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.

Ray bearer was such an amazing book. I loved the storytelling. I loved all the tropes In this book. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this book.

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.

Raybearer is a new own voices high-fantasy novel by Jordan Ifueko, audiobook narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, with cover art by Charles Chaisson. Published by Amulet Books with audio publication by Blackstone Publishing. Tarisai lives a very sheltered life in her home of Swana, one of Aritsar’s 12 realms. Growing up with an absent mother known only as The Lady, Tarisai spends her childhood in training to become a member of Crowned Prince Ekundayo’s (Dayo) anointed Council and then, kill him.

From the moment Raybearer begins, it is a gorgeous, fully-realized world full of magic, politics, and mythical beings. The people of Raybearer‘s world have the potential to be born with Hollows, magical abilities such as Tarisai’s power to see people and objects’ memories, or temporarily take them away. The king and prince of Aritsar are also born with a Hollow passed down through their lineage. Their Hollow, the Ray, allows them to anoint 11 others to his council, one from each of Aritsar’s realms. Anointment means sharing a lifelong bond through which each of the 11 and the royal share their emotions, can communicate telepathically, and, in order to stave off Council Sickness, must remain in close physical proximity to at least one other council member at all times.

The member of the royal lineage is born with an immunity to one of the 12 types of death and, for each council member he anoints, he gains one more immunity. Eventually, only old age and betrayal from a council member can kill the royal. To anoint somebody though, that person must love the prince. It is through this shared love among the council and prince that all of Aritsar is ruled and all of Raybearer‘s deep, powerful themes bear fruit.

Raybearer illustrates over and over throughout the book that love can take any number of forms. In fact, the typical sexual/romantic love one would expect between a young adult novel’s two main characters is rendered null early in the story in a scene not completely unproblematic in the language employed. Nonetheless, Tarisai and Dayo’s relationship is much more akin to that of siblings in a found family-esque scenario. Their relationship is rich and the circumstances that bring them together, and threaten to tear them apart, amplify the relationship by full orders of magnitude.

Tarisai and her other council siblings exhibit romantic relationships, best friendships, and other kinds of love just as well. They never feel forced or overly tropey. Many of the relationships, romantic or otherwise, enjoy excellent slow-burn, will they/won’t they natures. Ifueko does well balancing the motivations for the growth of the story’s relationships. Whether growth is egged on by the follies of teenagedom, the allure of power, or Raybearer‘s plot developments, none ever outweighs the others to the point of cliché.

It would be unfair to give away too much detail about Raybearer‘s plot, but know that it is the best I have read so far in 2020. While some aspects may be predictable early on, there is always a slight twist to a thread’s resolution that is simultaneously going to make you say “wow, I totally knew it,” and “oh my god YES!”

Besides excellent characters, relationships, plot, and motivations, the world Raybearer builds is wonderfully alive. Each of Aritsar’s realms and the lands of other peoples beyond the kingdom is distinct and full of life. While not every realm gets a full treatment of imagery and exploration, they nearly all receive personality. Based mostly on West-African and Central and South Asian cultures and locales, Raybearer stands apart from so many of its monolithic fantasy brethren.

I especially love how music and drums are essential to Artisar’s culture. The entirety of Raybearer is laden with myths, religion, and culture, but the music stands out to me the most. It is perhaps thanks to audiobook narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt, but every song and drum beat she sings fills the story with more life.

Culture, religion, and myths also play a central role in Raybearer as the novel addresses themes including imperialism, patriarchy, and finding one’s purpose. The way the book addresses these themes through Tarisai’s first-person view as she comes to grips with them herself makes the reader especially empathetic, even if the world beyond her rose-colored view is more clearly tainted to us from the onset.

Raybearer is an amazing new story in a unique, vibrant world. It is filled with excellent characters whose relationships and types of love break the typical YA mold enough to be quite fresh while still coloring within the lines of what YA readers are looking for. While addressing imperialism, patriarchy, and other themes intimate to author Jordan Ifueko’s personal and cultural experience, the novel weaves together an entirely well-imagined world full of myth, culture, religion, and magic.

*I received an audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

All I can say is WOW! This book takes you on a true journey as you watch Tarisai grow up and learn the ways of her world and I loved every minute of it. It has been so long since I've given out a five star and I'm so glad it was to this book.

As I received an audiobook for review, some notes on the audiobook. I really enjoyed the process of listening to it. It's narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt who I think did a very good job of bringing the characters to life. I was able to differentiate between the characters through her use of different voices and accents, and there were a few songs included in the story which were actually sung through which was nice.

Raybearer takes so many of the complexities of life and explores them through this wonderfully crafted fantasy world.

Characters: Watching Tarisai grow up was truly fascinating. Because this book takes place over such a long period of time you really get to watch her grow and become her own person. I thought the romance was really cute and believable. It's not quite what you expect going into the book and I appreciated that. You also fall in love with Tarisai's friends, Dayo, Sanjeet, and Kirah. I feel like we really got to know them both through their relationship with Tarisai and how they are outside of her.

This book also does a good job of humanizing the villain, The Lady, it does a good job of showing how she became who she did while not excusing her actions in my opinion. This also leads to the theme of coming to terms with having an abusive parent and the complicated feelings that come when you're the child in that situation. You love your parents because they are what you know, but you know that they haven't treated you properly and it's hard to realize that.

Plot: Speaking of themes, this book has a lot of them. This book also discusses general trauma, systemic oppression, and the trouble with assimilation. A passage that sticks out to me where Tarisai figures out why certain groups do worse on testing was such a brilliant and casual way to point out how systemic oppression works and I love that for YA readers. I keep mentioning that this book brings you on a journey because it really does, the plot has just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. You're constantly wanting to know how what will happen next.

World and writing: This world was very large and expansive, with various culturally distinct realms which were generally well described and I thought the writing was good at showing that. The descriptions really made you feel as if you were there. The magic system of the world, especially the use of the Ray was very interesting, unique, and well explained. We get some history lessons on the history of the world and those also seemed well thought out and were very interesting to me.

My only disappointment doesn't even have anything to do with this book or it's storytelling specifically. It's just that I went into this expecting a standalone book, and didn't realize it probably wasn't until the very end, so I'm a bit sad that it's not. I obviously can't judge the next book before it even has a public title, and having loved this book so much I'm cautiously excited, but as a person who's really on the lookout for standalone fantasies I was little disappointed by the cliffhanger.

Overall I really loved this book, if you're looking for an intricate high fantasy with an all Black cast this is the book for you.

DID NOT FINISH, stopped at 29%

I was given an advanced audiobook copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This story sounded super interesting and I was excited for it, however, I could not get into this story at all. The main character was essentially birthday of a rape (by her mother, yes, men can be raped) and then she is competing to become part of the future king's counsel of eleven. In the counsel of eleven, no one can marry and you can only copulate with the king, but hey "as a female counsel member you can birth us our future." Right....I was done with the weird sex cult idea and then the fact that she is just chattle to birth an heir. I'm good. I am sure the novel would get better later on, however, this was just unfortunately disturbing to me and screaming creepy cult and it is not something I want to continue.

OK I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH AAAH!! 

Raybearer totally stole my heart and fixed it and I'm in love. 🥺 I went into the book knowing nothing about the plot and I think that is why I was more surprised too. 

The plot is one of the best parts about the book. It is so complex and layered, there is literally no point when you feel bored in the book. Every single page is filed with intrigue and singing interesting, keeping you hooked. I loved the world building. What made me swoon the most was the fact that it wasn't a straightforward YA - there were so many twists and turns and secrets that you don't really see coming. The author takes you back and forth in the story, keeping you in a loop of guessing and bombarding with badass secrets! Loved that 😍

Coming to the characters, my god 😭 I loved Tarisai's voice right from the beginning. She had a distinctive and complicated character arc, and the author brought it out in the words. Her complicated relationship with The Lady was so well portrayed - all the emotions that she went through, the dilemma of choosing between loyalty and love, the crave to be important and belong, the want for a family. Ah, my heart ached for Tarisai!! 
Ekundayo was an adorable bean, tbh, and I wished we could've had more scenes of him with Tarisai, seeing their relationship grow. Sanjeet wasn't my favorite character in the beginning but he really did grow on me later. 

The whole cast is so intricately woven into the story, with a large ensemble. And each were unique, with distinctive voices. The palace politics was also so perfectly lain down, with excellent incorporation of culture and traditions, I felt. Listening to the audiobook was a delight in itself; the narrator truly brought out the essence of the story through the various sound imitations and voice modulation. 

The story is not your average, everyday YA fantasy. It is an unique fantasy, richly inspired by West African folklore, while also exploring themes of race and cast, misogyny and patriarchy, trauma and healing, and the generational burden that we carry with ourselves. Raybearer is truly one gem of a book and I NEED THE SECOND BOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW 🥺😭
The ending was so beautiful and heartbreaking aarghhh. Jordan Ifuenko really ended it that way aghhhggg 🙃 I really loved this book so much and would 10/10 recommend. Can't wait for the next book to see where the story goes and how Tarisai fights in the patriarchal world! 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early audiobook. All views expressed are solely mine.

I received an advance reader copy of this book on audio to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book was amazing! I just don't know where to start! 
Therese (the main character) has been starved of touch from others since being a young child because if she touches you she can not only see but change and manipulate your memories. Her mother (the lady) sends her to become close to the Prince Drayo. She has been manipulated by The Lady and her mind tells her that once he anoints her as his own she must kill him.
Therese embarks on a journey longing for love and freindship, scared of the weapon she has been made into and the book unravels a plot that leaves you guessing at every turn as just when you think you know whats going to happen, the book cleverly twists to leave you guessing again.

This is a fantastic fantasy book with romance that contains many diverse, interesting and likeable characters throughout. Each scene is beautifully described and easy to envision. So many topics are woven into this book making it a fantastic book of the times we live in such as race, trauma, class, segmentation and colonisation. 
The audio book I received was beautifully read and the narrator did a fantastic job reading it.

Unfortunately my Netgalley app doesn't seem to want to work. Which is a pity I was really looking forward to this audiobook. Will try again once the app decides to work.

Raybearer is Jordan Ifueko’s debut novel and it’s stunning. From the vividness of the world-building to the characters and villains throughout, Raybearer is truly a gem. I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook courtesy of NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, in exchange for an honest review and I am so glad I received this opportunity. While I don’t usually seek out audiobooks, the audiobook of Raybearer is exceptional.

Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, the Raybearer audiobook does a great job at not only still capturing the fantasy and magic but also captures each character in a way I’ve yet to encounter in another audiobook. Abbott-Pratt is pitch-perfect as Tarisai and every moment - all of the ups and downs in her journey are brought further to life with Abbott-Pratt’s outstanding voice work.

Where Raybearer really shines is in its originality. Many fantasy novels follow the same formulaic path for its protagonist, but Raybearer does a great job to set it apart from the other books in the fantasy realm and succeeds. The way that the book honed in on the theme of found family and didn’t have a romance that was quick to bloom really stood out for me. It was also equally exciting that there was so much myth and lore to explore. While I wasn't sure how all of this would translate in terms of an audiobook, but it was well done and I felt fully immersed in all of it.

For anyone looking for a fresh fantasy to explore, Raybearer is definitely the book for you. Rich with brilliant world and character building, it is hard to stop listening to the audiobook once you begin. I cannot wait to read the book because I definitely need another helping of the magic I experienced.

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.

✨A luminous adventure R E V I E W ✨

(Thanks to @blackstonepublishing for the #gifted audio copy via @librofm and @netgalley)

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, officially released today, is such a breathe of fresh air when it comes to YA fantasy! ✨

Tarisai has only ever wanted a connection: love from her family, to know the outside world. But when she finally gets her chance it comes with a catch: she is sent to gain the trust of the crown prince, and she is sworn to kill him. ✨

What follows is such a grand adventure for a first book in a fantasy series. What I was expecting in the first 10% of the story is quickly squashed - over and over as we follow Tarisai grow up and fight for herself and others. Ifueko has built a fascinating world you can get lost in, characters that embody the deeply complicated feelings of family and friendship, trauma and wonder, and a book that I’ll happily return to when it comes to waiting for the sequel.

I can’t wait to learn more about the powers of the Ray, which was only a sliver of the magic present in this world. You can easily spend time dissecting character motivations and studying various kingdom factions. “Behold what is coming” indeed — it’s time you pick up this impressive debut.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jordan Ifueko is a glorious new voice to have in YA literature. Raybearer, follows similar tones of the likes of Tomi Adeyemi (Children of Blood and Bone) and Roseanne A. Brown (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin) but is also something new and wholly its own. Following Tarisai as she fights against a cursed destiny laid upon her by her mother, readers are taken across lush lands and introduced to a whole new world of magic. Joniece Abbott-Pratt brings even more life to the epic journey with her narration of the audiobook. I breezed through the novel, fighting against hitting pause needing to know what would happen next. The only thing that gave my nerves a bit of a rest was knowing there was a planned sequel. Ifueko presents a wonderful array of characters and takes the tale in unexpected directions. If you like strong leaders, magic, and a cast of wonderful characters then this debut should absolutely be in your TBR pile.

***I was granted an audiobook ARC of this via Netgalley from the publisher.***

 The book Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is one of the best young adult novels I've read this year. The story follows Tarisai, a girl born half-human, half immortal through the machinations of her mother known simply as The Lady. The Lady uses Tarisai as a pawn in her game to get back at the emperor of Aritsar but forcing her to kill the prince, Dayo, once she gets him to love her. Tarisai is sent to the capital to join the prince's council, 11 individuals connected by the Ray which allows them to bond with him and keep him from death except by old age or assassination by a council member. Tarisai lives with the ever-present danger of fulfilling her mother's wishes via magic and the story sees Tarisai trying to find a way to seize control of her own destiny and not fulfill her mother's plans. This book's characters are its strongest point. You root for Tarisai and her friends, Sanjeet and Kirah, as you feel their lows, and their highs. Each character is dealing with some issues from their past and the author does a very good job of humanizing them while still showing their flaws. The world-building is great as well with an interesting magic system and a world populated with interesting people and creatures. The twists in this story also had my heart racing which is rare that because few books surprise me the way this one managed to. The narrator's performance was amazing as well. Each of the characters was given a voice that was individual to them allowing me to tell who was talking simply by hearing her voice. Overall, this was an amazing book and I look forward to its sequel which is surely coming after that great ending.

Rating: 5/5 stars. Would highly recommend to a friend.

It is not often the i go out a buy an audio book. There is something that is hard about reading what you just listened too. But that is not the case for this book, i need my own print copy so i can go back and reread certain scenes again and again till i am content, this was such a wonderful debut and i cannot wait until  book 2.

This was wonderful, and rich and beautiful! This was originally read in an audiobook format, and the narrator really brought the story to life, and gave it so much personality. I loved everywhere it went, and every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I was very pleasantly surprised!

Jordan Ifueko’s debut novel, Raybearer, may leave you in tears. An epic fantasy tale of a world led by a West-African inspired royal family with a long and murky history of power and magic. A world with mystical creatures and horrific demons.  

Raybearer is a coming of age story of Tarisai, a daughter yearning for the love and presence of her mysterious and absentee mother. A girl child coming into her own power and identity in the immediate shadow of corruption, misogyny, inequality, and lies spanning generations.

Tarisai was an isolated child, raised and imprisoned by a succession of tutors afraid to touch her because of her unique powers to experience the history of people and things with a touch. Tarisai spent most of her childhood longing for the presence and affection of a mysterious and often absent mother known only as “The Lady.”

While still very young, The Lady sends Tarisai 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 picked, Tarisai will be bonded to the Prince and Council via a bond deeper than blood through the Ray.

At the age of 10, Tarisai starts to experience the connection and community she has always longed for among the Prince and the council of children he begins to form. But she soon discovers that The Lady has long had other plans for her and the entire empire. Tarisai finds herself under the bondage of a magical wish with a command she is compelled to obey: kill the Crown Prince once she secures his trust.

Book Review

That is the plot in a very abbreviated nutshell. But Raybearer is a nuanced, intentional, and lovely YA novel that does not fall victim to the many pitfalls of the genre.

So much is done to and chosen for Tarisai. She is a weapon, a means to an end, and a child laden with expectation and responsibility. She is also deeply intelligent, observant, strong-willed, and passionate. She makes hard decisions for reasons beyond herself. She falls in love, but her journey is not defined by it. Her complexity is not minimized.

The world of Raybearer is filled with complex characters. A well-paced plot that is not entirely predictable, with storytelling that does not drag along.

For me, the icing on the cake was the cultural gradation. The diversity of cultural storytelling and representation. The narrative within the narrative that will make you pause at times when you think how often it is erased in popular North American literature. I found myself pausing more than once to soak up the intimacy and detail of a scene.  

There were moments that I did find myself frustrated with Tarisai. But these moments were often mitigated by the pace and progression of the narrative. The story is the first book in the series, and while it ends with work to be done and journeys to be completed, it does not close with an extreme cliffhanger that leaves the reader bereft. There is clear closure of a chapter that leaves you with a sea of complex emotions.

Raybearer is an engaging and exciting read. A reader’s level of enjoyment will come down to taste but, in my opinion, worth taking a chance on.

Comments On Narration For Audiobook Listeners

The voice actor had their work cut out for them. There was an array of cultural accents, songs, and characters to voice. The acting was neither annoying nor a distraction. The narrator was emotive, clear, and consistent. Overall solid, and if your preference is for Audiobooks, I think you won’t have any material issues or complaints with Raybearer.