Jordan Ifueko’s debut novel, Raybearer, may leave you in tears. An epic fantasy tale of a world led by a West-African inspired royal family with a long and murky history of power and magic. A world with mystical creatures and horrific demons.
Raybearer is a coming of age story of Tarisai, a daughter yearning for the love and presence of her mysterious and absentee mother. A girl child coming into her own power and identity in the immediate shadow of corruption, misogyny, inequality, and lies spanning generations.
Tarisai was an isolated child, raised and imprisoned by a succession of tutors afraid to touch her because of her unique powers to experience the history of people and things with a touch. Tarisai spent most of her childhood longing for the presence and affection of a mysterious and often absent mother known only as “The Lady.”
While still very young, The Lady sends Tarisai 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 11. If picked, Tarisai will be bonded to the Prince and Council via a bond deeper than blood through the Ray.
At the age of 10, Tarisai starts to experience the connection and community she has always longed for among the Prince and the council of children he begins to form. But she soon discovers that The Lady has long had other plans for her and the entire empire. Tarisai finds herself under the bondage of a magical wish with a command she is compelled to obey: kill the Crown Prince once she secures his trust.
Book Review
That is the plot in a very abbreviated nutshell. But Raybearer is a nuanced, intentional, and lovely YA novel that does not fall victim to the many pitfalls of the genre.
So much is done to and chosen for Tarisai. She is a weapon, a means to an end, and a child laden with expectation and responsibility. She is also deeply intelligent, observant, strong-willed, and passionate. She makes hard decisions for reasons beyond herself. She falls in love, but her journey is not defined by it. Her complexity is not minimized.
The world of Raybearer is filled with complex characters. A well-paced plot that is not entirely predictable, with storytelling that does not drag along.
For me, the icing on the cake was the cultural gradation. The diversity of cultural storytelling and representation. The narrative within the narrative that will make you pause at times when you think how often it is erased in popular North American literature. I found myself pausing more than once to soak up the intimacy and detail of a scene.
There were moments that I did find myself frustrated with Tarisai. But these moments were often mitigated by the pace and progression of the narrative. The story is the first book in the series, and while it ends with work to be done and journeys to be completed, it does not close with an extreme cliffhanger that leaves the reader bereft. There is clear closure of a chapter that leaves you with a sea of complex emotions.
Raybearer is an engaging and exciting read. A reader’s level of enjoyment will come down to taste but, in my opinion, worth taking a chance on.
Comments on Narration for Audiobook Listeners
The voice actor had their work cut out for them. There was an array of cultural accents, songs, and characters to voice. The acting was neither annoying nor a distraction. The narrator was emotive, clear, and consistent. Overall solid, and if your preference is for Audiobooks, I think you won’t have any material issues or complaints with Raybearer.
What did you say?