Score: 5/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to Libro.fm and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a review copy of Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko.

I am astonished that this is the author’s debut novel! It’s so complex and lyrical and quite simply, amazing. It’s the YA Fantasy I didn’t know I needed in my life right now.

There’s some world-building to be done in this book, particularly in the first half. But while I sometimes find this (understandably necessary) part of fantasy books a bit tedious I was SO into the world Ifueko was creating for us.

Tarisai has been raised in near isolation with an absent mother known only to her as ‘The Lady’. She longs to belong, to be part of a family, and when she’s shipped off to compete to win a place on the Crown Prince’s Council she gets that chance. However, it’s not as simple as joining her new family of peers, because Tarisai has been trained to kill the Prince, as soon as the time is right. Battling an internal war between what she’s been told to do and what she believes is right, and navigating the half-truths, lies and myths she’s grown up with is no easy feat.

Honestly, I can’t do this book justice, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that you need to read it, and get yourself a copy.

If audiobooks are your thing, this one is narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and was an absolutely beautiful experience to listen to, especially because there are some songs that I don’t think you’d appreciate quite as much if just reading the lyrics in the book. The audiobook comes in at 13 hours and 48 minutes and you can grab your own copy via the button below, or click here for a physical copy.

And, the best news of all—book two in the series, Redemptor, is due to be published in August, 2021!

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?