Reread March 2023
"I don't know what I want. I only know the world is big, and I'm sick of pretending it's smaller."

My thoughts are pretty much unchanged from the first go around, Raybearer is, in fact, That Girl. I especially appreciated this reread just how poetic and beautiful the prose is!

First read November 2020
"You write your story, not the people who came before you."

This is a debut? A high fantasy this perfect? What is Jordan Ifueko drinking for a flex this hard?

She has crafted a fantasy steeped in rich world building based on West African mythology and culture, filled with multiple fictional cultures that are all distinct and vivid while adding some unique elements such as teleportation. The sheer size and complexity of the world building actually reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender a bit.

All of this world building is packed into only 343 pages, yet we never get chapters dedicated to exposition. It is a world slowly revealed throughout the story, woven into the plot and character arcs. Plot and character arcs that already rock on their own and are just made stronger by the world building.

The plot moves quickly to keep you interested, but not so fast you don't get to feel the emotion. It is intricately paced so that you always have a breath to feel the emotional weight of what's happening. It is also quite surprising, going in a direction I did not predict but that made more sense than my expectations.

It's a very character driven story, and by that I mean all the characters are active drivers of the plot. They have a ton of agency and I never felt they were just reacting to everything happening. Especially the lead, Tarisai. This truly feels like her story.

And what a delight to read from her perspective it is. She is one of the best main characters I have read this year. Not your typical YA fantasy heroine who is all tough and snarky, Tarisai is kind and deeply caring. Her struggle is trying to be a good person in a world where good people finish last because she genuinely cares for her friends and people.

It's hard to write a story with a main character this good, it's hard to write a book with a memorable side cast too, it's even harder to write a book with both. Raybearer does both. I think this cast will stick with me for awhile. I could probably write entire reviews on each character with all the layers they have (they're like onions) (also there is a biromantic/panromantic asexual side character!)

Their chemistry with each other oozes off the page. The premise requires characters to love each other to work. Considering I cried after only 110 pages, Ifueko definitely pulled it off. I've always been a sucker for a found family, and this is by far one of the best ones I've read with some of the best dynamics.

There is also an incredibly interesting hero/villain dynamic, but I don't want to spoil it. As a matter of fact I can't write much more without spiraling into spoilers. And yeah I could hide the rest of my review in spoiler tags, but then it would be far too long.

Please, just go read Raybearer for yourself! You won't regret it!

i loved this book from start to finish and i'm very excited to read the sequel soon!

I really enjoyed this! This was one of my 12 friend recommendation reads for this year and I was so happy I enjoyed this one! The characters and the story are so well done. I can't wait to read the sequel next!!

An enthralling read. Ifueko creates a world rich with stories and characters full of depth. I can’t wait to read more.

BRO. BROODODOCKWOSCK. I FINISHED THIS IN A DAY. I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN. 

Let me just start off by saying that I regret not reading this sooner. REGRET. 

I am in love with the main characters. IN LOVE, I TELL U. THE TRIO, SANJEET, KIRAH, AND TARISAI, as well as dayoooo, the precious innocent ace, they have my heart and soul. 

This story is just so good and idk what to do, okay? 

It's 4am and i need to sleep. Will read redemptor when i wake up!! 

It's a little hard for me to review this as it's been about 2 months since I finished it and I barely took down any notes...but I do know that I enjoyed it! The prose was engaging and the audiobook narrator (Joniece Abbott-Pratt) did a great job of bringing multiple characters to life. I loved the vivid settings. I went into this expecting a very popular trope to drive the story

(enemies to lovers)

but what I got was completely different - in a good way! I liked the found family aspect, though we didn't see enough of Dayo's council to make their love for each other completely believable. As Tarisai spent most of her time only with select members of the council, I often forgot just how many of them supposedly lived together and cared for each other. There also came a point when I felt that Tar had gotten too slow on picking up obvious clues...it dragged the story as you're waiting for her to figure out what you already did ages go. And the blossoming

Kirah and Woo In

romance made me uncomfortable because of the age gap, considering one of 'em is a minor. 😬

All that said, it's a worthwhile read and it proved to me that there's still space for fresh, unique stories in YA fantasy. I dove into the sequel immediately after finishing this :)

This book was phenomenal! I truly did not expect to like it as much as I did. I loved the different culture and the unique premise. The characters were all so loveable and unique and the main character was flawed and not perfect though trying her best.

It deals with sexism in such an interesting way and it was truly empowering to read it. This is definitely a book that will stick with me for a long time. I might even reread it one day but for now I just really want to read the sequel. I'm happy that it's a Duology since I don't really have time to read something longer right now. I also liked that the ending was closed even though the story itself obviously isn't.

I thought that the review by Nic which is on the blurb sums up the center of the story pretty well. This book is about "our most basic of human desires: to belong, to be loved, and to walk a path of one's own choosing".

I'm excited to dive back into this world again very soon. I would recommend this book to any lover of Fantasy and especially people who like a bit of social commentary and well thought out plots in their books ;)