Named one of the best books of the year by People Magazine, Buzzfeed, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and more!“Dazzling… All hail Raybearer.” –Entertainment Weekly“One of the most exceptional YA fantasies of all time.” –Buzzfeed “Brilliantly conceived fantasy.” –People “An exquisitely detailed world.” –PopSugar… time.” —Buzzfeed
“Brilliantly conceived fantasy.” —People
“An exquisitely detailed world.” —PopSugar
Fans of Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi won’t want to miss this instant New York Times bestselling fantasy from breakout YA sensation Jordan Ifueko!
Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?
Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn–but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.
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What an amazing story!!! Completely blown away by the characters and intricately woven story. Everything about Raybearer was fantastic, addictive, and wonderful to read. I loved Tarisai. Please read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I literally never knew what was going to happen next in this book. It was absolutely brilliant and fascinating and kept me engaged throughout every chapter. I can’t wait to read the next book!!
When The Novel Neighbor announced that they were doing a virtual event with Jordan Ifeuko and Chloe Gong, I immediately had to read Raybearer, which has been on my TBR since it came out! I don’t normally buy books before reading them, but after finishing Raybearer and watching Jordan Ifeuko speak at the event, I had to buy Redemptor! If you enjoy fantasy, this is a duology you do not want to miss!
Essentially, Raybearer is about Tarisai, a girl who is half demon, and was basically created to fulfill her mother’s wish of killing the rulers of the empire they live in. The rulers of the empire become immune to different forms of death as they choose 11 members of their council, and by the time they have a full council, they can only die from old age, or by the hand of their council members. Tarisai’s mother was granted 3 wishes by Tarisai’s father, and she uses that wish to demand that Tarisai kill the crown prince when she is anointed to his council. Tarisai is torn between wanting to connect with other people, and wanting to avoid her destiny of killing the crown prince, but ignoring a binding wish is not as easy as it may seem.
This book is so complex and has so many moving parts! I’m highly impressed by Ifeuko’s world-building abilities, and I can’t wait to see how she further develops Tarisai’s world in Redemptor. In the virtual event I attended, Ifeuko said that she spent 12 years writing Raybearer, and I am honestly not surprised. This book has been very clearly thought through, and has so much novelty, it is astonishing.
There is truly nothing missing from this wonderful novel. Diverse and 3 dimensional characters, enchanting myth and lore, a creative magical system, and a vast and multi-cultural world are some of the many aspects you can look forward to in this book. After reading Raybearer, I sincerely don’t know how Ifeuko fit so much high quality ingenuity into one book!
I’ve found with some novels I have a hard time writing a review because I simply don’t have a lot to say, but with Raybearer I have the opposite problem: I’m having difficulty writing the review because there is so much to say! Trust me when I say, this is not a book you want to pass up on! Jordan Ifeuko has received a lot of praise for Raybearer, and after reading it myself, it is clearly well-deserved. This book is perhaps one of the best debut books I’ve ever read!
This was such a fun ride. I loved the whole story. It was so much fun to learn about. The magic system was so unique and the story unlike what I’ve read before. Tarisai was a great character and I loved getting to see her grow. I do wish that this book was longer, or that there were more books in the series. I felt like some of the characters were a little one-dimensional. And I feel like there were so many characters that were referenced, but we didn’t get to know them because the book was too short.
A phenomenal fantasy debut about a girl sent by her mother to murder the next emperor. I love the African folklore, creative world building, and Black joy! Top read of 2021!
I had no expectations going into this book. I had never heard of the book or the author before. I was completely delighted by how wonderful this tale was told. Beautifully written and entertaining. The world created was enchanting and believable. I felt a connection to each of the main characters. It would be fun to read a book based from this one when the teens grow up. I would love to read more from this author.
RAYBEARER is the book we have always needed! Full of lyrical prose and fantasy action this novel is beautiful, stunning, amazing! This is an author to watch the career of very closely!
This is a young adult book and highly predictable. I did enjoy parts of the book, but overall failed to hold my interest for long.
I’ve been struggling to write this review because there’s just so much that I loved about this story. I feel like my review isn’t going to do it justice, but here goes nothing.
Raybearer is the brilliant example of taking the classic tropes that tend to be overused in YA and mold them as your own in order to deliver a riveting and engrossing fantasy that will swallow you whole.
Tarisai grew up being starved of touch since her touch allows her to glimpse and manipulate the memories of others. Tarsai’s mother (The Lady) sends Tarisai to the capital with a special task: kill the prince after he anoints Tarisai as a part of his council. Once Tarisai is at the capital, she wants nothing more to be loved and have a family since it’s a life she’s never known, so is she capable of killing the prince if she’s chosen for the council?
This is one of those stories that I thought I knew exactly where the plot was going especially when it came to romances, and I was so completely off base but couldn’t have been happier. The author did a phenomenal job of creating a full cast of characters that you couldn’t help but love and then have them surprise in you when you least expect it. I loved watching Tarisai interact with Kirah, Sanjeet, and Prince Dayo the most. Each of them influenced Tarisai into becoming something more than a weapon.
The worldbuilding is intricate and beautifully crafted. You have these lush scenes that are chock full of West African lore, and I honestly couldn’t get enough. But, don’t be fooled by this gorgeous cover though because the author tackles a myriad of difficult topics such as: misogyny, race, class, patriarchy, colonization, and generational trauma. Even though this is a fantasy, so much of this tale was a lesson as well.
I don’t want to say much else in fear of giving away this book. I want to also highlight that there is queer, asexual representation in this book. It was what changed my entire experience of this story. I don’t want to give spoilers, but I do think that is incredibly important and needs to be normalized especially in BIPOC communities where it is not addressed as often.
Final note, just read this story. It is amazing and worth every single page.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing an advanced listening copy through Libro.fm and NetGalley and Pique Beyond (ABRAMS) for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you Librofm, Abrams Books and the author for gifting me this audiobook. These opinions are my own.
I finished this enthralling book a few days ago and I still don’t know if I can find the right words to express how much I enjoyed it! As a general rule I never reread books (there’s just too many out there to explore), but before I even finished the audiobook I jumped online and bought the hard copy! If there’s a book to be reread, it’s this one! The characters are dynamic, the setting is artfully constructed, and the storyline will suck you in and leave you wanting more. The narration on this book was outstanding, the narrator really brought this story to life.
Raybearer will transport you to another world filled with interesting characters, new customs, and a bit of “magic”. The author did an amazing job of weaving in her Nigerian roots, which really brought this story to life in a beautiful way. Tarisai is an exceptionally strong character, who must fight her own inner demons while trying to protect those that she loves. She refuses to be a pawn in a game she does not understand and she’ll do whatever is necessary to protect the Prince. There are so many mysteries to uncover and hidden pasts to bring to light; just when you think you might understand what’s happening, you realize you know nothing at all.
This book will take you on an adventure of epic proportions, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. This is one book you will NOT be disappointed in reading. This is hands down one of my favorite books of 2020!!