WORD LISTS

"The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas, Chapters 1–3

Sun Feb 04 13:41:22 EST 2024
By Vocabulary.com (NY)Visual Thesaurus Moderator
This first book of the duology introduces seventeen-year-old Teo, son of the goddess of birds, who must compete for the honor of either carrying an elixir to the temples or being sacrificed to refuel the Sun Stones that protect the people of Reino del Sol.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–19, Chapters 20–26
humble
Eventually, Sol and Tierra grew tired of shaping gods. Sol went down into the earth and planted their heart deep beneath the ground, to be closer to their beloved. Sol’s heartsblood mingled with the humble dirt and, unexpectedly, humans were born.
stewardship
Agua took stewardship of the oceans and all the life within. Pan Dulce guarded the hearth and gave her name to the mortals’ favorite treat, sweet and soft and colorful.
stint
Finally released from his usual stint in detention, Teo was eager to put the plan he’d spent the last two days concocting into action.
flank
Flanking Brilla were other past Sunbearers, recognizable by the golden sunburst crowns they wore on their heads.
haphazardly
I’m getting good at this! Pico said, repeatedly banging his head on the nozzle as he sprayed light blue paint haphazardly across the beaming faces of the Gold semidioses.
intersperse
Teo jogged through jungle trees interspersed among buildings draped with vines.
inextricably
Here, people and nature were intimately and inextricably linked.
causeway
Teo pushed through the crowd as he crossed a pedestrian causeway that went over one of the many canals where merchants hawked their goods from boats and canoes.
refined
“Dios Maize doesn’t allow ‘refined sugar and processed garbage’ in Sol Temple.”
wistfully
“Man, what I wouldn’t give to go to Sol Temple,” Chavo said, sighing wistfully as he stroked his goatee.
impending
“All I’m gonna do is explore the Gold cities, eat as much food as I can, and blow all my money on souvenirs.” He grinned, the impending sights and travels sending his heart racing.
billow
Down the street, thick, black plumes billowed from where the panadería sat. All at once, the birds’ voices became clear.
FIRE! FIRE!
placid
Teo would’ve preferred sarcasm, annoyance, or even anger instead of his infuriatingly placid response.
tentatively
The girl looked up and tentatively took the doll from him.
painstakingly
He normally loved looking at the larger-than-life mosaics of tropical birds, painstakingly crafted with colorful tiles, but today they seemed to loom over him as he hurried toward the courtyard.
lament
“Ugh, Teo!” the priest lamented.
perpetually
Huemac was tall and angular with sun-wrinkled skin and a perpetually exasperated expression that seemed to deepen whenever Teo entered the room.
glyph
“Planets,” Huemac corrected, adjusting the chunk of jade engraved with the Quetzal glyph that hung around his neck.
regalia
“We’ll meet you there with your regalia.”
indignantly
Teo had tried to talk Huemac into installing an escalator but the head priest had just sniffed indignantly and cited tradition, the sanctity of the ancient temple, and blah blah blah.
undulate
It was too bright to look at it directly, but before Teo burned his retinas, he could catch a glimpse of the smooth surface that seemed to undulate with light, giving off tiny flares.
adorned
The bodice of Quetzal’s dress was adorned with scarlet macaw feathers and the rest was made of bright green, cyan, and sapphire blue plumage.
dysphoria
As if that weren’t bad enough, his wings were also the source of Teo’s first experiences with dysphoria.
plumage
They weren’t the brilliant blue and green of male quetzals, but grayish-brown with hints of green like the females’ plumage.
molt
At nearly the same time Teo realized he was a boy, his wings started molting.
salve
He did not want to have this discussion again, especially in front of Huemac, who at least had the manners to busy himself with applying a salve to the burn on Teo’s arm.
substantial
The most substantial piece was the pectoral. The centerpiece of the collared necklace was Quetzal’s glyph painted in gold onto a huge chunk of jade adorned with smaller bits of jade, turquoise, and gold beads. The weight of it made Teo sway as Huemac secured it in place.
curtly
“We already packed for you. The boat is ready,” Huemac replied curtly, following the other priests toward the stairs.
errant
It was made of wood and painted with intricate designs in Quetzlan’s distinctive vibrant colors, with a curved roof that would protect them from the blistering sun and errant downpours as they traveled through the microclimates of Reino del Sol.
sequester
Jade semidioses were sequestered in their own cities and didn’t mingle much.
clique
Niya had told him how the highest-ranked Gold semidioses were their own clique, never associating with the lower-ranked students.
flounce
Xochi’s black off-the-shoulder outfit had rows of flounces made entirely of real flowers, while Atzi’s light blue ensemble featured a high collar and ruffled skirt trimmed with silver ribbons that formed a star around her hips when she spread the hem apart.
incense
Suddenly, the scent of sweet apples, copal incense, and must tickled Teo’s nose.
tawny
Her butterfly companions rested on her clothes like tawny orange brooches.
brooch
Her butterfly companions rested on her clothes like tawny orange brooches. One sat at her temple, holding back her dark wavy hair and showing off the bright marigold blooms that hung from her ears.
harbinger
While Muerte was the harbinger of death, Fantasma was the gentle caretaker of the dead.
meekly
Fantasma meekly waved, the Chupa Chup in the iron grip of her free hand.
poised
“I’m writing a piece on the Lumbre twins,” Verdad said, notebook and pen poised at the ready.
mogul
Chisme was the tabloid mogul known for getting the inside scoop before anyone else while Verdad preferred heavy-hitting reporting that focused on politics and current events.
casually
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Mala Suerte said, casually lifting an upturned palm.

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