fun ya fantasy with good trans and queer rep
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is a wonderful queer YA fantasy and the first book in a duology.
I really loved Cemetery Boys by this author, so I knew I needed to read this duology. I waited until closer to the publication date of the second book to finally pick these books up, and I'm glad I did! I ended up inhaling the whole duology in about 48 hours. I borrowed the first audiobook from my local library, and I really enjoyed listening to André Santana narrate.
The Sunbearer Duology is steeped in Mexican folklore and traditions, from the gods themselves down to the favorite treats, or dulces, of the teen semidioses (demigods) thrust into a competition to replenish the Sun's power and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. I must also say that these covers are GORGEOUS.
There is a lot of great representation in this book! Teo, our main protagonist, is the trans son of Quetzal (goddess of birds). He's also one of many queer characters. There are several other trans characters, including non-binary folks. Folks outside the gender binary are fully normalized, which is lovely to see. Family structures are quite varied, and include single parents. One of the semidioses is deaf and many characters are fluent in and routinely use sign language.
There are some romantic beats, but as this is truly written for teenagers it isn't a main focus of the story. There is way more action and adventure as all of the semidioses try to make it through their five trials.
I especially recommend this to fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians; they are middle grade and The Sunbearer Duology leans on the younger side of YA. This would probably also be great for fans of The Hunger Games, though I still need to read that series myself.
I really loved Cemetery Boys by this author, so I knew I needed to read this duology. I waited until closer to the publication date of the second book to finally pick these books up, and I'm glad I did! I ended up inhaling the whole duology in about 48 hours. I borrowed the first audiobook from my local library, and I really enjoyed listening to André Santana narrate.
The Sunbearer Duology is steeped in Mexican folklore and traditions, from the gods themselves down to the favorite treats, or dulces, of the teen semidioses (demigods) thrust into a competition to replenish the Sun's power and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. I must also say that these covers are GORGEOUS.
There is a lot of great representation in this book! Teo, our main protagonist, is the trans son of Quetzal (goddess of birds). He's also one of many queer characters. There are several other trans characters, including non-binary folks. Folks outside the gender binary are fully normalized, which is lovely to see. Family structures are quite varied, and include single parents. One of the semidioses is deaf and many characters are fluent in and routinely use sign language.
There are some romantic beats, but as this is truly written for teenagers it isn't a main focus of the story. There is way more action and adventure as all of the semidioses try to make it through their five trials.
I especially recommend this to fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians; they are middle grade and The Sunbearer Duology leans on the younger side of YA. This would probably also be great for fans of The Hunger Games, though I still need to read that series myself.