The Sunbearer Trials

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And that's where Teo and Niya found him, knees hugged to his chest as he tried to calm his raging heart before continuing on the path. The best thing about the universe was the way being trans or alternative binary was normal. Gods ran the gamet of sexuality and gender. Demigods who came out as non-cisgendered were given a gender party where they revealed who they were and their families celebrated it. This is such a wonderfully inclusive book where every gender, every sexuality is welcomed and accepted. The 10 heroes who compete are made up of golds and jades, some cisgendered, some trans. One was deaf which was another wonderful inclusive point.

The teens in the trials who do bad things ACTUALLY are judged for them - I LOVED this point because the one thing that drives me crazy is when books have people doing cruel things and authority looks away. Here, Sol does not look away. It made Teo want to barf. He figured since he was forced to see it every day, the least he could do was add his own artistic flair. Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials , where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys . Inspired by Mexican folklore and mythology, this follows semidioses (demi-gods) competing in dangerous trials to determine who will be the next Sunbearer and who will be the next sacrifice to protect their world. The Sunbearer has always been a Gold- the most powerful and privileged of the semidioses who receive specialized training. Only once has a Jade even competed. Teo is a Jade, a 17 year old trans boy who has no expectation of being chosen by Sol to compete in the trials. But of course, he's entirely wrong. I think they could use some humbling,” Teo said, eyeing the Golds. “Maybe some funny faces?” he suggested. “I’m open to your artistic interpretations.”

The competitors are almost always Gold semidioses, but Sol has a surprise this time. He has chosen two Jade semidioses worthy of participation, one of whom is our lead – Teo, the seventeen year old trans son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds. Teo didn’t expect to compete in the Trials, but with this unexpected selection, he is forced to ensure his survival, as he has no intention of sacrificing himself to power the Sun. I loved the casual queerness of the gods and everyone in this world. It's not explained, but the Gods can create children even in same sex partnerships. I think most, if not all, of the ten semidios competitors were on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum and one of them is also deaf, and I think a lot of attention was put in to make sure that you remembered that Dezi was deaf, and that people made the effort to sign without it being a big deal.

Niya is a bit of an outcast with the Golds so her and Teo, along with a begrudging Xio, team up to try and survive the trials. Too many names. We got an info dump of names in a short amount of time. So many names. I'm talking dozens and dozens of names. Gods and demigods. I still don't remember who most of them were or what they stood for, even though that info dump was given to us too. And, since I listened to the book and didn't read it, it would have been nice if the twins had names which weren't so similar. I kept mixing the names up and trying to figure out who was being talked about half the time. personally i am a bit of a bitter underdog and dragged by my height by Some People so maybe i see myself in teo what about it. Once in every decade comes the Sunbearer Trials. These are special games dedicated to the Sun God, Sol, and are essential to replenish the power of Sol to keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. The winner carries a special honour of carrying the light of the Sun to all the temples in Reino del Sol, while the loser (the one who is placed last) is sacrificed to Sol. The competitors, all semidioses (half human half god) between thirteen to eighteen, are residents of Reino del Sol and are chosen by Sol himself based on their worthiness. the trials could've been so much more creative and dangerous. likewise, certain character moments/relationships could've been more complex - that simplicity made the book feel more middle grade than young adult.

Thomas: Teo was actually not the original protagonist when I came up with the idea for The Sunbearer Trials! It was originally going to be a dual POV story and the two main characters are still in the book! (Can you guess who?) Originally, Teo was actually the love interest! But as I started telling this story I realized Teo was really the one at the center of it. He’s the one who can see past all the fame and luxury of the upper class (the Golds), and he’s the one who’s going to make change. Teo is the hero of this world and the only one these other characters would rally behind! I adore Teo as a protagonist, he's often funny and always a loyal friend. He's got this childhood best friends-to-enemies-to-something thing going on and it's very amusing, yet sometimes quite devastating to read about.

There were a lot of things I wanted to explore in The Sunbearer Trials, but American exceptionalism was a big one. Instead of having a story where there is one chosen hero who saves the world and then is given a position of power, I wanted to tell a story that showed the importance of community-led leadership and interventions, and how caste systems are bad, actually. I love that you had so much queer representation in your novel; normally, I feel like we only get one or two queer characters but you had a whole cast! Why was this so important for you to do when creating your characters and how did you avoid falling into tropes outside your own identity? With Aurelio having taken a stand against Mommie Dearest, I hope his personality will be further flushed out in the next book. He was a pretty one-dimensional character. Yes, we knew why, but now that issue will be gone and he can come into his own. Thomas’s queernormative world and distinctly drawn cast deliver an upbeat fantasy teeming with captivating worldbuilding, earnest friendships, and electrifying adventure." — Publishers Weekly, starred reviewThe book didn’t know what tone to take either. Was it a fun time? Was it serious? It doesn’t know! It honestly felt like a middle grade masquerading as Young Adult. Throw in some swear words and call it YA! Why not? The best part of this prank was by the time anyone found his latest work of art, he’d be long gone to Sol Temple. What the hell?" He mutters as Aurelio takes the tray from his bedside table and places it outside the door before closing it. He then stands by the end of the bed, a stern look on his face.

The Sunbearer Trials is a total thrill ride, one that focuses on friendships at least as much as romance, but the book’s greatest pleasure is in seeing Teo come into his own and gain power, in the face of unavoidable heartbreak."— The Washington Post every ten years, ten semidioses are chosen to compete in the sunbearer trials. some semidioses spend their whole lives training for the trials. but not kids of jade gods like teo, because they’re never chosen. until this year. the stakes are high because although one winner travels through reino del sol to replenish sun stones that keep the world safe from evil obsidian gods—one loser is the honorable sacrifice that keeps the stones lit. teo knows he isn’t a hero. he just wants to make sure he and his friends survive. About the Author: Aiden Thomas (he/they) is a trans, Latinx, New York Times Bestselling author with a MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. Their books include Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Never Woods, and The Sunbearer Trials (The Sunbearer Duology #1)

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Sighing into Xochi's warmth, Niya felt her body finally begin to fully relax. Xochi smiled with every kiss she peppered into Niya's hair. I think I’m going to call this a DNF at 38%. It’s not bad but it was miscategorized as YA. It’s really a middle grade book. Further, Teo keeps joking around despite the fact that he and a couple of friends are in a Hunger Games competition where one of a dozen kids will be a human sacrifice and another will have to kill him. It sets up an incongruous tone. I also can’t help compare it to The Hunger Games (there are many parallels) and the stakes here feel so much lower. THG was riveting and this one is kind of boring. I may skim just to find out what ultimately happens but maybe not. Teo's ability to talk to birds at the beginning - especially his friendship with the two birds who helped him deface a poster -made me think there was a lot going to happen between him and his bird friends. Unfortunately not. The fact he could speak to birds only came up once more in the whole book.