Oyinda Loves Books

Title: Raybearer 

Author: Jordan Ifueko

Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Pre-order Book

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Huge thanks to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Jordan Ifueko for providing me with a free review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased and impartial review.

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Immediately I saw the cover of this book, I knew I couldn’t resist it. The blurb made it all the more irresistible. Once I got the approval email, I downloaded the audiobook immediately and got lost in the beautiful and sometimes dangerous world of Aritsar. How couldn’t I? There was so much to love and get lost in. The narrator, Joneice Abbott-Pratt, did a wonderful job and I just want to hug her and shower her with kisses. She killed the voices, accents, pronunciations, stories, and songs. She was just all-round perfect in her narration and that made the story so much more better.

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Set in the world of Aritsar and spanning over many realms and kingdoms, we see the story unfold through Tarisai’s eyes. Tarisai is our protagonist, and we follow her from childhood to adulthood, travelling through Aritsar, and engaging in so many adventures, with many internal and external battles. We are introduced to so many main and secondary characters that we can’t help but fall in love with, or hate – there’s hardly any in-between. Dayo, Sanjeet, Kirah, Mbali, and The Lady were some of my absolute favorites, and of course Tarisai. There are so many secrets and puzzles and mysteries and questions, and everything unravels at the most magnificent pace. Tons of praise to the author – and this is a debut! I can’t wait to read more of her amazing writing in future.

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One of the best parts of this book, for me, is the infusion of West African culture (most especially Yoruba). As a Yoruba girl myself, I was really glad to see so much of my culture – words, names, clothing – sprinkled generously all over the book. As a dark-skinned girl, it meant so much to me to be reading a fantasy novel with a dark-skinned heroine that’s so amazing! I love Tarisai very much, for a host of reasons you’ll all discover when you read the book. The two points highlighted in this paragraph are some of the reasons I loved Children of Blood and Bone so much, so the blurb isn’t wrong about this book being perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi.

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I mentioned this earlier, but the world-building in this book is amazing. the realms, the travel, the history, the mythology, the lineage and genealogy, the creatures, the stories, the songs (kudos to the narrator AGAIN for her performance of the songs in this book), the council of 11, the Ray, honestly everything! So much thought went into creating this and the execution didn’t disappoint. 

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I wholeheartedly recommend this amazing work of art to everyone, so be sure to grab your copy or get the audiobook when this book is released on the 18th of August.

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Blurb/Synopsis:

The epic debut YA fantasy from an incredible new talent—perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

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?

With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.