Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Raybearer

You know that meme/scene with Homelander saying "It was perfect. Perfect. Down to the last minute detail." Yeah, that. That was me after rereading this book 😂

For a moment I was actually a bit scared diving into this again, thinking my opinions would change (since I will be rereading after four years). But you know what? My opinion is still very much the same: Raybearer is one of the best YA fantasy novels I've read. If anything, my love for this book just soared to new heights.

This is just so perfect—from the writing, to the world-building, the magic system, the pacing, the characterization, the intricacies of the plot. There's also a lot to learn in this book, a lot of things that we can notice in our own reality. Misogyny, toxic masculinity, histories being erased, governments failing their own people, just for example. You get so engrossed with the story and with Tarisai's character that you just go along the emotions with her. You root for her, and you feel for her. There's also not much action if you think about it, but the overall suspense and the political atmosphere just keep you engaged throughout the entire story. That for me is a feat right there.

You can also tell there's so much love and effort put into this book and it paid off. It worked, and it's such an incredible experience reading this from start to finish 🥹

Exact rating: 1 million stars

CW: death, murder, grief, trauma, death of a parent, death of children (sacrifice), child abuse/neglect

Content Warnings

justmys's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“No, we don't deserve the burdens that our parents gave us, but we cant defeat monsters we won't face.”

A really powerful book filled with a beautifully rich and vivid world populated by well fleshed out characters.
The relationships Tarisai built felt natural and well paced. The mother was heartbreaking at times in her obsession, which was an odd experience to have. Complex "villains" are a favourite of mine and this book definitely explored all of the shades of grey for her.
I only gave the book 4 stars as there were times I felt things happened out of convenience for the plot, but they weren't overly distracting and didn't detract too much from the overall book. I also felt that, at times, the ages of the characters were confusing to follow. This might have been my fault, perhaps I didn't hear it when listening but I felt myself reeling a little at how the characters spoke or interracted and had to keep double checking ages online.

Overall, a really great read and the narrator for the book did an amazing job bringing the music of the world alive.

Content Warnings

fleur____'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

ginameix's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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