Unfortunately I tried for weeks to successfully download this book and was unable to access it on my NetGalley shelf app, I communicated with NetGalley as well, so I won't be rating this here. I have heard good things though and look forward to listening or reading a finished published version at some point!

This was easily a 20/20 read for me! I could not fault anything. The world building is so expansive and so complex it, was a joy to get totally immersed in it. The world is opened up to us through stories, and recounting of histories of the people/tribes and they are so interesting in themselves that it does not feel like info dumping at all. From the first moment where were are introduced to little Tarisai, a little girl given everything she could possibly need. I had to know. What was she being so carefully being prepared for? and why was she deliberately kept away from the rest of the world? And this was even before the magic system was introduced! In the empire of Aritsar, the emperor rules the empire with the aid of his Council of Eleven, who are joined emotionally and telepathically through the Ray. These eleven members are chosen when an emperor is still a child as one of the conditions for the ray to work is that they must love their future king unconditionally, even giving up their own life for his. Seeing Tarisai and other potential candidates grow up together and form a family of was beautiful, I had no idea I would enjoy the found family trope as much as I did. As Tarisai grows up, finally finding the family and sense of belonging she has craved all her life, The tension and the sense of impending doom is strong. For like Tarisai we know the time for her to fulfil the wish of her mother draws closer and there is absolutely no way to get out of it. Ifueko does such an effective job I had no idea which direction she would take. I also appreciated the author did not go down the typical YA route of a love triangle. All the relationships were so beautifully developed and came about so organically, that it was easy to believe them. All the morally grey characters were great too.
This story that could have easily got bogged down in its own complexity is instead brought to vivid clarity by Ifueko's wonderful writing style, it flows effortlessly and in such a way as to make you think the story was going one way and then suddenly a new twist is introduced or a hidden truth is uncovered and then suddenly you are forced to question what was really going on. I found it wildly imaginative, the world that Ifueko lays out before us, is expansive and complex and full of interesting myths and lores that I feel there could be a book on just the history of the land alone. And I would love to read it. 
The narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratthas did an amazing job on the audio of Raybearer , her cadence and articulation was perfection. The emotions she was able to convey brought the characters to life and hightened my enjoyment ten fold. I highly recommend the audiobook.

I. AM. SPEECHLESS.

I rarely listen to fantasy books on audio - I can’t, with some many different and new character, words and pronunciations to learn and remember - it becomes hard to concentrate while listening to the audiobook a whole new level of superpower.

So while I was wary of reading the audiobook; the absolute love this book has been receiving had me overcoming my own apprehensions and picked it up.

And to be honest; IT WAS BEST FREAKING DECISION I EVER MADE.

Raybearer is a stunning fantasy debut that will keep your attention right from the start till the end - even though more than half of the book is a slow world building; a world that is breathtaking in its originality and expression!

It seems obvious that Iflueko has taken inspiration from reality; but she has made this world her own and owned it absolutely!

Tarisai, a young girl has been bought up in isolation - with only visits of The Lady to look forward to; considering the fact that the servants employed to teach her everything; and I do mean everything, about the different realms, aren’t EXACTLY her friends. When she finds out that she has been groomed and brought up to become part of the 11 Council Members of the Crown Prince of Aritsar.

While I would DEARLY LOVE to ramble on and on about the intriguing storyline; wonderful characters and the plot that would keep you hooked, I won’t, because I was told that I need to go in blind and trust me, so do you! It so dearly and surely worth it!

A beautiful, absolutely heartwarming fantasy novel about friendship, found family and a stunning world building with a hint of romance that will make your soul happy - Raybearer is a beautiful diverse fantasy novel, the first in what looks to be a series *fingers crossed* - and since I just read that there would be a sequel, because *THAT* ending had me holding my breath, I am literally on pins and needles to know EXACTLY where the author takes my babies to!

I received an ARC of Raybearer (print and audiobook) from NetGalley.  I enjoyed this fantasy book.  The characters were all well developed and had depth.  The story was interesting and complex.  I felt like I was transported to Ifueko's amazing, complex , West African inspired world. Raybearer touches on the topics of roles of women in society, gender roles,  poverty, loyalty, and morality. I highly recommend this book. I will be purchasing it for our library.  I loved the narrator for this audiobook.  I think she added a enhanced the story.

I’m very cautious when it comes to hyped books because we’ve all stepped into the trap of expecting the world of a novel, only to end up disappointed that it doesn’t deliver what was promised. In the case of Raybearer I needn’t have worried. The hype machine worked pretty hard to promote this book but I am so happy to report that Ifueko’s debut novel not only does what it says but surpassed all my expectations.

RAYBEARER
by Jordan Ifueko

Published: Amulet Books, 2020
eBook: 368 pages
Audiobook: 13 hours 48 minutes
Series: Raybearer #1
My rating: 8/10

Opening line: I shouldn’t have been surprised that fairies exist.

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One of the gripes I have with many YA books that end up falling flat for me is that they only have one thing – one theme, one issue, on idea to set them apart – that is supposed to carry the whole story. Say, for example, the protagonist has a special power, and that’s all there is to make her interesting. Raybearer is the exact opposite of that, which is probably why I liked this book so much. There are so many ideas here and they all come together beautifully to create a fascinating world peopled with complex characters – what more can I want from YA, really?

Tarisai grows up in a magically hidden away house where she is mostly left alone by her mother, The Lady. She longs for family and love but the servants won’t even touch her because of her gift of reading and even taking away memories. This so-called Hallow is why The Lady sends Tarisai off to the capital in order to compete with other children to become one of the Crown Prince’s Council of Eleven. This Council is a group of eleven people, each with a Hallow, who are connected to the Prince and to each other via the Ray – a magical bond closer than blood. If they are too far from each other, they feel pain; they can telepathically communicate, they can share their thoughts and feelings and each Council member also provides a unique magical protection for the Prince. Once the Council is fully anointed, the Prince cannot be killed by anyone except a member of that council.
There are so many great ideas in that premise alone that it would have been enough for a great story, but Jordan Ifueko doesn’t stop there. The world of Aritsar has even more to offer, both in terms of politics, lore, songs, and history, that there is always something new to discover.

What really makes this book shine, though, are the characters. Tarisai is a great protagonist, not because she is flawless by any means, but because she is made of conflicts. The Lady compelled her to become a Council member and to kill the Prince. But Tarisai actually grows to love Prince Dayo like a brother and wants to do everything in her power to protect him. Instead of just bemoaning her fate, though, she puts her brain to it and searches for ways around her curse. Her cleverness, her kindness, her love for Dayo and their friends are what made Tarisai so lovable.
Many YA books also tend to use character development solely only on the protagonist and leave the side characters almost blank. Maybe they get one character trait each, but that’s it. In Raybearer, we don’t get to know every single member of the Council very well but instead focus on a select few who are shown to be layered, believable people with dreams and feelings of their own. I thought this was a great decision on the author’s (or editor’s?) part. Tarisai’s best friend Kirah felt like a real person and the girls’ friendship was simply beautiful. Even more beautiful was Tarisai’s relationship to Sanjeet and how their bond slowly grows over time. Every time these two had an interaction, it warmed my heart!

But wait, this book isn’t done yet! There is also a plot and it packs a punch. Do you know those books that start out as one thing and then slowly peel away layers and layers to reveal that the world is so much bigger than you thought, that there are mysteries within mysteries? Yeah, I love that kind of book, and Raybearer absolutely delivered on that part. I thought I was going to read about a girl destined to kill a boy she loved and how she fights against that compulsion. And while I did get to read about that, there was so much more. We learn about different cultures and traditions, about how the magic in this world works and what the implications are, about Raybearers past and present, and about why The Lady kept Tarisai hidden away for so long only to send her on a cruel mission. There’s inequality in the world that needs fixing, there are secrets that want to be revealed, friendships that want to be saved, and in the middle of it all a young girl yearning for a family, for a place to belong.

I think the first moment when I realized this wouldn’t just be a good book but a great one was when Tarisai takes a certain action at about a third into the book. This action – I’m being vague for fear of spoilers – could just as easily have been the resolution to the whole story, had this been a simpler, less well thought-out YA book. The fact that she did what she did so early on in the story made me realize that Jordan Ifueko has a lot more to tell and doesn’t have to hold back her ideas. And then she does the same thing again, later in the book. I thought I knew what kind of quest I was on with Tarisai, Sanjeet, Kirah, and Dayo, but it turns out, things go even deeper than that. We get to see different parts of the Kingdom, meet other cultures, learn about the land’s history, and watch Tarisai grow up through all of it.

In case you haven’t guessed it yet, I have endless amounts of love for this book! Because the last thing that could have ruined it is the writing, and the writing happened to be fantastic. There is nothing particularly flowery about the language, but I adored how Ifueko added songs and drum sounds into the story. What sealed it for me was the way she described her characters interacting. It could have been so easy to turn Dayo into Tarisai’s love interest (the destined to kill the one you love trope is a trope for a reason, after all), but instead, the two are just incredibly close friends and – at least for me – that bond felt even closer than a romatic relationship could have. Whether it’s Tarisai and Sanjeet or Tarisai and Kirah, or even Tarisai and one of the tutors teaching the new Council, the author always managed to not just convey information thorugh her writing but to also add an emotional layer. No conversation is simply an exchange of words.

As for the ending… well, that was something else! Not only do a LOT of things happen, but the ending also somehow manages to satisfyingly finish the main arc of the story while setting up the story for the sequel. And, boy, what a setup it is!

I listened to this on audio, so I have to mention the narrator (and actress) Joniece Abbott-Pratt. What a great job she has done of bringing Ifueko’s brilliant characters to life. I was especially impressed with how she showed the characters at different ages while still keeping them distinct from each other. She also actually sang the songs in this book which added a lot of atmosphere. I’m still a bit annoyed that I couldn’t access my NetGalley copy of the audiobook, but in retrospect, I don’t begrudge the book (or the author, or the narrator) the Audible credit it cost me to buy my own copy. And this way, I can re-listen to the book when the sequel comes out.

MY RATING: 8/10 – Excellent!

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.