Scan barcode
A review by heyleigh05
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
4.0
**4.5 stars**
Raybearer is a novel with beautifully crafted world building and a story that takes you on n constant turns. Raybearer is about the MC Tarisai who is groomed by her mother from a young age to infiltrate the palace. She’s given a mission to win the crown prince’s trust and carry out a task that will test her willpower and fortitude. I just found this book to be so carefully crafted and the story honestly didn’t go where I expected. My favorite part of the book is the world building. Jordan Ifueko did a really good job of thoroughly describing the world and the political structure and the magic and it was easy to imagine and immerse yourself in. I liked hat and each empire reflected a different country with a distinct culture and we had a diverse cast of characters.
The story kept my attention and it really kept the moment by taking the story in a different direction. The story does have common YA elements such as the obligatory romance but Tarisai actually has chemistry with her love interest and their relationship is well-developed and they have a mutual respect for each other. I honestly do ship Tarisai and Sanjeet. Like they have chemistry and they are just super cute together. (Spoiler) One the characters reveals that they’re asexual and I appreciated this because this is something I’m exploring personally so it was nice to see an ace character. It is mentioned pretty quickly however so I hope that this is explored more in the second book. There were times when I got a little annoyed with Tarisai because I felt she was being really obtuse and misdirecting her anger at the wrong people, but I did still root for her. Political intrigue in novels is pretty hit or miss for me. Sometimes I’m completely bored by political intrigue but Ifueko constructed the political landscape really well and it was quite interesting especially for a YA novel. There were a couple of times where I felt there were a couple of continuity issues in the book but I won’t go into detail about it. I also think the ending was kind of rushed but this seems to be a common thing a lot of YA and even adult novels. Idk what it is about authors rushing the ending but everybody needs to take a workshop.
Also, chapter 30 is a piece of literature! It’s literal perfect. It’s just filled with so much drama and intrigue and so much happens. I was on the edge of my seat! Jordan Ifueko really put her foot in this chapter!
Raybearer is a novel with beautifully crafted world building and a story that takes you on n constant turns. Raybearer is about the MC Tarisai who is groomed by her mother from a young age to infiltrate the palace. She’s given a mission to win the crown prince’s trust and carry out a task that will test her willpower and fortitude. I just found this book to be so carefully crafted and the story honestly didn’t go where I expected. My favorite part of the book is the world building. Jordan Ifueko did a really good job of thoroughly describing the world and the political structure and the magic and it was easy to imagine and immerse yourself in. I liked hat and each empire reflected a different country with a distinct culture and we had a diverse cast of characters.
The story kept my attention and it really kept the moment by taking the story in a different direction. The story does have common YA elements such as the obligatory romance but Tarisai actually has chemistry with her love interest and their relationship is well-developed and they have a mutual respect for each other. I honestly do ship Tarisai and Sanjeet. Like they have chemistry and they are just super cute together. (Spoiler) One the characters reveals that they’re asexual and I appreciated this because this is something I’m exploring personally so it was nice to see an ace character. It is mentioned pretty quickly however so I hope that this is explored more in the second book. There were times when I got a little annoyed with Tarisai because I felt she was being really obtuse and misdirecting her anger at the wrong people, but I did still root for her. Political intrigue in novels is pretty hit or miss for me. Sometimes I’m completely bored by political intrigue but Ifueko constructed the political landscape really well and it was quite interesting especially for a YA novel. There were a couple of times where I felt there were a couple of continuity issues in the book but I won’t go into detail about it. I also think the ending was kind of rushed but this seems to be a common thing a lot of YA and even adult novels. Idk what it is about authors rushing the ending but everybody needs to take a workshop.
Also, chapter 30 is a piece of literature! It’s literal perfect. It’s just filled with so much drama and intrigue and so much happens. I was on the edge of my seat! Jordan Ifueko really put her foot in this chapter!