The Sun Bearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

The Sun Bearer Trials was my first book by Aiden Thomas - and my, what an interesting opening this was. Part of a Duology, The Sun Bearer Trials is a dazzling magical adventure, a story of coming-of-age, of queer-normal-friendships and lots more. A passionate, well paced story that weaves together themes about identity, community and justice. 

I frankly went in, without any preset ideas about the book or the author Aiden Thomas. Which was probably why, I enjoyed the book a lot more than I expected to. Aiden Thomas is a NYT Bestselling author with his first runaway hit debut, Cemetery Boys ( Which btw, is excellent! I have picked this up and am reading it currently!) - So, in some ways, the readers already familiar with the works of Aiden, would possibly have been expecting a marvel. For me, this was new grounds which I happily waded into and enjoyed a lot, promising myself to definitely get back to Aiden for more of his work. 

So, the novel is structured as a trials ( Yes - Hello, Hunger Games!) with the contestants getting ranks based on their performance in each of the five trials. Now, the stakes are pretty high here. The ones coming in last, is offered up as sacrifice to the Sun God, Sol - and the winner becomes the Sun Bearer holding aloft the future of their world, by being the one to do the sacrifice. This is essential to keep the world safe, to ensure Sol's light remains bright and the deadly enemies Gods known as the Obsidian Gods, are held at bay. I felt the initial dump of this bit of mythology was a bit too much, for a new reader. But I eased into the novel, trusting the author to show me the ropes. 

It was easy, getting into the story - through the POV of Tio, the son of a Jade God, Quetzal, a God of Birds. Now Tio along with Xio, son of the God of Bad Luck, Mala Suerte, is one of the two Jades selected for the Sun Bearer Trials. It has never happened before, in the history of these trials where normally, Sol selects the children of Golds. These semi-Gods, known as semidioses are usually the descendant of the Gods and mostly, Golds. Yeah, that is right, even Gods (especially Gods! ) have this rigid caste system in their society and we are painfully reminded again and again of this invasive split, through the innovative world building throughout the book. For example, there are the 'Gold' cities of the world that are rich, with its luxuries and opulence which is in your face, while the Jade cities are more attuned to Nature, a lot greener but just plainer compared to the Gold cousins. 

Now Tio is smart, sensitive and compassionate. In addition to being headstrong and impulsive, which makes Tio a very interesting view-point into the story plot. He's up for the challenge, even though it takes time for the young man to get into his senses. And for us readers, it is as much a trial for guts and glory as much as viewing the coming-of-age of Tio. Who grows more aware of his own feelings, his strengths and opportunities to grow. Tio's start-stop romance with Auerilio, the favorite Gold semidioses who's the darling of all audiences and is the crowd-favorite to win the trials, was one of the most endearing aspects of this story. This, I believe, is Aiden's strength in writing as well. To portray same-sex relationships in the most normal way possible and making us swoon in the process. 

There are fringe characters who add the charm and chutzpah to Tio's quest for winning. There's the mighty Niya, a young Gold who's as much an outcast with the rest of the Golds as is Tio or Xio. The trio have vowed to protect each other throughout the trials and watching this come alive in different tricky situations throughout the trials, was another winner for me. Aiden's writes compelling characters and their dynamics set off the narrative very well. Not just the friendships or the romance, even the heated competition and the enmity is very well fleshed out as we watch with bated breath with each trial how the rankings change and tumble. 

The trials end in a massive twist and a veritable cliffhanger, hurtling us straight into the second book of this proposed duology - which will be a three-party quest story into the world of Obsidians. All in all, the first book in this, The Sun Bearer Trials was an immensely satisfying read for me. Normalising queer-relationships, grounding them in familiar real-life experiences, Sun Bearer features a dazzling new fantasy world that is a clever mix of the new societal norms like Instagram etc and Latino/Mexican folktales and brilliant characters who leap off the pages at you as a reader, in being real, compassionate and compelling POVs into this world. Yes, the trials are built like Hunger Games with increasing levels of difficulty across its levels, but the games themselves while a clever plot device, are just side-fodder for the in-depth character dynamics that are well explored. So, take a plunge into this colorful world of Golds, Jades and Obsidians, full of mystical wonders and intricate customs that will delight and intrigue you at the same time. Highly recommended!