Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

I decided to start reading this one because my other March book choices thus far were feeling like duds. I was in danger of falling into a reading slump and with my arc heavy TBR that's not an option. I was on the hunt for a black girl fantasy I would thoroughly enjoy.  I recently read an African based fantasy where the cover was stunning as were some of the descriptions but the plot was slower than molasses and the ending rushed.

Ever since Children of Blood and Bone debuted I find every black girl fantasy series gets compared to it by the publishers in hopes of selling it to a greater audience. The only thing this story has in common with CoBaB is that the authors are both of Nigerian-American descent and they both have West African influence.  The plots and the worlds are completely different.

Tarisai is a child raised in isolation with nothing but tutors. One day her mother, a woman called The Lady, sends her to the empire's capital with the command of killing the crown prince. A plot to kill the crown prince isn't a new plot for YA but execution is everything and I loved how this was executed. It captured me from chapter 1 which is a very rare feat for a fantasy.

There are no orisha in this story instead there is a council of 11 meant to rule the empire united by one male called Raybearer who descends from a long line of emperors. The Raybearer and his council members share a special bond and each council member has a hallow(talent) that helps them in their future position. Children from all across the Arit Empire vie for a position on the this council.

In addition to the Raybearer and anointed council there are people called Redemptors. Redemptors are people born with maps on their skin as a mark to enter the Underworld as sacrifice to the abiku (spirits of death) in order to keep peace.  Redemptor children are usually born in Songland which is a nation outside of the Arit Empire. 

Though Tarasai wills herself to forget her past and swears to love and protect Crown Prince, Ekundayo, her ehru blood brings her very close to fulfilling her destiny. This sends her on a journey of discovery in an attempt to break the curse. 

This book constantly took what I thought would be predictable and flipped it on it's head. At one point in this book I thought a love triangle was coming and then Jordan thankfully through me for a loop with twists I didn't see coming. I really liked that unlike some other epic fantasy stories there was no big romance taking up unnecessary pages in the books. There was a strong friendship and found family between Tarisai, Dayo, Sanjeet, and Kirah that I appreciated. I also liked that they only focused on a few members of the council in this story because it could've been confusing trying to focus on too large of a cast.

There was a good balance between action and despair and the children connecting. One highlight scene for me was the scene where the girls are getting their hair braided in intricate styles that made their heads hurt but looked so beautiful.

Tarisai's relationship with The Lady was so complex. Like her I wasn't sure exactly if I should hate The Lady or feel sorry for her because of the way she grew up and why she was so determined to become empress. It had me questioning who the real villain of the story was.

My arc was a 4 part story at 404 pages and while I usually struggle somewhere in the middle with these big thick books; but this one felt pretty evenly paced throughout. There's a lot of love and culture that went into this tale. I highly recommend picking this up if you're looking for your next epic fantasy tale.