The Sunbearer Trials (Book 1)

 

Stars: 4 for fast moving fantasy, world building extraordinaire and an end too soon.

My Thoughts:

I was a little slow to pick up this fantasy book, but it is magical and fast paced. The storytelling and world building is refreshingly exotic. The trials are out of our best dystopian stories like Hunger Games and Maze Runner. Add in different classes of beings, from teenage gods to half deities, everyone with strengths and weaknesses in a trial where the loser is the ultimate sacrifices and you have the start of this fabulous book. Inspired by Mexican culture, this is an exciting and fast read. Don't forget to get book 2 before you get to the end. Otherwise, it will be a very frustrating wait. 

When book talking this book, in this political climate, you have to reveal that the main character as well as other characters are trans. Although this is a LGBTQIA+ book, that is not the theme of the book and I don't think it should be a hindrance, however, in full transparency, it is present. For students that enjoyed Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan Presents books like Tristan Strong books or Pahua, this is an older version of their same comfortable genre. Give them these next step books. 

From the Publisher:

“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.

Publication Information:

Author: Aiden Thomas

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (September 6, 2022)

Print length: 413 pages

A Venom Dark and Sweet (Book of Tea 2)

 

Publication Date: August 23, 2022

My Thoughts:

This duology is the follow up to A Magic Steeped in Poison. Ning, the main character, went to Dàxi to compete in the tea/magic competition in order to heal her sister who has been poisoned like many other innocents across the country by poisoned tea bricks. She also befriended Kang and his cousin the princess, but she is scheduled to be executed just when she is so close to finding out the source of the poisoned bricks and the antidote that her sister needs to survive.  Although she escapes with the princess  and saves her sister, at the end of the first book she is betrayed by Kang, the princess is forced out by Kang's father and Ning is being hunted by real soldiers and an ancient yellow serpent that is able to track her when Ning wields her magic. 

In this last book, the four girls, Ning, her sister Shu, the princess and her bodyguard/girlfriend Ruyi must travel the country to try and find allies loyal to the former emperor. A powerful evil is awake and Ning must decide who she can trust. She cannot battle the serpent alone and she needs help from those people she is trying to protect as well as those who have already betrayed her. 

Readers will speed through these two books, especially if they like fantasy, mythology, magic, friendship and action. Teachers just need to be prepared to lead students to the next read. If they liked this duology, send the readers to Six Crimson Cranes or Spin the Dawn, both by Elizabeth Lim. 

If readers are a little young for these books (violence, evil, LGBTQIA romance, death), they may want to try The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim.

From the Publisher:

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.

Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world.

Pahua and the Soul Stealer

 

My Thoughts:

This middle-grade friendly adventure/fantasy/mythology book is another great addition to the Rick Riordan presents series of books coming out from YA authors of color who are writing about their own culture and community. For Ms. Lee, she introduces us to Hmong mythology in this very exciting race to battle demons and save her younger brother. 

As the United States left Afghanistan this fall and images of hundreds of Americans and Afghans with American ties trying to get to the airport in Kabul inundated our television and computer news screens,  I thought of the images from the Vietnam war and the fast retreat of Americans in our history books. The Hmongs, similar to the Afghan translators,  fought and died next to American troops in the Vietnamese war. However, there was no exit strategy for them when the Americans left. A large number of Hmongs fled Laos to refugee camps in Thailand. Some of them made their way to the United States  and they have established large communities in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin. The summer Olympics in Tokyo featured gold medal gymnast Suni Lee, an American Hmong athlete out of St. Paul, Minnesota. In other words,  they have been in America for generations, yet I have not read much literature from their community, especially in YA. This story, then is both timely and fresh. Middle grade readers will get pulled in by the excitement and supernatural elements. They will root for Pahua as she has to face fears, face her weakness, and in the process find her strength.

If middle grade readers like this, they may like Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna, The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim, or Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia next. 

From the Publisher:

Pahua Moua has a bit of a reputation for being a weirdo. A lonely eleven-year-old Hmong girl with the unique ability to see spirits, she spends her summer days babysitting her little brother and playing with her best friend, a cat spirit no one else can see.

One day Pahua accidentally untethers an angry spirit from the haunted bridge in her neighborhood--whoops. When her brother suddenly falls sick and can't be awoken, Pahua fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. She returns to the scene of the crime with her aunt's old shaman tools, hoping to confront the spirit and demand her brother's return. Instead, she summons a demon.

Thankfully, a warrior shaman with a bit of an attitude problem shows up at the last minute and saves her butt. With the help of this guide, Pahua will have to find her way through the spirit worlds and rescue her brother's soul before it's too late. Little does she know she'll have her own discoveries to make along the way. . . .

With its unforgettable characters, unique nature-based magic system, breathtaking twists and reveals, and climactic boss battle, this story based on Hmong oral tradition offers everything a fantasy lover could want.

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and other Asian Stories

Essentials:

• Publication date: 4/16/19
• Advanced copy provided by Ingrim Publisher Services and Iron Circus Comics for an honest review
• Middle grades/tween

My thoughts:

This is a good introduction to the stories of Asia, especially since the artists and writers represent a larger swath of Asian lore than just China and Japan. The stories, for middle grade readers, are written and illustrated by some of the most talented artists and writers in the field today, including Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Boxers and Saints). 

Best of all, the book puts together some lesser known tales (to American audiences) from India, Indonesia, as well as Tibet. I at first wanted to stay with the Japan/China stories, but I appreciate this mix of cultures, artists, and folklore.