

Teo and Xio are at a huge disadvantage in the trials. For some reason, this year Sol has chosen two Jade semidioses for the trials – Teo, the seventeen-year-old trans son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old trans son of Mala Suerte, the god of bad luck. They go to a fancy academy and get special training beginning at age seven. Some Gold semidioses can produce and control elements and even move mountains. Like their parents, the kids of Gold gods are stronger and more powerful than Jade semidioses.

The ten competitors in the Sunbearer Trials are usually Gold, not Jade semidioses. Sadly, there must be a winner and there must be a loser, otherwise the world will come to an end. The winner of the trials will be given the special honor of carrying the light of the Sun to the temples in Reino del Sol for the next ten years, while the loser (the one who comes in last place) will be sacrificed, with their body melting into an elixir that will provide safety and protection for the next ten years. Ten eligible competitors, all semidioses (half human and half god) between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, are chosen by Sol based on their worthiness. These special games are dedicated to Sol, the Sun God, and are essential to replenish the sun’s power and to keep the world safe from evil Obsidian gods and monsters locked within celestial prisons among the constellations. The Sunbearer Trials have been happening every decade for thousands of years. This YA novel is geared for 13 to 18 year-olds, but I loved reading it as an adult. The Sunbearer Trials is a duology (two books) and this first installment is non-stop heart-pumping adventure that you will have a hard time putting down. Aiden Thomas, bestselling YA author of Cemetery Boys (2020) delivers a dazzling, magical dystopian Mexican-inspired fantasy tale.
