Demigods live among the mortals, they (often reluctantly) settle themselves into a cast system based on the colour of their blood, they use recognizable modern teen lingo, patron recognizable parallels to modern businesses, cook sous vide when they want to be fancy… and run a high stakes competition among their youth once a decade which ends with the winner sacrificing the loser in order to replenish the stones that power the world. The Sunbearer Trials takes place in a world that blends modern teen culture with a world that feels aesthetically and religiously like a romanticized version of pre-Columbus Middle America. So you know how in The Road to El Dorado Tzekel-Kan reveals to the chief that Miguel and Tulio are false gods by pointing out that gods don’t bleed? Well, in this version of the world at least, that’s not entirely true. Thank you so much for the approval! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest. I was granted audio ARC access to The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas through the publisher, MacMillan Audio, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.Īmazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.īut then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. His best friend Niya―daughter of Tierra, the god of earth―is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year.

Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.

Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. I’m not a real hero.”Īs each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. “Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials, where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys.

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