Take a photo of a barcode or cover
notesbynnenna 's review for:
Raybearer
by Jordan Ifueko
4.5 stars
I am so here for YA fantasy where a Black girl gets to be the hero of the story and I just loved this book from start to finish. Wow, it was such a good book and I loved the ending! There has to be a second book, right?
First of all, I have to say that the design of this book is absolutely stunning. From the gorgeous cover to the beautifully patterned dividers and chapter headers, I just could not stop looking at it. And thankfully the actual content of the book was just as amazing!
The author created such an interesting world here. I loved learning more about the different realms/cultures and how this world operates. I could also see some of the West African influences in this world, such as certain words and clothing styles, which was really cool. I thought it was such a rich and detailed world and it sucked me in from the first few pages.
As Tarisai grows up and learns more about her mother’s plans for her, we see her grapple with her destiny and her relationship with her mother. There’s definitely a complicated mother/daughter relationship going on here and I love the way Ifueko explored Tarisai’s feelings towards her mother. I could definitely relate to Tarisai’s struggle with her mother’s expectations, with parental expectations in general. How much does a daughter owe her mother? There was a lot of nuance in their relationship, which I appreciated as it speaks to the realistic nature of how complicated family can be.
And speaking of family, I love the theme of found family, which we get to see in this story. You can’t choose your blood relatives, but I think there’s something so powerful about finding the people out there who you choose to make part of your family.
This is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story about a girl coming into her own and choosing her destiny. I can tell there’s so much more to discover in this world, and the end of the book felt pretty open-ended, so thank goodness this is not the last we’re seeing of Tarisai!
I am so here for YA fantasy where a Black girl gets to be the hero of the story and I just loved this book from start to finish. Wow, it was such a good book and I loved the ending! There has to be a second book, right?
First of all, I have to say that the design of this book is absolutely stunning. From the gorgeous cover to the beautifully patterned dividers and chapter headers, I just could not stop looking at it. And thankfully the actual content of the book was just as amazing!
The author created such an interesting world here. I loved learning more about the different realms/cultures and how this world operates. I could also see some of the West African influences in this world, such as certain words and clothing styles, which was really cool. I thought it was such a rich and detailed world and it sucked me in from the first few pages.
As Tarisai grows up and learns more about her mother’s plans for her, we see her grapple with her destiny and her relationship with her mother. There’s definitely a complicated mother/daughter relationship going on here and I love the way Ifueko explored Tarisai’s feelings towards her mother. I could definitely relate to Tarisai’s struggle with her mother’s expectations, with parental expectations in general. How much does a daughter owe her mother? There was a lot of nuance in their relationship, which I appreciated as it speaks to the realistic nature of how complicated family can be.
And speaking of family, I love the theme of found family, which we get to see in this story. You can’t choose your blood relatives, but I think there’s something so powerful about finding the people out there who you choose to make part of your family.
This is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story about a girl coming into her own and choosing her destiny. I can tell there’s so much more to discover in this world, and the end of the book felt pretty open-ended, so thank goodness this is not the last we’re seeing of Tarisai!