Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)

by Jordan Ifueko

The epic and phenomenal West-African inspired New York Times bestselling YA fantasy from an incredible new talent.

'Only one thing is more powerful than a wish, and that is a purpose.'

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 Eleven. 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?

• ISBN10: 1471409279
• ISBN13: 9781471409271
• Publish Date: 18 August 2020 (first published 14 April 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hot Key Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[lessthelonely]

4.5/5 stars.

Non-white fantasy keeps proving to be absolutely elite. For me, it all started with Legendborn. And I don't mean to define this book in terms of its whiteness, it's simply that I don't remember the last time I read a fantasy book written by a white author and I find that a good thing.

Raybearer was a book I was expecting to grab me from the very first page and while the grabbing was a little bit more slow burn than that, once the claws were drawn into my skin, I was reading and going at it. First of all: whoever formatted this book and designed the formatting? I wish you well, I wish you get your ass ate and that all you've ever wished for you get.

The characters and characterization is elite when it is present - I do think a lot of the members of Ekundayo's Council have enough of a presence for you to like their presence, but I feel like only Tarisai, Ekundayo, the love interest Sanjeet and Kirah have a more defined and needed presence. Character conflict between these four seemed quite organic and never like it was serving a plot point.

I will however say that the amnesia route was... a choice. I believe the author was trying to do a tenseful experience with the amnesia since we did know about it - Hitchcock's rules and all that -, but I do think it fell a little bit flat on that part. Everything else was incredible and though this book does that thing where the show-down is your climax, it was GLORIOUS. I hope this book gets a TV or movie adaptation because whatever episode the climax ends up being will be able to generate Game of Thrones level of hype, for sure.

Top all this with LGBT representation? ASEXUAL REPRESENTATION AT THAT? What else could you want? Get this one.

[payton]

dnf @ 32%
stale as the forgotten french fry under the seat of your car

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

In a movie I’ve never actually seen, the actor Denzel Washington says, “There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this.” Reading Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko feels like one of those moments. It has raised my expectations for YA fantasy higher than a giraffe standing on Mt. Fuji and nothing will ever be the same.

[Ashley]

Got to page 108 before I stopped. It was okay, but I wasn't really feeling it. The writing was a bit flowery/poetic for my taste. Might try to pick it back up later.

[kalventure]

✨ You can read the first chapter over on EW!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD, I devoured it! Final review to come shortly.

Pre-order Incentive: preorder a copy and submit your receipt by August 18th, 2020 to receive an enamel pin and signed bookplate (US only, sorry friends).

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley for my honest review and does not affect my opinion nor the contents of my review; advanced audiobook provided by LibroFM. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and are subject to change upon final publication.

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[tweetybugshouse]

This is an amazing story about complex relationships between those you choose as family and those who are your family. Also it about what you been told you are and what you choose to do with that information. Our main character has been tasked with the most horrific thing you can ask of a child revenge. She forgets about the task for part of the book and then it all come rushing back. Her mother the lady has been distant from tarisai her whole life yet she groomed her to take down the prince. I really loved that who i thought she would fall in love with is someone totally different. This was a gut wrenching novel that will leave you dying for the next one.