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The Sunbearer Duology #2
Celestial Monsters
Das fulminante Finale der SOL-Dilogie
Teo hätte nicht einmal im Traum daran gedacht, dass er ein Held sein könnte. Nun hat er keine andere Wahl. All das Chaos und die Zerstörung in Reino del Sol ist seine Schuld. Nur seinetwegen wurden die auf Rache gesinnten Obsidians aus ihrem Gefängnis befreit. Jetzt ist die ganze Welt in Dunkelheit gehüllt, und Teo, Aurelio und Niya machen sich auf den Weg in die Wildnis von Los Restos. Gefährliche Monster und bedrückende Schuldgefühle machen ihnen das Leben schwer und nur die aufkeimenden Gefühle zwischen Teo und Aurelio sorgen für Ablenkung. Doch die drei sind fest entschlossen, die entführten Semidioses zu retten und den Sol-Stein zu finden, um das Licht zurückzubringen. Das Schicksal der gesamten Welt liegt in ihren Händen.
Eine atmosphärische Fantasywelt voller Gottheiten und Monster, starker Freundschaften und einer queeren Rivals to Lovers-Romance
Teo hätte nicht einmal im Traum daran gedacht, dass er ein Held sein könnte. Nun hat er keine andere Wahl. All das Chaos und die Zerstörung in Reino del Sol ist seine Schuld. Nur seinetwegen wurden die auf Rache gesinnten Obsidians aus ihrem Gefängnis befreit. Jetzt ist die ganze Welt in Dunkelheit gehüllt, und Teo, Aurelio und Niya machen sich auf den Weg in die Wildnis von Los Restos. Gefährliche Monster und bedrückende Schuldgefühle machen ihnen das Leben schwer und nur die aufkeimenden Gefühle zwischen Teo und Aurelio sorgen für Ablenkung. Doch die drei sind fest entschlossen, die entführten Semidioses zu retten und den Sol-Stein zu finden, um das Licht zurückzubringen. Das Schicksal der gesamten Welt liegt in ihren Händen.
Eine atmosphärische Fantasywelt voller Gottheiten und Monster, starker Freundschaften und einer queeren Rivals to Lovers-Romance
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2024
646 people are currently reading
26802 people want to read
About the author
Aiden Thomas
8 books9,819 followersAiden Thomas is a New York Times Bestselling author with an MFA in Creative Writing. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, Oregon. As a queer, trans, Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color.
Their debut novel, CEMETERY BOYS, was published on September 1st, 2020.
Their debut novel, CEMETERY BOYS, was published on September 1st, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,762 reviews
September 15, 2025
me, June 2022 when this was most definately the cemetary boys 2 page:
JULIAN POV JULIAN POV JULIAN POV-
just as excited for tst2!!!
JULIAN POV JULIAN POV JULIAN POV-
just as excited for tst2!!!
March 13, 2025
In a Nutshell: An interesting continuation and finale to the Sunbearer duology. This works slightly better than the first one in writing, pacing and action, but doesn't have a strong character development, and is a bit repetitive. YA in approach (which it should be as a YA Fantasy, but I don’t enjoy YA much.) Not a standalone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: This review contains minor spoilers from Book One: The Sunbearer Trials.
Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
💐 It was great to see the narration split between Teo and Xio this time around. Xio was a crucial character in this sequel, and his perspective added not just variety but also complexity.
💐 Teo has improved from his days as a Sunbearer Trial contestant. He isn't your typical YA hero: he’s neither the strongest nor the fastest, he wants sleep even in between a dangerous quest, he complains about food,… All of this make him seem realistic. His habit of whining, though much reduced in intensity in this sequel, adds to the authentic teen portrayal.
💐 Aurelio and Niya are strong support systems. Niya is still as obnoxiously cute as in the first book. Aurelio is more silent and withdrawn without his sister. I love how the hidden chinks in his Gold armour are more visible now. The friendship dynamics are strong, and there is also some fun banter across the trio.
💐 Fabulous inclusivity, not surprising considering the author. There are queer and trans characters, and some of them also use the they/them pronouns. Loved the rep!
💐 The various mythological elements, especially the magical creatures, are thrilling to read. They are rooted in Mexican mythology, though I am not sure if any of them were conjured just for this book.
💐 The story highlights the manipulation of history by the "victors" – much appreciated! A subtle message but thought-provoking nonetheless.
💐 The world-building is much better this time. It still uses the combination of mythological elements and modern materialistic things from our world such as GPS and social media. It’s a weird mash but it works for the book.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌹 Just like the first book, this sequel is also reminiscent of The Hunger Games. Many scenes will remind you of Katniss and her group’s journey back to the Capitol in a bid to destroy Coriolanus Snow. But just because the content is similar doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t fun. That said, THG has three books in the core series while this stops as a duology. So it feels quite rushed in places.
🌹 The book begins with a tiny infodump, but this is somewhat helpful as a recap. There are again too many characters at the start, but going with the flow helps.
🌹 This book is not as predictable as ‘The Sunbearer Trials’, but it is somewhat repetitive in structure. There are no major surprises. The adventurous quest comprises moving from town to town, meeting some locals, and fighting some magical beasts. After a while, you start feeling the déjà vu, even when the action is enjoyable and the magical beings are outstanding.
🌹 The character development isn’t much this time. It rests on the shoulders of the earlier book. Only Xio gets more depth but not necessarily a convincing one. I found it hard to accept that he was just thirteen. Some character turnarounds are too abrupt to be believable.
🌹 There is an interesting mix of secondary characters: some admirable, some annoying. Teo’s birds don’t pop in as often as in the first book, but they are still a joy to read. I wish his mother Quetzal had also had an extended appearance.
🌹 The epilogue is much too long, at least on audio. But it does offer a conclusion to all the key arcs.
🌹 As a YA book, it does suffer from the usual flaws of YA fiction, the worse of it being excessive physical descriptions and the feelings/stirrings nonsense. It helped that I was better prepared for it this time around. Can’t count this as a Nay because the book IS a YA novel. It’s not the book’s fault that I’m not a YA or that I am not a fan of this genre.
Bookish Nays:
🌵 As is typical in a YA book, most of the adults are either idiots or missing in action, even when they are dioses. It is only the teens who can save the planet from doom. *eye roll.*
🌵 Loads of frivolous cussing.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 36 min, is yet again narrated by André Santana. He does a wonderful job of bringing the young cast to life, giving each of them a distinct personality and voicing the lines with perfect (YA) emotion. I’m sure I enjoyed this journey more because of his exuberant performance. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook as a great way of experiencing this book. However, if you are an audio newbie, you might be confused by the huge cast.
All in all, this is an entertaining conclusion to the series, offering a great finish to the events that started in the first part of the series. I am not a huge YA fan, and picked this up only because the first book was decent enough (for a YA novel 🤭) and I was curious to know how Teo and his friends resolved the issue. My curiosity has been sated quite well, though the first book kept me slightly more hooked with its twisty plot.
The story is complete in every way, so I don’t see any potential for a continuation. But the world is already created, and the characters are varied in culture and personality, so who knows? Maybe someone will shuffle things up in the new utopia in future, and Teo and his gang will need to get into ‘We-will-save-everyone’ mode again.
Definitely recommended to YA Fantasy fans who have read the first book of this duology. This book cannot work as a standalone.
3.75 stars. (3.5 stars as an adult, 4 stars as a YA. Averaged.)
My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC of “Celestial Monsters” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: This review contains minor spoilers from Book One: The Sunbearer Trials.
Plot Preview:
This book continues immediately after the finale of the first book.
Now that the Obsidian gods are free of their prison and intent on taking back what they think was rightfully theirs, there is chaos all over Reino de Sol. Add in the complication that Sol is still not in power, thanks to Teo’s refusal of sacrificing a fellow semidiose during the Sunbearer Trials. As their world is in darkness, Teo, Aurelio, and Niya band up to retrieve the Sol stone from the Obsidians, get Sol to light up again, and in the interim, save the world from the celestial monsters of the dark. If they don’t succeed in their quest, they face an apocalypse, so they have neither much time nor much choice.
The book comes to us in the third-person perspectives of Teo and Xio.
Bookish Yays:
💐 It was great to see the narration split between Teo and Xio this time around. Xio was a crucial character in this sequel, and his perspective added not just variety but also complexity.
💐 Teo has improved from his days as a Sunbearer Trial contestant. He isn't your typical YA hero: he’s neither the strongest nor the fastest, he wants sleep even in between a dangerous quest, he complains about food,… All of this make him seem realistic. His habit of whining, though much reduced in intensity in this sequel, adds to the authentic teen portrayal.
💐 Aurelio and Niya are strong support systems. Niya is still as obnoxiously cute as in the first book. Aurelio is more silent and withdrawn without his sister. I love how the hidden chinks in his Gold armour are more visible now. The friendship dynamics are strong, and there is also some fun banter across the trio.
💐 Fabulous inclusivity, not surprising considering the author. There are queer and trans characters, and some of them also use the they/them pronouns. Loved the rep!
💐 The various mythological elements, especially the magical creatures, are thrilling to read. They are rooted in Mexican mythology, though I am not sure if any of them were conjured just for this book.
💐 The story highlights the manipulation of history by the "victors" – much appreciated! A subtle message but thought-provoking nonetheless.
💐 The world-building is much better this time. It still uses the combination of mythological elements and modern materialistic things from our world such as GPS and social media. It’s a weird mash but it works for the book.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌹 Just like the first book, this sequel is also reminiscent of The Hunger Games. Many scenes will remind you of Katniss and her group’s journey back to the Capitol in a bid to destroy Coriolanus Snow. But just because the content is similar doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t fun. That said, THG has three books in the core series while this stops as a duology. So it feels quite rushed in places.
🌹 The book begins with a tiny infodump, but this is somewhat helpful as a recap. There are again too many characters at the start, but going with the flow helps.
🌹 This book is not as predictable as ‘The Sunbearer Trials’, but it is somewhat repetitive in structure. There are no major surprises. The adventurous quest comprises moving from town to town, meeting some locals, and fighting some magical beasts. After a while, you start feeling the déjà vu, even when the action is enjoyable and the magical beings are outstanding.
🌹 The character development isn’t much this time. It rests on the shoulders of the earlier book. Only Xio gets more depth but not necessarily a convincing one. I found it hard to accept that he was just thirteen. Some character turnarounds are too abrupt to be believable.
🌹 There is an interesting mix of secondary characters: some admirable, some annoying. Teo’s birds don’t pop in as often as in the first book, but they are still a joy to read. I wish his mother Quetzal had also had an extended appearance.
🌹 The epilogue is much too long, at least on audio. But it does offer a conclusion to all the key arcs.
🌹 As a YA book, it does suffer from the usual flaws of YA fiction, the worse of it being excessive physical descriptions and the feelings/stirrings nonsense. It helped that I was better prepared for it this time around. Can’t count this as a Nay because the book IS a YA novel. It’s not the book’s fault that I’m not a YA or that I am not a fan of this genre.
Bookish Nays:
🌵 As is typical in a YA book, most of the adults are either idiots or missing in action, even when they are dioses. It is only the teens who can save the planet from doom. *eye roll.*
🌵 Loads of frivolous cussing.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 36 min, is yet again narrated by André Santana. He does a wonderful job of bringing the young cast to life, giving each of them a distinct personality and voicing the lines with perfect (YA) emotion. I’m sure I enjoyed this journey more because of his exuberant performance. I’d definitely recommend the audiobook as a great way of experiencing this book. However, if you are an audio newbie, you might be confused by the huge cast.
All in all, this is an entertaining conclusion to the series, offering a great finish to the events that started in the first part of the series. I am not a huge YA fan, and picked this up only because the first book was decent enough (for a YA novel 🤭) and I was curious to know how Teo and his friends resolved the issue. My curiosity has been sated quite well, though the first book kept me slightly more hooked with its twisty plot.
The story is complete in every way, so I don’t see any potential for a continuation. But the world is already created, and the characters are varied in culture and personality, so who knows? Maybe someone will shuffle things up in the new utopia in future, and Teo and his gang will need to get into ‘We-will-save-everyone’ mode again.
Definitely recommended to YA Fantasy fans who have read the first book of this duology. This book cannot work as a standalone.
3.75 stars. (3.5 stars as an adult, 4 stars as a YA. Averaged.)
My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC of “Celestial Monsters” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
September 16, 2022
what i would give to have an arc copy of this book..(my left leg, both of my big toes, my entire life savings, my firstborn child, etc.)
January 21, 2023
i can't believe i read a book thinking it was a standalone only to find out it's actually a duology and ill have to WAIT for the sequel.
this is my worst NIGHTMARE. it's truly the apocalypse on earth
this is my worst NIGHTMARE. it's truly the apocalypse on earth
January 29, 2025
I liked the first book better but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this one. To start off, the amazing world building remains and there were plenty of action packed scenes. I would have liked more sweet, simple, romantic moments between Aurelio and Teo. There were a few but they weren’t long and I really wanted them to talk, to share more about their lives and what they did when their friendship broke off. However, the plot of this book isn’t a romance so I understand why there weren't that many. Plus the ending scene with them kinda makes up for it. We get Xios' perspective and I really liked being inside their head, to watch them truly understand the weight of their choices and witness as guilt claws at them until they finally break and want to make things right. Plus you get to understand why they betrayed their friends, all the factors that played a part. Like how they’ve been lied to by the only people they’ve ever trusted and never knew a place called home. They're only thirteen so I really felt for them. I thought they were well written. I also liked seeing all the characters again and I love Niya with all her jokes. Ngl I want a book with her and Auristela, I also want a book with Dezi and Marino because I love them too 😂.
January 10, 2025
3.5 ☆
”But we could be together in the next world. I’d wait for you. We’ll find our way back to each other, wherever that is. We will.”
this was a fun duology but i did like this sequel less than book one. there’s a lot going on after the events of the sunbearer trials and i feel like the pacing struggled because of it. there would be random moments of down time that didn’t add anything before it was back to the action. the characters are still great and i loved the slow burn of Teo and Aurelio’s romance, along with the constant teasing from Niya. adding Xio’s pov was a good choice cause it gave perspective to the people on their side of things and what made them react how they did. the casual queerness is very welcomed in this series and i liked how Xio’s gender identity was accepted by everyone around them. the ending was sorta bittersweet in parts and a bit predictable but it fit well with how it all played out. i enjoyed this, but it just didn’t have that same spark that book one did for me..
”But we could be together in the next world. I’d wait for you. We’ll find our way back to each other, wherever that is. We will.”
this was a fun duology but i did like this sequel less than book one. there’s a lot going on after the events of the sunbearer trials and i feel like the pacing struggled because of it. there would be random moments of down time that didn’t add anything before it was back to the action. the characters are still great and i loved the slow burn of Teo and Aurelio’s romance, along with the constant teasing from Niya. adding Xio’s pov was a good choice cause it gave perspective to the people on their side of things and what made them react how they did. the casual queerness is very welcomed in this series and i liked how Xio’s gender identity was accepted by everyone around them. the ending was sorta bittersweet in parts and a bit predictable but it fit well with how it all played out. i enjoyed this, but it just didn’t have that same spark that book one did for me..
December 17, 2022
I physically need this book rn. HURRY AIDEN
October 28, 2024
I didn't like this as much as The Sunbearer Trials
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Celestial Monsters was kinda boring. Mostly because we spent so much time in Xio's perspective. For the majority of the book, their storyline was characters yelling you're not very nice and actually, slavery is bad! It felt like the same scenes over and over again. Oh, the characters are mad because they're imprisoned and now Xio is conflicted, rinse, repeat.
It was important to see Xio question their father, but dedicating so much of the book to this didn't even matter because the decision happens off page! It's not just Xio though, even Teo's storyline was kinda mid when compared to the action-packed Sunbearer Trials.
That being said, this duology is so charming. I love that Teo can talk to birds because they rock. I love the birds so much. They're so precious and must be protected. Every time I see Son of Quetzal! on the page, I know its gonna be the most charming scene ever. Niya also deserves an honorable mention because she has some of the funniest dialogue. If she weren't with Teo and Aurelio, their quest would be a lot more boring.
Finally, that ending. Kinda anti-climactic. That's not what I thought this story was leading to and I don't know if it makes sense contextually.
Overall, I can't bear to give this book any lower than a 3.5 even though I have some criticisms. It still makes me smile and the characters are so close to my heart. Did I love it plot-wise? No, but I love the characters so much.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
I'm finally gonna finish this duology!! Aiden Thomas, you never disappoint me 🫶
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Celestial Monsters was kinda boring. Mostly because we spent so much time in Xio's perspective. For the majority of the book, their storyline was characters yelling you're not very nice and actually, slavery is bad! It felt like the same scenes over and over again. Oh, the characters are mad because they're imprisoned and now Xio is conflicted, rinse, repeat.
It was important to see Xio question their father, but dedicating so much of the book to this didn't even matter because the decision happens off page! It's not just Xio though, even Teo's storyline was kinda mid when compared to the action-packed Sunbearer Trials.
That being said, this duology is so charming. I love that Teo can talk to birds because they rock. I love the birds so much. They're so precious and must be protected. Every time I see Son of Quetzal! on the page, I know its gonna be the most charming scene ever. Niya also deserves an honorable mention because she has some of the funniest dialogue. If she weren't with Teo and Aurelio, their quest would be a lot more boring.
Finally, that ending. Kinda anti-climactic. That's not what I thought this story was leading to and I don't know if it makes sense contextually.
Overall, I can't bear to give this book any lower than a 3.5 even though I have some criticisms. It still makes me smile and the characters are so close to my heart. Did I love it plot-wise? No, but I love the characters so much.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
I'm finally gonna finish this duology!! Aiden Thomas, you never disappoint me 🫶
September 25, 2024
2.5 stars
this was fine. much of the plot felt lackluster and repetitive and yet the ending was quite rushed. the book tried to ponder the flaws of a society where gods and demigods live among mortals accepting their worship without considering how their actions affect them but the entire situation was wrapped up easily after the gods hummed to each other like the adults in charlie brown.
i overlooked the juvenile tone in the sunbearer trials, but it was even more glaring here and the writing felt downright amateur. i can't be bothered to go back for examples but the most memorable is the way niya was constantly screaming or shouting her dialogue.
this is also just so clearly a middle grade book being passed off as YA for some reason. just because the author wanted to swear? even so, middle grade books should still have plot and character developments that are interesting and have closure. conflicts that characters had with each other from the last book were unresolved or simply no longer existed by the end of this book. teo and aurellio's romance was barely there until it was, and a major character moment for xio happened off-page. aurellio's difficulty adjusting to fighting on his own after relying on his sister as a partner for his entire life on top of his complex living up to his mother's expectations should have been an interesting part of his character to explore but it was barely addressed despite being brought up numerous times.
i still really like the world thomas was trying to create here but i couldn't get over the basic writing and middling plot.
this was fine. much of the plot felt lackluster and repetitive and yet the ending was quite rushed. the book tried to ponder the flaws of a society where gods and demigods live among mortals accepting their worship without considering how their actions affect them but the entire situation was wrapped up easily after the gods hummed to each other like the adults in charlie brown.
i overlooked the juvenile tone in the sunbearer trials, but it was even more glaring here and the writing felt downright amateur. i can't be bothered to go back for examples but the most memorable is the way niya was constantly screaming or shouting her dialogue.
this is also just so clearly a middle grade book being passed off as YA for some reason. just because the author wanted to swear? even so, middle grade books should still have plot and character developments that are interesting and have closure. conflicts that characters had with each other from the last book were unresolved or simply no longer existed by the end of this book. teo and aurellio's romance was barely there until it was, and a major character moment for xio happened off-page. aurellio's difficulty adjusting to fighting on his own after relying on his sister as a partner for his entire life on top of his complex living up to his mother's expectations should have been an interesting part of his character to explore but it was barely addressed despite being brought up numerous times.
i still really like the world thomas was trying to create here but i couldn't get over the basic writing and middling plot.
Want to read
June 29, 2022sO WHAT IF IM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH
Read
August 26, 2024Review coming soon! (on Book tour date)
July 14, 2024
4.5/5
You're only a monster if you choose to be.
I love this world and these characters with all my heart! It was so much fun to return to this series, I would read books and books and books more about all of them! Thank you Aiden Thomas for the perfect queernorm, Latine Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games series of our dreams! This comp perfectly describes the first book, The Sunbearer Trials, so if that sounds even remotely appealing to you, go read it!
Celestial Monsters continues directly after the big reveals at the end of the last book, we're thrust into the action straight away. It follows more of a quest storyline than the trial structure of the first book. Instantly, we have our goal and now we must follow Teo, Niya and Aurelio on their long and arduous path. We also get Xio's perspective as well which adds so much depth to the story.
The characters are truly the life force of this series, they're simply phenomenal. I adore Xio with all my heart, I loved seeing into their mind and all the conflicting motivations at play inside of them. I loved seeing their view of the other characters, their view of the past events. It was fascinating and made for such a fun and dynamic reading experience as we flicked back and forth between their situation and Teo's.
Teo has my entire heart as well, I honestly just adore all these characters. Teo has grown so much from the beginning of the series and it's amazing to watch his confidence soar and to see him embrace the hero's journey. Yet throughout all of this, more than anything, Teo has always had his compassion. He's always looking out for the underdog, always understanding of others in a way sometimes even Niya and Aurelio can't manage. It's Teo and his steady heart that drives the entire story. It's Teo that has the ability to change the world for the better, and the ability to convince others that they can too.
Niya is always a joy to read, she's brilliant and absolutely hilarious. My favourite moments were always the moments of banter between Teo and Niya (and especially the moments where they ganged up to tease Aurelio), they have such a beautiful friendship that Thomas writes phenomenally. He easily captures the pure love that they hold for each other and the lengths that they're always willing to go to for each other, and we get to bask in the beauty of it. It's so refreshing to read about such an unalterable friendship.
Aurelio was an incredible addition to Teo and Niya's merry band, I loved his steadfast energy, but I loved when we were able to see beneath his façade and into his moments of weakness even more. They all played off of each other so well.
I am exactly the type of person who enjoys Fellowship more than any of the other parts of Lord of the Rings and so inevitably I adored the wandering quest aspect of the story the most. I loved the small moments of happiness, the side quests, the heartwarming conversations, the strange and funny situations they somehow found themselves in. It was such a fun read and I enjoyed every minute. Because of this, I sometimes wished the action-heavy second half of the book would sometimes slow down a little, but I think that's just a me thing! I always like the slower moments more, but, for all its action, it still managed a lot of heartfelt moments amongst it all.
I loved how Teo's connection to birds was used all throughout, I always found it so sweet and such a warm and nurturing kind of connection to feature. I adored how the birds played their part as they are such a huge part of Teo's life and it was really nice to see that shown in this book as well. It's the little things that make the difference, that add the heart to a story!
Another thing I loved was the questioning of the world order all throughout. More than anything, I adored getting to see so many of the different cities and landscapes of the world and how every one was so unique not only in structure but also in how they operated. I really appreciated how these differences became such eye-opening events for Teo, I loved how they infused into this overarching question. Now that the world has been turned inside out, can we finally question it? As we fight to rebuild it, can we fight also for a better one? Maybe we don't want things to just go back to the way they were, maybe we need to force it to change instead. I adored this theme running as an undercurrent all throughout the book, influenced this way and that by any number of new sights, conversations and revelations.
I think this is truly such a wonderful series, it's incredibly fun to read and I'd highly recommend it! I think so many people of all ages would really enjoy this, it's so diverse and uplifting and centres trans characters as the heroes of their own stories. I adore reading fantasy set in queernorm worlds, books about queer and trans struggles are so immensely important, but stories where queer and trans characters simply get to exist are immensely important too! We always need more queer joy and I adore, adore, adore how Aiden Thomas has such well-written, but casual representation all throughout their stories. From Teo's jade green top surgery scars, to Xio figuring out who they are, to the easiness of queer love, I adored every moment. (This carries over from the first book where I absolutely sobbed at one of the most gender-affirming and beautiful moments!)
Books like these are so astoundingly important, especially for teens and a YA audience, which this is for. I'm so grateful and so happy that this exists! Thank you Aiden Thomas, I will read everything you ever write!
Thank you Macmillan Children's Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
You're only a monster if you choose to be.
I love this world and these characters with all my heart! It was so much fun to return to this series, I would read books and books and books more about all of them! Thank you Aiden Thomas for the perfect queernorm, Latine Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games series of our dreams! This comp perfectly describes the first book, The Sunbearer Trials, so if that sounds even remotely appealing to you, go read it!
Celestial Monsters continues directly after the big reveals at the end of the last book, we're thrust into the action straight away. It follows more of a quest storyline than the trial structure of the first book. Instantly, we have our goal and now we must follow Teo, Niya and Aurelio on their long and arduous path. We also get Xio's perspective as well which adds so much depth to the story.
The characters are truly the life force of this series, they're simply phenomenal. I adore Xio with all my heart, I loved seeing into their mind and all the conflicting motivations at play inside of them. I loved seeing their view of the other characters, their view of the past events. It was fascinating and made for such a fun and dynamic reading experience as we flicked back and forth between their situation and Teo's.
Teo has my entire heart as well, I honestly just adore all these characters. Teo has grown so much from the beginning of the series and it's amazing to watch his confidence soar and to see him embrace the hero's journey. Yet throughout all of this, more than anything, Teo has always had his compassion. He's always looking out for the underdog, always understanding of others in a way sometimes even Niya and Aurelio can't manage. It's Teo and his steady heart that drives the entire story. It's Teo that has the ability to change the world for the better, and the ability to convince others that they can too.
Niya is always a joy to read, she's brilliant and absolutely hilarious. My favourite moments were always the moments of banter between Teo and Niya (and especially the moments where they ganged up to tease Aurelio), they have such a beautiful friendship that Thomas writes phenomenally. He easily captures the pure love that they hold for each other and the lengths that they're always willing to go to for each other, and we get to bask in the beauty of it. It's so refreshing to read about such an unalterable friendship.
Aurelio was an incredible addition to Teo and Niya's merry band, I loved his steadfast energy, but I loved when we were able to see beneath his façade and into his moments of weakness even more. They all played off of each other so well.
I am exactly the type of person who enjoys Fellowship more than any of the other parts of Lord of the Rings and so inevitably I adored the wandering quest aspect of the story the most. I loved the small moments of happiness, the side quests, the heartwarming conversations, the strange and funny situations they somehow found themselves in. It was such a fun read and I enjoyed every minute. Because of this, I sometimes wished the action-heavy second half of the book would sometimes slow down a little, but I think that's just a me thing! I always like the slower moments more, but, for all its action, it still managed a lot of heartfelt moments amongst it all.
I loved how Teo's connection to birds was used all throughout, I always found it so sweet and such a warm and nurturing kind of connection to feature. I adored how the birds played their part as they are such a huge part of Teo's life and it was really nice to see that shown in this book as well. It's the little things that make the difference, that add the heart to a story!
Another thing I loved was the questioning of the world order all throughout. More than anything, I adored getting to see so many of the different cities and landscapes of the world and how every one was so unique not only in structure but also in how they operated. I really appreciated how these differences became such eye-opening events for Teo, I loved how they infused into this overarching question. Now that the world has been turned inside out, can we finally question it? As we fight to rebuild it, can we fight also for a better one? Maybe we don't want things to just go back to the way they were, maybe we need to force it to change instead. I adored this theme running as an undercurrent all throughout the book, influenced this way and that by any number of new sights, conversations and revelations.
I think this is truly such a wonderful series, it's incredibly fun to read and I'd highly recommend it! I think so many people of all ages would really enjoy this, it's so diverse and uplifting and centres trans characters as the heroes of their own stories. I adore reading fantasy set in queernorm worlds, books about queer and trans struggles are so immensely important, but stories where queer and trans characters simply get to exist are immensely important too! We always need more queer joy and I adore, adore, adore how Aiden Thomas has such well-written, but casual representation all throughout their stories. From Teo's jade green top surgery scars, to Xio figuring out who they are, to the easiness of queer love, I adored every moment. (This carries over from the first book where I absolutely sobbed at one of the most gender-affirming and beautiful moments!)
Books like these are so astoundingly important, especially for teens and a YA audience, which this is for. I'm so grateful and so happy that this exists! Thank you Aiden Thomas, I will read everything you ever write!
Thank you Macmillan Children's Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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March 30, 2025I’m on BookTube now! =)
This book was amazing and up until the very end I had absolutely no clue how the story would end!
I mean I always hope for a HEA but damn, it was hard to picture one here.
“Celestial Monsters” was suspenseful, full of heart, bittersweet but also hopeful and sad.
It was the full package and I’ll write a veeery long review about it!
This said: Full RTC soon! (Hopefully! *fingers crossed*)
__________________________________
I probably should have written my review about “The Sunbearer Trials” first, but I’m too curious about how this story is going to continue.
Moreover, I need to know how Teo, his bestie and his crush are going to save the world. *lol*
Also can we take a minute and appreciate this absolutely gorgeous cover?!
We have Teo and his beautiful wings gently holding Aurelio and the way they look at each other is just… chef’s kiss! <33
I need “Celestial Monsters” in my life now! Period!
I probably should write my review of the first book soon, though…. >_<
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This book was amazing and up until the very end I had absolutely no clue how the story would end!
I mean I always hope for a HEA but damn, it was hard to picture one here.
“Celestial Monsters” was suspenseful, full of heart, bittersweet but also hopeful and sad.
It was the full package and I’ll write a veeery long review about it!
This said: Full RTC soon! (Hopefully! *fingers crossed*)
__________________________________
I probably should have written my review about “The Sunbearer Trials” first, but I’m too curious about how this story is going to continue.
Moreover, I need to know how Teo, his bestie and his crush are going to save the world. *lol*
Also can we take a minute and appreciate this absolutely gorgeous cover?!
We have Teo and his beautiful wings gently holding Aurelio and the way they look at each other is just… chef’s kiss! <33
I need “Celestial Monsters” in my life now! Period!
I probably should write my review of the first book soon, though…. >_<
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December 5, 2024
4 stars. Soaring to darker heights and examining topics such as community care with surprising nuance, Celestial Monsters is a solid bookend to a great YA fantasy duology from Aidan Thomas.
July 17, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Listen. I loved The Sunbearer Trials and expected another five-star read. I still liked this one, especially Xio, the boy I already had a soft spot for in the first book, but somehow, it couldn’t hold my attention like its prequel did. It might be because it dragged sometimes, and it took me a week to finish it, the longest in years, or because Celestial Monsters didn’t surprise me as much as Sunbearer. Anyway, I still loved Teo and Aurelio, I still had fun, and I still love this duology.
Thank you, Macmillan Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC!
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Listen. I loved The Sunbearer Trials and expected another five-star read. I still liked this one, especially Xio, the boy I already had a soft spot for in the first book, but somehow, it couldn’t hold my attention like its prequel did. It might be because it dragged sometimes, and it took me a week to finish it, the longest in years, or because Celestial Monsters didn’t surprise me as much as Sunbearer. Anyway, I still loved Teo and Aurelio, I still had fun, and I still love this duology.
Thank you, Macmillan Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC!
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September 23, 2024
4.5 stars.
This did not disappoint,my expectations for this second book were very high and the book meet them,even through there were some problems.
I loved Teo in the first book and I loved him in this too,he is such a caring person.
His friendship with Niya was fun and warm and while Niya did frustrate me a little with how protective she was over Teo I still found her a very funny and carefree character.
Aurelio journey throughout the whole book made me so happy,especially at the end when he finally started to care about himself and his happiness.
Teo and Aurelio relationship was warm,sweet and fluffy,what can I say....they gave me only positive feelings.
Dezi and Marino were for me the stars of the book even though they didn't appear that much,their relationship was the definition of health and love and they shone on their own too.
I greatly appreciate the way the author writes character growth.
Sadly I found Xio in this book very annoying and kind of stupid.
I really wanted to like them but the reason for the betrayal did not make sense.
I did start to warm up a little to them at the end when they finally snapped out of their delusions and finally saw the reality they lived in.
The plot in some parts did not make sense either(for example why did the dióses not fight from the very beginning,did they really think that a bunch of teenagers will win in a fight with the Obsidian gods??)
There were a few issues that did not get resolved(example: the abuse that the twins suffered at the hands of their mother never gets addressed or even brought up.)
For me the heart of the story was the characters and the relationships between them so the little flaws that existed in the plot did not bother me that much.
The ending was rushed but I still enjoyed this book very much.
This did not disappoint,my expectations for this second book were very high and the book meet them,even through there were some problems.
I loved Teo in the first book and I loved him in this too,he is such a caring person.
His friendship with Niya was fun and warm and while Niya did frustrate me a little with how protective she was over Teo I still found her a very funny and carefree character.
Aurelio journey throughout the whole book made me so happy,especially at the end when he finally started to care about himself and his happiness.
Teo and Aurelio relationship was warm,sweet and fluffy,what can I say....they gave me only positive feelings.
Dezi and Marino were for me the stars of the book even though they didn't appear that much,their relationship was the definition of health and love and they shone on their own too.
I greatly appreciate the way the author writes character growth.
Sadly I found Xio in this book very annoying and kind of stupid.
I really wanted to like them but the reason for the betrayal did not make sense.
I did start to warm up a little to them at the end when they finally snapped out of their delusions and finally saw the reality they lived in.
The plot in some parts did not make sense either(for example why did the dióses not fight from the very beginning,did they really think that a bunch of teenagers will win in a fight with the Obsidian gods??)
There were a few issues that did not get resolved(example: the abuse that the twins suffered at the hands of their mother never gets addressed or even brought up.)
For me the heart of the story was the characters and the relationships between them so the little flaws that existed in the plot did not bother me that much.
The ending was rushed but I still enjoyed this book very much.
August 13, 2024
A really solid end to this duology! I LOVED The Sunbearer Trials, and while the sequel had me in less of a chokehold it's still very good. Celestial Monsters picks up right after the events of book 1 and follows Teo and crew on a quest to save the world. Along the way they fight mythological creatures, get distracted by romance, and see things in new ways. This is such a cool world integrating elements of different Latin American cultures and mythologies, which only continues to grow in book 2. And we have a casually queer and trans main character, which is handled in cool ways as well!
If you liked book 1, you should definitely check this out. The audio narration is good and works for it being YA. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
If you liked book 1, you should definitely check this out. The audio narration is good and works for it being YA. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 24, 2025
I've been avoiding finishing this for so long because I just didn't want to say goodbye, but I can't avoid those final pages forever :(
I love, love, LOVE Teo and his ever-expanding family.
CW: war, death (including loved ones/parent), grief, suicide + suicidal plan (self sacrifice), violence, kidnapping + imprisonment, ritualistic sacrifice
I love, love, LOVE Teo and his ever-expanding family.
CW: war, death (including loved ones/parent), grief, suicide + suicidal plan (self sacrifice), violence, kidnapping + imprisonment, ritualistic sacrifice
September 10, 2024
This sequel managed to throw away everything enjoyable about the first book and reduce the characters to their most irritating, surface level selves. The writing is amateur and even features the occasional spelling error. Scenes that ought to be exciting are reduced to the most basic sentences, i.e., "Keep fighting," Teo yelled. "We can do this!" The battle raged on, a tempest of fire and fury. Yawn. Now mix in a major character arc culminating in a decision that happens in the dark, outside of the dual POV, where a character just kind of appears on the other side of things without any real emotional work, along with the driving plot being thinner than tissue paper (the gods just...can't help, or won't help? For some reason.) The main characters overreact, make mistakes, and refuse to learn from them. Niya is a ridiculous, screaming caricature of herself. Teo is profoundly unlikable, and yet everything goes his way. Aurelio continues to be the most intriguing character, but all of the interesting things about him are undercut by his relationship with Teo. At the end of the day, it all adds up to making one incredibly underwhelming sequel.
This will be my final book by Thomas. It's not just lazy writing, poor editing, and weak pacing. His books are just...not good. It was an exciting premise and I would still love to see a diverse and trans-positive midgrade/YA fiction series someday, but this falls badly short of some of the greats, like PJO, which this duology is most commonly likened to.
This will be my final book by Thomas. It's not just lazy writing, poor editing, and weak pacing. His books are just...not good. It was an exciting premise and I would still love to see a diverse and trans-positive midgrade/YA fiction series someday, but this falls badly short of some of the greats, like PJO, which this duology is most commonly likened to.
September 16, 2024
lowkey waited for this book to be out for FOREVER... just for it to be disappointing.
like that payoff? hella disappointing. i wanted more, i feel like it was just so flavorless compared to the first book. like that first book, i sped thru, like i was left wanting more. now, not really. what happened bestie aiden? did u fall off?
like that payoff? hella disappointing. i wanted more, i feel like it was just so flavorless compared to the first book. like that first book, i sped thru, like i was left wanting more. now, not really. what happened bestie aiden? did u fall off?
June 19, 2025
I NEED this today please.
September 9, 2024
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Pride Book Tours.
Celestial Monsters is the concluding part of the Sunbearer Trials duology and picked up straight from where we were left (on a major cliffhanger!) from book one.
I enjoyed this book being told from the dual POV of both Teo and Xio in alternate chapters rather than just Teos POV. I don't want to give anything away for readers who are yet to read this book, but what I will say is be prepared for another exhilarating journey through a world of gods and monsters and a race to save human kind and the earth they live on.
This book has strong emotions and messages woven throughout the book about acceptance, compassion, equality, diversity, love, trust, and more. I wouldn't say the character development isn't as pronounced as in book one, but we do see a maturity in each character and newfound inner strength. I loved the mythology and Mexican folklore laced through every aspect of this series, and book two didn't let me down. The banter between the characters makes the book fun and uplifting to balance out the harshness and destruction of the gods with an equal balance. I thought the book ended very well and was tied up nicely, but I did wish the battle was a little longer than it was, but since it is a YA book this was possibly the perfect amount of scene time to carry it over.
Celestial Monsters is the concluding part of the Sunbearer Trials duology and picked up straight from where we were left (on a major cliffhanger!) from book one.
I enjoyed this book being told from the dual POV of both Teo and Xio in alternate chapters rather than just Teos POV. I don't want to give anything away for readers who are yet to read this book, but what I will say is be prepared for another exhilarating journey through a world of gods and monsters and a race to save human kind and the earth they live on.
This book has strong emotions and messages woven throughout the book about acceptance, compassion, equality, diversity, love, trust, and more. I wouldn't say the character development isn't as pronounced as in book one, but we do see a maturity in each character and newfound inner strength. I loved the mythology and Mexican folklore laced through every aspect of this series, and book two didn't let me down. The banter between the characters makes the book fun and uplifting to balance out the harshness and destruction of the gods with an equal balance. I thought the book ended very well and was tied up nicely, but I did wish the battle was a little longer than it was, but since it is a YA book this was possibly the perfect amount of scene time to carry it over.
Want to read
April 16, 2023WHY IS IT NOT 2024 YET I NEED THE SEQUEL TO MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK RIGHT THIS SECOND I HAVE ALREADY WAITED FAR TOO LONG!!!!!!!! *screams into the void*
Merged review:
Update: So apparently the pub date got pushed back to September 2024 so I will be dying inside for the next year and a half. 🥲
Please Aiden, I beg of you to give us a morsel– a cover, title, release date reveal, anything, we are out here being starved to death by this agonizing wait. 😭
Merged review:
Update: So apparently the pub date got pushed back to September 2024 so I will be dying inside for the next year and a half. 🥲
Please Aiden, I beg of you to give us a morsel– a cover, title, release date reveal, anything, we are out here being starved to death by this agonizing wait. 😭
January 24, 2023
as a writer i say do take your time
as a reader i say please give us at least a crumb of this book please
as a reader i say please give us at least a crumb of this book please
September 4, 2024
I’m sure it has been a normal amount of time since the first in this duology came out, but it feels like a lifetime. It honestly was a little disorienting to start because it picked up the second the first book ended but I hadn’t been in that world in a long time. As I got back into the story I found myself enjoying the world. In some ways this story was better than the first, but it others it cut some corners and was a bit disconnected. For instance I felt like the reunion of Teo and Xio was way too sudden and went more smoothly than it should have. I also found the ending to be unsatisfying after so much work showing the reader that there are no monsters, only those misunderstood. But in other ways the ending was satisfying. The book continued to make me happen with the wonderful representation and acceptance of differences, particularly with queer characters. Altogether I enjoyed this duology quite a bit and while there were tweaks I felt would have improved it, the world building was wonderful.
September 12, 2024
(3.5)
didn’t like this as much as book 1 😔 but i’ll always love these characters
didn’t like this as much as book 1 😔 but i’ll always love these characters
June 16, 2024
This was probably my most anticipated 2024 release, and I'm so happy I got to read it already! I practically inhaled this, and it was so much fun. Plotwise, this would honestly be a 4 star read, because I did think the story sort of dragged a little and didn't always seem to go anywhere. But I love the characters and the writing so much that it still felt like a 5 star read for me. The writing is so fun, the characters are all so distinct, and I loooved seeing so much more of Xio in this installment.
Want to read
June 30, 2022oh my absolute god this exists we’re getting a sequel
Want to read
June 29, 2022thank you, universe.
Want to read
May 10, 2024ok now ik there's a second book coming out i can read the sunbearer trials without fear in my heart
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