I was absolutely blown away by The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas! The novel takes place in a world where the god, Sol, sacrificed their life to save the world from the evil Obsidian gods. Every 10 years the Sunbearer Trials take place with 10 demigods, who are almost always Golds. The loser of the trials must be sacrificed to protect the world from the Obsidians. Teo, a Jade demigod, is shocked when he is chosen to compete in the trials, but throughout his journey, he realizes things are even more complicated than he initially thought.
While I’ve heard people compare this book to The Hunger Games, I personally loved this book so much more. The trials in the book were inventive and action-packed. I found myself wanting to skip ahead just to see what the results would be. Likewise, I appreciated the fact that the demigods were ranked after each trial, and that those rankings made sense.
On a similar note, I thought the camaraderie in The Sunbearer Trials was phenomenal! Teo develops complex and multifaceted relationships with most of the other competitors, and I adored this human element of the story. Teo, Niya, and Xio were the perfect trio! They truly complemented each other well, and the way that they knew each other’s flaws and still had such a strong friendship was endearing.
One of the aspects I enjoyed most about the book was the queer representation. Teo, the main character, is a trans boy. The way Thomas used Teo’s wings to convey messages about what it’s like to be trans was moving. Additionally, Xio is also a trans boy, and he and Teo connected over their shared experiences and struggles. In my opinion, this connection was so vital to the story, and it shows why more books need multiple trans characters. Having two trans characters converse and connect amplified Teo’s and Xio’s experiences, whereas we might not have gotten that insight if there had only been one trans character.
Similarly, the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I enjoyed the way Thomas made being queer a normalized part of this world. There was both subtle and overt representation of queer people in this book, and we truly need more books like this, especially within the fantasy genre!
Finally, I loved the way I just got lost in this story! You can always tell a great book from a good book because you will lose track of time while reading a great book. I found myself shocked to reach the end of the novel, and obviously disappointed because I want more of this story now! I also laughed out loud a few times throughout the book, and I thought the touch of humor was the perfect addition.
Overall, while The Sunbearer Trials has been compared to other books in the genre, I can certainly say it stands on it’s own and has the potential to become a new classic within YA fantasy. It’s not often that you find a book that seamlessly incorporates queer representation with a compelling story, but that is exactly what this book accomplished!
While I’ve heard people compare this book to The Hunger Games, I personally loved this book so much more. The trials in the book were inventive and action-packed. I found myself wanting to skip ahead just to see what the results would be. Likewise, I appreciated the fact that the demigods were ranked after each trial, and that those rankings made sense.
On a similar note, I thought the camaraderie in The Sunbearer Trials was phenomenal! Teo develops complex and multifaceted relationships with most of the other competitors, and I adored this human element of the story. Teo, Niya, and Xio were the perfect trio! They truly complemented each other well, and the way that they knew each other’s flaws and still had such a strong friendship was endearing.
One of the aspects I enjoyed most about the book was the queer representation. Teo, the main character, is a trans boy. The way Thomas used Teo’s wings to convey messages about what it’s like to be trans was moving. Additionally, Xio is also a trans boy, and he and Teo connected over their shared experiences and struggles. In my opinion, this connection was so vital to the story, and it shows why more books need multiple trans characters. Having two trans characters converse and connect amplified Teo’s and Xio’s experiences, whereas we might not have gotten that insight if there had only been one trans character.
Similarly, the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I enjoyed the way Thomas made being queer a normalized part of this world. There was both subtle and overt representation of queer people in this book, and we truly need more books like this, especially within the fantasy genre!
Finally, I loved the way I just got lost in this story! You can always tell a great book from a good book because you will lose track of time while reading a great book. I found myself shocked to reach the end of the novel, and obviously disappointed because I want more of this story now! I also laughed out loud a few times throughout the book, and I thought the touch of humor was the perfect addition.
Overall, while The Sunbearer Trials has been compared to other books in the genre, I can certainly say it stands on it’s own and has the potential to become a new classic within YA fantasy. It’s not often that you find a book that seamlessly incorporates queer representation with a compelling story, but that is exactly what this book accomplished!