Reviews

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

danielles_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

Initially I was going to rate this 4 stars, as a solid debut fantasy with some missteps. But the more I think about it, the more issues I have with it, and the more I start to understand why reading this took me so long and felt like such a chore. Also, I think this being so well-loved by so many people, including many people I know, had me trying to convince myself I love it too.

I think the two biggest reasons why this didn’t work for me are the uneven pacing and that it tried to do way too much.

Pacing:

The biggest mistake of this book imo is that it starts out with a huge time skip that glosses over the foundation of all of the main characters’ relationships! We never see the years where all the council members became close. Especially considering that suddenly the main character had a romantic interest in another character she had previously only had a few short scenes with. I really feel like the book would have been better served with the potential council members being older to start (more on that later) so there wouldn’t be a time skip.

The book is also super plot-focused, with constant reveals and twists throughout. This on top of the heavy amount of world building made this book feel like such a drag for a more character-driven reader like myself. There was some development with Tarisai and The Lady but almost nothing for the other characters. This action was kind of exciting in some ways because the book seemed to go in a completely different and unexpected direction from the synopsis, but it also made it feel so aimless.

Doing Too Much:

There are so many aspects to this story that don’t get enough page time. For one, why are there THIRTEEN countries and TWELVE council members? There is no possible way to flesh out each of these 13 in a 380ish page book while still having a plot and character development. (And to be honest, it also rubbed me the wrong way that each country is essentially a copy of a real-world one, because this lack of development made them seem like stereotypes, not to mention that it’s just not creative). I could not tell you the difference between Nontes and Quetzala other than the former is French-inspired and the latter is Mayan-inspired.

But it’s not just that—there are so many separate plot lines as well! There was the council selection process, dealing with the ramifications of the Lady’s Wish, the struggles of Songland, the entire concept of the Redemptors and the history of the Underworld, the discovery of the Lady’s motivations and her

being imprisoned

, and the mystery surrounding the history of the councils and the formation of the empire.

What also bothered me is the bunch of little things that didn’t make sense and seemed to only exist for the plot. Like:

• The council members being “forced” to accept Tarisai into the council just because she’s “pure” aka ignorant, even though they knew her mother definitely manipulated her in some way?
• Lodestone traveling is never explained, especially why the routes are so circuitous and seemingly random. Like what reason is there for the ONLY way for Tarisai to get from Songland to Oluwan is through TWENTY-SIX lodestones??? How does the empire even function like this? Not to mention that the map has no scale so everything seemed so much closer than the narrative kept saying.
• I was so confused by the sexism of this world. Apparently it’s perfectly fine for women to be captains of the Imperial Guard, but an empress or a powerful female councilor who doesn’t give birth to the emperor’s son is unthinkable (like Tarisai was scoffed at for having ambition for some reason?). But then female councilors are also expected to have important political responsibilities. Ok… make it make sense! I also don’t understand why the emperor wouldn’t just accept only women in his council considering the expectations surrounding him.
• So many of the council rules are creepy as fuck. Like it’s expected that TEN YEAR OLDS give up their entire life for the crown, including never seeing their family ever again, and (allegedly) only having sex with the emperor (which would technically mean the men would be celibate because the whole point is to make babies and the attitude surrounding queerness is still unclear)? And no one has an issue with children making these life-altering decisions they don’t understand?? Not to mention, how can you get a competent group of rulers with a variety of skills from this kind of selection process? No one in the book pointing this out (especially considering Tar kept talking about changing things) made me feel like I was crazy.
• It makes NO SENSE for the High Judge’s First Ruling to be irreversible. It’s literally their FIRST decision, often when they are teenagers!!! Again, how could an empire function like this!!! 😭
• What exactly is the extent of Tarisai’s Hallow? It seemed like she had full control over any and all memories to a very granular level, even though it was initially introduced as just being able to learn the memories of objects and people through touch.

And lastly… I’m a full believer that stories for children and teens should not talk down to them or oversimplify topics, but the sheer amount of page time in this book devoted to talking about or alluding to sex is kind of concerning for a YA book?? I was honestly nervous that Tarisai would have a sex scene since it really seemed to be heading in that direction. I really don’t want to hear about teenagers gossiping about their sex prospects or the possibility of them getting pregnant, or listening to a 16 year old talk about her interest in a 20something, or reading them hearing about their own conception or seeing two adults have sex. Like what, why was all that necessary?

Now, I’m giving this 3 stars and not 1 or 2 because I did enjoy some of this! I really liked Tarisai and her complicated relationship with the Lady, and how she tried to do the right thing to save the most people and make a difference (even if she was wildly naive at times). Even though her relationship with Sanjeet was rushed, it was pretty cute, especially with him calling her sunshine girl. I also really enjoyed the ending, even though it did feel a little Scooby Doo with the adults foiled by naive teenagers lol. The Underworld plot line is the most interesting of all the book’s storylines to me, so initially I was VERY curious to see what would happen in the next book. But now after typing all this out, I’m not so sure anymore. I’ll have to think on it.

aarnireads's review against another edition

3.0

Gorgeously woven story with intriguing worldbuilding, likable characters and words that taste like the sun.

The romance was unnecessary though, so I'm taking points, and the story started to crumble a bit towards the end. Tarisai is a great young heroine though: and I was surprised at how well her relationship to her admittedly abusive mother (emotional neglect is still abuse imo) was. Just because you realize it was a garbage relationship and know what she did, doesn't mean you still don't grieve.

trenchcoat_moss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

kai_2's review

Can’t give attention to the book that it needs yet

ingting's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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

amieib's review against another edition

3.0

I have to start by saying that as a West African girlie, reading a fantasy book that featured so many words from a language I have heard throughout my life was satisfying in a way I could never verbally do justice.

I've read that this is a fantasy debut and it felt that way in the sense that it felt incredibly fast-paced in some areas and at times, painfully slow. I also found it difficult to digest all the information. That said, I enjoyed the world. It felt like being transported to a place I had never been. It felt like escapism which is what I essentially want when I pick up a fantasy book. I also really enjoyed the fact that I never saw any of the twists coming. There was a lot of heart in it. I also enjoyed the exploration of complicated familial dynamics and navigating growing up on top of it all.

I only wish it had featured the council siblings' dynamic more. I felt that there wasn't enough done to set up the relationships Tarisai had with them except Sanjeet, Kirah and Dayo. But even with those three, I didn't feel the deep connection that was mentioned. It felt a lot like telling but not showing.

I am really looking forward to reading the next book and think it definitely deserved to be picked up if fantasy is your thing.

aprice91's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

kerrywhitbread's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

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

5.0

Love this! Rich story telling that catches you up and doesn't let you go. I immediately added the sequel to my TBR. I loved the setting and including snippets from African culture kept me firmly centred there.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Weruche Opia. Her accent added to the richness of the story.

wherethewidlies's review against another edition

5.0

5 stars????

i LOVE

ilis25's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0