I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

André Santana narrates the audiobook and he is a wonderful narrator. He narrates the duology and does such a wonderful job with the books! He brings the characters to life with different voices and accents where appropriate and makes this already great series even better!

This picks up right where The Sunbearer Trials leaves off, so it doesn't read as a standalone. It has been about 2 years since I read The Sunbearer Trials, but I was quickly able to reengage in the storyline and remember what was going on after the Trials ended in such unexpected chaos. This follows our Sunbearer Teo as he sets out to bring back the sun and set the world back to rights in the aftermath of the trials. He isn't alone as Niya and Aurelio are with him bestowed with gifts from the gods/goddesses to help them on their quest to rescue the other semideoses and defeat the evil that was unleased. We also get chapters from Xio's perspective as he (later in the book Xio transitions to they pronouns) spends time with the Obsidians and learns about his/their heritage and powers. Xio has to face the decision they made in book 1 and decide which side they want to take and what kind of person they really want to be and who their friends and family really are.

As with the first book this was action packed, has some good humor, has great world building, and deals with social issues under the guise of myth and fantasy. I loved the mythology and lore elements of the series. This book doesn't have as much character as the first book did, as the development is mainly focused on Xio's character in this installment. Xio deals with alot of feelings in this book, and we get to see them go through quite the journey. Teo, Niya, and Aurelio have more of a physical journey, but theirs is not with out emotion either. I don't want to spoil anything but this was wonderful.

I loved this series so much! It deals with so many great topics while being entertaining with such a rich and vivid setting. Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to take part in this wonderful journey with these amazing characters!

Celestial Monsters was a Macmillan Audio pick and I was so excited to start it after the pretty wild cliffhanger that ends The Sunbearer Trials! Immediately we’re back to the action with Teo, Aurelio, and Niya responsible for ending the apocalypse with a little help from the gods in the form of an Odyssian collection of goods!

While a good portion of this book is spent on a journey, none of it felt extraneous or boring, it all moved the story along. Each stop along the way taught the trio more about the world they were trying to save and had them questioning if the status quo needed changing.

I enjoyed having the second POV of Xio and being able to get into their mind after the events of book one. I especially loved their conversation with the other semidioses that had them questioning their motives and possible outcomes. It was a wonderful example of enemies earnestly communicating and actually listening and hearing each other—I wish the real world would do this more often.

The blooming romance between Teo and Aurelio built naturally and sweetly over the course of their adventure, and Niya’s surprise romance at the end had my jaw dropping! Even Xio seemed to have made a connection of their own, even if it might be just as friends, but one can hope!

In the end, this was another solid four stars for me, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes underdogs saving the world!

What a beautiful and epic conclusion, to what is now one of my favorite duologies.

Getting Xio's POV was everything, as I am a huge Xio apologist. This kid went through so much, and had a heart wrenching redemption arc.

Teo will forever have my heart. He is the embodiment of everything I want to instill in my own children.

This book had me laughing out loud, gasping, growling and weeping. It provided some incredible lessons, and powerful ways of viewing the world, your friend, your family and yourself.

This series is incredible, and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

The audio narrator was phenomenal!!

Celestial Monsters was better than the first book!! I really enjoyed being in this world and seeing the changes coming to light that were necessary to move forward. The characters were also much better this time around — I think I had some issues with them feeling younger in the first book (though obviously I’m not the target audience). I liked having another POV in this one as it felt natural. I also thought the writing was better this time too!

The one portion I wasn’t the biggest fan of was the romance. It felt a bit underdeveloped. I just didn’t know what Teo saw in the love interest as they just fell flat to me.

But that being said, if you liked The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson, this series is for you! It really came through strong and needs much more hype!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Celestial Monsters was a great follow up to The Sunbearer Trials. It picks up right where we left of in the last book and jumps right into the action. There was a little bit in the middle of the book where I got a little bored for a while, but it picked back up pretty quickly. Overall a great book!

The audio was really well done as well, definitely would recommend this format!

Celestial Monsters

I absolutely ADORED this conclusion to The Sunbearer Trials duology. This is everything I love about YA. The emotions, the adorkable romance, the jokes and irreverence, the role of teens to save the world. It was so well done and I loved followed the journey.

The representation in this duology is absolutely incredible. So many different ways to see love of all kinds, open acceptance and people being and loving who they are. I also appreciated the non-verbal representation.

Picking up where The Sunbearer Trials leaves off, we follow two POVs: Teo and Xio as they respectively take sides in the impending apocalypse. A delightful return of the characters we loved in book one plus some new personalities sprinkled throughout.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
✨ YA fantasy duology
✨ Queer love in many forms
✨ Mexican culture and Spanish language throughout

I alternated between the ARC and ALC. The narration was fabulously done. I loved the accents and pronunciations which truly added to the experience of the duology!

Celestial Monsters is on shelves September 3, 2024! My opinions are my own.

I love love loved this. It was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the depiction of friendship and found family. A great sequel and end to a great story.

When I finished book 1 last year I immediately looked into the book 2 release date and cried. The year wait wasn’t the only time I cried, though the wait was worth it.

Teo navigating saving the world and having a crush was absolutely perfect. I also really want to highlight that this is a world where transness is embraced. When an antagonist is revealed to be non-binary everyone corrects to using They/Them pronouns while smack talking.
Aurelio Trying to navigate without his sister broke my dang heart and was a huge reason for a lot of my tears. Also his mommy issues hurt me by proxy.
Mia, this girl is the love of my life and also baby. If anyone is mean to her they can meet me at Chili’s.
I sobbed like the last hour of this audiobook but it was so good.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aiden Thomas; Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) and provide my honest opinion/review.

Oh gosh I really wanted to be able to get into this series but I think I missed my time. It has strong Percy Jackson vibes (but make it trans) which in absolutely amazing but a touch too middle grade for my current reading tastes. I've seen plenty of other adults loving this duology though so I'm sure it's personal preference. The narrator does a fantastic job of portraying the urgency and angst the characters are experiencing so I'm sure this will be a hit for others.

I may be late to the Sunbearer Trials party but that only means I’m lucky enough to be early to the Celestial Monsters party! (thanks MacMillan Audio the ALC!)

I absolutely cannot get over how good this duology is! I DEVOURED The Sunbearer Trials then immediately RAN to request the Celestial Monsters ARC. I got approved for the audiobook and completely DEVOURED that one as well.

Aiden Thomas has created such a rich, immersive, fantastical world with an incredible cast of characters. It was so much fun getting to know all the different dioses & semidioses that are inspired by Mexican folklore. I can’t remember the last time I read a fantasy series that captured my attention so completely. I mean, I was so immersed in the story I forgot to take notes for this review oopsies 😅

Another thing I love about these books is how queer normative they are. There’s a vast range of queer rep and it’s all done so well. There’s mention of gender confirmation ceremonies and a character even changes their pronouns partway through the book which is simply accepted as a matter-of-fact from other characters.

Celestial Monsters is a fun, laugh-out-loud-funny sequel that isn’t afraid to pull at your heart strings.

AIDEN- I'M COMING FOR YOU AFTER WHAT YOU DID!

Okay but 6 starts out of 5.

First off, thanks Macmillan Audio and Fierce Reads for the ARC and ALC. The advanced copies do not impact my review in any way.

Celestial Monsters was my most anticipated release of the year, and it did not disappoint! If anything, it exceeded every expectation I had. The sequel to The Sunbearer Trials was an emotional rollercoaster that had me laughing out loud, sitting on the edge of my seat, and yes, even crying! I keep joking that I'll be coming after the author for the choices he made in this book, but honestly, I'm just so moved by how he wrote this book.

This series has always been close to my heart, and the representation means the world to me. I mean, Aiden made me cry with the candy alone, but the world is so vibrant and filled of life that it makes me feel incredibly seen and proud to be Mexican-American. Seeing characters who reflect my identity and experiences in such a vivid, tender, and powerful story is something I'll always cherish. Celestial Monsters captures the magic once again, while diving even deeper into the characters and world.

Niya, as always, had me laughing so hard that I had to force myself to stop and not wake my neighbors as I devoured the book into the late hours of the night. The humor, heart. and portrayals of joy and heartbreak made this story so special.

I'm still not over everything but that just means I have endless energy to tell everyone to read it! A huge shoutout also goes to the narrator, who did a fantastic job of making me crack up and shiver with all the celestials' voices. So what are you waiting for? GO READ IT!

4.5 stars rounded up

Review: I have loved this duology so much. I think this was the perfect ending. I loved how everything came together and how the characters grew and the story evolved. Absolutely loved it

Synopsis: Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and now chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiose during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, Aurelio and Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Once more racing against the clock, the trio are determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone. With it, Sol and their protective light can return and order can be restored.

Now the future of the whole world is in their hands.

In a Nutshell: An interesting continuation and finale to the Sunbearer duology. This works better than the first one in plot, writing, character development, and action, but is a bit repetitive. YA in approach (which it should be as a YA Fantasy, but I don’t enjoy YA much.) Not a standalone.

Note: This review contains minor spoilers from Book One: The Sunbearer Trials.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4961573277
https://roshreviews.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-sunbearer-trials-aiden-thomas.html

Plot Preview:
This book continues immediately after the finale of the first book.
Now that the Obsidian gods are free of their prison and intent on taking back what they think was rightfully theirs, there is chaos all over Reino de Sol. Add in the complication that Sol is still not in power, thanks to Teo’s refusal of sacrificing a fellow semidiose during the Sunbearer Trials. As their world is in darkness, Teo, Aurelio, and Niya band up to retrieve the Sol stone from the Obsidians, get Sol to light up again, and in the interim, save the world from the celestial monsters of the dark. If they don’t succeed in their quest, they face an apocalypse, so they have neither much time nor much choice.
The book comes to us in the third-person perspectives of Teo and Xio.

Bookish Yays:
💐 It was great to see the narration split between Teo and Xio this time around. Xio was a crucial character in this sequel, and his perspective added not just variety but also complexity.
💐 Teo has improved from his days as a Sunbearer Trial contestant. He isn't your typical YA hero: he’s neither the strongest nor the fastest, he wants sleep even in between a dangerous quest, he complains about food,… All of this make him seem realistic. His habit of whining, though much reduced in intensity in this sequel, adds to the authentic teen portrayal.
💐 Aurelio and Niya are strong support systems. Niya is still as obnoxiously cute as in the first book. Aurelio is more silent and withdrawn without his sister. I love how the hidden chinks in his Gold armour are more visible now. The friendship dynamics are strong, and there is also some fun banter across the trio.
💐 Fabulous inclusivity, not surprising considering the author. There are queer and trans characters, and some of them also us the they/them pronouns. Loved the rep!
💐 The various mythological elements, especially the magical creatures, are thrilling to read. They are rooted in Mexican mythology, though I am not sure if any of them were conjured just for this book.
💐 The story highlights the manipulation of history by the "victors" – much appreciated! A subtle message but thought-provoking nonetheless.
💐 The world-building is much better this time. It still uses the combination of mythological elements and modern materialistic things from our world such as GPS and social media. It’s a weird mash but it works for the book.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌹 Just like the first book, this sequel is also reminiscent of The Hunger Games. Many scenes will remind you of Katniss and her group’s journey back to the Capitol in a bit to destroy Coriolanus Snow. But just because the content is similar doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t fun. That said, THG has three books in the core series while this stopped as a duology. So it feels quite rushed in places.
🌹 The book begins with a tiny infodump, but this is somewhat helpful as a recap. There are again too many characters at the start, but going with the flow helps.
🌹 This book is not as predictable as ‘The Sunbearer Trials’, but it is somewhat repetitive in structure. There are no major surprises. The adventurous quest comprises moving from town to town, meeting some locals, and fighting some magical beasts. After a while, you start feeling the déjà vu, even when the action is enjoyable and the magical beings are outstanding.
🌹 The character development isn’t much this time. It rests on the shoulders of the earlier book. Only Xio gets more depth but not necessarily a convincing one. I found it hard to accept that he was just thirteen. Some character turnarounds are too abrupt to be believable.
🌹 There is an interesting mix of secondary characters: some admirable, some annoying. Teo’s birds don’t pop in as often as in the first book, but they are still a joy to read. I wish his mother Quetzal had also had an extended appearance.
🌹 The epilogue is much too long, at least on audio. But it does offer a conclusion to all the key arcs.
🌹 As a YA book, it does suffer from the usual flaws of YA fiction, the worse of it being excessive physical descriptions and the feelings/stirrings nonsense. It helped that I was better prepared for it this time around. Can’t count this as a Nay because the book IS a YA novel. It’s not the book’s fault that I’m not a YA or that I am not a fan of this genre.

Bookish Nays:
🌵 As is typical in a YA book, most of the adults are either idiots or missing in action, even when they are dioses. It is only the teens who can save the planet from doom. *eye roll.*
🌵 Loads of frivolous cussing.


🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 36 min, is yet again narrated by André Santana. He does a wonderful job of bringing the young cast to life, giving each of them a distinct personality and voicing the lines with perfect (YA) emotion. I’m sure I enjoyed this journey more because of his exuberant performance. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook as a great way of experiencing this book. However, if you are an audio newbie, you might be confused by the huge cast.

All in all, this is an entertaining conclusion to the series, offering a great finish to the events that started in the first part of the series. I am not a huge YA fan, and picked this up only because the first book was decent enough (for a YA novel 🤭) and I was curious to know how Teo and his friends resolved the issue. My curiosity has been sated quite well, though the first book kept me slightly more hooked with its twisty plot.
The story is complete in every way, so I don’t see any potential for a continuation. But the world is already created, and the characters are varied in culture and personality, so who knows? Maybe someone will shuffle things up in the new utopia in future, and Teo and his gang will need to get into ‘We-will-save-everyone’ mode again.
Definitely recommended to YA Fantasy fans who have read the first book of this duology. This book cannot work as a standalone.

3.75 stars. (3.5 stars as an adult, 4 stars as a YA. Averaged.)

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC of “Celestial Monsters” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

Celestial Monsters immediately continued where The Sunbearer Trials left off, so the tension at the beginning was already high. unfortunately, i didn't find this as appealing as TST.

there's 2 POV, Teo and Xio. while it's full-on adventure in Teo's POV, there wasn't really much happening in Xio's POV aside from their internal turmoil. no action from Obsidian gods, IDK what they're doing in that temple for days. and despite the title "Celestial Monsters", the monsters themselves didn't get proper spotlight IMO. Just another obstacle for Teo and friends.

with more Teo & Aurelio's interactions, Niya's moody temperaments, the lack of other Demigods action, overall the plot was underwhelming. at least the ending was decent and heartwarming.

extra points for the inclusivity, just like TST. even though I found it bizzare how whoever can hate and threaten anyone but the right pronouns should be used at any time despite of the bubbling hatred.

oh also I love the narrator! made the story even more exciting.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of this narrator (I really tried!), so I'm DNFing at 20%, but I'll be sure to check out a physical copy or ebook from the library, because I've enjoyed the story so far, and loved the first book in the series.

Aiden Thomas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

I did not read The Sunbearer Trails before reading Celestial Monsters but the synopsis at the beginning of the book gave me enough information that I did not feel lost. FYI, I picked up The Sunbearer after finishing Celestial Monsters, and OMG!

The world-building in this story, the mythology, the conflict, the finding of one's self, the romance... UGH! Chef's Kiss!! I love how Aiden can write about the personal struggles of the LGBTQ community in such a pure way. Those internal conflicts in the characters' storylines pull at my heartstrings the most.

I wish this wasn't the end of this world. The characters introduced are interesting enough to have spinoffs.

I had the pleasure of receiving an audio ARC of this title and it did not disappoint. The narrator André Santana did an awesome job of translating emotion, and character individuality, and the snarky humorous parts were mentally visible!

I loved it!!

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, and Aiden Thomas for the advanced audio copy of this book and the ability to freely give my honest opinion.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this duology so much!!! It was just so fun and adventurous and FUNNY! I laughed so much. This book picks up right after The Sunbearer Trials with Teo, Aurelio, and Niya figuring out what their next steps are.

The story is action packed! And it’s truly filled with so much love! You can tell Thomas absolutely cares and loves this story and these characters deeply, and it shows in every moment of this book.

The ending was absolutely beautiful 😭♥️

The narration was awesome, and it kept me so engaged to the story. So many different voices for so many characters! So much talent went into this production.

CW: death of parent, violence, blood, torture, fire/fire injury, ableism, injury/injury detail

I think i've largely grown out of YA, so it's a testament to how good this book is that I loved every second of it. Teo is a fierce, delightful protagonist, and I loved the new POV; I felt it added a lot to the book and the story as a whole. Fantastic. Also a magnificent ending!!!

rep: queer cast, queer trans man POV character, queer nonbinary POV character, queer and trans side characters, all Latine cast

spice: none

tw: death of a parent

when I said aiden thomas never misses, I MEANT it. This duology finale is brilliant, hilarious, unexpected, and overwhelmingly lovely. I can't recommend it enough.

This finale to the Sunbearer Trials was great. I definitely didn't expect the ending to go the way it did. I wish we would have gotten a little more knowledge on Phantasma. And that there would have been a few more monsters. Overall, I loved the folklore that was in it. I loved the characters. The magic system was great. Both books were great. Would definitely recommend them.