Burnaby North Library

A review by Annika Andersen

Hello, today I will be giving a review of The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. The Sunbearer Trials is a book about ten randomly selected demigods that must compete in a series of difficult trials to find out who the next Sunbearer will be, or the person who protects the world from darkness. However, the demigod who comes in last will be sacrificed and their body melted down to keep away the evil gods.

The main character, Teo, is a Jade demigod, whereas most competing are Gold demigods.

The Sunbearer Trials is actually fantastic, with fun protagonists, interesting hooks, an incredibly diverse cast, and a beautiful mix of fast-paced action with relaxed breaks in between, which are excellent for building tension between characters and learning more about them than just how much of a threat they are. Although it is not a love story, it does have romantic undertones, which are written in so that it never feels like the storyline has to stop so that two characters can have a romantic moment. On top of that, much of the romance is funny and laughably cringy, or a way for two characters to have an honest discussion with each other. And as I said earlier, the cast is incredibly diverse, with characters of varying sexuality, gender, or background that makes it so interesting to read. Even the background characters are surprisingly complex, and bursting with personality in the few lines that they are referenced. It creates a fun atmosphere for the story, where it feels that a world exists beyond where the characters are.

All things considered, I absolutely loved this book and I strongly recommend it to anyone reading.