Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)

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?

Rating:

Many thanks to Hear Our Voices and Amulet Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and for inclusion on this tour. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.

Listen, I know you’re not “supposed” to judge a book by its cover, but this cover stole my attention right away. As someone who has a lot of books with dark covers, this one stands out in all the right ways. And there’s a fierce-looking black girl letting her afro free to do its thing, and when you combine that with the colors on the cover (which perfectly compliment the setting as far as dress and culture), this book really earns its name.

Raybearer is a coming-of-age high fantasy inspired by West Africa, where Tarisai is ordered to kill the boy she’s destined to love. In a world where she’s been led to believe she’s a tool—for her mother, for men—she needs to find her true purpose.

The first chapter was a little rocky to me, because I felt like I was thrown into a world that I had no grounding for, with no explanation. However, things quickly got going, and because Tarisai herself had never seen the greater world, the reader gets to discover the world with her. The big hook comes at the end of chapter 2, and from then on, I couldn’t put the book down! I can’t wait for the sequel.

For a book that starts so grimly, these pages are surprisingly filled with hope for the future and the desire to change.

There are definitely dark elements in this fantasy. This world is not one that would be fun to live in at all for most people. Even for the lucky ones, it’s cruel and unforgiving. What I particularly loved about it, though, is the way Ifuedo uses this ugliness as a springboard for change, for hope, for the future. It’s a beautiful dichotomy that is anything but easy.

All the characters in this, not just the protagonist, face or have faced harrowing circumstances, though the outcomes vary between characters. The real takeaway, for me at least, was in the way the choice always seemed to be between accepting the destiny society hands you or fighting for the destiny that you believe is right.

In the book, it’s called a bellysong, and I absolutely love this idea. There are so many wonderful things about this book, but I think this is my favorite, because it’s just good life advice, I think. Though this concept doesn’t really come up until the second half of the book, it’s clear from the earliest pages that each character has their own bellysong, and I was so invested in these characters, all of them, that I wanted them to achieve it, darn it.

Because it might surprise you to know, that despite the grim world they live in? Most bellysongs are beautiful and worth fighting for.

This book is so exquisitely crafted and put together that if you don’t understand something at first … wait for it. Everything has a meaning, and everything ties together in the end.

I talked a lot with Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads as I was reading this, and there were several times I messaged her to complain about being confused about something that happened. By the second half of the book, though, I was putting these pieces together, getting more and more glimpses of the overall puzzle. And I freaking loved it!

This is a world that guards its secrets carefully, and they have to be teased apart little by little, and when it finally comes to fruition, the end result is absolutely spectacular.

Not gonna lie, there were moments I actually squeed as I realized that this totally random thing that happened at the beginning of the book had a meaning that I couldn’t possibly have known until a totally different secret was revealed later on, and once that happened, everything clicked perfectly. This was the case over and over again, and it really belies how well-crafted the story is.

I fell hard for all these characters, because they were so easy to love. Even the ones I didn’t love, I felt something for. Yes, even the antagonist.

These characters are all so rich and well-rounded that they practically came to life on me. It is so easy to care about their plights, because at their core, their struggles are ones that most of us face: fear of being irrelevant, fear of being a weapon against others, fear of hurting those you love, fear of being alone, fear of abandonment. The motives that guide these characters are easy to understand and not always pretty (emotions can get ugly, too), but they’re so relatable and real.

Dayo is the most adorable, sweetest little kid … which immediately poses a problem since we know that he’s kind of supposed to die. Except he’s clearly too precious for this world and doesn’t deserve that. Someone didn’t get the memo. He lives in this constant fear of people abandoning him, of not being enough.

Tarisai struggles with the fact that she’s being used for a purpose she doesn’t understand, and one she doesn’t want to fulfill. She’s afraid of hurting her friends and afraid of not being strong enough to stop it. All she’s ever wanted is a family, and when she finds it, she’s destined to betray them. If that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will.

There are a number of fantastic supporting characters, too. Woo In is from Songland and is struggling hard for the rights of his people, to stop them from being sacrificed to the Underground, a practice that is both horrible and reserved only for the inhabitants of Songland, the Redempters, at the age of 10.

Then there’s Sanjeet, who has a truly horrible backstory that involves being forced to hurt people for money. All he wants to do is use his hands for good, but he’s constantly shoehorned into the role of violent brute, no matter what he tries to do.

What I loved about these kids, in particular, is the way they’re growing with each other and growing into themselves, whatever that looks like, regardless of what the adults keep telling them they need to become.

This is a generation that obviously knows what’s up. They could so easily make the same mistakes as the last generation, but they’re fighting so hard to understand what’s right and to follow that path instead. They are so darn easy to root for because of this, which ultimately led to so many feels!

This book builds a beautiful, rich world, one filled with magic and stories and tradition, and I loved delving into it.

One thing I love about the extremely diverse cultures in Africa is that most of them have some pretty elaborate stories and cultures, so any time I pick up a book inspired by those cultures, that’s what I hope to see. Raybearer really delivers on those rich traditions, weaving myth and lore and storytelling and legends into the story, building a world that feels real and lived in, one I absolutely want to explore more.

There were times when the stories were a little confusing to me in the immediate context of the story, but like everything else, they serve a larger purpose of creating a history of this world and revealing the characters’ influences.

Like so many real people, the stories are what shape the characters in some ways, since it’s what they grow up believing in. I really enjoyed diving deep into this world and getting a good feel for it, without long exposition and boring description that can be hard to follow. This really built the wonder and magic of the world, while also highlighting how harsh and unforgiving it can be. Plus, there’s just something particularly beautiful when a world has a solid foundation of beliefs and myths that I can fall into. Those are definitely my favorite fantasy worlds, and this one is high up on the list!

About Jordan Ifueko

Jordan Ifueko is a Nigerian-American author of Young Adult fiction. She stans revolutionary girls and 4C curls. RAYBEARER is her debut novel.

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You can find the full tour schedule here.

✦ August 11 ✦
Hear Our Voices – Introduction Interview
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Original Book Tag
Loc’D Booktician – Favorite Quotes
The Rantings of a Book Addict – Review
Nancy Luvs Books – Favorite Quotes

✦ August 12 ✦
Noria Reads – Dream Cast
Cierra’s Cynosure – Favorite Quotes + Mood Board
Curly Book Owls – Review

✦ August 13 ✦
Novelisteer – Review
BookishEnds – Playlist
The Bookwyrm’s Den – Favorite Quotes
Spill the Tale – Review
Strange She Reads – Vlog Review
Literary Intersections – Favorite Quotes
Nox Reads – Look Book

✦ August 14 ✦
Ms. WOC Reader – Blog Interview
Books Whit Me – Favorite Quotes + Moodboard
Fictional Fates – Video Review
pretty_x_bookish – Favorite Quotes
Black Bookwyrm Reads – Recs in Black Fantasy

✦ August 15 ✦
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Dream Cast
Noria Reads – Video Interview
Curly Haired Bibliophile – Favorite Quotes
DJ Reads Books – Favorite Quotes

✦ August 16 ✦
Em’s Bookish Musings – Blog Interview
Socially Awkward Book Blogger – Review
Phrases & Pages – Favorite Quotes
Bookseats and Booze – Favorite Quotes
Bookish Realm – Dream Cast

✦ August 17 ✦
Books Build Life – Video Review
Hardcover Haven – Playlist + Mood Board
Roro Is Reading – Review

✦ August 18 ✦
Pages Left Unread – Review
Falling 4 Romance – Favorite Quotes
Vianoniomoh – Review
Vee The Reader – Favorite Quotes