Parents' Guide to Celestial Monsters: The Sunbearer Duology, Book 2

Similar to the first book, this sequel and finale of The Sunbearer Duology is action-packed, at times thrilling, and warmly weaves a tale of friendship and forgiveness. Unlike its predecessor, Celestial Monsters works hard this time to distance itself from other well-known young adult fantasy novels. Author Aiden Thomas devotes more time here to character and character relationship development as well as to introducing different environments and sceneries. But the world building still feels a bit thin outside the Mexican-inspired Gods and demi-gods mythology. And again, some readers may find it unfortunate that the "Jades" and the "Golds" seem like White and Asian correlates, while the "Obsidians" imply Black people (and the Obsidians are the evil villains).

The good is that the narration really explodes during the action scenes and set pieces. Each time the main characters come across a new kind of celestial monster or creature, it's fun to see how they tackle (or not) the situation. Along their journey to the home base of the Obsidians, the action almost feels video game-like, as each area, environment, and celestial monster encounter feels like its own "level." And the "boss fight" doesn't disappoint either. Fans will enjoy how this saga ends, but some will feel like a few things went amiss. Readers might feel like they never really get to know Aurelio. Teo is well-crafted and complex, but Aurelio doesn't quite feel like a full character.