Everyone was talking about Raybearer in the lead-up to its release, and like with most hyped YA fantasy books I was a little cautious going in. I'm a reader that can really be let down by hype, however I'm here to say that Raybearer is absolutely worth your time and is one of the best books of the year!

I wont lie, I've been struggling with YA fantasy for a long time. After "discovering" the genre in 2017 and reading every YA fantasy book I could get my hands on, I became much more picky with what I liked. Since that point, I've really struggled to find books that break the mould and are truly something special. Raybearer is one of those books. 

The world that Ifueko creates is absolutely marvelous. From the gorgeous settings across cities and countryside and mountains, to the lush architecture and blend of cultures, to the magic that connects people, the world of Raybearer is easily one of the most beautiful I've read (and one of the few fantasy settings I'd love to explore in real life!). The magic system is particularly special. The power of a raybearer to mentally connect their council and communicate across the ray was fantastically done. The consequences of this power, 'council sickness', was so fantastically done and works so well with the themes of found family, friendship, and trust within the novel.

Tarisai is a fantastic character and a new all-time favourite of mine. Ifueko does a wonderful job of developing her from a lonely young child to a cautious preteen and into a sharp and intelligent young woman. I totally understood her every action and decision, as well as how her loneliness and desire to belong to a family or a group impacted her. Her romance, although definitely a side plot and not the main focus of the book, was particularly well written and one of the few YA pairings that felt truly authentic and real. Although she was mature, she still felt like the teenage character that is so central to YA fantasy. I think she could easily be a case study into how to write a fantastic teenage heroine.

There is so much to say about Raybearer and I could go on and on to anyone who will listen to me ramble about this fantastic book. I read this book alongside the fantastic audiobook narration, and would highly recommend the audiobook for anyone interested in listening to a novel with a fabulous narrator. 

Raybearer is easily one of the best books of the year and Ifueko is a debut author to watch!

Raybearer was one of the best YA fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time. I complete devoured this one and am so excited for the sequel. The world-building was fantastic, the characters felt so realistic, and the plot was filled with action and adventure. 

At first, I wasn’t completely sold on this book. And then I kept reading and this incredible world that Jordan Ifueko created drew me in. I can’t say too much without spoilers but Raybearer is a book that you will not want to put down. The descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I could see everything that was happening. Plus I loved seeing how the dynamics between the characters shifted and changed as they grew older. 

If you’re a fantasy fan, definitely pick this one up! I’m definitely planning on preordering the sequel because I need to find out what happens next.

Epic YA fantasy rich in cultural diversity and with lush, descriptive settings.. If you loved Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone book, you'll enjoy this title even more.

Unfortunately I couldn't get this audio to work, but I did buy a copy instead because this book sounded amazing. ❤

There was so much hype for this book, which is completely warranted by the way, but honestly what got me interested in this book was seeing the author speak at YALLSTAYATHOME.  She was very well spoken and I found the plot very interesting. I was excited to find it on NetGalley, and even more excited to test out the audiobook feature of it.

The audiobook was really well done.  I really liked the narrator.  She was good at voices and she really brought the story alive for me.  I will admit that I had a lot of difficulties with the Netgalley app but that's not anything against the audiobook itself.

Storywise, it was excellent.  As I mentioned, it is completely worth the hype.  Jordan Ifueko has built a really fantastic world and I was really intrigued by the magic system and how things were going.  The whole council system felt really intriguing and was definitely not something I've read about before.  Sure, other fantasy worlds have council systems, but they were never really like this one and the bond between Tarisai and the other characters on the council were really interesting.  Past the council, I liked the different magical powers that each of the characters had.  There was a special word for this but because I read it as an audiobook I'm not really sure how to spell it.  I loved learning about the royal family and how the dynasty worked, and it was really evident that Jordan Ifueko put a lot of thought and care into her world.  It made for a fantastic debut novel.

On the note of characters, I was obsessed with each and everyone of them.  I loved Tarisai a lot, of course, and you really empathised with her for her impossible choice.  I also really grew to fall in love with the side characters.  They were all really well developed and I liked the connections they shared.

This book really stressed me out, but in a good way.  It's been awhile since a book gave me such a visceral anxiety-esque reaction that I had to set it down for a good while.  It got to the point where my students were lightly teasing me for not finishing (I have a currently reading thing up on the whiteboard in my classroom).  However, once I got back into it, it was really quick to devour the rest of the story.  I just needed to know what was happening and I was very satisfied with how it all played out.

I'm definitely behind on the times with this book, but honestly, I highly recommend it and if you haven't already checked it out, you should definitely find yourself a copy of it to read.  Since it's already out, that shouldn't be too hard! :)

“Uniformity is not unity. Silence is not peace.”
•
Oh please, if you are going to read this book, try the audiobook. Not only the narrator is great and the names would be too difficult to pronounce, but there are also nursery rhymes and songs that I really enjoyed listening to! Tarisai is a girl with a power: she can see the past of any object or any person she touches. Her mother plans to use her to take revenge.. she wants her to kill the crown Prince. The only problem is that the Prince is blessed and only his most trusted people can actually kill him, so she is sent to become one of his closest circle and betray and slay him. Tarisai’s story is very sad, she has never been shown loved before going to the palace and once she has found a true family, she is cursed to disappoint everyone and kill one of the few people that has actually known and loved her. But she is more powerful than she thought and you are going to love to see how she becomes aware of it and what she can do with it. The atmosphere is really magical and the social structure is so original. It’s actually very interesting to see how people’s believes can be manipulated if you instruct them since when they are very young. Though not everyone can be put down and if they are strong enough, they’ll find their own voice. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this great audiobook.

4 -4.5 stars

& a million stars for the talented narrator.

Raybearer is a unique tale that stole my breath away from the first page.

 First, let’s talk about that beautiful cover. Saw it and immediately had one of those moments that I KNEW I was going to love this book.  And guess what? That’s exactly what happened. That feeling is never wrong.

The world-building was epic, with the beautiful lush voice of the narrator describing the places and the people, I felt like I was right there in the book. And that kind of storytelling is incredible. The different people, the different religions each pulled me in and made me fall in love some more.

On to the characters, no one beats Tarisai for the best character. She was incredible from the start. All this brilliant girl wanted was family, a family that she deserved and slowly but surely she gets it. Her companions Daya, Kirah, and Jeet were all lovely and I quickly loved them all. Even The Lady and all her meanness, I loved. Her backstory was sad and cruel but so interesting! Now I don’ want to spoil anything so just read it and you will understand what I mean.

If magical settings and epic characters are things you like, then read this.  And if you are an audiobook fan, then pick it up for this one. Trust me, you won’t regret it. But seriously, when is book 2 coming?

Thanks, NetGalley for the audiobook!

Raybearer is a phenomenal fantasy novel written by a very talented debut author, the plot is full of intrigue, suspense and power. The detailed and imaginative writing plunges you straight into this vast empire full of magic, curses and wishes. Tarisai’s unique story captivated me from the very first page, her quest for information and knowledge was a fascinating journey to accompany her on. The world building within Raybearer was so complex and incredible I felt transported into this Nigerian inspired world, if you love discovering new worlds then that is reason enough to pick up Raybearer. When can I travel by lodestone?

When the novel begins, Tarisai is a young girl living in anticipation of seeing The Lady again, steadily throughout the novel she grows up alongside the other children she meets after moving to the palace. I felt a fondness and protectiveness over Tarisai and her close peers after seeing them grow and mature into young adults. Raybearer includes an amazing cast of complex characters, including an asexual side character as well as the best found family aspect that is so satisfying to read about.

Both covers for this book, UK & US, are absolutely beautiful but my favourite is the UK paperback edition (the one pictured above) have you spotted the face? I switched between listening to the audiobook and reading my physical copy of this book, I would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook even to just familiarise yourself with the pronunciation of the beautiful names and prose within this book. Raybearer is an epic, immersive fantasy novel, elegantly written with an utterly unique and attention grabbing plot and beautiful cover, you will not regret buying this five star read. I am desperate to get my hands on the sequel!

I want to start by saying YA fantasy is my least favorite genre. I have a hard time getting into the story and they all feel the same, but not this one, not Raybearer. 

I enjoyed everything about this book, the plot, the characters the AUDIOBOOK (it was beautifully narrated). So many good descriptions, the side characters are wonderful, its hard to imagine that this is a debut novel. 

I will be recommending this to my library, friends who are fantasy lovers and people who are interested in fantasy but not sure what to pick up.

Please take this review with a grain of salt because my main issue with this was that I "read it" through an audiobook. And I wasn't able to connect with the story at any level. 
I want to properly read this book in the future as this was my first attempt at listening to an audiobook and it propably will be my last one.

(Note: it is NOT  because of the narrator, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, who made a really good job)

But let me tell you that Raybearer has all the ingredients to become a pretty good YA fantasy book. Furthermore it is african fantasy so that's a plus. It has such a wonderful worldbuilding and a deep character creation and if you're a fan of fantasy books you won't want to miss this one.

This book is among the best in the YA African fantasy genre!

Tarisai's gift of sight makes her special but also isolated. She can see memories in anything she touches. She lives locked away in from the world and only see's her mom a few times a year. When she finally gets the opportunity to leave the house, it is with the condition that she becomes a member of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. Her journey begins with the Council of 11 and her mother's past.

Tarisai is a likable character who readers get a good understanding of. The romance is mild but entertaining. The story features a large cast of characters with varied plots. There were a lot of moving parts in this book but it comes together in the end. Aging with the characters in the story allowed readers to develop more of an emotional bond to the story. 

The plot moves moderately, glazing over the minor details and leaving time to developed the plot of larger events. The dialogue between characters is revealing and contributes to the reader's perception of characters. The African aspects of the fantasy are seamlessly woven into the plot without seeming forced or excessive. While the twists and reveals were predictable, they were handled well and drew on several perspectives. 

I would readily recommend this story to readers interested in a refreshing fantasy. I'm looking forward to the next book!

“You don’t have to help me change the world. But you mark my words; when I get going, this world will change. And you can be a part of that...or you can stand back and watch.”

Raybearer is the first book in its series and the first book by Jordan Ifueko. Blending a high fantasy with afrofuturism, Ifueko tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Tarisai. Growing up secluded from the rest of her nation, Tarisai wants nothing more than to have friends and spend time with her mother, The Lady. One day, The Lady sends her to Oluwan city to vie for a position on the prince’s council, earn his trust, and ultimately assassinate him. The longer Tarisai is away from her realm and The Lady, the more she realizes that she doesn’t want to kill the prince; instead, she wants nothing more than to be friends with those she has grown close to. Bound by her mother’s wish, Tarisai must fight to follow her own path and create her own destiny.

Raybearer is narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. Joniece does an amazing job portraying the wide variety of characters and her vocal versatility brings the characters to life. With her engrossing, youthful depictions, listeners will be drawn into Ifueko’s story.

I started reading this one but didn't hold my interest. I though the concept was good but I wish I could have connected with the characters more.

This is a YA fantasy debut. I listen to the audiobook which was really well done. The narration definitely adds to the story which felt fresh and powerful. The main character is described in a way that you can't help but become attached to her. The overall pacing is a little bit slower, but the story is enchanting.

This was a book unlike anything I've ever read, while still hitting many of the emotional beats that one would expect in a typical in modern YA fantasy novel. Nigerian-American author Jordan Ifueko has built a very rich story-world, complex relationships, and an amazing heroine in Tarisai. The internet tells me that the name Tarisai is of Zimbabwean origin and means "look" or "behold". I don't know if that's true, but if so it's fitting. Tarisai starts out literally hidden away from the world, but ultimately beheld as the powerful sum of all her parts.

Based on the publisher's description, I went into this book expecting more of a competition story, like so many on the YA market but in a West-African-inspired fantasy setting. It turns out that's not what this book is. Like, at all. The "competition" to join Prince Dayo's Council -- essentially a psychically-bonded chosen family comprising members from different regions of the Empire-- is actually over pretty early on. Rather, this book is about loyalty, justice, gender and sexism, intergenerational trauma, love of many kinds, and the notion that things are almost never as they may seem. I’m removing a star due some pacing problems, info-dumps, and general resultant confusion in the first several chapters that almost made me give up at one point. I'm very glad I didn't, but still. Psychic bonds of the kind between council members here also tend to be a quite hard sell for me, but that is subjective.

There's a lot going on, and Ifueko fits it all together very well. There are a few First Book Problems, to be sure, but overall this is an outstanding debut.

The audiobook, narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, is also quite good and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the format. Abbott-Pratt's voice acting paints a clear picture, especially as Tarisai. Not all of the other characters come off as equally compelling, though I suspect that's the fault of the novel for not giving sufficient development to some of the major characters, including most of the Prince Dayo's Council besides Sanjeet and Kirah. (Though Abbott-Pratt sounds like she was having fun with some of the more colorful minor characters.)

Wow. It took me forever to finish this. Not because I didn’t like it, quite the opposite, in fact. I enjoyed this so much, and I wanted to give it the full attention it deserved, which is sometimes had for me when it comes to audiobooks. I was absolutely worth my time though. It’s such a good book, with great characters, great world building, and, also very important for an audiobook: a great narrator. I loved her voice, and the way she used different accents while still being very clear and understandable, even for a non-native speaker like me. I had some trouble following the story, but that was due to my inability to completely follow an audiobook without zoning out at least every now and then. If you have the same problem, I suggest reading the print version of this book instead, because it’s a must-read, in whichever format you choose.

Tarisai has been raised in isolation with only tutors and servants to guide her. She spent her childhood learning the arts required to be a candidate for the Crown Prince's Council of Eleven and longing for her often absent, aloof, and enigmatic mother, the Lady. Craving the warmth of family that she has never known, she is excited and afraid to try for the Council; however, she is horrified to learn that she has been implanted with an inescapable command to kill the Prince. 

Raybearer is absolutely magnificent young-adult, high fantasy. The worldbuilding is incredible, and the novel weaves themes of found family, complex mother-daughter relationships, and the dangers of power around a compelling plot. Jordan Ifueko's wonderful storytelling is seasoned and complemented by Joniece Abbot-Pratt's brilliant narration. I was completely enthralled and cannot wait for the sequel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via a NetGalley giveaway. Many thanks to all involved in providing me with this opportunity.

The need for unconditional love and acceptance is at the heart of this story. Tarisai is a girl created for a specific purpose by her mother, otherwise known in this world as, The Lady. Tarisai grows up never feeling unconditional love rather, The Lady visits once a year and keeps her child at a distance to be raised instead by staff. Though the reader learns the reason for this later in the book, it never felt justified to me, more like the agenda of a person on a mission and choosing to sacrifice a relationship with a child for revenge. 
Tarisai is shaped by her upbringing and I like how the author keeps her behavior consistent throughout the narrative. I never felt like Tarisai suddenly became someone else, no, she was and is the person her mother helped form. This story, to me, feels like an epic fantasy and that's what we see in the beginning. The world building is vast and the magic system is intricate, I never felt lost though, it's just another facet of the world. 
The reader follows along as Tarisai goes from childhood to older teen, becomes a chosen one, counsel member, and gains a new understanding about her power. The character of Tarisai grows and becomes more insightful, shifting her perspective. 
Overall, I enjoyed my time in this world and am looking forward to continuing on in the next book. I did listen to this on audio and loved the sounds and songs included in the story. The audio adds a little more depth to this immersive story. I would recommend this to anyone who loves strong world building and well developed, complicated characters. This book will take you on a ride. :)

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Raybearer

Author: Jordan Ifuenko

Book Series: Raybearer Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: lesbian side character, asexual and bisexual character, African inspired

Recommended For...: fantasy, epic fantasy, LGBT+

Publication Date: August 18, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (sex mention, violence, abuse, sexism, suicide, racism likeness, gore, sexual content)

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 400

Synopsis: 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?

Review: I really loved this book! The magic system was unique and so well written and described. The author did well with the characters and the world building. The book was rich with descriptions and I could listen to this audiobook on repeat without getting tired of it. They did well to find a narrator who accurately portrayed what I thought the MC sounded like. I also loved the commentary on the criminal justice system and how corrupt and unfair it can become and is in some countries.

The only part I didn't like is that I thought the relationship with two characters, one a demon kinda, was a bit weird with what I think the age difference is (maybe it's not a bad age difference. It's hard to flip back through an audiobook. I do know he's a child when he became part of counsel but idk how long ago that was). The audiobook also had a glitch on Chapter 23 so I won't know what's in that chapter until I get another version of the book.

Verdict: An excellent book! I loved it!

Thanks NetGalley for this Advanced Copy of the Audiobook for Raybearer.   I've already commented on the beauty of the world building and amazing character development in a previous review.  The narrator for this audiobook was pretty good.  Of course, I would've enjoyed a full cast, however her ability to truly give each character their own unique voice was good.  She did bring a bit more to an already incredible story.  It was great having a clear pronunciation of some of the names, that really helped pull the story together for me, as well as the singing of the songs/chants.  All in all, this was a beautiful production.