A cliffhanger ending sets up a promising second half for the projected duology.įrom the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. The novel successfully balances magical, action-packed battles with lighter interactions and dialogue.
Though the cast of characters is large, the individuals are engaging and distinct. 'Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. Reino del Sol is devoid of queerphobia, with powerful gods in same-sex relationships or using they/them pronouns, and Teo’s dysphoria about his wings serves as an intriguing metaphor for transness. 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. Each city that hosts the competition is devoted to one of this world’s gods, with elements richly drawn from Mexican culture to create a narrative setting that’s colorful, expansive, and unique.
Teo and his best friend, Niya, vow to keep Xio from becoming the sacrifice and find a way to put the other, stuck-up competitors in their place. Seventeen-year-old Teo, whose family wields little power, is certain he won’t be chosen to compete-but the god Sol selects both him and thirteen-year-old fellow trans boy Xio. Although winning the Trials brings glory, it comes with a price: it’s the Sunbearer’s duty to sacrifice the competitor in last place. Every ten years in the fantastical but contemporary-feeling Reino del Sol, ten demigod children are chosen to compete in the Sunbearer Trials, a sacred ritual deemed necessary in order to avert the apocalypse.
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