I don't want to give too much away, but I absolutely loved how this storyline was handled.

These wings are a cause of dysphoria for him, because he's trans and the wings look like how a female bird's wings would look, leading him to wear a binder to hide them. Our main character Teo is the son of the goddess of birds, and as such he can communicate with birds and he has wings. Like Cemetery Boys, I think this book will become a comfort read for me. It is a book that deserves the biggest fandom, so I'm really hoping it will be huge!Īiden Thomas's books, even though they're all fantasy, are all distinctly different subgenres, but they're all super immersive and I once again loved their writing style. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.This book is basically Percy Jackson, if Percy and Nico were trans, meets The Hunger Games, all in the best way possible. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.īut then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. His best friend Niya―daughter of Tierra, the god of earth―is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year. Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. I’m not a real hero.”Īs each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. “Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. 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.

The sunbearer trials book 2