This is a wonderful fantasy novel with fascinating and original ideas quite unlike anything I've read before. It tells the story of Tarisai, a young girl who has been raised in isolation by the mysterious Lady. Sent to the capital to win a place on the council of 11, she enters into a world more dangerous than she imagined. I thought that conceptually, this book was fabulous. The notion of the Raybearer and the council members being forever joined by the Ray is really interesting and I thought that Ifueko did a great job of demonstrating the importance of this bond. I also thought that the world building here was superb. The empire of Aritsar was vibrant and vivid in its detail, and the customs of each individual land within the empire slowly being subsumed by it, felt authentic and spoke to a history of colonialism in a new and unique way. The narration of the audiobook was also excellent, given that there is a musical quality to a lot of the rituals described and I think that the narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life. Overall, I found this to be a compelling and enjoyable read and will eagerly await the next instalment.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

*I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.*

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is such a fantastic book! I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. The narrator was a perfect match for this book and was great at bringing the different characters to life.

Raybearer is about Tarisai, who is essentially born so she can kill the Crown Prince of Aritsar. Tarisai’s mother is known only as The Lady, and she has a grudge with the royal family of Aritsar. The Lady makes a wish that compels Tarisai to kill the Prince. Tar has to go to Aritsar and compete to join the Prince’s council so she can get close enough to complete the wish. The only problem is Tarisai doesn’t want to be her mother’s pawn. In fact she loves the new family she has found and decides to do whatever it takes to protect them.

This is a fabulous first installment in what is sure to be highly successful series. Ifueko is a master at world building and character development. This is definitely a book you can get lost in as it will easily transport you into its world.

One of the easiest 5 stars I gave in 2020.

Raybearer is such a marvelous fantasy novel. This story is so complex and magical. The characters are all so well written and developed and I loved all of them. This isn't about heroes and villains, all the characters are so much more complex than that, there are a lot of morally grey characters, there are also some adorable pure souls than you want to protect at all cost. None of them is defined by just one thing, they're warriors, lovers, protectors, rulers.
And the world building was just as wonderful. I'm all about good world building and Ifueko definitely delivered on that part. The history and culture of the universe is so rich and so well explained. When I discover a fictional universe I love learning everything about it, all the history, all the legends, all the secrets, and Raybearer gives you all of that.

I just adored that book so much and I'm so excited for the next one.

3.5 stars

Raybearer didn't hook me from the start, it took me awhile to really get into it. The first half of the book is pretty slow and is predominately world building.

I really enjoyed Tarisai's character but struggled with the other council members. They were all supposed to be really close, brothers and sisters in a sense, but we knew very little about 8 of them. The magical system was very interesting and it's always enjoyable to read another African inspired fantasy book.

The narrator was great and the accents used really added to the overall experience.

I definitely recommend The Rage of Dragons and The Gilded Ones if you're in the market for other African inspired fantasies.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for the e-audio arc!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

This is one of the best fantasy stories I've listened to in a long time. Seriously! what a ride! this isn't a standard review but I'm still in awe of this book and really don't know how to put it all into.
World building 10/10
Character and plot 10/10
This book sucked me in from page 1. I highly recommend. Perfect done! Thank you, Harry N. Abrams & netgalley for this review copy.

Raybearer came as a ray of surprise amidst a streak of disappointing reads last month and completely bowled me over. I wasn’t aware of this book’s existence till I saw it’s ALC on offer and picked it up on a whim. I am happy to say it paid off, big time!
Tarisai has been brought up in isolation by the mysterious Lady and is being trained to get chosen as one of the 11 council members for the Crown Prince of Aritsar. As soon as she is accepted she is bound by a wish to obey the Lady’s command and murder the prince. Will Tarisai be forced to obey the Lady’s command or will she be able to assert her own will? Read to find out 😉
I have to commend the narrator, Joniece Abbott-Pratt becuase her narration was what got me hooked to the story from the very first chapter. Tarisai came alive from the very first line and burrowed herself in a corner of my heart from the very beginning. After getting introduced to Ekundayo and Sanjeet, there was no turning back, I was completely invested!!!
I loved how the author, brings Aritsar and the multiple realms including the underworld, their customs and culture to life using songs and the folklores. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook just for these songs!!! I kept humming them to myself for days after finishing the book. The world building is so lush and vibrant that I was completely transported. The magic system was also unique. How the Ray connects the members of the council and the scope of the relationship dynamics it provides has me very excited for the future instalments in this series.
But the biggest highlight and what I loved most about this book are the characters, their friendships and the found family trope! They kept surprising me because just as I think it’s going to get tropey with a love triangle or moving towards a predictable plot, it turns around and astounds me with a fresh new take. Tarisai and Sanjeet and Dayo have my whole heart!!! The Lady was another intriguing character who’s story I wouldn’t mind getting to read as a seperate book.
Overall this is the debut of the year for me and
I highly highly recommend investing in this series.
Rating: 5 stars

What a fun debut story, with multi-dimensional & flawed characters. The magical system was done well. Overall the concept of the story was really well done.

Thank you Black Stone Publishing and Black Stone Audiobooks for this review copy of Raybearer. Please note I had to wait for the book to be released as the audiobook on NetGalley echoed and I was not able to read or listen.

I absolutely loved this book! What a unique premise! When reading the description you are like "okay wow looks like another girl set to kill the prince who falls in love and blah blah blah blah" but that is such a vague idea of this beautifully woven story.

The story started out very character-driven for me, which is not something I am complaining about. The characters are fleshed out and are complicated and unique. It is one of those stories where each character helps the other grow, but I don't believe that one character was placed just for growth of another; they all have a reason to be there. Then about half way through the book the plot shows its face and your mind is just... blown. I honestly don't know what else to say about that without spoiling what happens.

We have Dayo, who is the prince and has a secret all of his own and is just all smiles. Kirah who is the mothering friend (probably because of her hollow [Hollows are special gifts they are born with]) and is just a strong, female character to love. Then there is Sanjeet who is hard on the outside and soft and warm on the inside (honestly my favorite kind of character). I believe all of the characters, or at least most, were black in this book too which is what the world needs right now : #ownvoice black characters written by black authors!

And the world is rich with history and culture and magic! You get some backstories, you learn more about the magic system including the Raybearer's magic. I never once felt overwhelmed with information because the author reminds you of the history or the culture when it is important and you go "OH YEAH THAT WOW" and it's like a light-bulb went on lol.

Seriously loved this book. I cannot wait to see the journey of the next book. Didn't leave you an exact cliffhanger, but you know the next book is going to be epic as heck! Gah, I'm going to go think on this book for the rest of my life now... it's just so pure...

This is a solid start to a promising series. Tarisai has been raised by her mother, the Lady, in isolation. People have not allowed to touch her because of her hallow, a special power that she was born with. Tar's hallow is that she can see people's memories.

Then, without explanation, Tarisai is sent to the capital to try to become one of the Crown Prince's council of eleven. The catch? She has to love him and be anointed in order to be on the council. And she does love him. The next catch? Her mother has commanded her through a wish she cannot ignore to kill the prince.

This is atmospheric. It is epic. It is the first in a series that will, I'm sure, be as wondrous and imaginative as this.

So this is my favorite African based fantasy that I have read so far. I loved this book right from the beginning. There were a couple of times that I started to feel "ok, let's move this along" but it would very quickly change direction - and sometimes in a way I hadn't predicted. Overall - great and I'll be recommending it!

Audibook part - this was a GOOD audiobook. Narrator was great - different character voices were unique and the accents were good. It could have been a tad faster I will say - for a book not that long, the audiobook was quite long. I ended up speeding it up - not much just 1.25 but that's my one note.

*spoiler alert* I really enjoyed how there was not a) a love triangle that would have been very obvious and b) that the characters (hardly) ever doubt Tarisai's loyalty and how the prince really listened and trusted Tarisai the entire time.

"Monsters were nothing. The true terrors were people like me—the ones who saw suffering, who heard the screams of a hundred generations echoing for miles around them—and still did nothing."

To be honest, I have no idea what this is about when I requested an audiobook from NetGalley to go along with a Kindle preorder I received from a generous friend.

Fast forward to now that I am in awe after devouring this refreshing debut. Abridged synopsis for the book says this is about a child raised to serve on a council, advise the crowned prince, and assassinate him. With that, I immediately boarded up the Raybearer ship and started the journey.

What I liked:

Worldbuilding
The establishment of Aritsar as this peaceful and united land ruled by one emperor, the Raybearer, was just the surface of the creatively woven world in this book. The way Jordan Ifueko successfully written a convincing setting with internal history of conflict and impending war against the Abikus (monsters from the underworld) paired with mysterious territories in the name of Songland all fitted to form the magical place that contributed largely to the storyline.

Starting with Tarisai's caged days at the Bhekina House where she was groomed until the right age came for her to enter the test in which future council of Aritsar will be selected to join the crowned prince, Ekundayo Kunleo - until the carefree times with the anointed Council at the Children's Palace and Yorua Keep to finally unveiling the bigger picture when the council had to visit the eleven areas of Aritsar, and Songland - all this places were vividly painted with words and the image my mind created was native and picturesque.

The tropes
New found family only works if the story of the main characters is penned as the casted out one or the Chosen one and this complemented Tarisai's story right from the start. I really enjoyed the selection of council and how the history was interlaced with the introduction of each Anointed Ones.

Squad story is also a huge bait for me. I love reading stories focusing on a band of misfits, or selected team and the Anointed Ones fascinated me and I can't wait to read more of their adventures especially in the next books.

The Chosen Ones may be a cliché when it comes to fantasy but the story of Tarisai is a refreshing take on this trope. I didn't get bored with her story because the plot just keeps on giving.

The characters
Oh my god, how do I start?
Tarisai easily secured a spot as one of my favorite fictional characters. The way Jordan Ifueko created her as an MC that is groomed to be an assassin who will end the rulers' lineage with an innocent personality and ending up discovering her own purpose by balancing both her roles as The Lady's child and the hope of Aritsar and Songland. Tarisai is not the perfect badass character but her showing her own doubts and vulnerabilities only made her character more relatable.

Dayo is an amazing support character for Tarisai. He not only managed to win the hearts of his anointed council but he also stood up for what is right for his constituents. Though it's never not obvious that Dayo and Tar were pitted as romantic interests, I love how understanding and more of an old soul his character is and I'm looking forward to seeing how the crowned prince will grow, especially with the unveiling of his orientation and preference.

Sanjeet - AHHHHHHHHHHH! if I'll be given a chance to hug one character from this book - that'll be him. I just love his character so much and the way he cared for our Empress Tarisai is on a different level of affection. Petition to not change his character and let him be Tar's constant.

Honorable mentions are Kirah, Woo In, Kathleen, Melu, and of course, the one who gave me questions and let me cloud my judgment - The Lady.

The plot
Do not start this book if you're not in the mood to read a fantasy book because I'm sure you'll either get overwhelmed or you won't enjoy the storyline.
I read the first part earlier when I still have no audiobook but I wasn't that committed so I put it off first and decided to read it again during this long weekend and alas, my mood reader self devoured this amazing debut. In my opinion, this book gives off vibe from ATLA, The Lion King, and COBAB with a refreshing take on colonialism, diversity, marginalized people (and discrimination), how we should always be hope for our future generation.

RATING: 5stars

Dynamic voice actor who shows incredible range of dynamism with each character. Well executed story with visual embellishments making themselves clear throughout the tale.

Amazing! Full of adventure, emotion, relationships, and self-discovery. Seeing little of her mother throughout her childhood, Tarisai was raised by tutors to compete for a place on the crown prince’s council. If she succeeds, she will be joined with the prince and the other council members by the magical bond of the Ray. Before she leaves for the capitol, her mother commands her to kill the crown prince once she is anointed. Tarisai is determined to find another way.

The narration was just wonderful!

My love letter to Raybearer and Jordan Ifueko:
First I want to say thank you for writing a book that throws tropes on their side; even when a trope is present, it is not the standard, Jordan takes it and makes it her own. Each time I thought I knew what was going to happen (because it *always* happens this way in YA books) I sat there dumbfounded because it didn't! Oh god I loved this; I loved being completely surprised by what happened in this beautiful book.

I listened to the audio read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher, and I am still hearing their voice in my head. I still hear inflections, accents, pain, joy, and every emotion you can imagine.

Raybearer is a beautiful book that everyone should read, listen to, and just immerse themself into.

One of my fav fantasy books I’ve read of this year for sure!!

The whole world, the characters, the magic system was something so fresh and new (which I love to see as sometimes it can get repetitive In fantasy books.) I loved how fast paced it was and I couldn’t stop flying through it I just couldn’t stop!!

I’m very excited for the sequel and can’t wait where this story will go

Such a fun young adult fantasy. I am not generally a big fantasy reader, but this own voices book was a no brainer for me. If you enjoy fantasy or are looking for something fun to read, I recommend this.

From the very first page, Raybearer proved to be a unique and engrossing story. Narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt added a whole new level to the magic with her interpretation of the songs and chants throughout the story.

Young Taisari was created to destroy the crown prince of the empire, but as she grew closer to him and his other Council members, Taisari fought to find her own voice and purpose. Ifueko's storytelling was compelling and the story itself was smart. Raybearer is a character-driven novel with very little action, but all of the characters will burrow themselves into the reader's heart. I'm excited to see how this series develops.

As a frequent reader of YA literature, I can honestly say I have not read a book with a world as complete as this one in a long time. The author wove the elements of excellent storytelling and myth together with vivid descriptions of the characters and setting and slowly fed Tarisai's world to me. I felt like I was there!

Raybearer provides plenty to discuss and learn from. The story is influenced heavily by African folklore and includes topics like patriarchy, caste, race, and in one instance a violent attempt to erase the history of all the other country's within the empire.

The story begins with Tarisai being raised in a touch-less, affection-less world until the day her mother, The Lady, comes and says she is ready. Tarisai has had tutors to help with her studies throughout her early years, but her mother was frequently absent from her life and even when she returned there was little affection. The ,day Tarisai was told she was ready, her mother showed her a picture of a smiling boy and ordered her to kill him when he anoints her as part of his council. There was no explanation as to who the boy was or why her mother was telling her to kill him. This starts the adventure with a full cast of characters and the desire for a purpose other than the one her mother laid out for her.

One caveat though, the book ends, not on a cliffhanger per se, but clearly leaves it open for the next installment of the story.

The narrator of the audiobook I was fortunate enough to listen to did a fabulous job of changing voices and clearly defining who was who in the story. She definitely knew how to pronounce all the words I would have stumbled over! I recommend his book to everyone! There was no foul language, just a thought provoking, conversation invoking story that leaves you wanting more!

This was a really unique sci-fi book for YA. I am interested to read more by this author and more in the series in the future.