3.75 stars! An immensely entertaining read, albeit it felt a bit juvenile at points(if some of the cursing and dirtier jokes were taken out, it could totally be a middle grade). (There were a couple lines I did not jive with because of that, so it occasionally felt a bit cringey. Sad face.) But! For once, the marketing for a popular book is spot-on: “The Sunbearer Trials” reads like if someone (well, Aiden Thomas in this case) took the Battle Royale For Entertainment concept from The Hunger Games, and merged it with the detailed mythology and humor/primarily lighthearted tone from Percy Jackson. And if that sounds just like it’s up your alley, I recommend going to check out this book! (Previous minor reader’s discretions noticed, of course.)

The cast of characters didn’t feel as crowded as I thought it would! I’m not one for books with large ensembles (saw where it could potentially go badly with the writing of “The Witchery” and it put a sour taste in my mouth), but I thought everyone had a solid characterization and their dynamics with each other worked really well. (Of course, not everyone gets the same level of development because…priorities and main characters, but I didn’t have too much of an issue with that because it didn’t take up the book.) 

Anyhow, definitely tuning in for the sequel though because a) the cliffhanger?!?!, b) after reading “Cemetery Boys”, I’ve dedicated myself to reading all of Aiden Thomas’s books! (Even though there’s only 3 out right now, so it’s not saying a ton per say.)