Fantastic world building
From the gorgeous cover alone, I couldn't wait to dive into this Mexican mythology inspired fantasy novel. As someone who knew nothing about these gods and goddesses, I was intrigued by how their stories would play out. I anticipated a high-stakes, action-packed, emotionally heart wrenching plot.
However, what I encountered was not quite what I'd expected. At first, the number of characters thrown at me confused me, but as soon as the trials began, the number of involved characters decreased and I finally sorted out who was who. I was a bit disappointed when Teo's constant bird companions didn't follow him on his trials (they were hilarious).
We are told from the beginning that the trials end with one competitor dying at the hands of another, yet this harsh and heavy reality never seemed more than a shallow, back-of-the-mind thought until the last trial.
The trials seemed very similar to each other with low stakes and lacked creativity. The random rankings at the finish became annoying and were never really explained. None of the trials surprised me with unexpected twists or consequences. This shallowness and blandness bled over to most of the characters; each of them had so much to deal with personally (living up to parent expectations, being the best always, sacrificing personal wants for life as a hero, and more) but these issues were only touched upon.
I did enjoy the banter and humor which made this fantasy seem lighter than other young adult fantasies. This one is suited for upper middle grade fantasy readers.
Overall, I loved the world building, the natural trans representation at all age levels, and the cliff-hanger ending enough that I will seek out book two.
However, what I encountered was not quite what I'd expected. At first, the number of characters thrown at me confused me, but as soon as the trials began, the number of involved characters decreased and I finally sorted out who was who. I was a bit disappointed when Teo's constant bird companions didn't follow him on his trials (they were hilarious).
We are told from the beginning that the trials end with one competitor dying at the hands of another, yet this harsh and heavy reality never seemed more than a shallow, back-of-the-mind thought until the last trial.
The trials seemed very similar to each other with low stakes and lacked creativity. The random rankings at the finish became annoying and were never really explained. None of the trials surprised me with unexpected twists or consequences. This shallowness and blandness bled over to most of the characters; each of them had so much to deal with personally (living up to parent expectations, being the best always, sacrificing personal wants for life as a hero, and more) but these issues were only touched upon.
I did enjoy the banter and humor which made this fantasy seem lighter than other young adult fantasies. This one is suited for upper middle grade fantasy readers.
Overall, I loved the world building, the natural trans representation at all age levels, and the cliff-hanger ending enough that I will seek out book two.