This was a solid conclusion to book 1. I enjoyed being back with the characters and despite the high stakes they still had some silly times. Interested to see what the author does next!

What a fantastic conclusion to the Sunbearer Duology! It picked up right where we left off, and was ham packed with action.

I especially loved that no matter how angry or untrusting a person one they always respected pronoun preferences.

The story is really about second chances, proving to oneself and others that despite what you are born into your choices are what make you.

The narrator as in book 1 did a great job with both POVs. I appreciate chapter numbers being read as well.

I adored The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas but, like many readers, wasn’t remotely prepared for the cliffhanger ending! Let me assure you, the sequel, “Celestial Monsters” does NOT disappoint! Teo, Aurelio and Niya must fight the titular obsidian-released monsters while they strive to retrieve the Sol Stone and find and free the captured semidioses. Meanwhile, young Xio learns that freeing the obsidians does not necessarily mean all his dreams of belonging will come true. All the semidioses, regardless of parentage or the way they were raised and trained, will need to rethink how they fit together, and who they want to be in the future. (Plus, I’m sure you all want to know whether Teo and Aurelio get together!) In addition to the wonderful worldbuilding, adventures, and character development I absolutely adore the way Thomas has created a universe where gender identity and sexuality are accepted without question. (Hopefully the real world can be that way too, someday.) This book is perfect for fans of YA, fantasy, adventure, mythology, Mezo-American culture, and ADHD- and LGBTQ-inclusive spaces. Andre Santana did an outstanding job on the audiobook, too. Pub date: Sept 3, 2024. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ARC.

The perfect end to The Sunbearer Trials. Celestial Monsters ties up the stories of Xio and Teo, their friends and enemies, with a perfect bow of excitement and fun. As with all of his stories, Aiden Thomas balances the comedy with the tragedy, the goofy personalities with the serious topics in a perfect way to keep you engaged and sitting on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Wow, this book was a great end to the duology!! It has such a loveable cast, excellent representation, and a really satisfying end to the series. I already can't wait to read it again, it was such a wild ride!

🌈Queer rep: queernormative world - SO many queer characters. Queer trans male main character, trans/nonbinary side characters, bi/pan female side characters, secondary FF and MM relationships, secondary trans girl character. And probably a lot more!!

Celestial Monsters was quite simply the perfect conclusion to the Sunbearer Trials duology. It was everything I wanted — great character development, high stakes challenges, superb world building, and redemption. I also really appreciated the continued exploration of body dysmorphia, gender identification, and self discovery. This story is well paced with plenty of action to keep you fully invested. Alternatively, though, Thomas intersperses plenty of emotionally gripping scenes that balance well with action. Additionally, I felt that Thomas handled the feelings of guilt and grief well. They were depicted in a realistic manner. I also simply adore how Thomas sets a scene. The world building was one of my favorite elements from the first book, and I’m thrilled to share that carried over in this book as well. I also can’t resist mentioning the epilogue. It was easily one of my favorite scene from the story. I read this via audiobook and can’t recommend it enough. Santana is an absolute master and nailed the narration. I honestly couldn’t imaging anyone else narrating this series with how well Santana did. After reading this duology, Santana has become one of my favorite narrators.

Well, I shouldn't have read this book first! I'm sure it's a thrill to people who love this series. Unfortunately, that isn't me!

After the shocking events at the end of the previous novel, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next in this duology.

This story picks up immediately after the other leaves off. The sun is gone and Obsidian gods are out of prison (think power hungry gods running amuck) all because Teo rightly refused to sacrifice a fellow competitor in the Sunbearer trials. Now Teo, Aurelio, and Niya are on a danger-filled quest to right the wrongs, find their friends, and restore sunlight. While on this journey I enjoyed learning more about their expanded world, other communities, and people.

Teo has come so far as a character. As a Jade, he’s felt inferior to the Golds for much of his life, but his confidence soars, and he’s more comfortable in his skin in this sequel. His connection to birds (he can communicate with them) may not sound like a very useful ability, but you’d be mistaken to underestimate its importance. I appreciated the addition of Xio’s POV. They’re experiencing all sorts of conflicting emotions and manipulations and questions what’s right. Both Teo and Xio’s character arcs are wonderful.

Niya is still very protective of Teo, and her humor continues to provide moments of levity amidst a sea of tension and high stakes. Their friendship is beautifully written and one of my favorite things about this duology. The budding romance between Teo and Aurelio is sweet and authentic, and I liked the way the author leaves their story.

I listened to the audiobook and narrator André Santana is fantastic. Celestial Monsters is a worthy sequel and leaves the reader with a feeling of hope for these characters and their world. Recommended for fans of strong friendship bonds, quest stories, and mythology.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved the Sunbearer Trials and was not expecting Celestial Monsters to live up to it, but I was so pleasantly surprised!

We get two POVs, more world building, deeper understanding of the characters we met in book one, and even more action.
I am not typically one who can follow the action of battles in books, but Aiden Thomas has a way of writing that truly helps me visually the words. It's so cinematic and would love to see this on screen!

Thank you MacMillan Children's Books and Net Galley for the ARC of this audiobook.

5 stars

This was easily my most anticipated read of this year, and it did not disappoint. Celestial Monsters picks up right where The Sunbearer Trials left off, so we definitely hit the ground running from the start. The world that Aiden Thomas has crafted in this duology is so immersive and beautifully well done. The story is gripping, with plenty of action and emotion. Something new in this book is the dual POV. I really enjoyed getting an inside look into Xio's character. It adds so much to the story. I absolutely love the queer acceptance in this universe. It's something that makes my own queer heart so happy to experience. This story addresses, again, the pressures of parental expectations and the toll it can take, which I think can be so relatable and feel so real, especially to the target audience. This story also addresses feelings of guilt, mostly Teo and Xio, but also Aurelio. I felt that was handled very well and in a very real way. Even with all the drama and action, there is still plenty of humor on this journey. I mean, Niya is involved, so that's obvious. This book has so much, but in the absolute best way. It grabs your attention and keeps it. And, of course, the audio was fantastic! André Santana is easily one of my favorite narrators, and he hit it out of the park with this one. All in all, this was an amazing reading experience and an even better listening experience. I highly recommend that everyone check this out when it's released. It's so worth the read.

A really solid end to this duology! I LOVED The Sunbearer Trials, and while the sequel had me in less of a chokehold it's still very good. Celestial Monsters picks up right after the events of book 1 and follows Teo and crew on a quest to save the world. Along the way they fight mythological creatures, get distracted by romance, and see things in new ways. This is such a cool world integrating elements of different Latin American cultures and mythologies, which only continues to grow in book 2. And we have a casually queer and trans main character, which is handled in cool ways as well!

If you liked book 1, you should definitely check this out. The audio narration is good and works for it being YA. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

ugh i loved this audiobook so much. the characters, the plot, the writing style, the narrators, literally loved every single second of it.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook.

I read The Sunbearer Trials over a year ago and really loved it! I had thought about rereading it before diving into Celestial Monsters but realistically I just didn't have time. I was mildly confused in the beginning of this book and did have to go back and read some reviews to remind myself what happens at the end of book 1 since Celestial Monsters really dives in right where book 1 ended.

I love this world and the characters - the diversity of the characters in particular is something that just really adds to my enjoyment. A great example is that there are a couple of scenes where a character is trying out different pronouns and says so in the middle of a verbal argument with another character - and that other characters says "oh okay" and then just seamlessly switches to the new pronouns even while still mad at the other person. All of the side characters are really well fleshed out too.

I thought the use of dual POV here was really cool - it's not often that you see the "villains" point of view and I could see how Xio struggled with their decisions.

I did eye read the first book in the series which I do think helped me a little bit however I did LOVE the narration in book 2! André Santana did a wonderful job making each character's voice distinct and had wonderful accent work and I loved the addition of all the Spanish.

My only real complaint about this book is that Xio's change of heart happens quite suddenly - I actually had to back the audio up a little because I thought I had missed them coming to the realization. I think just slowing that scene down a beat or two would have been a little easier to follow.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow what an amazing ending to this duololgy I’m truly so sad for this series to be over the journey our Heroes go on throughout this story was so beautiful and I loved every moment of it From the culture and the cute romance between Teo and Aurelio this series will go down as one of my favorites. Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

It has been quite a while (probably since One Last Stop) since I felt such a strong love and connection to a group of fictional people. The characters in this series are stupendous and are the reason I will likely give it another shot. The first book was one of my favorites from last year and was a win for me on every level. I’m currently pretty devastated that I didn’t feel that same pull during my read of Celestial Monsters. The plot struggled without the competition format; I kept zoning out and was never able to get invested. Unfortunately, this won’t make my list of favorites, but I have extreme respect for Aiden Thomas' character development and will continue to read everything he writes. Thank you Aiden Thomas Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my advanced review audiobook. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 2
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 5
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 3.6

I really enjoyed The Sunbearer Trials and requested an eARC of the conclusion to the duology shortly after joining Net Galley. Sadly, it was not to be so when I saw the audiobook, I jumped at the chance.

I would recommend doing a reread of the first book before diving into this one. As it picks up right where the last one left off without much explanation of the events of the last book, it could be confusing.

I felt that it was a stronger book overall. The relationships show more nuance and the characters are easier to understand. I listened to the entire thing in about a day. I think I prefer the audiobook because it helped me understand pronunciation of some of the words I am not sure I would have gotten correct otherwise.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillian Audio for the audiobook!

This was such a good sequel, I loved the dual pov and am glad the story wasn't extended past what it was.

"Celestial Monsters" picks up where the "Sunbearer Trials" left off. In the final novel of the Sunbearer Duology, there are chapters from both Teo and Xio's perspectives. While Teo and friends travel trying to save their friends, retrieve the sunstone, and reignite Sol, Xio struggles with his identity as an obsidian.

I found this novel to be adventurous and delightful! Something I think this book does best is its queer representation. I've never read a book where I felt it was done so well and naturally. There are gay, trans, lesbian, and non-binary, characters. One character has a character arc that shows their struggles with their own gender identity, and it is incorporated so seamlessly into the story. I really think the author did a wonderful job with the queer representation.

I enjoyed following the characters on their adventure, and seeing their relationships develop. Niya constantly made me laugh, and I was routing for the characters the entire way through.

I was honored to get an audio ALC, and thought the narrator did a fantastic job! Since I read book one, I wasn't sure I would feel about switching to narration, but I really enjoyed getting to hear the narrator explore different voices for the characters. I especially feel the voice for Chupacabra was so unique! This duology is also inspired by Mexican culture, and thus incorporated a lot of Spanish words, names, and locations. The audiobook narrator had a natural Spanish accent that felt authentic (assuming they chose a narrator who is a fluent spanish speaker). It made the world feel very realistic.

My only qualms with this novel is Teo and friends are a little too forgiving and easily trusting after being betrayed in book 1. Other than that, this story was so much fun to listen to, and I highly recommend for the YA audience.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance listener's copy in exchange for an honest review!

A Delightfully Inclusive Sequel with Depth and Wit

"Celestial Monsters" by Aiden Thomas, the sequel to "The Sunbearer Trials," picks up immediately where the first book left off. This time, the narrative is enriched by including Xio's perspective alongside Teo's. This dual perspective adds significant depth and character development, showcasing their growth in a way that feels organic and engaging.

I absolutely love the characters in this series. The shenanigans and witty remarks from Aurelio, Niya, and the rest of the cast are both entertaining and endearing. These interactions add a delightful layer of humor and camaraderie that keeps the story lively and enjoyable.

One of the standout aspects of this series is its inclusivity. I wish I had books like this when I was growing up, as it wonderfully showcases LGBTQIA+ representation. It's refreshing and important to see such diverse characters and relationships portrayed so naturally and positively.

The narration by André Santana, as in the first book, is excellent. His performance brings the characters to life with distinct voices and emotional depth. I found the ideal listening speed to be 1.75x, which kept the pacing perfect and the story engaging from start to finish.

Overall, "Celestial Monsters" is a fantastic continuation of the series. It's a beautifully inclusive and captivating story that I highly recommend.

Thank you Mcmillian Audio, NetGalley, & Aiden Thomas for this eARC!

Love this author and the chance to revisit this world and spend more time with these characters. I just really wish I had read the first book more recently or did a reread before jumping into book 2. I think I needed a quick, ‘previously on…’ recap to be more prepared to jump right in where the last book left off. Because of that and my slightly hazy memory it took me a bit to catch up and separate the characters in my head/remember each one’s backstory and powers to get to the point where I could just focus on their quest. Maybe that would have been different/faster if I had the book in front of me instead of listening to the audiobook. Either way, good to know it picks up right where the last ended with the trio on their quest to save their friends and the world. Overall I enjoyed the journey, the dynamics/banter between the characters, meeting new faces (and creatures) along the way, diving deeper into the world, and the exploration/interrogation of power, tradition, responsibility, and family. It’s easy to relate to Teo, who’s carrying a lot, and just trying to make things right - even if his understanding of what that is evolves. You can’t help but cheer him and his besties on, just wanting to adopt them all/keep them safe/let them live their lives. Like cool monsters, found family, identify exploration, adorable crushes, epic battles, good vs evil vibes, redemption arcs, and folks not afraid to question authority? If so, you’ll probably like this one too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook. Narrator was good, just took me a little bit to get the hang of the alternating POVs.