The Sunbearer Trials completely blew me out of the water. It's a wonderful, queer fantasy competition that had me on the edge of my seat. I loved this book so much and I would have finished it in a single sitting if I didn't have any real-life responsibilities.
The way the author described the setting and each of the cities was so realistic and descriptive. I had no trouble imagining all of the colorful and beautiful landscapes throughout the novel. I also loved the three main characters –– Teo, Xio, and Niya –– and their interactions with each other made for some very amusing moments. (I don't normally laugh while reading but I did crack a smile a few times!)
The burgeoning relationship between Teo and Aurelio was great as well. The novel takes place only over the course of about 9 days but there's a great slow-burn there that develops during the trials and I'm looking forward to see where it goes in the next installment!
The only thing I /disliked/ about this novel was that the dialogue was cringey, at points. It's clear that Instagram and Tiktok and other social media apps are present in this universe, so the dialogue tends to mirror Vine/Tiktok language. However, it's a bit outdated and comes off as cringey because of it. Like, these are things people might have said five years ago, like:
“No hetero, but damn, Teo, your wings!” Niya circled Teo back on the boat. “Does this make me a furry?” (126)
“Two bros chillin’ in a sauna, five feet apart cuz they’re not––“ (162)
“It’s literally a man bun, my guy!” (199)
Those are just a few examples and it didn't really affect how I viewed the novel, but I did cringe a little bit while reading them. Out of everything, this would be basically my only criticism. This book was easily five stars for me!
The way the author described the setting and each of the cities was so realistic and descriptive. I had no trouble imagining all of the colorful and beautiful landscapes throughout the novel. I also loved the three main characters –– Teo, Xio, and Niya –– and their interactions with each other made for some very amusing moments. (I don't normally laugh while reading but I did crack a smile a few times!)
The burgeoning relationship between Teo and Aurelio was great as well. The novel takes place only over the course of about 9 days but there's a great slow-burn there that develops during the trials and I'm looking forward to see where it goes in the next installment!
The only thing I /disliked/ about this novel was that the dialogue was cringey, at points. It's clear that Instagram and Tiktok and other social media apps are present in this universe, so the dialogue tends to mirror Vine/Tiktok language. However, it's a bit outdated and comes off as cringey because of it. Like, these are things people might have said five years ago, like:
“No hetero, but damn, Teo, your wings!” Niya circled Teo back on the boat. “Does this make me a furry?” (126)
“Two bros chillin’ in a sauna, five feet apart cuz they’re not––“ (162)
“It’s literally a man bun, my guy!” (199)
Those are just a few examples and it didn't really affect how I viewed the novel, but I did cringe a little bit while reading them. Out of everything, this would be basically my only criticism. This book was easily five stars for me!