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The Sunbearer Trials Audiobook
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Publisher Description
"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
Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials, where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys.
“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”
As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses 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 melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.
Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.
But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo’s annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed—for fame, glory, and their own survival.
A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends.
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"The world of the Reino del Sol is consciously and emphatically queer and diverse. Readers who have aged out of Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan Presents will delight in the mythology that Thomas has created, while readers who enjoy the competition structures of Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass or Amanda Foody’s All of Us Villains will love reading about the challenges the heroes face."
— School Libarary Journal, starred review
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“One of the best fantasy novels I have ever read. Aiden Thomas is masterful in their ability to not only build such a brilliant world but also characters who you love and want to root for. The Sunbearer Trials is a force to be reckoned with and has completely changed the game.
— Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, New York Times-bestselling author of Ace of Spades -
Clever, vibrant, & convention-shattering. The Sunbearer Trials is my favorite kind of YA fantasy—spectacular worldbuilding, a charming & supremely lovable main character, & a found family I would die for!
— Romina Garber, New York Times-Bestselling author of Lobizona -
Splendid storytelling. The Sunbearer Trials dazzles with adventure, breathing life into a bustling fantastical world filled with both wonders and evils. Aiden Thomas is a brilliant talent.
— Chloe Gong, the New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights -
Aiden Thomas fully knocked me out with THE SUNBEARER TRIALS, delivering charming queer characters, thrilling magical trials, and an immersive fantasy world full of intricate details. This book is a triumph and I could not get enough!
— Xiran Jay Zhao, New York Times-bestselling author of Iron Widow -
"Thomas’s queernormative world and distinctly drawn cast deliver an upbeat fantasy teeming with captivating worldbuilding, earnest friendships, and electrifying adventure.
— Publishers Weekly, starred review -
Thomas unravels a plot that is as riveting as it is terrifying, as...Teo teams up with the other semidioses to save the world they all know and love, regardless of class difference. Fans of the Hunger Games and mythology will revel in this energetic, well-wrought adventure.
— Booklist, starred review -
A fun, super-queer read.
— Buzzfeed News -
Detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic. Cemetery Boys is necessary: for trans kids, for queer kids, for those in the Latinx community who need to see themselves on the page. Don’t miss this book.
— Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift -
The novel perfectly balances the vibrant, energetic Latinx culture while delving into heavy topics like LGBTQ+ acceptance, deportation, colonization, and racism within authoritative establishments.
— TeenVogue.com -
"A romantic mystery as poignant as it is spellbinding, weaved in a mosaic of culture, acceptance, and identity, where intricately crafted characters are the pieces and love—platonic, romantic, familial, and communal—is the glue.
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
Awards
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Among longlisted titles for Chapters Indigo Best of the Year, 2022
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Among longlisted titles for School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2022
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Among longlisted titles for Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, 2022
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Among longlisted titles for NYPL Books for the Teen Age, 2022
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About Aiden Thomas
Aiden Thomas, author of Cemetery Boys, received their MFA in creative writing from Mills College. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media.
About André Santana
Bronson Pinchot, Audible’s Narrator of the Year for 2010, has won Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards, AudioFile Earphones Awards, Audible’s Book of the Year Award, and Audie Awards for several audiobooks, including Matterhorn, Wise Blood, Occupied City, and The Learners. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale, he is an Emmy- and People’s Choice-nominated veteran of movies, television, and Broadway and West End shows. His performance of Malvolio in Twelfth Night was named the highlight of the entire two-year Kennedy Center Shakespeare Festival by the Washington Post. He attended the acting programs at Shakespeare & Company and Circle-in-the-Square, logged in well over 200 episodes of television, starred or costarred in a bouquet of films, plays, musicals, and Shakespeare on Broadway and in London, and developed a passion for Greek revival architecture.