The Sunbearer Trials (Sunbearer Duology #1)

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A group of teenage semidioses are chosen for The Sunbearer Trials – a competition to determine who will be sacrificed to Sol to fuel the Sun Stones for the next ten years. THE SUNBEARER TRIALS started out on a good note but quickly went south for me. There were so many characters that all of the introductions began feeling cumbersome. I didn’t know if it was someone important to the story that I needed to remember or someone that was just being mentioned in passing. The largest issue I had with this book was not knowing whether it was trying to be middle grade, YA, or something else. The writing felt chaotic with respect to the target audience. There was far too much foul language to be middle grade and some of the topics discussed were more appropriate for YA or adult, yet the writing was often very simplified as if for a younger child. I find enjoyment in reading across a variety of genres and age groups but the inconsistency of this book definitely hindered my ability to really enjoy it. One redeeming quality was the abundant LGBTQIA+ representation. THE SUNBEARER TRIALS is the first book in Aiden Thomas’ The Sunbearer Duology. It ends with “To Be Continued” to allow for continuation to the second book. It’s unlikely that I will continue reading this series.

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I don’t know how I missed that this was book one of a series, but I don’t know how I’ll wait to find out what happens next. It makes total sense, but a girl can hope there won’t be a cliffhanger on the book that just came out the month prior right? I listened to the audiobook and really thought that it was a great narration. It really brought the characters and the story to life for me. This is a young adult story with lots of LGBTQA+ representation which I loved. It was basically the hunger games but with Latinx demigods competing instead. The sunbearer trials take 10 demigods and have them compete. The winner is the sunbearer and the loser is the one they sacrifice to keep the world safe until the next trials. There are two tiers of demigods the golds who are more powerful and trained in a private school to be heroes and the jades who have lesser powers and primarily live among the mortals. Teo is a jade, trans son of Quetzal goddess of birds. He’s a bit of a trouble maker and no one is shocked more than he is than when he is selected for the trials.

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One of my favorite starts to a duology in a very long time! I feel like I read so many books in the past couple of years that were the first part of a duology, and while I enjoyed quite a few, I haven't finished one and been so excited for the next book in a while. The only one I loved almost as much is "Daughter of the Moon Goddess." I've read all of Aiden Thomas's books and love them all.

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The Sunbearer Trials is a fantasy inspired by Mexican mythology, set in the modern land of Reino del Sol, each of its cities governed by a different dios. The story follows Teo, the trans semidios son of Quetzal, Diosa of birds. Every ten years semidioses from all over the land compete in a series of dangerous trials to become the next Sunbearer, whose role is to carry light and energy to the Sol stones, which keep the selfish Obsidian dioses powerless and trapped in the stars. The loser of the trials is sacrificed so that the Sol stones can be replenished. In the history of Reino del Sol, the Gold semidioses have traditionally been the ones to compete in the trials; the Jades have typically been spared from competing. Teo is a Jade, and it is a major upset when he and another Jade semidios are chosen for the trials. Teo is mischievous, funny, impulsive, loyal and has a strong sense of justice.The characters are complex, flawed and well-developed, with incredibly diverse representation. The world building is lush and vividly described. I love the combination of ancient mythology and tradition integrated into a modern queernormative society. The trials are brutally difficult and suspenseful, each one escalating in danger, and will keep you reading late into the night. I absolutely loved and inhaled this incredible fantasy adventure story. The sequel can't come a moment too soon.

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I had high hopes for this book - Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games with a unique Mexican-mythology-inspired world and prominent queer rep. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The first half was emotionally shallow and repetitive. Despite the concept of a human sacrifice concluding the games, the interpersonal drama, and the personal struggles of the main character, the tone was light and very little seemed to matter - for the plot or to the characters. Before the final few trials, the trials are low-stakes and tread the same ground, following the same structure, the same cycle of thoughts and feelings for Teo. None of these scenes pull their weight and I was left with the sense that they were only there because something had to be. Teo has a lot he could be working through - dysphoria, classic teen identity and self-esteem issues, social tension between Golds, Jades, and humans, tension and complex relationships with other characters - but those things are more background than something the book explores in depth. It makes the story less engaging and the characters shallower. The story picked up in later trials, adding more tension and making the characters more human. The trans representation was well done and refreshing to see done so casually. The world is intriguing and I'm interested to see it explored more. The Sunbearer Trials was a mediocre start to the duology, but it set up enough good things to come that I'm still looking forward to a sequel.