Book Review: Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

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? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.

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Raybearer has been sitting on my physical TBR for a while after I picked up both books in the duology at a library book sale. My book bestie Steph read them last year and absolutely raved about them, so I knew I wanted to get to it eventually.

The world-building was a little overwhelming at first. There are a lot of characters—each with very unique traits and abilities—and several different places and political structures to keep track of. The magic system was also really interesting, but it took me some time to fully grasp.

The beginning of the book felt slow for me, but I think that had more to do with the sheer amount of setup required than anything else. The ending, on the other hand, was much more action-packed and really pulled me in.

I’ll admit, I was confused during parts of the middle. Some of that is definitely on me, though—I wasn’t reading consistently because of how busy life has been, and I think that made it harder to stay grounded in the world.

I really enjoyed the friendships and relationships the kids had with one another. That sense of connection and loyalty added a lot of heart to the story.

I’m planning to start Redemptor this week, and I’m going with the audiobook this time. There are a lot of unique terms and names, and I want to make sure I’m pronouncing them correctly. Plus, the narrator is fantastic and I think it’ll help me stay immersed.

If you enjoy YA and high fantasy, I definitely recommend giving this one a try. Just be ready for a bit of a learning curve at the start—it’s worth sticking with!