Raybearer Review

I saw Raybearer make the rounds on Booktube and the cover is gorgeous, so I had to buy it (no, you have a book buying problem) and I was not disappointed. The story follows Tarisai, who has been brought up by a woman called The Lady, for the purpose of assassinating the crown prince of the empire in which they live. Tarisai travels to the capital to become one of the prince’s most trusted advisers and wages an internal battle over her supposedly pre-ordained future.

Alongside the action and adventure and a bit of romance, there is a rich and deep female-female friendship at the heart of this story. The magic of female friendships is something that often gets dismissed as frivolous and incompatible with an action story. I disagree wholeheartedly and believe that a portrait of a healthy friendship is a great addition to literally any story. Tarisai and Kirah’s friendship was my favorite part of an all-around great and inventive story. I’ve been lucky enough to have rich and rewarding female friendships, and I loved seeing something so positive in a narrative that has very dramatic ups and downs. In the acknowledgments, Jordan Ifueko thanks her “real-life Kirah, the anchor in [her] storms,” and it’s clear that this sort of strong friendship is something also important to her, and I loved that it got reflected in her work.

At no point in this book did I guess where the story was going. It was so original and I was enthralled. There were a few plot twists (at least I thought they were surprise twists in the plot) that made me gasp out loud (and then text all my bookish friends, of course). I can see on Goodreads, that there is a sequel listed and I am so excited — who do I need to blackmail to get an ARC copy of it? Please tell me.