Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

59 reviews

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book deserves way more hype. The story is original and engaging. Steeped in beautiful imagery and detailed mythology, this is a story of the drive for justice.

My only critique is that the council members are supposedly so meaningful to Tar, but only a few of them are fleshed out beyond the most basic level. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child abuse, Violence, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: War, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Classism, Blood, Child death, Xenophobia, Confinement, Rape, Murder, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, and Sexual content

linblythe_pub22's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Sexism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Vomit, Xenophobia, Blood, and War

ashlikes's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Grief, Blood, Toxic relationship, Death, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Confinement, Colonisation, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Stalking, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Slavery, Medical content, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Rape, and Vomit

nozycozy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

4.25

I highly recommand the audiobook. The narrator is incredible, very engaging and even thogh the world is complicated and full of names im not used to, i didnt feel lost. The story itself is unlike anything i ever read before, and i loved it. It was very interesting and felt real. Incredible worldbuilding. I would recommend it to people who would like a new taste of fantacy, rich lore and worldbuilding, found family and messy family relations, and a brave, complicated fmc.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Vomit, Grief, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Violence

zadsavage's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.75

I think this book is wonderful. The world building is fantastic. The African influences are strong and informative and a fun alternative to Greek mythology. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

seilahuh's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.5

im not saying anything that hasn't already been said in that adequate characterization was so non-existent things nothing made sense, especially that everyone somehow knew she was a raybearer even though there was no way for anybody to know especially not us readers because there was little focus on foreshadowing this reveal. pacing is way off, the inconsistencies with age and the underage gap relationship is just disgusting. the main romantic plot was so underdeveloped that we really could've gone without it because there was already so much, too much to focus on that detracted from the story. the lady's past, what exactly tarisai was, the mission to kill dayo, songland and the redemptors, sanjeet and his past, and the big theme of self-determination positioned against themes of systemic change. and all in just like 350 pages, it's not enough for the content. so much of it, if not all of it, was not fleshed out right, all forced in like an overpacked suitcase. even dayo's asexual admission was clunky and nonessential because the love-triangle (?) romance with sanjeet subplot fell through as the dynamics of the council were rarely explored on screen. we never get to see their relationships grow nor hear ourselves the whispers of dayo and tarisai being perfectly matched for the admission to make a dent, and the later reveal that they were cousins was just...something had to give!


i wanted to love it like everyone else did, but there's nothing i can find to care for cause from the technical elements to the political implications of devising a story around a corrupt empire that should fall into obsolescence, and creating a character to rehabilitate the image of it as if she can simply erase its capital, continuous crimes, mind you, by being a girlboss in charge cause that was the issue apparently and not the thousands of children it sacrificed...it's nothing about that story i can love when it's so incredibly hollow (especially the supposed lgbtq+ rep). 

so it gets 1.5 stars 🙂

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Classism, and Medical content

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Rape, and Slavery

readandfindout's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

5.0

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Confinement, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Genocide, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Vomit

brynnfai's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: War and Child death