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kassidyreads's review
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide
briely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Genocide, and Murder
hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
vrhayes08's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
- 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
First off, we finally have the "commanded to kill the prince" trope done in a convincing way. I see this a lot in enemies-to-lovers fantasy, and I never believe the MC will actually kill the guy... until I read Ifueko's version. The pacing here was super interesting; we flew through the initial setup and I was intrigued because I had no idea where the story was going. This book thoughtfully explores issues of sexism, assimilation, classism, and privilege. There's also a strong female lead, a diverse cast of characters, a refreshing focus on the importance of friendship and family ties in addition to romance, and asexual representation!
But the feature that stood out the most to me was the stellar world-building. I could go on and on here, so I'll try to keep it short. There so many layers to this world, and it's clear that Ifueko has meticulously crafted the culture and customs of the 13 realms of Aritsar. Even the realms that are mentioned in passing aren't made to feel like an afterthought. She not only laid the groundwork for this story but dropped a trail of breadcrumbs that will lead us right to the sequel, which I'm so excited to start. Trust me when I say, you NEED to read this book!
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
saucy_bookdragon's review
- 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
"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!
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
micaela_ru's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Incest and Sexual content
whimsykat's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
taroroot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
fromjuliereads's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment