Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Raybearer

I throughly enjoyed reading this book, it was delightfully different to other fantasies out there in the best way. Ifueko’s world building transports you to Aritsar and Tarisai’s life, this is a book that you can’t bear to put down. While events in the story happened seemingly in rapid succession, I think it works, because nothing feels like a placeholder or pause before the story continues; the story is always happening.

All of the characters in this book are so unique and complex and written in such a way that I can envision them standing before me. A lot of the characters are definitely lovable and even those who may not be are given reasons for their negative traits, but these are never presented as excuses for their bad behaviour.

I found myself relating the themes of this book and the societal issues within the story to our real world, such as sexism and equality. Can people who have been pushed down for so long rise up against the system? I’ll let you read and find out.

While there were these positive things, I was confused by the lodestones (idk if this is the right spelling), because I couldn’t quite imagine what they looked like, which brought me out of my immersion a bit.

One things I wasn’t expecting was Ekundayo’s asexuality. I am pleasantly surprised that this was presented in this book, and that it linked with Dayo’s character and the story as a whole. I hope this will be seen more in the second book.

Overall, a great story with a brilliant cast of characters and can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.

Content Warnings

julesadventurezone's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

starryorbit12's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Raybearer is one of the books you can't put down. If your a fan of found family and stories about breaking cycles of abuse, this book is for you. The Lady shows an abuse child that grows up to hurt others on the way she was hurt. Tarsai is a abused child who grew up wanting to do things that would help instead of hurt. Sanjeet is also another abused and also bullied child that choose to protect and heal instead of seeking vengeance or choosing to inflict pain to make other hurt they way he has. This is also a story of women erased from history and how child are often sacrificed to preserve the status quo. It not just about breaking the cycle of abuse and finding purpose outside the life parents wish for you, but it also about do what is right even if it not easy to make a better world for everyone. Frankly, this is my favorite read in 2021 so far.

The only thing I really wanted more from in the story would be the other count members outside of Sanjeet and Kirah. Tarsai talk about the fondly and says she loves them like family, but we only get a few interactions with them. Often, the other members blend together because we don't hear enough or speak to them enough for them to stand out in the way Dayo, Sanjeet, and Kirah do. However, they don't do much in the grand scheme of the story compared to Dayo, Sanjeet, and Kirah so I can see why they weren't as fleshed out.

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