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A review by literaryjunarin
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
adventurous
dark
tense
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? No
5.0
"Uniformity is not unity. Silence is not peace."
WHAT I LOVED:
1. World-building is never confusing. I was able to dive into this world easily without thinking things like "how can that work?" or "who's the leader again?". It was expertly crafted with intricate details.
2. The book is solely based on West Africa while the kingdoms on the Arit Empire resemble real-world historical cultures. There's old France, England and Russia, Aztec Empire, pre-colonial India, and Joseon-Period Korea.
3. A plot where a girl decided to change her fate and save the world? I'm all for it.
4. Fighting imperialism is a huge plot but it came to me easily and the political parts did not bother me at all.
5. The plot just keeps moving. Even when there's a backstory from a memory, it did not lose my attention one bit.
6. Seeing the characters since they were children until they were teens made me so attached to them.
7. All characters have their own story, their own flaws, with the same yearning for belonging.
8. The backstories, even of the villains captured my heart.
9. The Raybearer concept is very new to me. It's a little similar to Akatsuki no Yona where the dragons of Yona offer their lives to her and swear to never betray her. On Raybearer's, the Ray will give them telepathy and will form a very deep love between Dayo, the prince, and the council siblings. Their love is so deep that they'll be sick if they got separated from one another which is a bit creepy but quite fascinating.
10. Being immune to all forms of death except old age through the Ray is awesome!
11. I love the snips of some West-African myths!
12. This book has everything. From fantasy, leadership, family, love, gender roles, motherhood, patriarchy, social prejudice, history. I'm so in love gosh.
I won't list down why I love the characters because I won't be able to stop. Just read it.
WHAT I LOVED:
1. World-building is never confusing. I was able to dive into this world easily without thinking things like "how can that work?" or "who's the leader again?". It was expertly crafted with intricate details.
2. The book is solely based on West Africa while the kingdoms on the Arit Empire resemble real-world historical cultures. There's old France, England and Russia, Aztec Empire, pre-colonial India, and Joseon-Period Korea.
3. A plot where a girl decided to change her fate and save the world? I'm all for it.
4. Fighting imperialism is a huge plot but it came to me easily and the political parts did not bother me at all.
5. The plot just keeps moving. Even when there's a backstory from a memory, it did not lose my attention one bit.
6. Seeing the characters since they were children until they were teens made me so attached to them.
7. All characters have their own story, their own flaws, with the same yearning for belonging.
8. The backstories, even of the villains captured my heart.
9. The Raybearer concept is very new to me. It's a little similar to Akatsuki no Yona where the dragons of Yona offer their lives to her and swear to never betray her. On Raybearer's, the Ray will give them telepathy and will form a very deep love between Dayo, the prince, and the council siblings. Their love is so deep that they'll be sick if they got separated from one another which is a bit creepy but quite fascinating.
10. Being immune to all forms of death except old age through the Ray is awesome!
11. I love the snips of some West-African myths!
12. This book has everything. From fantasy, leadership, family, love, gender roles, motherhood, patriarchy, social prejudice, history. I'm so in love gosh.
I won't list down why I love the characters because I won't be able to stop. Just read it.