The Sunbearer Trials

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Title:

The Sunbearer Trials

Author:

Thomas, Aiden, author.

Series:

Sunbearer duology ;

Series Number:

Summary:

As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. 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 melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years. Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten. But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo’s annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed―for fame, glory, and their own survival. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 13-18.

Grades 10-12.

General Note:

Maps on endpapers.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

405 pages : map ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Subject Term:

Transgender people -- Fiction.

Heroes -- Fiction.

Sacrifice -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Feiwel and Friends,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781250822130

9781250887719

Publication Information:

New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2022.

Call Number:

YA THOMAS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003645077	Young Adult	THOMAS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

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 .

"Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I'm just a Jade. I'm not a real hero."

As each new decade begins, the Sun's power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. 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 melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.

Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.

But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo's annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed--for fame, glory, and their own survival.

Author Notes

Aiden Thomas is a trans, Latinx, New York Times Bestselling Author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Their works include Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods . Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--In this Mexican-inspired fantasy, Teo must unexpectedly compete against eight of Reino del Sol's brightest young Heroes and one unlucky 13-year-old in a competition to become the next Sunbearer, carrying light to all the temples of Reino del Sol and keeping away the evil Obsidian gods for another few years. While the rewards are great, competing has a high cost: the loser of the trials will be sacrificed in order to replenish the Sun's power. Teo, a trans 17-year-old semidiós and son of the goddess of birds, competes alongside his best friend Niya, a strong daughter of an earth god; Xio, a 13-year-old child of the god of bad luck; and Aurelio, son of a fire goddess, and his former best friend turned enemy. Along the way, he gains confidence in himself and his powers, even learning to fly using the wings that previously caused him too much dysphoria to look at. As the competitors travel to different trials, they explore beautiful locations and develop unexpected alliances. However, things aren't always what they seem, and after a few close calls, Teo begins to suspect that someone is tampering with the trials. The world of the Reino del Sol is consciously and emphatically queer and diverse, and transition is shown to be a celebration. VERDICT Readers who have aged out of Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan Presents will delight in the mythology that Thomas has created, while readers who enjoy the competition structures of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass or Amanda Foody's All of Us Villains will love reading about the challenges the heroes face. While the trials do not always feel high stakes, this is a fun and warm-hearted start to a duology.--Kelsey Socha

Publisher's Weekly Review

Intensely perilous competition and an innovative mythos permeate this thrilling duology opener by Thomas (Lost in the Never Woods). At the dawn of creation, the god Sol, "alone in the universe," created godly children: the "powerful but vain" Golds; "kind but focused" Jades; "passionate but selfish" Obsidians; and the mortals, whom Sol loved most of all. The Obsidians were eventually locked away for their crimes against the gods and mortals, and kept at bay by Sun Stones, which were formed from Sol's body. Now, every decade, the Sunbearer Trials are held to find a champion to relight the stones while the loser is sacrificed to fuel them. Golds have participated in the trial almost exclusively, until now: two trans boys, 17-year-old Teo, son of the Jade goddess of birds, is chosen alongside 13-year-old Xio, son of the Jade god of bad luck. Since Teo lacks the training that his fearsome Gold competitors receive, he must work with Xio and his one Gold friend to ensure they don't lose. Thomas's queernormative world and distinctly drawn cast deliver an upbeat fantasy teeming with captivating worldbuilding, earnest friendships, and electrifying adventure. Characters are described as having brown skin of varying tones. Ages 13--up. Agent: Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)