By Meghan Mazzaferro
Content warning: emotional abuse, violence, murder, suicide (referenced), rape (referenced)
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko takes place in an African-inspired fantasy world, in which a young girl named Tarisai, raised in isolation by an often absent mother, is sent to the country’s capital to compete with other children for a chance at the Ray. If she succeeds, she will be bonded with the country’s future king as one of his Eleven, becoming closer than blood. The promise of this closeness calls to Tarisai, who has never had a real family of her own, but her mother has other plans. Tarisai is cursed to earn the trust of the crown prince, receive the Ray, then kill him. But Tarisai is not willing to give up on the promise of family, and she fights for the chance to write her own story—one that would not only save the life of the prince she has sworn to protect but countless others as well.
It’s challenging to write a review for a book that left you speechless. I don’t know how to capture in words the absolute majesty of this story or the hold it had over me while I was reading. From the first page, I was pulled into Ifueko’s world, and every second I could, I dove back into it, desperate to learn Tarisai’s story and rooting for her to succeed.
I purchased this book based on recommendations on Twitter and Instagram back when it was first released, and when I decided to review it this month, I picked it up without rereading the summary, so I went into this book blind. Even if I had read the summary, I would still be taken aback by the layers and complexities of the plot, which go far beyond what I was provided and have provided for you.
Unlike most YA, this story takes us through several years of Tarisai’s life, walking us through her experiences as a child and brings us with her to Aritsar, into the trails, and on her wider journey into the secrets of the Ray, the country, her mother’s past, and her own future. Despite this longer timeline, the book never lags; Tarisai is always learning something new, forming new connections, or exploring a part of the world not yet discovered. Even when the plot slows, the reader is always given some detail to keep them engaged, whether it’s Tarisai’s growing bond with the boy she is destined to kill, her developing relationships with the other children, or discoveries about the state of Aritsar and the surrounding countries.
The world of Aritsar feels vast and grounded, and there is a knowledge with every page you read that there is so much more that exists on the outskirts of this story—things you want desperately to explore. The magic system is well-explained and digestible, the cultures diverse and distinct, and the mythology is tangible. With the sequel scheduled for August of this year, there is the promise that as we see more of Tarisai, Aritsar, and the surrounding world, the lore surrounding this story will be deepened.
While this book is filed under YA, I would recommend it for any fans of fantasy or books that explore personal trauma, diverse cultures, complex characters, and the inherent need to do good and make the changes necessary to make the world a better place. That may sound cheesy, but this book touched me on such a profound level that I genuinely feel Tarisai’s purpose as something real and tangible, something I want to be a part of. I haven’t read a book that touched me like that in a long time, and it’s not something to be missed.