Raybearer

This secondary-world fantasy was interesting, but never fully engaged me. I am not quite sure why. The main character is part of the council of the heir to the throne, who gains invincibility by bonding mentally with his councilors (one form of invulnerability per councilor); there's also some complicated stuff about a curse that the emperor can push off with his councilors' bloodlines. Only she's been raised by her mother to kill the heir apparent, and that command is buried deep within here. It felt to me like there was a lot going on, much of interesting, but in a way that didn't entirely cohere. There's a good story about memory (the main characters has the power to access and erase others' memories) and a good story about parenting show more here, but I think they struggle against the not terribly convincing geopolitical strand. I do like that the book takes place in an African-derived fantasy world, and unlike Children of Blood and Bone, that actually feels meaningful to the worldbuilding; it's not just Avatar: The Last Airbender with different names. I feel like the book, despite being told in the first person, is not quite reflective enough for the character stuff to land. show less

Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in the Raybearer duology. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was the last book I had on my list of books I really wanted to read in 2025. I was honestly not that excited to pick it up since I was in the mood for something else completely. I thought I would read the first 25% or so and then maybe set it aside if it didn't grab my attention. Imagine my surprise when I started reading this and found I was really, really loving it. This is so well written, I loved the world and characters here and enjoyed the adventures that Tarisai ends up on.

Tarisai has been raised in luxury in a lonely estate. Her life has been one of tutors and solitude with occasional appearances by her show more mother only known as The Lady. Then, one day she is picked up by her mother's minions and carted off to the capital of Aritsar. There she will fight to become one of the Crown Prince's council of 11. However, her mother has also made one final wish about Tarisai's fate and that is that Tarisai must kill the Crown Prince to finally get out from under her mother's thumb. Tarisai fights her path with all she is worth until one day things change.

I loved the world created here and the unique abilities the characters have. The closeness of the Council was fascinating, and this was an intriguing way to rule a kingdom. This book was incredibly engaging and spans quite a bit of time. We follow Tarisai as a young child, then as a young competitor for a council seat, and then as young woman trying to change her path. The story shifts between different themes. At first, it is all about a lonely girl learning about her powers. Then it is about politics and surviving a competition. Then it is about finding a family to call you own. Then it is about adventure and surviving deadly terrain. All of it was done well. The side characters have a lot of depth and really come alive. The decisions Tarisai is faced with are heartbreaking and tough.

This was an amazing fantasy book that really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. It is complex and intriguing without being confusing. I really cared about the characters and their stories. I enjoyed the magic and the adventure as well. When I finished this I was excited to read the second book in this duology.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this was a fantastic fantasy read. It has excellent world-building, amazing characters, and a variety of engaging story elements that really kept me intrigued and engaged. If you are looking for your next fantasy read, I would definitely recommend. I look forward to reading the second book in this duology, "Redemptor". show less

I read this book as part of my Norton Award finalist packet.

This book absolutely blew me away--and the sad thing is, I never would have read it if it hadn't been up for the Norton Award, simply because the description made it sound like yet another 'kids forced into tournament' plot, which I am sick to death of. THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. Raybearer is brilliant, unique, and unpredictable--this was a rare case where I had no idea how the book would end.

Tarisai is raised in a household of fearful servants, ever eager for rare visits from her enigmatic mother, known as The Lady. With a touch, she can see the memories of people and objects, but she has no idea how unusual she is. For all her tutoring, she is completely innocent of show more the larger world--by design. The Lady has created her to be a weapon to destroy the Crown Prince. Tarisai is deployed to perform her duty, and despite a magical compunction laid upon her, she resists the command as she gets to know the prince and her competitors for a role in the future leadership of the realm. How she resists, and what happens as a result, is astonishing.

Really, the worldbuilding here is just... wow. Everything is intricate and involved, and comes together so beautifully in the end. I'm glad there is a sequel out later this year, because I need more of these characters and this world, and the author is definitely one to follow in the coming years. show less

Oooh I loved this book. I was intrigued om the fist page. Although, full disclaimer, I do love it when fantasy books are based on different cultures. This was a massive plus for me and I kept finding myself wanting to learn more about this world.

The book mainly focusses on Tarisai's journey and I loved seeing her grow and become more confident through the pages. We meet her as a child and learn more of her world as she matures and grows up. The whole concept of the curse is fascinating and I loved seeing her struggle with it, her largely unknown family and what she wants for herself. I enjoyed seeing the subtle shifts in the writing as she grew up to reflect her own changes. While this book is marketed as YA, it is definitely just as show more suitable for adults. It feels a lot more fleshed out than a lot of the YA books I've recently read and doesn't rely on romance to push the plot forward. The characters feel real and I think that people of all ages can It focuses a lot less on romance than modern YA books seem to and spends more time looking at self growth and destiny and the importance of other forms of love (something I absolutely love and want to see way more of in books). While some characters were definitely more of a focus than others (especially Tarisai and Dayo), all of them felt well thought out. I very much enjoyed how deeply flawed they all were and learning about their weaknesses and fears just as much as their strengths.

There is a lot of beautiful imagery in this book and I liked how it tied back to its African folklore inspirations. The author did reuse a lot of descriptions though and often in the same scenarios. I enjoyed the unique magic system and the concept of the council. The way it works and grants power is fascinating. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before. The world is clearly well thought out and the book does and incredible of of exploring it and just how diverse all its cultures are, while also looking at the dangers of xenophobia and attempts at cultural suppression for the sake of conformity. Although I felt some parts towards the end were a little bit expositiony, this is largely done in a natural way through the plot.

I can definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers who would like to explore a unique world, particularly those who would like to read beyond the typical European-inspired fantasy realms (not that there is anything wrong with them of course). And to those who enjoy YA fiction but are tired of how romance and love triangle heavy the genre has gotten. I will definitely be reading the next book as this one, while it has a good end point, definitely leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the future of Tarisai's world show less

I am not one to gravitate towards YA stories. And when I say "I am not one to gravitate", I mean I generally abhor the genre. And I try, I really do ocassionaly try. You may say I dabble. I get recommended a novel by someone I love and probably don't trust and I think "what the heck, this could be the time, let's give it a whirl." And nearly without fail I enjoy the setting and cannot stand the characters. I laugh when I am not suppose to, I cringe at the inevitable romance, and feel embarrassment that I myself was once a teenager. All that being said or complained, none of that applies to this book and I thought it a delight and will madly suggest it to everyone of my dear friends who has suggested a book that I read and lambasted.

(3.5)

This book came to me highly recommended, so I finally decided to stop walking past it in the library and pick it up (plus, that cover is gorgeous!). I'm glad I did, because although YA books have been a bit of a miss for me this year Raybearer proved itself to be imaginative and immersive, with a few well-rounded and standout characters.

Content warnings:
- rape
- ableism
- child abuse/neglect
- cannibalism mention

Representation:
- most of the book takes place in a country inspired by West Africa; the protagonist is West African
- the secondary characters are all of different ethnicities and races
- many if not most of them are also bi and poly
- a secondary character is asexual

Tarisai was raised in isolation and trained by the mother she show more calls The Lady to compete for one of eleven spots on the Council of the Crown Prince of the global empire, Aritsar. If she's chosen, Tarisai will finally have a family in her other Council members. But, using a magical wish, The Lady orders Tarisai to kill the Crown Prince once she's on the Council. Tarisai doesn't want to be used as a pawn to do something so awful, but she'll
have to somehow find the strength to overcome her mother's wish.

This is a beautifully creative debut that, for all its originality and unique world building, does feel very much like a debut. The writing itself is great, but I think what falls a little short is the storytelling itself. There are a lot of time jumps during years of Tarisai's life I wish had been expanded upon, and much of the world building and expositional information is simply dumped upon the audience. Worse, the story begins to feel a little inorganic. It moves from plot point to the next plot point to the next one, and I feel like I can follow along with an invisible outline. It almost feels as though the author wanted to include every single trope, add every single idea she's ever had about a young adult book, and subvert every cliché, and this just can't (or shouldn't) be done. It just ends up being a bit chaotic. The worst, I think, though, is when Tarisai and another character need to find out information, and they just happen upon journal pages with the exact information they need written down.

There's also something that began to bother me in the second half of the book, which deals with the religion. It seems to me to be a very creative analogy representing Christianity (especially seeing as the author wrote in her bio how God is her Storyteller [the high god of her book's world]). The Storyteller is worshiped across the entire story world entirely, with a few exceptions being like some countries worshiping different facets of his "pantheon" (like the cult of Mary).

Again, this isn't really a problem in and of itself. What makes me uncomfortable is what happens in maybe the last fourth of the book, when Woo In brings Tarisai to a cave in his land (that I believe I remember was considered somewhat sacred, but I might be remembering that incorrectly) in which there is a message only she and other members of the royal family can read. The message ends up being the key to solving one of the story problems, and it's delivered via the Storyteller's voice. We basically have the highest god asserting Tarisai's family's rule, even though it was admitted that the Empire was not won without violence. Woo In's land exists outside of the Empire, being the only land that didn't submit to or become a part of it. And now, in his very own land, the highest god is saying that Tarisai's family's rule is basically sacred. It's very insulting! And maybe contains a narrative that I'm not sure the author intended.

But we have some spectacular positives: I adore the use of song in the prose and world building, the Council of the Ray is very unique and made for a lot of interesting character connections, the romance is actually very sweet, and a few of the characters really have a strong hold on me (Mbali and Woo In). I know I've criticized a lot of the elements here, but I really did enjoy this book. It's just what I dislike about it are things that are really difficult to ignore. Would I have loved it as a kid? Although I think some of these same problems would still bother me, I'm pretty sure the answer would be yes, so that's really what matters. show less

4.5/5

This story, its world and its cast of characters are a breath of fresh air in YA high fantasy. I loved that at each turn when I expected the plot to drag (such as with chapters upon chapters describing a never ending journey rather than the action as is soooo common in high fantasy) it instead flew forward into new, exciting and often unexpected turns. Tarisai is a heroine you root for and love in her complexities, hoping she’ll find a way to break the curse that’s plagued her for years but with no idea how she’ll actually manage it. I also loved the relationships built up between the characters and the way they are all connected into a mishmash of a family. This first in the series was excellent and I can’t wait to read show more the sequel. show less