Raybearer Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jordan Ifueko (Author), Joniece Abbott-Pratt (Narrator), Blackstone Publishing (Publisher)

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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.

Listening Length

13 hours and 48 minutes
Author

Jordan Ifueko
Narrator

Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Audible release date

Aug. 18 2020
Language

English
Publisher

Blackstone Publishing
ASIN

B082XHKQL7
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	13 hours and 48 minutes
Author	Jordan Ifueko
Narrator	Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Audible.ca Release Date	August 18 2020
Publisher	Blackstone Publishing
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B082XHKQL7
Best Sellers Rank	#1,544 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #18 in Action & Adventure Fiction for Teens #33 in Science Fiction & Fantasy for Teens

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,748 global ratings

5 star		74%
4 star		19%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Impressed

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 9, 2022

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It was an exceptional read. Kept me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. All the characters were so well written and developed. Perfect perfect perfect!

One person found this helpful

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Heather Hancock

A very difficult read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 5, 2021

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This novel is so convoluted the plot line doesn’t make any sense. I simply couldn’t invest in the characters. I most certainly will not recommend this book to anyone.

One person found this helpful

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Teesbookjourney

Loved

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 9, 2022

I loved this fantasy - The women/girls' encouragement in that read is what we call needed. I loved all the characters and the supporting characters

The action and development were so good I was very involved in the progress

I am excited about the next book

Helpful

Beautifully Written

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 5, 2022

This story took me completely by surprise. It has pretty much everything I love in a young adult fantasy: Adventure, world-building, characters, drama, and a dash of romance, all written with beautiful prose.

The story follows Tarisai, a young girl raised in isolation who becomes a true force to be reckoned with. She is easy to love and root for, thanks to her selflessness and determination. All of the side characters she meets are equally as layered and interesting, though Tarisai remains the strongest.

The story takes place over a period of years and spans many different subplots. I found they were all wrapped up very well and amplified the final story. It was compelling with complex relationships and twists to keep it going.

While not as action packed as other fantasy books, I loved the magical and cultural aspects of the book. Next to the prose and Tarisai, these were the strongest elements. I absolutely love this world and want to see more of it.

While the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, it does leave the door open for another epic adventure, one that I am happy to follow along. Recommended to all lovers of fantasy, culture, and found family.

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bwihighheels

Incredible and captivating read about a girl and an empire

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 12, 2022

I was absolutely blown away by this book. The world-building is intricate and gorgeous, and world like and unlike our own, where Oluwan stands at the centre of a magically-bound empire and restless shades can be summoned by burning their possessions. The prose is incredible and I was immersed from the very first page, though I had to take some breaks to recover from the spell the book cast on me.

Tarisai is clever but naive, well-schooled but sheltered, doing the best she can with what she's got and making friends as well she can. Beyond her growth - a beautiful story in its own right - we have a story of empire, where unity means uniformity and peace is attained through silence. Being part of the Prince's Council would put Tarisai at the centre of power but she must decide what she truly wants and what future she wants to be part of.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own

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SaharaAmazon Customer

Wow

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 27, 2021

Okay so I saw this book getting hyped up all over the hot key book social media accounts so I knew I just had to read it, as it is a fantasy set in an African inspired world so I knew I would love it.

It is about a young girl who grows up secluded from the world by mother & is raised by a group of tutors with no one for friends besides herself, she is then tasked to go the royal palace & try to win over the prince to become one of his council & when she does she is then tasked to kill him.

The characters are whole & filled to the brim with different personalities, I love that they all have different dynamics between each other & it is not your typical enemies to lovers book as I am bored of those.

I can’t wait for the next books in series as I know it will an amazing journey with even more character growth, so if you’re not sure if you should buy this I say do it!

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Micky - bookphenomena

3.5 stars with mixed great and okay feelings

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 19, 2021

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Headlines:
Easy to read and get into
A bit overly convoluted
Likeable protagonist

I've come out of Raybearer with somewhat mixed feelings. First of all, I did enjoy this, but I was expecting to be wowed from everything I've heard about it. I launched into this book straight out of a very complex fantasy and what I was so glad for was an easy-to-get-into story and an ease of reading experience.

The strength of this story lies in it's freshness, I think. I loved the West African contextual fantasy setting, the different lands brought together and the concept of Raybearers. The was a subtle but growing misogynistic undertone to these lands and their ruling class; I enjoyed how that built into a identifiable issue.

Character-wise there is much richness, from the MC Tarisai, to Deyo, the Lady, Jeet and Woo In. This found family were special and I did love the characters. So why the 3.5 rating? The plot line felt convoluted to me, overly so and the last quarter, it was a bit of a push to the end.

I am definitely invested in reading the second book and for the characters alone, I'll be reading. I'm not sure I like the whole Redemptor storyline, but I hope I'll like it more than I imagine.

2 people found this helpful

Hannah

An enchanting debut into a West African inspired story that helped me break my 8 year reading slump.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

4.5 stars.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is a West-African inspired fantasy novel following Tarisai, the girl from Swana confined to her childhood home, Bhekina House, invisible to outsiders, where she learned everything aside from who she was and how the emperor and his councils worked. When she is sent to the capital of the Aritsar empire with nothing but her ability to see people's memories, longing only for the mother who remained distant from her entire childhood, she is amazed to find a new family, one who loves her and wants her.

Having struggled to read much of anything for the past few years, I came to a realisation that if I were to rekindle (no pun intended) my love of reading and kickstart a new reading habit, I was going to have to come at it a little differently. No more reading things because I felt I should or I was told a book was great. I'm a big mood reader, so this time around I'd find a book I'm in the mood to read, and read it. The idea is to attempt reading more during the day, rather than at night when I end up making excuses and procrastinating instead. So I picked up my Kindle and just picked something at random, something that looked intriguing and landed on Raybearer, which I believe I picked up in a Kindle sale back in January. Eleven days later, I'd finished the book, and heck it was a great read!

When I'm looking for a book, I need a few things. Primarily, the characters have to have some depth. If I don't love the characters, the story will be a grind. I also need the writing to flow around the story, showing me the world and everything within it. If I can feel the story, the writing is spot on. And of course, the world, the magic, and the story itself need to enchant me. Raybearer did all of this and more.

Ifueko's prose weaves a tale as beautiful as though it were told by Am the Storyteller themself, often leaving me in awe of the lyrical nature her words can take, and scattered throughout were folk songs sung by the locals of the Arit empire, creating a very real sense of a world and its beautifully diverse cultures, which is effective in making you care about what happens to its people, how they are treated, and what happens to them.

The characters were complex and interesting. I did grow frustrated with Tarisai at times, though she acted like a teenager who was still discovering who she was, working through years of emotional abuse. Sanjeet was adorable in his determination to protect the ones he loved most. Kirah provided a spark of sisterhood that Tarisai always needed in her life. And Ekundayo is the sweethearted young boy that you want for Tarisai, his kindness, and attempts to do right always a comfort. Then there's The Lady, Tarisai's mother, I hate her and how she treated Tarisai her entire life and there was a moment late in the story when Tar is talking about abusive parents with another character and I'll admit, it spoke to me and my own relationship with my own mother, it really hit home. The Lady, though heinous, does have a history and reasons for being the way she is. It doesn't excuse it and we know that, but she's an interesting character, for sure.

I read so much medieval European inspired fantasy that the entirety of the Arit empire was like a breath of warm but fresh air. It actually woke me up to the diversity I'm lacking in my fantasy reading and I'm dying to read so much more fiction inspired by all sorts of worldwide cultures now. The way each country is described is wonderful, but none so wondrous as Swana's savannah with it's little specks of light from the tutsu sprites, the fae creatures within, the trees, the people. It feels alive and very real and I long to go there. I was utterly enchanted by the world Ifueko has created.

The magic system is an interesting one. There is magic that can be learned, though many do not. Most of the magic comes from the emperor's ray and people's Hallows, a random ability granted at birth. Tarisai's ability to see people's memories, take them, grant them, is her Hallow, and each member of the Emperor's Council must have their own, as well. From healing magic to illusions. It is fascinating. Learned magic is more elemental in nature, and I dearly hope we get to experience more of it in future books.

There were a few moments, maybe halfway through, where I felt some of the dialogue and the reasons behind things felt a little contrived but this didn't last too long before I was drawn right back into the magic of that beautiful prose once more.

Overall, I loved this book. It was just what I needed after such a long reading slump and I absolutely went ahead and preordered the follow-up, Redemptor, due for release in August. I recommend Raybearer to anybody looking for something a little bit different and hey, the brief asexual representation was wonderful too. But no spoilers from me!

One person found this helpful

Idealpages

Fantastic but complex

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

Tarisai of Swana was born to kill a future Emperor. Her mother, known as ‘The Lady’, invokes a binding magical command Tarisai cannot resit: once Tarisai is trusted by Prince Ekundayo and is anointed onto his council, she must kill him. With no choice but to obey, Tarisai enters the council’s candidacy race. What transpires next is an epic tale of fighting to change destiny, championing friendship and becoming the hero no one realises they truly need. Raybearer is packed with inspiring imagination and soul from an undeniably talented debut author.

This book can only be described as phenomenal. Although, I must say, I initially struggled to get into this story; I felt like I’d been thrown into the deep end without any floating aids or any prior knowledge of how to swim. But once I got my bearings, I was absolutely hooked. I still remain absolutely astonished this was a debut novel.

~~

The world building of Raybearer was richly descriptive and entirely immersive. The setting is Aritsar, an empire consisting of thirteen realms, with the story primarily set in the realms of Oluwan (where the Emperor lives) and Swana (Tarisai’s home). The other realm of importance is Songland. This is because three hundred souls, known as Redemptors, are surrendered to the Underworld every year to keep demons (called abiku) from attacking the empire. For some unknown reason, the Redemptors only come from one area of the empire, Songland.

Every emperor of Aritsar has the special power called “the Ray” - this power was sought out hundreds of years ago by the very first emperor of the empire, Enoba, in a time unification of neighbouring islands was desired. The power of the Ray allows the Emperor immunity from death until old age (but is vulnerable to those he trusts i.e. his council…)

The Emperor has a council of eleven people from across the realms of the empire. This council provides the emperor with immunity to death from everything and everyone, but the council themselves, are capable of hurting, even killing, the emperor. The Emperor’s Ray power also allows him to connect the minds of his council to him and to each other.

The members of the Emperor’s council must possess a birthright ability - called a Hallow - like being able to heal or being able to manipulate plants. If they don’t have a “Hallow”, then they’ll be dismissed. Luckily for Tarisai, she does have a hallow: she has the ability to read people’s memories.

~~

I mean, how bloomin impressive is all of that? That’s not even beginning to cover the creatures in the story; sprites, ehru’s, spirit-beasts and alagbatos (the guardians of life), to name some. I massively enjoyed this world. The sheer brilliance and imagination… No words will truly do it justice; I can’t do anything but bow for Jordan Ifueko.

Tarisai of Swana is such an endearing protagonist. She has been deprived of love and human connection for most of her life, up until she becomes a candidate to join Dayo’s council. It was difficult to see her grow up in isolation due to her ability to see and take people’s memories. Then it was very emotional to see Tarisai’s journey of discovering her sense of self and her self worth, seeing her being embraced and loved by those around her and learning to see the good in her gift rather than feeling like its a curse. Also, I was delighted to see a focus on the idea of justice and the law through Tarisai and one of her mentor’s, High Lord Judge Thaddace. Tarisai witnesses the implications policy has on the realms and, more and more as the story goes on, she begins to find her confidence to challenge the rules, that have lead to such misery and persecution, like cultural cleansing. Am I love her.

Through Tarisai, the ensemble of characters and the overarching plot come together perfectly. The threads were woven together so smoothly with each and every character being well crafted. There’s Tarisai’s childhood relationships - her mother, father and her guardians - and then there’s the present group, her fellow council candidates and the reigning Emperor’s council who teach the children. The nature of the council created an intimate atmosphere of friendship; Tarisai quickly befriends another girl, Kirah, who has the ability to heal, and also Sanjeet, who has the ability to see people’s physical weaknesses, making him the ideal candidate to lead the empire’s army. Then there’s Dayo, who, much to Tarisai’s chagrin, is easy to love with his pure soul. All of the characters were so vibrant, with interesting side characters who all feel relevant and fleshed out, and I care about them all deeply - for good or bad.

The romance! From the offset, my heart was set on one boy and one boy alone. Thankfully, Raybearer does not have a love triangle. The romantic elements were an undercurrent throughout the book, even when the characters were being more subtle in approaching their feelings and navigating friendship. I was greedy for every little bit of romance these characters shared and continue to want more and more.
Also, with respect to a different character, I was ecstatic to see what I believe to be asexual representation (hopefully we’ll find out more in the sequel!).

My only minor criticism of Raybearer… is it felt like it was constrained by the “young adult” genre. At its centre was the potential to tell a grander tale without holding back. It skirts around sex scenes, violence and the like, when if these things hadn’t been, so to speak, censored, I definitely believe the book would have been even more enjoyable than it was. I beg not to be misunderstood here, because the book was an incredible read, it just felt like it wasn’t being allowed to explore everything available. Nevertheless, the as-is-PG version was fantastic.

Raybearer has one of the most gripping endings I’ve read in a while. The revelations! The theatrics! The most ingenious ways to set the stage for a sequel! I don’t know what I’d of done if I had to wait for the sequel - patience as a virtue be damned. I wouldn’t say it is the worst of cliffhangers, but it will definitely leave most readers with a burning need to return to this world and know how it all ends.

All in all, Raybearer is one of the best YA fantasies I have ever read. It was on my mind constantly - during and after reading it - and I honestly don’t see myself ever forgetting this story. I wish I could put this book in everyone’s hands, it’s unbelievably good. I’d happily reread this book without hesitation and eagerly (EAGERLY) await the Netflix adaptation of this series. Book friends, do yourself the biggest of favours this - add this book to your TBR, it’s a must read!

Rudo Manyere

Love afrocentric fantasy!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

Raybearer by @jordanifueko, is my current read and I am LOVING IT! The book has a sequel, Redemptor (which I can not wait to get my hands on.)

The book is about a girl, Tarisai who is “locked away” by her mother, The Lady because she was horn for a specific reason, to kill the future Emperor, the Raybearer. On the journey of finding out who and what she is, Tarisai also realises she could be a Raybearer even though it is believed a woman can never be a Raybearer.

THEMES:

• Love: Tarisai loved her mother so much she longed for her presence, even though she was controlled by her to kill. Tarisai also found love in Sanjeet, who was isolated because of his built and also because of his powers. Dayo (future Emperor), loved Tarisai so much, and Tarisai loved him back, but it was more of a kinship, platonic love. The Eleven’s love for their Emperor was very strong, they could and would die for him.

• Vengeance: The Lady wants to avenge being thrown out of Oluwan by the Emperor, who we later come to know was closer to her than I thought. There is also Melo (a magical creature, Ehru) who is Tarisai’s father, wanting to be set free from the curse he is under, which can only be broken if Tarisai kills Dayo.

• Loyalty: Tarisai’s loyalty to Dayo was unquestionable. The council was very loyal to their Emperor, being away from him or their council sibling literally had them getting sick.

There are more topics e.g tribalism, forgiveness, redemption are covered in this book and I would say it is a YA. Mostly a fantasy for tweens and teenagers. Frankly, anyone who loves a bit of magic, action, betray, love and vengeance, will stay glued to this masterpiece.

Phoebe Ashcroft

Misprinted version

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Look, the book was great, and the author reels you into a charming story of magic and competing relationships between friends and family but it would’ve been better if only I knew what happened in pages 193-204. And 208-209.

Amazon sent me a free repeat copy after I complained about the first misprint and the SECOND ONE WAS ALSO MISPRINTED, so I guess I’ll just never know.

2 people found this helpful

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