4 ⭐️ I think. This was a really fun time if you like magical competitions you should 100% check this one out. I will not if you don’t like teenage pining or moodiness this book might turn you off. My major complaint would be this is very much not our world but there were many nods to modern things like Instagram (Instagrafia in this world) and the slang was so 2020 street slang that it felt a little disjointed with this fantastical world. But I will celebrate this book because it is so rare to see a female to male transgender protagonist in any books let alone fantasy, and it is the authors lived experience because they are also trans so it was so cool reading about some of the struggles a young trans person goes through filtered through this fantastical lens. If you like Ya fantasy, and want a fun magical competition with a super dark twist…check this one out!!

Note: I was provided and ARC by the publisher for an honest review. 🤗

My rating: 4 of 5 stars—

I think I’ll forever be ~thrilled~ to read anything that Aiden Thomas sees fit to write. They are without a doubt one of the most talented writers in the YA fantasy space. And they write some of the most lovable queer teen characters out there.

If I had to sum up the plot of The Sunbearer Trials—It’s like The Hunger Games, but for the demigod children of Latin America-inspired gods—many of whom are trans and non-binary. In The Hunger Games, the competition serves as entertainment to distract a populace from income inequality and state-perpetrated violence. In The Sunbearer Trials, Thomas’s competitors are chosen by Sol—a god who sacrificed themselves (yup, they’re NB)—to compete for the “honor” of participating in a ritual that maintains the safety and security of their world and the mortals they are tasked with protecting. “Honor” gets air quotes because the loser of the competition gets ritually sacrificed by the winner.

Another similarity to Hunger Games is that not all competitors are on equal footing. The children of the more powerful Gold gods are sent to a special training academy from a young age, where they prepare to one day participate in the trials. Children of the less powerful Jade gods are rarely chosen for the trials, so they go to regular public school and lead pretty simple lives among mortals. When Teo—a Jade boy whose mother is the goddess of birds—is chosen to compete, this puts him at a marked disadvantage.

While the plot may not be particularly original, the Mexican cultural and queer twists certainly are. Thomas brings both their setting and characters to life. The only character who fell flat for me was Niya—Teo’s best friend—who came across as loyal but dumb. The rest of the characters are imbued with rich motives, background stories, and emotional lives. I also sense the beginnings of a few redemption arcs in Book 2—which I *definitely* plan on reading. I’m a sucker for a good redemption arc.

Many thanks to Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aiden Thomas is back with another dazzling story filled with amazing characters and romance unlike any other!!!

The Sunbearer Trials is an incredible young adult fantasy competition story filled with so much heart and definitely deserving of its comparisons to Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games. Aiden Thomas creates such an interesting world here and explores it in a way that is never overbearing or info-dumpy-y. Instead, our understanding develops organically as Teo travels to different cities for the trials. I loved how this was filled with great friendships and parent relationships and budding romance (the scene with the wings had me gushing) - Aiden Thomas absolutely delivers here with the beginning of a childhood best friends to enemies to lovers arc. I love loyal characters with strong moral compasses, so Teo and Aurelio were both personal favorites for me. Niya was also super fun and Xio really sweet. I literally had to pause my audiobook multiple times just to take in how much fun I was having while reading this book. Things were a little goofy at times (some out-of-pocket contemporary references like to furries, BDSM, baking videos) which was not quite to my taste but I think will still work for young audiences. I'm very interested to see what happens in the sequel, particularly with regards to the commentary this book is trying to make on rebellion and inequality. I kind of saw the twist coming at the end, and I'm super intrigued to see how Thomas explores things further in the next book as they seem to be setting up for a quest. Such a fabulous start to a fantasy duology!!!

Beautiful, powerful, imaginative — this modern Latin mythology-meets-Hunger Games story features a heartfelt cast of characters and a daring plot that captured my interest from the first chapter. Full of adventure, empathy, and action, this story is a message for the misfits, an ode to the outcasts, and a reminder to keep reaching for the stars even when the world tries to convince you to keep your feet on the ground.

Finally got around to reading this book and wow it was amazing! I need the sequel like today plz?! I love how diverse our characters are and how vunerable the main character was too! So many more thoughts coming soon once I gather them more clearly! 5/5 STARS!

The Sunbearer Trials is the first in Aiden Thomas’ new duology and packs quite the punch. What initially felt like a rehashed version of The Hunger Games only with Latinx demigods ended up evolving into something much more unique. Full of representation and Latino culture, Thomas heroes are both beautiful and beautifully flawed. Themes of staying true to oneself, friendship, and young love make this a series for everyone.

I absolutely cannot wait for the second half of this unique duology to be released.

Highly recommended for middle schoolers (6-8th grade) as the language and violence is a bit coarse for younger grades.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aiden Thomas and Feiwel and Friends for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I don’t think Aiden Thomas misses when they write. This was fantastic! It was so good that I pre-ordered both the special edition copy and the original. I’ve recommended it multiple times. The world, the characters, the plot- all of it was stellar! I can’t wait for more!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Aiden Thomas’ debut, Cemetery Boys, and while their follow-up, Lost in the Never Woods, didn’t appeal to me as much, I was eager to give them another try with The Sunbearer Trials. The concept is so much fun, and delivered on the promise of being “The Lightning Thief meets The Hunger Games,” a Mexican-inspired mythological world and a queer central pairing.

The world building is quite interesting. The story basically revolves around a competition between semidioses (demigods) for the title of Sunbearer, who will be the most powerful of them all. Gold semidioses are typically chosen to compete, but as the story begins, Teo is one of two Jade semidioses chosen.

Teo takes on the challenge somewhat reluctantly, but he has a knack toward leadership and makes for a great warrior and champion throughout.

I also appreciate how gender identity was incorporated into the narrative. As both a trans boy and the son of the goddess of birds, I appreciated the rendering of his complex relationship with having wings that resembled a female bird’s allowed for a nuanced, compassionate exploration of the concept of dysphoria.

While the competition is the driving force of the narrative, I love that there’s still room for friendships and other interpersonal relationships. Niya is his best friend and fellow Jade, and I love how she’s buff and strong (similar to Luisa from Encanto). Xio, son of the god of bad luck, also is part of their crew, and I loved seeing the three of them together. Teo also develops a bit of romance with Aurelio, and I love that it has a slow building enemies to lovers arc.

I really enjoyed this, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the next book! If you’re a fan of multicultural YA fantasy, I recommend checking this out!

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

Aiden Thomas has quickly become a must-read author for me and I was so excited to see that they were writing a duology! Not only is the cover for THE SUNBEARER TRIALS absolutely gorgeous, but the story is so so good. This story is full of Mexican mythology and is a modern-ish setting where every decade, 10 teenagers that are semidióses compete in the Trials - one is declared the Sunbearer, and another is sacrificed in order to keep their world safe from the Obsidian gods that want to enslave humanity. But in this world, some gods are ranked higher than others creating a hierarchy to their semidiós children and causing friction between the group chosen for the Trials when two Jade semidióses are chosen to compete alongside Gold semidióses.

The characters are full of life, the Trial challenges are interesting, and that twist... OMG. I really enjoyed how diverse the cast of characters is and how each teenager was unique and had their own personality and backstory, even if we only got things from Teo's point of view. There is great LGBTQIA+ representation and I appreciated that while there are hints at romantic feelings within the group of teens, that this novel is more about friendships and chosen family than having the plot center around a romance. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out because I NEED to know what happens next!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!*

I've been a big fan Aiden Thomas and their work since Cemetery Boys came out years ago, and when I heard about The Sunbearer Trials I was so excited. Well he's once again written a book I will be rereading for ages! The characters have fun/different personalities, powers, and goals and seeing them all compete and interact with each other was amazing. The world building was fantastic and really made you want to just jump into the story to see everything for yourself. The ending was perfect to get readers excited for the next book with some very interesting twists that I'm curious to see addressed in the next part of the series. It was very well written and had a fantastic plot that the characters and world made even better with my only complaints being that everything that happened in the timed trails for the amount of time they supposedly had seemed a bit off (it was hard to imagine the whole mountain climbing trial only took 10 minutes) and one character Ocelo who I thought used specifically They/Them pronouns (The art and information about the character on the author's social medias outside the book suggests this) was referred to as 'he' a few times and the same happened with the sun gods character Sol. I did try to reach out to the author and an editor for the book about this but unfortunately didn't receive a reply. However if both characters actually use He/They pronouns (or multiple pronouns in general) and not just They/Them pronouns then obviously nevermind on that particular subject.

Overall I loved it, it's my new favorite book that I recommend to all my friends and as many customers as I can at my bookstore!

I had a lot of fun reading this book! It had Aiden Thomas's trademark charm and banter, with a world that was super colorful and interesting. I love how Teo grows into his power and his confidence, and I can see this story being really important to a lot of teens that will encounter it. I am excited to see more work like this from Aiden, because I really loved it. The only thing I didn't like were the pop culture references to things like tiktoks, because they kind of pulled me out of the world that had been created, but it wasn't a big enough issue to make me not like this book - I will definitely be recommending it to others!

I’d been waiting for this book forever. (Or at least it seems like forever.) I loved Aiden Thomas’s two previous books and would eagerly read their grocery list. I was concerned this one might not be for me because I typically don’t love fantasy or books with a ton of characters but I should have known better because of course Aiden deftly handled the characters with grace and heart and humor. There were so many lovely details that made the characters and the story so real and I only cried twice which is way less than I cried reading Cemetery Boys. Now I’m done reading and back to waiting for the second book in the series.

The Sunbearer Trials was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so when I saw I'd been given an ARC from NetGalley, I was beyond ecstatic. Cemetery Boys is such an amazing book, so I was super excited to see what Aiden Thomas would do with this incredible sounding concept. While I do think I would've liked this even more if I hadn't read it while forcing myself through a reading slump, I did really enjoy it!

The world building was, without a doubt, my favorite part of this book. Being dubbed as Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games, I was so interested to see what kind of world the book would take place in, and I was not disappointed. In a way, the Sunbearer Trials was a mix of mythology, trials/competition, and superheroes. While I was not expecting this, I was very happy to discover that direction, because I love all of those tropes and themes so much.

Each place the characters visited was vividly described, and the mythology was fleshed out well, too. It was explained simply enough that it was easy to follow along and never get lost, but it still had complexities that made learning more about the world fascinating.

Additionally, the main character is a Jade, while most of the others competing in the trials are Golds. There was a clear division between the two, even though both are considered dióses and semidióses. I liked how Teo was determined to stand up for himself and others like him, despite all of the mockery and discrimination he faced. Even so, he realized that making a name for himself and proving the public wrong is less important than protecting those he cares for. This development was done really well, and I enjoyed watching his thought process grow throughout the story.

Also, can I just say how much I loved how unapologetically queer this book was? Pretty much everyone was queer, from the good guys, the bad guys, and everyone in between. I LOVED it! Having a trans main character in a fantasy novel was so incredible and so important. Being trans is a huge part of Teo and his journey, but it's certainly not all of it. Aiden Thomas did a fantastic job of balancing everything, and I really hope we get to see more queer representation like this in the future.

While I found several of the supporting characters unlikeable (they were supposed to be though!), there were several that I was still attached to, and even those I didn't like as much, I still enjoyed watching their journey. I am kind of bummed that my favorite character turned out to be evil, but you know, IT'S FINE. It's fine....

Speaking of which though. That twist at the end! I did not see it coming. I knew something wonky was going on, but that was not at all what I was expecting. My jaw dropped. I was also under the impression that this was a standalone, but be aware because it is not! It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, which I wouldn't have minded so much if I hadn't thought it was going to wrap everything up. Even still, I am so excited for the next book, and I cannot wait to see what Teo gets up to.

There was a romance subplot in the Sunbearer Trials, but it certainly wasn't the main focus of the book, and I liked that. The relationship between Teo and Aurelio was slow building, but it had a bit of that friends to enemies to lovers vibes which I am totally here for. I can't wait to see how they're developed in the next one!

Overall, I really did enjoy my time with the Sunbearer Trials, and I am already so looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this one! It was Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games but queer and with Mexican mythology. It was so much fun, I loved all the characters, they had me laughing out loud. I also loved the urban fantasy aspect, the world building and the diverse representation. I’m really looking forward to the next book!

Right, this was pitched as “queer Percy Jackson” and that’s all I needed to know to become obsessed with it. My obsession was huge, monumental, even. But once I read it, the obsession became so so much bigger. Because wow.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be “WOW”.

Everything is so well done: the world-building, the characters, the mythological aspect, the relationships: EVERYTHING IS PERFECT.

Teo… what to say, what not to say: I hope you take me seriously when I tell you that Teo is one of my absolute FAVORITE characters that I’ve EVER read. I love Yads and Julian (Cemetery Boys), Neil and [redacted] (The Feeling of Falling in Love) Nick and Jay (Self-Made Boys), but Teo captured my heart in a way that I can’t describe. One of the main things he struggled with were his wings: they were kept bound under his clothes but when they finally broke free, they fit who Teo is. And I think that is one of my Top 5 moments in the ENTIRE book.

I also adore Xio to a fault. That kid can do NO wrong in my eyes. I love him to pieces and he’s literally Nico di Angelo, if Nico were trans. And, of course, there’s Aurelio, the firestarter (That fits him pretty well *wink wink*). There is so much to say about him, but I’ll shorten it down to a couple of sentences: he’s doing his best with what he’s got and you don’t see that til you’re about halfway in the book. The guy is loyal and will never shy away from doing what’s right. All in all, I loved him and I CANNOT WAIT to see more from him in the next book.

Overall, The Sunbearer Trials was a book about the trails themselves. They were the main part of the story and genuinely were in the limelight the whole time. I was always beyond excited to see what was happening next and how twists would be added. It added a lot to the suspense and the story itself when different characters were moved up and down in the rankings! The most thrilling part was, you never knew what was going to happen next.

Beyond that, Aiden Thomas really did the most for world building. Each trial was held in a different city and each city was described and built so well, I could picture it. (My favorite part was getting to see the alebrije sanctuary!!) The different gods were also so diverse: some non-binary, others genderqueer, some gay, some straight and others on a different part of the spectrum.

All in all, this book was SO well written, each character was just perfectly suited to be themselves and I just loved every moment of this book.

Also, Aiden, I need the second book ASAP, please. I’m dying over here.

I don't think Aiden Thomas is for me. I adore him as a person but his books and I don't get along. The sunbearer trials is a great book with wonderful and accurate queer representation. While I can tell that it's a great book, I was never able to really connect with this story or the characters in depth. There are many people I would recommend this book to but sadly it wasn't for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am so excited to have had the opportunity to read and review "The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas! I've been looking forward to reading one of their novels for quite some time but hadn't been able to get a copy. It took me a while to get into the narrative and to adjust to the characters. They're young and it reads as very young and modern. This was a fun twist, but I'm used to reading high fantasy without the modern technology, so there was a bit of an adjustment. However, as I became familiar with the world, its mythology, and the characters, I was enraptured with the beautiful descriptions and engaging families and power systems. I found myself wanting to pick up the novel during any free moment. I'll be using this book during a First Chapter Friday lesson with my 7th graders. I think many of the students will relate to the main character and also his culture.

I always tell people that I don't really like fantasy, but the truth is, apparently, it has to be diverse fantasy for me to absolutely love it. This book was absolutely perfect. It's like a better Hunger Games, and I am desperately hoping it's a series now.

Aiden Thomas has an amazing way of bringing hispanic culture, and stories, into our world and hearts. I absolutely loved this book and was so fascinated from start to finish. I wouldn’t say it’s Hunger Games likes because we’ll throughout history sacrifice trials have always been a thing. Also only one child was meant to die, not all children but one, like in The Hunger Games. However I get the Percy Jackson vibes. I look forward to reading the second book and more this amazing author comes up with!