A review by bybookandbone
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

3.5

 It's hard to assign a star rating to Raybearer because there are several parts that are wonderful, and others that a, frankly, dreadful.

Raybearer start's off very weak and I was baffled at how it gets such glowing reviews. After Tar frees Jeet I finally connected with the book and began to really enjoy it. The characters and world began to gain a shape.
Unfortunately, there's too much telling and not enough showing, especially earlier on in the book. I felt that there are too many time jumps and the reader is supposed to just accept the very close relationships that developed in between. I don't get any proper sense of Dayo
other than him being vaguely kind, gentle and asexual
. I wish we got to know him better. He just seems to do things out of no where, with no sense if it would align with his characterization or not (because he doesn't have much). Kirah and Jeet are much stronger characters, the rest of the Eleven are less than names on a page. We are told how close they all are but we don't even know most of their names!

There's a muddled bit at the end
where Woo In takes Tar away from Dayo, for seemingly no proper reason. Yes there's a small story reason but it felt so forced and I think it was a waste of time.


Having said that. I really loved Tar as a protagonist. She's intelligent and cunning, and I mean genuinely. It's not something we are just told and expected to believe. Not like some protagonists based in a royal court. *cough* *cough* Jude
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