprings, creating inequalities, discriminations and bullying between the teenagers, showing how, in the public eye and in the whole tradition Golds are considered Heroes and respected, while Jades are underestimated and cast away.
As Jade, Teo lived his whole life in Quetzal, loved by his Diosa mother, talking to bird, being chased by his temple priest, Huemac, having Niya as only friend and suffering the separation and injustices in his being who he is. He can't be an Hero, he can't study in the Academy, he doesn't have the knowledge, power and strength in fighting in the trials, but during the whole book, Teo start to rely on himself, his wit and inside power, his brain and plans, his friends, while growing up and casting aside his prejudices and misconceptions surrounding both Golds and Jades and learning to know the person underneath the titles.
It was incredible and moving reading about Teo's growth in this book, how he starts to accept himself fully, from his wings, to his powers and wit, loving his friends with fierceness, learning to know people while discarding his previous prejudices, giving them another chance to be in his life, while, also, fighting to save himself and his loved ones in dangerous trials, with secrets and lies around them.

I loved so many things in this book. The cast is rich and diverse, the writing style is so immersive I felt I was there with them, feeling their emotions, fears, desires, doubts and everything in between, I loved how mythology is mixed with challenges, growing up, standing up for themselves and fighting for loved ones and the right thing.
I loved how love was so present in this book, from family love, friends love, siblings and romantic one and how, in the end, competitors became friends and allies.

The Sunbearer Trials is a brilliant start of a new fantasy duology and it's perfect. I loved everything and everyone in this book, I felt so involved in the story it'll be very difficult getting back to the real life. I'm so curious to know what will happen next and I can't wait to hug my physical copy of The sunbearer trials. Is September yet???

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint! From the very first page, this book grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the very end. The world-building was amazing and the characters were all super well-developed and unique. I also really enjoyed the lgbt+ representation and the diversity of the characters that was present throughout this book. This story was action-packed and somewhat resembled The Hunger Games, while also managing to be completely unique and exciting! There was also a big twist at the end that I definitely didn’t see coming but really enjoyed! I don’t know how I’m going to wait until the next book, but I’m so excited to see what happens next! I definitely recommend picking this book up when it comes out in September!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Y'all, I simply cannot explain to you how much I love this book! Not only could I hardly put it down, but once I finished it, I had to immediately read through it again to look more closely at all of the amazing details! Each character is so fun and loveable, but especially Teo of course.

The only thing I wish is that I hadn't read it so early, because now I am going to be hyping up this book that isn't even out for several months. But such is the price I pay. I can't wait for everyone to read this book!

The Sunbearer Trials is the first book in a new duology by Aiden Thomas. Based on Mexican mythology, this story follows 17 year-old Teo, a semidios of Quetzel - the goddess of birds. Every decade the Sunbearer Trials occur in which ten semidoises are chosen to compete for glory. The winner will be the Sunbearer, a Hero chosen by Sol to reignite the Sun Stones to ward off the evil Obsidians. The loser, the sacrifice that will keep the Sun Stones lit.

Only the Golds are ever chosen to compete in the Trials, children of the more powerful and influential Gods. But this year, Sol chooses two Jades, one of which being Teo. Literally fighting for his life, this novel is Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games, where Teo will have to overcome his fears if he wants to survive.

The Sunbearer Trials was an easy five star read for me. It brought something unique to the world of YA Fantasy. Thomas crafts a masterful world rich in mythology that allows the story to prosper.

This novel is also an important piece of fiction as it contains representation for all kinds of underrepresented groups. It was enlightening to read about a world where you could be who you wanted to be and love who you wanted.

The story was gripping, following Teo and the other chosen semidioses through their five trials. It was engaging with rarely a slow moment and I never once found myself getting bored. I actually couldn't put this book down.

I'd recommend the Sunbearer Trials to anyone who wants a story rich in mythology where the stakes are deadly . Pitching a story as Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games is a high bar to pass but this story catapults past that and exceeds any expectation.

The Sunbearer Trials occur every ten years and are necessary to preserve peace throughout Reino Del Sol. Ten semdióses, children of the gods, are chosen by the sun god, Sol, for the opportunity to compete in a series of five trials. The winner becomes the Sun Bearer, and travels across Reino del Sol, refueling the Sun Stones which protect them from the malicious Obsidian gods. The loser, however, has the honor of being sacrificed in order to power the stones, as Sol once sacrificed themself.

Teo is a trans, 17-year-old semdiós. He lives a relatively peaceful life in Quetzlan with his mother, Jade goddess Quetzal—the goddess of birds. When it comes time for the Sunbearer Trials to take place, his main worry is for his friend Niya, a Gold semdiósa and daughter of Tierra, the earth god. After all, the chances of a Jade being selected by Sol to compete in the Trials are so slim they are nearly nonexistent—everyone knows the Golds are far more powerful, and Jades are seldom chosen. Henceforth, everyone is shocked when Sol defies the odds and selects not one, but two Jade semdióses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. Teo and Xio, son of Mala Suerte, must now compete alongside eight Gold opponents, all having spent their lives training at the Academy for their chance to compete. He's also less than excited to spend the next ten days around Aurelio, another of the semdióses chosen by Sol, who had been his childhood friend before suddenly cutting off all ties with Teo. Not to mention the other Gold competitors, who view the two Jades as default losers and easy prey. In order to defy the odds and survive the Sunbearer Trials, Teo must work alongside his friends to stay out of the bottom of the rankings and avoid becoming the sun god’s sacrificial lamb.

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Aiden Thomas has defied odds, himself, by writing a book just as incredible as—if not somehow better than—Cemetery Boys. Their debut novel was automatically a favorite, and The Sunbearer Trials cements their place as one of the best current YA authors. There was hardly a crumb left of this book to criticize.

That being said, I do have many positive thoughts to share. Here are some things I took note of:

Content-wise, The Sunbearer Trials is truly phenomenal. I found the story very entertaining and enthralling. The action scenes always had me on the edge of my seat, adrenaline pumping, heart beating fast. It was extremely easy to become immersed in the story, especially because Thomas’s writing is so wonderfully descriptive and vivid that it truly pulls the reader in. I also enjoyed how unpredictable the plot was; full of surprises, twists, and turns. I’m always amazed at the level of thought and creativity that must go into writing a novel, but Aiden Thomas has left me in utter confusion with this one—confusion as to how he could possibly be such a creative mastermind.

One significant aspect of this book is the diversity of the characters. I was pleased to observe that even the unlikeable characters were diverse in identity. It may be easy to overlook the importance of an antagonistic and unlikable character with they/them pronouns, but normalizing queerness and queer identities means recognizing that even annoying, rude, antagonistic people are queer—because every type of person can be queer. We are allowed to suck too, okay?

Furthermore on the representation: there’s a lot of it. There are numerous trans and queer characters, as well as a deaf character and frequent depiction of sign language. Multiple aspects of being trans are discussed in the book, such as periods, binders, and dysphoria. And being queer and trans are completely normalized in Reino Del Sol—which, duh, their creator uses they/them pronouns. It’s definitely refreshing to read such a diverse YA fantasy novel that completely normalizes queerness.

Another thing to appreciate is the complexity of the characters. It was refreshing to have my views and understanding of certain characters challenged throughout the book as the story unfolded. I have often seen YA authors make their side characters and antagonists excruciatingly one-dimensional. I liked that they had reasons behind their actions, that it wasn’t as simple as them having cruel personalities. The complexity in character motivations and backgrounds made for a much more entertaining read.

Elaborating on my earlier mention of Aiden Thomas being skilled in vivid descriptions: their descriptions of the cities and scenery throughout the book were highly impressive. In the novel, each god has its own city, which aligns with that god’s purpose. Thomas, in his beautiful and evocative descriptions, references many intriguing aspects that reflected this concept. There are many small and inventive details included about the cities’ infrastructures that distinguish them from each other and provide a clear impression of each location for the reader.

While The Sunbearer Trials definitely had its intense moments, it was also very humorous and light-hearted. Teo is a very comical and relatable character; there were numerous moments where I felt embarrassingly seen, such as the many times Teo struggled with being highly unathletic. The only difference is that I have never been selected to compete in the reverse Hunger Games and therefore am not depending on my athleticism to carry me through a life-or-death situation.

The romantic subplot was not as much of a focus in this book compared to Cemetery Boys. As it is only the first book in the duology, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of it in the next book. However, there were still a few soft, emotional moments that were so endearing I was nearly melting into a puddle. Of course, I would have been a fool to believe that I could survive an Aiden Thomas book without getting emotional.

Overall, The Sunbearer Trials is a phenomenal work of fiction that will be on my mind for months to come. I greatly enjoyed reading the book and highly recommend it to any reader interested in a highly enjoyable queer fantasy novel.