Aiden Thomas writes genre-blending young adult fantasy centered on queer and Latinx characters. Cemetery Boys and The Sunbearer Trials pair trans identity, mythology, and chosen family with stories built for wonder; a Past Forward conversation traces the cultural research behind Cemetery Boys.
A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut, and New York Times bestseller, Cemetery Boys. Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
A New York Times -Bestseller! Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials , where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys . “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.
KALW’s radio interview connects Thomas’s childhood in Oakland with Cemetery Boys and their path as a trans author.
KALW · February 2, 2021
More About Aiden Thomas
Aiden Thomas is a trans, Latinx ↗, New York Times bestselling author with an MFA in Creative Writing. Their author site places them between Oakland and the Pacific Northwest and describes a practice built around queer and Latinx characters ↗.
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel as he summons a ghost and insists on being recognized as a brujo. Thomas’s interviews describe the novel’s trans and Latinx identity work ↗ as part of its paranormal story, while KALW connects the book to their Oakland upbringing ↗.
Thomas continues the conversation through The Sunbearer Trials, a fantasy shaped by Mexican-inspired mythology ↗ and queer community. Past Forward’s podcast interview ↗ gives the author space to discuss representation and the work behind the books.
