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A review by gem114
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've been sitting here with a blank review box for the longest trying to figure out what to say about this book. It was good. Definitely good. There's a LOT to it. Magic, love, telepathy, demons/underworld beasts, POLITICS, etc.
Tarisai is a young girl who was raised in an isolated home protected by magic. She longs for her mother, The Lady, but rarely sees her. When she's twelve, The Lady sends her to the capital to compete with other children for a place on the prince's council, a group of eleven individuals representing the realms of Aristar who will eventually rule the empire. Her mother's goal for her, however, is not just to join the council--it's to kill the prince. The novel follows Tarisai as she bonds with the other children, forming the family she's always wanted, and fights against her fate.
The world-building is thorough and the characters are well-balanced. Their flaws give them depth/complexity without being irritating (a la Children of Blood and Bone--sorry, not sorry). Some of the scenes of the children competing for and then learning their council roles made me think of Yeine in Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
I'll definitely be reading the sequel, Redemptor, when it is released in August.
Tarisai is a young girl who was raised in an isolated home protected by magic. She longs for her mother, The Lady, but rarely sees her. When she's twelve, The Lady sends her to the capital to compete with other children for a place on the prince's council, a group of eleven individuals representing the realms of Aristar who will eventually rule the empire. Her mother's goal for her, however, is not just to join the council--it's to kill the prince. The novel follows Tarisai as she bonds with the other children, forming the family she's always wanted, and fights against her fate.
The world-building is thorough and the characters are well-balanced. Their flaws give them depth/complexity without being irritating (a la Children of Blood and Bone--sorry, not sorry). Some of the scenes of the children competing for and then learning their council roles made me think of Yeine in Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
I'll definitely be reading the sequel, Redemptor, when it is released in August.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Rape