The Sunbearer Trials (B&N Exclusive Edition)

by Aiden Thomas

Overview

This B&N Exclusive Edition features a unique cover and includes an annotated chapter.

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cemetery Boys comes the first installment of an electric Mexican-inspired fantasy duology, in which semidioses compete in a series of trials with world-altering stakes.

“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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250887719
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Series:	The Sunbearer Duology , #1
Edition description:	B&N Exclusive Edition
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	339
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Aiden Thomas is a trans, Latinx, New York Times Bestselling Author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Their works include Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.

Editorial Reviews

"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

Praise for Cemetery Boys:

"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

From the Publisher