WORD LISTS

"The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas, Chapters 4–7

Sun Feb 04 13:41:51 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
arepa
Long tables piled high with steaming tamales and arepas lined the outer edges of the cavernous event hall.
abalone
Her black skin glowed like the ocean under moonlight, her gray eyes glinting like abalone shells.
stoic
Auristela smiled and posed like some celebrity walking down the red carpet, talking animatedly with Chisme.
Meanwhile, Aurelio stood by her side, looking stoic and maybe even a touch uncomfortable as lights flashed in his face.
pomp
“I know they’re just more stupid Gold showboating, but they’re also—I don’t know, important? I mean, it’s an honor, right?”
“To risk your life for this?” Teo asked, gesturing around the room. This meaning the pomp and circumstance of it all, the Gold.
elitist
Aurelio and Auristela were pompous elitists, yes, but Ocelo was an obnoxious narcissist.
fawn
A small group of Jade demigods chatted in a group, blocking Ocelo from where Chisme and Verdad were fawning over Aurelio and Auristela.
blatant
Teo clenched his jaw, frustrated that Ocelo was able to get away with such blatant disrespect.
solemn
“Not very graceful for a cat, huh, Huemac?” Teo said with a solemn shake of his head.
tersely
“Ocelo is not my responsibility,” Huemac said tersely.
brood
He grinned, giving Teo’s arm a squeeze before wandering off, his brood in tow and Xio sticking close to his side.
sentinel
Tierra stood behind her with her older brothers, Monte and Mino, who flanked him like sentinels.
distinguished
“Ten eligible semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected as the worthiest to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner will be chosen by Sol as this decade’s Sunbearer and join the distinguished ranks of our past champions.”
ebb
The ringing in Teo’s ears slowly ebbed.
rivulet
Their body was painted in metallic gold, a dagger in their chest and crimson rivulets of blood spilling around them.
opulent
As he followed Luna through the opulent halls, Teo’s mind spun, trying to think his way out of this mess.
resign
His expression was blank, like he’d already resigned himself to his fate.
objectively
He was objectively beautiful but not in a chiseled, supermodel kind of way. He had soft features, kind eyes, and the sweet sort of smile that made your legs feel like Jell-O.
aloof
“I’m surprised, is all. Mala Suerte always seemed kind of…” She tipped her head from side to side.
“Aloof?”
“Does that mean ‘full of himself and acts like he isn’t bothered by anything’?”
reconvene
“I need to go reconvene with the other dioses.”
skimp
For such an old temple, they really hadn’t skimped on interior renovations. There was a large window with expensive-looking drapes, gold furniture, and a door that he assumed led to the bathroom.
armoire
“I put your backpack in the armoire,” he added, giving Teo a pointed look before swiftly exiting the room.
laden
A long table with high-backed chairs was laden with bowls of fresh fruit.
revered
Maize and Dulce were both Jades, and as such weren’t as revered as the greater Gold gods, but everyone acknowledged that they were the backbone of any event.
glower
Maize glowered at him, the edge of his right eyebrow still missing. “What do you want?”
stickler
“Maize is a stickler,” Niya told Xio.
frothy
The hot chocolate was amazing—frothy, velvety smooth, and with just the right amount of spice.
influx
Teo was in that funny stage of being too wired to be tired, crackling at the edges from the influx of sugar.
rehash
Teo really didn’t feel like rehashing ancient history.
commiserate
But if commiserating made Xio feel better...
regimen
“Toned? We can start a squat regimen.”
mangle
She closed her fist, turning the gold lump into mangled bits.
fitful
Too soon, a light rapping on the door woke him from his fitful sleep.
evoke
They all knew good and well not to evoke the wrath of Luna.
scrutiny
After another moment of scrutiny, she nodded.
dais
A circular dais was in the center with a set of three mirrors and a rack of clothes.
muse
“Teenagers, always so self-conscious,” Chisme mused.
haughty
A haughty scoff caught their attention. “Amateur,” Ocelo said with a mean smirk.
upholstery
Luna led them into a huge room filled with plush furniture and wide windows. Everything was polished wood, shiny bronze, or white upholstery.
grandiosity
They hung back by the entrance of the common room, their usual air of grandiosity now a matching set of soft frowns, eyeing the errant water that dripped onto the deck.
disdainful
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” Aurelio went on.
“Let him,” Auristela said with a disdainful laugh, not even a glint of sweat on her brow.

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