The Sunbearer Trials / Aiden Thomas / Book Review

Teo has been looking forward to this decade's Sunbearer Trials for, well, a decade. Not that he will be chosen to compete--he's just a Jade semidios, not a more powerful Gold. No, Teo wants the chance to travel, to see new places and try new foods as he watches the competitors fight for the right to keep Sol's light alive for the next ten years. 

But when it comes time for Sol to choose their champions, the best of the best Golds are chosen... and Teo is, too. Son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, Teo isn't super strong and powerful like his competitors, and if he ends up in last place, it's not just his honor at stake. His very life is in the balance, because Sol needs a sacrifice to keep the people safe. A blood sacrifice. 

Thoughts

I absolutely adored this book. I don't know what else to say except that I can't recommend it highly enough. 

Pros

• Healthy Competition: There's something that makes a competition-style book so much fun. The competition that Aiden Thomas builds here is great--vivid and exciting and brand new. There are high stakes for the loser and the winner, and there are interpersonal stakes at play as well. The Golds are the gold standard here--pun intended--which adds a great underdog element to our Jade protagonist as well. Overall, it's good fun. 

• Animal Sidekicks: I absolutely loved all of Teo's bird friends. Teo doesn't have one animal companion. He's got a whole flock--another intended pun here, of course. I like the levity this little bit of Teo's godly nature adds. The antics were fun, and my only complaint is that there weren't enough of them--though hopefully that will come into play more in the next installment. 

• Worldbuilding Flair: It's been a long, long time since I've had the privilege of being immersed in a really good fantasy world. This fantasy world is bright and fun. The settings are colorful and full of interesting characters and fascinating lives. I fell in love with this world; it's so unique, and I can't wait to dive into it again with the next book. If only the next weren't so far away!

Cons

• Niya: I liked the concept here, and I loved the relationship that Niya and Teo have. I just got off to a bit of a rocky start with Niya, because I feel like her initial introduction--and some of her tension-alleviating characteristics later--were a bit over-the-top. She felt a little bit much, too much of a caricature at times, and that was something of a shame because this book isn't like that. 

• Youthful: Perhaps the biggest problem with this book is that it feels a little... young. Which isn't entirely a problem, except that it doesn't  match the marketing category. Tonally, this book tends to border more on Middle Grade. It's Percy-Jackson-esque in that regard. This is a marketing problem more than anything else. The only lost star on this book is that some readers might be disappointed that it's not quite as YA as they're used to. If I hadn't read this book for a YA-exclusive blog review, this book would absolutely have been a 10/10. 

• F*@#ing Language: This isn't to say the crude language here was abundant, but perhaps due to the MG flair to writing, the occasional F-bombs felt out of place. I'm not usually so nitpicky unless it truly is a lot. But especially in a book with Percy Jackson as a comp, readers should be warned. 

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

9/10

Anyone who loved Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes will like this vivid new fantasy world. Fans of Roseanne A. Brown's A Song of Wraiths and Ruin will appreciate this new competition story. 

Details

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date: September 6, 2022
Series: The Sunbearer Duology

Add to Goodreads
Buy It HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.