5/5
Oh my god I am shell-shocked, I am at a complete and utter loss for words. THAT ENDING!
I absolutely devoured this book and read it all in one day. I quite literally enjoyed every single moment and I am just in love with this story, in absolute love with it! The Sunbearer Trials is the queer Latino Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games of my dreams. I am in love with the concept of this book and I'm so impressed by its flawless execution. This was such a joy to read for so many different reasons and I truly did have the time of my life!
This book was simply so much fun! It's hilarious, fast-paced and action-packed, there was never a single moment where I was even remotely disinterested. It's unputdownable and I promise you that you will want to devour it as quickly as I did!
The characters were so warm and loveable, all of them were so interesting. Their specific powers and abilities were so intriguing and I adored finding out more and more about them. (Xio, Niya, Teo and Aurelio were my favourites, but I truly did love them all!)
The Mexican-inspired fantasy world of The Sunbearer Trials was absolutely amazing. It felt so vibrant and alive, as if I could have touched it through the pages. Every city was so compelling and unique, I truly wish I could travel this world in its entirety. The history, mythology, religions and all the other aspects of the world were so well-thought out. This is a world that could exist in our past or future, it felt that real.
I was surprised by the rollercoaster of emotions that this book took me on. I laughed out loud so many times, sometimes even crying tears of joy, and then in the next second I was getting my heart wrenched from my chest. It's an incredibly emotional book, both in the happy and the sad moments. There were a lot of moving moments that touched a special place in my heart and there were moments that shocked my very soul. My mouth was hung open in shock at the last fifty pages! Talk about a cliffhanger!
My favourite character was Xio, I instantly absolutely adored him and my love for him only ever grew. He's an incredibly complex character and I can't say that I can explain to you the entire breadth of his character but I loved every single scene he was in, even when he was in turmoil or distressed. His and our amazing main character, Teo's, relationship was such a sweet one and I adored the conversations they had and the protective, nurturing nature of their relationship. What I loved most, however, were the conversations they had about their shared experience of being trans. It was such a lovely scene that I think is so important and I'm so, so glad that it was there.
Obviously, the representation in this book is amazing, but what I loved even more in this particular story was that our trans main characters were allowed to simply exist. Of course, it's important to have stories about how transphobia affects trans people and it's important that we talk about those struggles and talk about how we can find acceptance and love for ourselves, but those shouldn't be the only stories that include trans characters. Trans characters should also be allowed to exist in (queernorm) fantasy worlds and be heroes! I loved that our trans main characters got to simply exist and have problems that weren't due to their being trans. It was very refreshing to read and was so much fun!
I adore Aiden Thomas as a writer, he impresses me more and more and more. I will read absolutely everything and anything they write from here on out, I truly cannot express just how much I loved this book! AIDEN I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW!
I want to stress how pleased and grateful I am that this book (and books like it) exist! It's so important that more diverse books are published and that good (own-voices) representation exists for people to see themselves in. It's so important to have a queer, trans, Latino character as our hero and our main character! Thank you Aiden Thomas!
Everyone go read this book right now, you won't regret it and you won't be able to put it down! I hope this book gets all the recognition it deserves because it is truly incredible and I already cannot wait to reread!
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.