Even in this sampler, Jordan Ifueko's writing is absolutely phenomenal. Her worldbuilding is so lush you just want to dive right into it! Her characters are all so 3 dimensional and I found myself thoroughly investigated in their stories. The plot appears to be going in a very exciting direction and I can't wait to read the whole novel when it is published - I'll definitely be preordering!

Wow! Jordan Ifueko is a literary voice that has been missing for too long! Raybearer has all the makings of a traditional fantasy novel: magical lands with magical creatures, palaces and royalty...except this time the protagonist is black. With such simple yet rich prose, Ifueko has created an exotic, colorful and mysterious narrative that grips you from the very first page. I will absolutely be getting my copy of the full book on the 18th! Highly recommend to anyone who loves to escape into a gorgeous read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book for review. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been simultaneously so pleased for and yet so frustrated with a sample before - pleased because it was phenomenal, beautiful, intriguing - frustrating for the same reasons making me desperate to carry on, leaving me shocked when the sample ended. 

I included this book in my Anticipated Releases for the second half of the year because I was intrigued by the book and felt I could like it, but I was left with enough questions that I didn’t really know what to predict the book would actually be like. By the time the sample was done, I understood the world, I loved the characters and I was invested in the story. 
This is one of those books where stories are seamlessly weaved into the narrative. What seems to be fiction, merely trifles of mythology, inform the lore and how the world behaves. 
The characters are heartfelt and interesting. The Prince is an unusual character and I can’t wait to see how his relationship with Tarisai blossoms, but I was already invested what was there. And her relationship with Sanjeet. 
In fact, the relationships generally within the Council of Eleven is fascinating to me. So unusual and filled with so many nuances. I really can’t wait to see how it is explored in the rest of the book. 

Guess that would be a yes to definitely preordering it, then.

Raybearer is a Nigerian inspired YA Fantasy that follows Tarisai. Tarisai has been isolated from birth until her eleventh year, from the outside world and of touch, by her mothers wishes. She's meant to be chosen for the future emperor's council of eleven. More than anything Tarisai wants to find a place where she belongs but her mothers command makes that hard... 

As is the nature of the sampler, there were only a good 100 pages of what I could read at the time of writing this blog post. We start with a very young Tarisai and through the first few chapters we learn about Tarisai, pieces of her world and her mothers intentions. Tarisai grows older and by the end of the sampler is 15. At the end I was hooked and jolted completely when there were no more pages. There is still so much to discover about this world, about Tarisai and the relationships she is going to develop with others. 

So of course I pre-ordered my own copy right away.

I was so excited for this book before the sampler, but after reading it, I’m even more ecstatic for pre-order to arrive. Raybearer is one of my most anticipated reads of 2020. Wow! What a fantastic start to this book. This incredible world is lush and vivid, without being complicated, and the magic is unique and imaginative, with diverse, fascinating, fleshed out and rich characters, and intriguing and important themes explored. Jordan Ifueko’s writing style is beautiful, rhythmic and eases you through the story. I look forward to exploring the mother–daughter dynamic more when the book is released. Absolutely loved what I’ve read so far. I can’t wait to have the final copy in my hands.

I am so excited for this book. I was able to snag the ALC for this recently. Will elaborate this review when I complete it!

I absolutely LOVED this. I wasn't too sure when I started reading (I thought it would be similar to Children of Blood and Bone) but I'm so glad I decided to give it a go. World building was great, and as soon as I finished the sampler, I went to preorder the novel. I can't wait to read the rest of it!

Raybearer is that delicious thing: a book - a whole world, in fact - that you wholeheartedly believe in from page one. Magic, mythology and action blend beautifully together in this tale of finding your true family and deciding your own fate. 

Ifueko has created a world of diverse characters - it is so important in YA that we have fully-fledged BAME characters, especially protagonists, so that readers can either identify with them, or see that there are other valuable stories out there besides their own. That has been achieved here with expertise. A fantasy YA book that is engrossing, original and has a sense of humour, Raybearer promises to be an instant classic. I cannot wait to finish it.

I had to reread some sentences when I started this book as I found the rhythm difficult to follow at first,  but once I did the prose really started to flow and I was able to focus on the vivid pictures conjured by the author. The different regions of the realms are fascinating and easy to picture and the concept of the Raybearer and their council of Eleven is really interesting. I would like to read on and see what happens next as by the end of extract I really cared about the characters and what will happen to them.

This sampler has me so excited for the full release on the 18th. The story is already gripping and I would love to read more - having to wait a week is too long!

I’m giving this sampler a 3 star rating as this is not the complete book and it feels wrong to pre-emptively give it as high a rating I’ve given to complete ARCs previously. This can of course change a lot with the full release.

What a fantastic start to the story! I am hooked by the writing style already, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the complete book!

This sample is an intriguing start, a very promising start to this debut. I am certainly going to pick this up and continue as soon as I can. The magic was very imaginative, and the writing brings the richly-woven world alive with colour and movement.

This seems like an amazing read. Already in love with the writing style. Can’t wait to read the rest of this one.

This sampler is cruel. I need to read the rest and I need it now! This book has so much potential I simply have to read the rest. Beautifully written and intriguing, this sounds fabulous and I will be reading more.

As sample reads go, this definitely did the job as I cannot wait to read the full book. A superbly written book that transports you through the story with ease, truly beautiful

After these first chapters and all the potential there is, I can't wait for this book's release to keep reading. The sampler stopped after a very big event and I need more.
I'm loving the world building and magic system and the mc is likeable and definitely one I want to cheer on!
This sounds like a great book and I'm sure I won't change my mind after reading the rest.

This book made me extremely happy. I was given only an excerpt as an ARC so this is all I will review but the moment I finished those pages I made sure to pick up the entire thing. The inscription from the author at the beginning spoke to me, a fairytale for people looking for their own face in such stories. These are the fairytales every child should get to read. Ringbearer brought back so many things that entranced me as a child about folklore and myth. There are songs, and legends, and supernatural folk. There are also callbacks to Anansi, and creation stories rooted in Africa of Earth, Water and Sky.

I don't generally read much YA fiction. I took a chance on this and I'm glad I did. I'm hoping that the rest holds up to such a strong beginning.

This is going to be the most amazing YA book of the year! I absolutely love the characters and the world, the magic and the mystery. What an exciting sampler of Raybearer. I can't wait to read the whole book - everyone needs to put it on their to-read list NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the eARC sampler 105pages for this book.
Release date : 18/08/2020

“You write your story, not the people who came before you.”

This is an African inspired fantasy. The world and the magic system Ifueko has created is intriguing without being overly complicated and is easily grasped from the very beginning of the book. 

The story revolves around a young girl named Tarisai who grew up lonely and starved of touch, being brought up by an absent mother referred to as The Lady. Tarisai eventually learns that she is half jinn born of her mothers wish to murder the prince after joining the council. Regardless, she yearns for her mother’s love and approval. 

As Tarisai comes of age and passes her first test, she enters The Children’s Palace where the prince will choose 11 council members to help him rule. She quickly learns that once anointed it is her mothers final wish for her to kill the prince. This she must do to set her ehru and herself free from The Lady. The book fast forwards four years where we learn that Tarisai rejects and has constantly rejected the princes wish for her to join the council. This she has done in order to protect him from herself. Coming to the end of the sample I could tell that Tirasai’s story has now become a fight between free will and ‘destiny.’ 

Having read only 105pages I can say that although this book is set in a world of fantasy and magic it is relevant to our time as already numerous issues have been touched upon i.e. man vs women, masculinity, power, justice, leadership, politics, the family, race and skin colour. I am intrigued to see Ifueko’s take on these issues and how they develop throughout the story and their impact upon Tirasai’s world. I am also truly curious to see what the mother-daughter dynamic between Tarisai and The Lady will amount to. 

A must read in today’s time.

Only read the sampler and can not wait to get my hands on the full book. It has been a long time since a fantasy novel has felt so fresh and unique. Plea, essentially, also engrossing . Will amend rating when I have red full novel