“You are a loud, impulsive, persistent seeker of justice, and that makes people uncomfortable, but it doesn’t make you bad.”
- Title: The Sunbearer Trials
- Author: Aiden Thomas
- Genre: YA Fantasy
- Pages: 405 pages
- Publication date: September 6, 2022
I first heard of The Sunbearer Trials from Rainbow Crate. I got it in a book box. It came with a signed sheet from Aiden and an alternative dust jacket. I kept both dust jackets on the whole time, though I do prefer the alternative dust jacket to the original.
The Sunbearer Trials follows Teo during the trials. They usually only have Gold semidiós, who train for these trails, compete. But for the first time in over a century, Sol, their supreme god, chooses two Jade semidiós—including Teo. With no training, he must not get last place or else he will be sacrificed to protect the people of Reino del Sol.
The main characters throughout this book—especially Teo’s friends and Aurelio—were well written. I liked seeing all the semidiós’ powers and how they all executed them in their own way. Even the twins who both have fire power use their magic differently, which was fun to see.
I also liked each town and the variations between them. It was fun to see so many interesting settings. The pacing throughout the book was great as well. Each trial didn’t feel too long.
This book also has great LGBTQIA+ representation. Being nonbinary and trans is normal in this world, and the two potential relationships are a m/m and a f/f. It was relaxing to see it all so regular instead of questioned or hated.
The main thing that I would critique was how much I forgot the adults. Besides a few parents, the other adults fell into the background. Luna kind of stood out toward the end. Since we rarely see the adults and since this book has such a large cast, I kind of wished there was a character sheet to help keep up with them all.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.
Score: 9.5/10
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.46/5
Robin LeeAnn 