Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko - Bookstagram Tour - Day Ten
Morning BookWyrms,
Another day and another review this time as part of Darkroom Tours bookstagram event. Raybearer was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 so I jumped at the chance to be part of this book tour.
I'd like to extend my thanks for Darkroom Tours, Hot Key Books YA and Jordan Ifueko for letting me part of this amazing journey.
Raybearer is Jordan Ifueko's debut novel and is the first instalment in what is sure to be an epic duology. Raybearer has left me excited for book two and excited to see what Jordan does next. I want to jump straight in and tell you my thoughts but lets get the normal bits out of the way first.
Here is the cover in all it's glory. Can I just say that it took me a few days to notice the face! I love the colours and think that this cover is very striking and eye catching.
And here is the blurb:
*****
Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady.
The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince's Council of Eleven. If she's picked, she'll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere.
But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust.
Tarisai won't stand by and become someone's pawn - but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?
*****
Raybearer is by far one of the best fantasy books I have read in recent years. It goes into my top five easily.
The world building is phenomenal. It is always the little details that help to make a fantasy world feel real. In Raybearer it's the folklore, the traditions, the songs, the individual territories and their distinctive ways and beliefs. It's the religious structures, the stories of the creation of the world. It's the nuances of each of Dayo's Council, from each region in the Empire.
All of this is described and executed flawlessly - leaving me as the reader fully immersed in the Aritsar Empire with all its brilliance and all of it's evils.
Jordan is a queen when it comes to the casual description. By this I mean she executes the descriptions of things so well and so seamlessly that at times, whilst reading, I felt like I could smell the jasmine from The Lady's perfume or the mango's from the grove at Bhekina House. I could see the vibrant colours of the Wrappers and wax-dyed cloth in my mind (honourable mention for page 263, last paragraph!) and Jordan does this without detracting from the plot or the story-line.
This is hard to achieve and I have read many fantasy books where over descriptive paragraphs leave me loosing the treads of the story and growing weary from the needless over feeding of information. You do not face that problem here. Every details is relevant.
The Villain! As you know I am a fan of a well written villain and as I started out with this book I thought I had worked out who that would be - turns out I was wrong! I love a good plot twist and Raybearer delivers this. A couple of times over. Which I appreciated.
Tarisai, our female protagonist, is everything you could want in a main character. She is smart, loyal, strong, fierce, honourable. And brave. You love her from the first pages of the story and you grow with her as she discovers who she is and what she can do.
Every character, every setting, every backdrop, every moment of this book is well planned, and well rounded. Everything felt relevant and worthy of being included. I thoroughly enjoyed falling into this story of love, honour and betrayal. Jordan Ifueko has really created something amazing with Raybearer and I can not wait to see what comes next for Tarisai and beyond this duology.
If you want to know more about Jordan then visit her website here: Jordan Ifueko's Website
Raybearer published on the 18th August and here are the links to order your copy today:
Thank you again to Darkroom Tours, Hot Key Books YA and Jordan Ifueko for letting me read and review this fantastic debut novel.
Until next time, keep on reading,
Lottie
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