OBSESSED!
This book holds so much imagination and I has so many twists and the ending was SO unexpected. An absolute delight to read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book. A ABSOLUTE read for anyone who is into Mythology, LGBTQ, or a slow-burn side-romance.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
loved !!!
i loved this book so much! i absolutely loved cemetery boys, and so, though i knew almost nothing about this book going in, i had super high hopes. luckily, it lived up to every single one of them. the world was so immersive and interesting, and i loved how much you could feel the care that the author took with creating it. similarly, i loved every single one of the characters in this book! nyla was my favorite (obviously. i’m a lesbian.) but i loved teo and everybody else as well. they were all very diverse and well developed, and i can’t wait to dig into them more in the sequel. speaking of, i can't believe how long i have to wait for the conclusion of this duology! the twist at the end of this book has me absolutely desperate for celestial monsters. i can’t wait to see where all these characters and their relationships go, and i’m hungry for more of this world !!!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The best YA mythology book
The Sunbearer trials is the first book in a new YA fantasy series based on Mexican mythology. The best way to describe the magic of this book is that it gave me the feeling I had back when I read Percy Jackson for the first time, but for a YA audience. It was fun and whimsical while also tacking serious topics and issues. All of the characters in this book, even the antagonists, are all very well written and heartfelt. All of their motives and connections are clear and help contribute to a truly well rounded cast of characters that stays with you after finishing the book. The would building in this book is also exceptional. The setting is lush and well described and I felt like I was right there in the trials with the characters. This is by far one of the best books I have read this year and I cannot recommend this enough. Now I am just eagerly awaiting the sequel!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An absolute delight.
This book stressed me out. Five stars, no notes.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
amazing
I didn't expect to like this book, but dang!!! It was so good and now I'm mad that I have to wait for the second one to come out! UGH! The story was unique and beautifully written. I loved the diverse characters and how they all interacted with each other. I'm hoping for some sparks to fly between some of the characters in the next book. I also can't wait to learn more about the world because it sounds amazing! Something I really enjoyed was the attention to detail in the trials. I felt like I was there. Having such a heavy focus on each aspect of the trials was great and really brought the story to life. audiobook specific: I loved the narrator. I thought they did a great job at bringing the character and stories to life. One thing I have to say about listening to the audio and not having the book in front of me is that I got confused when some of the characters were mentioned. I would get them mixed up sometimes because their names sound similar. I highly recommend checking this book out even if you're like me and don't normally like fantasy books, I think you'll enjoy this one. content warning: violence, blood, bullying, child abuse, body dysphoria, classism, death
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
awesome inclusive fantasy book!
I loved this read! :) But boy do I have to say, I have so many unanswered questions! I cannot wait for the sequel and I really hope it will answer all my questions because truly I have so many haha! The world building was fantastic as well as the characters and the fun plot! Everything was described so well and so vividly that I really enjoyed it and the way it was written really helps the reader imagine the story in their head. I remember trying to put this book down and just constantly thinking about it until I decided to pick it up again! There were some things I did not enjoy though, like the odd hinting at misogyny. what was that about? like Niya being portrayed as a hot privileged meathead? uhm.. okay moving on there were lots of high-stakes going on, and besides the mentioned above it really was quite inclusive with gay rights and such, thoroughly enjoyed that factor. I do recommend this book!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A fun YA read which included a big competition
Elements of this story reminded me of the Hunger Games (but with less killing), and the ranking system seen in Divergent. That said, this story was uniquely its own. Sometimes the blurbs of books promise a series of competitions, but then only consist of a small portion of the book. The Sunbearer Trials were not that. The reader goes along through multiple trials which carry all the way until the climax of the novel. I loved seeing the challenges they each faced and loved the cast of characters who competed. My main complaint with this book was that the cast of characters in the world was extremely vast. The beginning especially left me feeling overwhelmed with each of the gods, all their children, their unique powers, and the history of the gods, and how the Sunbearer Trials started. I wrote out 3 lists (the gods and their powers, the kids and their godly parentage, and then one of the competitors with their powers). I used these lists to reference frequently while reading and it helped so much! I wish the publishers would've done that work for me though haha. I look forward to the next book (and have a new list ready based on that ending....) LGBTQ rep: Transgender main character, transgender side character, a subtle M/M romance
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Combo of Mythology, Social justice, & Queer Rep
The friendship and teamwork between Teo, Niya and Xio hooked me into this book. The world-building was rich and the trials were interesting and full of unexpected conflicts. Teo’s journey of self-discovery and confidence wasn’t linear, but his core values were solid, making him easy to root for even as he made mistakes. The rekindled friendship—or something more—between Teo and Aurelio was a lovely slow burn. While I was able to see the clues laid out as they happened and predict some pieces of the climax, the reveals at the end of book one were still mostly surprising and very satisfying. I can’t wait to grab book two and see how this story ends!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com