A beautiful and tragic story about the strength of choice
When I saw this book, written by Aiden Thomas, I know that I would love it. I did not know that I would have to fight myself to put it down so I could go to work, then go to sleep, so much so that I finished it in 2 days.
Teo is a young Jade semidios, the trans son of Quetzal who struggles with the dysmorphia brought about by the color of his wings. But Teo's struggles are about to get much, much bigger. Because every ten years, ten semidioses between the ages of 13 and 18 are chosen by the god Sol to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. One will win and one will lose. One will replenish the Sun Stones that protect the people of Reina del Sol for the next ten years and one will be the sacrifice that provides the light.
Among the semidioses are Golds who have been training since they were young to participate in the trials. Among those Golds are Teo's best friend, Niya, the daughter of Tierra, and Teo's former best friend, Aurelio, who is an apparent shoo-in for the trials. All seems to be going well during the selection trials until Sol chooses not one, but two Jade semidioses - Teo and the thirteen-year-old Xio. A Jade hasn't been chosen in over a century, and now there are two.
Now Teo has to compete in five trials against 8 competitors that are much better equipped in a desperate battle for survival. While everyone else seems to gloss it over, Teo sees the trials for what they are - a competition to choose someone to murder.
Once I finished this book, I had to just sit with it for a while. Thomas did such an amazing job with the worldbuilding - particularly surrounding the Sunbearer Trials - that the actions felt real, magical aspects aside. Combining that with the inner musings of Teo, the troubles that he has with the trials, and this book is so much more than deadly trials the competitors face in a bid to avoid sacrifice. I don't even know that I can put into words just how good this book is. I, like Teo, struggled with the sacrificial aspects of the Sunbearer Trials, and the choices he makes as he competes in the trials really showed the strength of his heart.
Every time I thought I knew where something was going, Thomas would reveal something else that would change the course. One of the best places where this was seen is in the interactions between Teo and Aurelio. Teo is clearly taken with Aurelio, much to his own annoyance given the way Aurelio has treated him in recent years. Yet, he also has no idea how to interpret the things Aurelio says. Even the reader has trouble since Aurelio's expressions are so difficult to read, and his comments are so terse. Yet, there is still a hint of a relationship that develops over the course of the book - and it was a relationship that I liked even more because it wasn't an immediate insta-love that is often seen in YA novels. As much as Teo is attracted to Aurelio, he doesn't let that attraction take control. Well, not all the time, anyway.
Then we get to that ending. OMG, that ending. I knew going in that the book was not going to end with a happily-ever-after; it's the first book of a series, after all. But what Thomas does in that ending. Ugh! They are both awesome and terrible for that ending. Even now, nearly 18 hours later, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that ending. It wasn't quite as bad as the ending of The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, but it is a close second. This ending was both expected and a complete surprise. And I can't wait until Thomas publishes the sequel so I can see what happens next.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Andre Santana. This was the first book I have listened to by Santana, but he did a wonderful job. His performance brought me fully into the book - which was also a major reason I had so much trouble stopping it when I needed to - and added to my enjoyment of it. I will definitely be listening to the next book when it is published.
Teo is a young Jade semidios, the trans son of Quetzal who struggles with the dysmorphia brought about by the color of his wings. But Teo's struggles are about to get much, much bigger. Because every ten years, ten semidioses between the ages of 13 and 18 are chosen by the god Sol to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. One will win and one will lose. One will replenish the Sun Stones that protect the people of Reina del Sol for the next ten years and one will be the sacrifice that provides the light.
Among the semidioses are Golds who have been training since they were young to participate in the trials. Among those Golds are Teo's best friend, Niya, the daughter of Tierra, and Teo's former best friend, Aurelio, who is an apparent shoo-in for the trials. All seems to be going well during the selection trials until Sol chooses not one, but two Jade semidioses - Teo and the thirteen-year-old Xio. A Jade hasn't been chosen in over a century, and now there are two.
Now Teo has to compete in five trials against 8 competitors that are much better equipped in a desperate battle for survival. While everyone else seems to gloss it over, Teo sees the trials for what they are - a competition to choose someone to murder.
Once I finished this book, I had to just sit with it for a while. Thomas did such an amazing job with the worldbuilding - particularly surrounding the Sunbearer Trials - that the actions felt real, magical aspects aside. Combining that with the inner musings of Teo, the troubles that he has with the trials, and this book is so much more than deadly trials the competitors face in a bid to avoid sacrifice. I don't even know that I can put into words just how good this book is. I, like Teo, struggled with the sacrificial aspects of the Sunbearer Trials, and the choices he makes as he competes in the trials really showed the strength of his heart.
Every time I thought I knew where something was going, Thomas would reveal something else that would change the course. One of the best places where this was seen is in the interactions between Teo and Aurelio. Teo is clearly taken with Aurelio, much to his own annoyance given the way Aurelio has treated him in recent years. Yet, he also has no idea how to interpret the things Aurelio says. Even the reader has trouble since Aurelio's expressions are so difficult to read, and his comments are so terse. Yet, there is still a hint of a relationship that develops over the course of the book - and it was a relationship that I liked even more because it wasn't an immediate insta-love that is often seen in YA novels. As much as Teo is attracted to Aurelio, he doesn't let that attraction take control. Well, not all the time, anyway.
Then we get to that ending. OMG, that ending. I knew going in that the book was not going to end with a happily-ever-after; it's the first book of a series, after all. But what Thomas does in that ending. Ugh! They are both awesome and terrible for that ending. Even now, nearly 18 hours later, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that ending. It wasn't quite as bad as the ending of The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, but it is a close second. This ending was both expected and a complete surprise. And I can't wait until Thomas publishes the sequel so I can see what happens next.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Andre Santana. This was the first book I have listened to by Santana, but he did a wonderful job. His performance brought me fully into the book - which was also a major reason I had so much trouble stopping it when I needed to - and added to my enjoyment of it. I will definitely be listening to the next book when it is published.