Raybearer

"Raybearer fascinated me right from the beginning through its lyrical prose. Jordan Ifueko has a beautiful way with words and it was an absolute pleasure to read this book. Raybearer is about 16 year old Tarisai, hidden away from the world by her mysterious mother, The Lady. All her life Tarisai is trained and tested by tutors, preparing her for her life mission, which is to join the crown prince council of 12 members representing the 12 realms. When she discovers that her purpose is to kill the one person in the world she has sworn to love and protect, Tarisai embarks on a journey to find out the truth about herself. I was absolutely intrigued by the complex structure of Ifueko’s world-building and the enchanting mythical creation story of her world. Her characters and their relationships are deep and complex and very relatable. She included themes of belonging, and built in snippets of some wonderful West African customs like the griots, who are traditional storytellers. And she also included a theme close to my heart, which is the erasure of old traditions and cultures through new powerful ones. The ending of the book was breathtaking and I can hardly wait to finally read the sequel."