Loved the narrator! This was pitched as something similar to Percy Jackson and it was definitely the vibe! The characters were quite interesting and this was a fairly easy read with good pacing that helped make this easy to get into.

This audiobook was so well done. Sometimes there is a culture barrier with audiobooks and the narrator chosen doesn't quite fit the bill. With this book having so much diversity, it was really important to have a narrator that could properly pronounce words and that the protagonist felt real. I adored this story and while I've seen some comparisons to other books, I really do think this story stands apart.

Sunbearer Trials has great LGBTQ character representation and should be added to any collection for teens looking to increase diversity for their fantasy fans.

I had trouble putting this one down! I was telling a colleague that the first scene gave me Aladdin "One Jump Ahead" vibes which I loved and thus the book had me at hello. My only complaint is that I did not know this book was the first in a duology when I picked it up!

I finally got a chance to read this book and the audiobook is a fantastic way to go. André Santana did a wonderful job as narrator. I am a huge Aiden Thomas fan after Cemetery Boys and he just keeps blowing me away with how he deals with diversity and inclusion in his books - the Trans rep alone is worth it but there is so much more. This felt like the Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson but still it held it's own against those kinds of read-a-likes. Fun and exciting and full of intrigue. I cannot wait for the next one and I'm finally glad I got to read this. It came out in September 2022 so run! Place your holds or find your copies! This was just a joy to read. I'd anticipate an announcement for a late 2023 or early 2024 release for the sequel!

Aiden Thomas has done it again. This is a queer masterpiece (not that I would expect anything less at this point!) and will stay with me for a long time.

At the start of each decade, Sol chooses ten semidióses to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner will carry life and light to all the temples, but the loser gets the honour of being sacrificed to Sol to refuel the Sun Stones and protect the world for the next decade. Teo, trans son of the goddess of birds, is an unlikely candidate as a Jade - but when he and the child of the god of bad luck are chosen, their class has an unprecedented total of 2 Jades and 8 Golds. Teo wants to keep his friends out of harm’s way, but only success in the trials can ensure their survival.

This book was a delight, akin to Aiden’s first book, Cemetery Boys. I love the worlds he creates where trans characters not only survive and have basic rights, but are allowed to live openly and thrive.

One of the customs, Gender Confirmation ceremonies, is especially beautiful. The ability to grow up knowing that you can show your community who you are and confirm your gender identity in a celebration is the direction I want to push our society towards!

This fantasy world isn’t without its discrimination, however, with a class system that divides the semidióses into Golds and Jades. The stakes of the Trial are already high enough, but Teo is definitively one of the underdogs. Despite this, he has so much compassion for his fellow competitors, despite the class gap and the dire nature of the Trial’s stakes.

The depiction of Teo binding his wings due to dysphoria regarding their colouring was great representation, and when he uses his wings for the first time since binding them, it was a truly magical moment.

I didn’t realize this wasn’t a standalone, so I’m torn between impatient and excited that there is more to come! The ending snuck up on me.

You’re going to love this Mexican-inspired story, and I’d recommend the audiobook - the narrator is engaging and I loved hearing the Spanish rather than just reading it.

With shades of The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson and featuring a wonderful queer, Latinx protagonist in Teo, The Sunbearer Trials is everything I wanted it to be and more. Thomas continues to improve on his craft and this is easily his best book to date. If you're into audiobooks, I especially enjoyed this one and can't wait to see how this story comes to an end in the sequel.

It's time for the Sunbearer trials, the event everyone has been waiting for. This trial will be like none of the rest and will surely leave you speechless. Thomas captures the intense competition and ruthlessness of trying to prove yourself and doing what is right. Sol is a captivating and flawed protagonist that will have readers hooked. While the plot does primarily follow the trials, Thomas weaves social and cultural themes within the competition. At some moments these slower and heavier plot points disrupt the flow of the overall book. But overall a great fantasy with memorable characters.

A high fantasy with minority and trans representation based on Mexican folklore. It took a long time for me to even really realize it wasn't a historical kind of world. But it is always nice to read Thomas's work- where the trans feelings and reality are blatant and never hinted or implied. They are in your face and loud about the fact the characters are trans, and while there's always some difficulties and small aggressions against Teo, they aren't the POINT of the story. It's just part of the reality. I am not trans, but reading books like this is so important both for trans teens who want to see themselves, but also for others to better understand and see other points of view. In addition, Thomas does a great job writing FOR teens. The writing is mature and skilled, but never overly mature. Adults can have a good time reading, but there is no doubt this is written with teens in mind. Its great to see, and we need more books like this.

I adore Aiden Thomas and will read everything they write. The Sunbearer Trials did not disappoint with its intersection of competition and mythology.

I was hooked from the start and rooting for Teo and Niya. I cannot wait for the next book to see how Teo fares in the trials.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This is one of those books that you wish existed when you were a preteen/teen, but as an adult you are no longer the audience for this.

To be honest if it wasn’t for the use of the swear words this felt more middle grade at best, so this is on the very young side of the YA spectrum.

I am very happy this book exists and I wish teen me could have had the chance to read this for not only the amazing latine representation, mythology, and the lgbtqia+ rep.

I think I'm one of the few who hasn't read the Percy Jackson books. I've seen the movie though, which counts for something. And I've definitely read and watched and loved the Hunger Games.

If you've read reviews, you've probably seen a lot of readers referencing those two series in conjunction with Aiden Thomas' newest, The Sunbearer Trials. They're not wrong. I didn't think I'd get a chance to jump on this novel, but after a fun book gathering with the FierceReads crew and a sneak peek chat from the author... whelp, here I am.

This series has the trials and tribulations of parts of those novels, but it stands on it's own in uniqueness. Every ten years, ten semidioses compete for the honor of Sunbearer. The loser is sacrificied to fuel the Sun Stones to keep the Obsidian gods at bay.

The world building mirrors our present day with a 'gods walk among us' twist. Depending on the color, depends on the almost celebrity status of the semidios. I liked this element and the depth Thomas goes into for the culture, rituals and history of the world he's created without bogging down the plot flow.

The representation is phenomenal. Could you imagine the beauty of having a gender naming day? I loved it! Especially the parts that focus on finding your own identity when you're ready. Which leads me to the characters. Yes, there is magic, gods and dangerous trials, but the characters tie everything together. The modern personal  struggles of family, expectations and self acceptance give each character a role that was grounded in the narrative.

The audio is narrated by André Santana and his voice fits Teo well. I enjoyed the emotion and pacing of the narration as well as the different voices for the other characters. Excellent voice from Macmillan Audio that resonates with this novel.

All of the virtual hugs to Fiercereads and Macmillan.audio for the ability to dive into this gem!! All thoughts are my own!

I absolutely loved this book!
As soon as I finished it I needed the second one. I have so many questions that I need answered! Aiden Thomas writes such amazing characters that draw in the audience and make you feel for them. I loved all of the background characters so much I would literally read a book on each and every one of them!

Another anticipated read ending up being very alright. Not to be dramatic but I waited 2-3 years for this one. I guess because Cemetery Boys was too good but I have to learn to stop comparing authors different books to each other because then I get disappointed.

For starters, this is supposed to be young adult but honestly the way it was written was so middle grade. I love a good middle grade but it was done in such a juvenile way - I can’t explain it. Even Percy Jackson felt more adult? Maybe I’m becoming old or wasn’t in the right mood for it though. I don’t know.

The stakes seemed kinda low despite human sacrifice on the line. I actually kept forgetting that that is looming over the heads of our characters lol. I wanted this to be more intense honestly.
There’s not much world building, it’s a little predictable, and I don’t love the main character too much. It’s also exactly like the Hunger Games so some parts of it felt copied from it.. but maybe I am nitpicking.

That being said, I do want to leave this on a positive note. I did love the Mexican inspired mythology as well as the diversity of gender and queer representation. I haven’t decided if I want to continue the series but I more than likely will. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I still love Aiden Thomas but this book was disappointing for me. It’s creative in a way, but also seems wholly borrowed from the Hunger Games. Of course Aiden put a much needed LGBTQ2S+ spin on it, but it seemed so forced. That may be a product of being YA. I was sad to DNF this one.

Aiden Thomas has such skill with words! I loved Cemetery Boys but was unsure about this one because the world isn't one that would normally appeal to me. But Aiden did such a great job building out the background of their culture and mythology that I fell in love with the characters and the setting in no time. I loved this book!

If you're a fan of YA fantasy competition books, look no further because this one has an interesting life-or-death competition but with the bonus of having lots of LGBT+ and POC representation!

The only reason why this book didn't get a full 5-star rating from me is that sometimes there'd be an intense moment that would then be bogged down with banter, which kinda took me out of the story.

Other than that, I'd really recommend this book! The ending definitely hooked me, and I can't wait to see how this duology ends! The audiobook was also well-done! Usually, I don't like listening to fantasy, but this one was really easy to follow along with!

Rating: 4 stars

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio review copy in exchange for an honest review!

I went into this story blind and not really knowing what it was about, I was just interested in it because of the author.

I really enjoyed the world building and characters. Some of them had good character growth and i found even the “evil” characters likeable. In my opinion Aiden did a fantastic job with this book and all the representation.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a fun book to listen to. A little bit "surface level" but overall decent characters and pacing. The narrator was good as well.