I love that you had so much queer representation in your novel; normally, I feel like we only get one or two queer characters but you had a whole cast! Why was this so important for you to do when creating your characters and how did you avoid falling into tropes outside your own identity? this book isn’t even published yet and i already crave a sequel. i can’t wait for everyone to read this later this year, how am i gonna survive until 2023?? Gorgeous Mexican-inspired world building and magic systems, 3-dimensional and entertaining characters, high stakes, a deeply compelling underdog story, and a book that is beautifully queer to its core. Listeners will be captivated by the detailed descriptions of the cities within Reino del Sol and the fantastical beings who inhabit them. Santana keeps the tension in his narration taut as Teo wrestles with both physical challenges and his own feelings of inferiority." - AudioFile Magazine As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.

I think they could use some humbling,” Teo said, eyeing the Golds. “Maybe some funny faces?” he suggested. “I’m open to your artistic interpretations.”

Mailing Address

This is the first book of a planned duology, so the above question is pertinent if you are a reader like me. So, just know: There is a cliffhanger but it is not that major and doesn’t leave you frustrated in limbo. The ending made me very keen to know what happens next, so I can say it stopped at the right point for me. I am looking forward to the sequel. In a Nutshell: A thrilling combination of Mexican-inspired mythology and The Hunger Games. I had fun with this, but it is clearly YA in its approach. Recommended only to the target age group and to those patient with the flaws of YA fiction. Some of the scenes went on too long. For example, most of the trials took a single chapter. The fourth trial took 3. I ended up fast forwarding through those chapters.

Most people in the city of Quetzlan had a bird, but they were more than just pets, they were companions. It was a lifelong bond between bird and human. But only Teo and his mom—Quetzal, the goddess of birds—could communicate with them directly.

About this book

Niya is a bit of an outcast with the Golds so her and Teo, along with a begrudging Xio, team up to try and survive the trials. There were a lot of things I wanted to explore in The Sunbearer Trials, but American exceptionalism was a big one. Instead of having a story where there is one chosen hero who saves the world and then is given a position of power, I wanted to tell a story that showed the importance of community-led leadership and interventions, and how caste systems are bad, actually. I loved the Mexican-mytho-inspired elements. While I am not sure how much of the mythology is actually Mexican and how much invented for the story, the theme was great and many fantastical elements were incorporated well. At the same time, their world seemed to be similar to ours, as the semidioses use mobile phones and social media such as “Instagraph”. It was a nice juxtaposition of fantasy and realism. Thomas: I have a real soft-spot for Niya, Teo’s best friend, because she’s just SO fun to write! I think anyone who is really attached to Julian in Cemetery Boys will have a new favorite in Niya. She’s got a lot of that same big puppy dog energy, you know? Like, she’s always kinda bouncing along, singin’ her song, happy to be along for the ride, but also if you mess with her friends she’ll bite you. She’s a Gold, but kind of an outcast because her dad, Dios Tierra, accidentally aided in the Obsidians’ (the betrayer gods) coup. So, even though she’s one of the elite semidioses, she loathes them just as much as Teo does.