Book Review: Celestial Monsters By Aiden Thomas

Who’s ready for another sequel? We’ve been blessed with so many duology conclusions already, and these stories have been some of our favorite ones to review all year! Today, we’re reviewing a queernormative, Mexican-inspired fantasy called Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas.

Celestial Monsters is the second book and conclusion to Aiden Thomas’s The Sunbearer Duology. It picks up right after the end of book one, after semidiós Teo inadvertently brought on the end of the world. Now he, along with fellow semidioses Aurelio and Niya must travel through the dangerous lands of Los Restos to find the Sol Stone and resurrect the god Sol.

We adore everything about this duology, but we’ll try to keep it short and sweet for our review. Here are three things we love about Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas!

Book Overview: Celestial Monsters

Content Warnings: death of a parent, war, violence

Summary: Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light. With it, order can be restored.

The future of the whole world is in their hands.

The Mexican-Inspired Lore

Aiden Thomas reimagines Mexican mythology and creates a world where every god’s origin starts with Sol, who created the Golds, Jades, and Obsidians. The main characters are semidioses with one godly parent and one human parent. They inherit powers from their godly parents, like Niya’s ability to mold metal into weapons thanks to her father Tierra, the Dios of the Earth. If you’re a fan of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games series, then you’ll definitely love Celestial Monsters!

An Added Perspective

While The Sunbearer Trials only had Teo’s point of view, Celestial Monsters has a new perspective! After the ultimate betrayal, we get to see Xio’s side of the conflict. After they freed the Obsidian gods and reunited with their father, Venganza, Xio finally learns to conjure their power. Even though they helped create specialized prison cells for the captive semidioses, we still found ourselves believing in Xio’s redemption. Their point of view also helps us keep tabs on what the Obsidian gods have planned.

Teo And Aurelio’s Relationship

Another thing we love about Celestial Monsters is the adorable romance between Teo and Aurelio. They used to be childhood best friends until Aurelio enrolled in the exclusive, Golds-only Academy and cut ties with Teo. But now that they’re fighting monsters and working together to save the world, they grow closer and rekindle their connection. Plus, it’s just as awkward as we expected from a teenage relationship, especially with Niya third-wheeling with them on the mission.

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas releases September 3rd, and you can preorder a copy of it here!

Are you excited for Celestial Monsters? What are you looking forward to most in the sequel to The Sunbearer Trials? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

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