Raybearer (Raybearer #1)

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
2.1

Language

0.6/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

0.8/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

3.0/10

Violence, Weapons, Blood, Crime

4.9/10

Potentially Intense Themes

1.1/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

My Opinion

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) What a beautifully imagined story! I was able to read the e-book and listen to this audio due to Libro.fm, NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Abrams generosity. It made it possible to soak this up throughout the day, regardless of what I was doing. This is definitely a book that you want to immerse yourself in and surround yourself with all things Raybearer.

Tarisai is unique, fierce, flawed, loyal and heartwarming. I immediately felt a connection to her because of her neglected childhood and the loneliness she felt. She is half-jinn and her mother has cursed her with doing her bidding. The journey she is sent on is twisty and challenging and soul-searching. Tarisai is phenomenal in her loyalty and the trials she endures are because of love. 

This story is African-inspired and will grab you and pull you into the mystery. The twists are surprising and exciting. It is also Ifueko’s debut which is amazing.

There was very little content compared to most YA novels. I definitely expected more and was pleasantly surprised with such little language or detail in most instances. 

This book is out August 18, 2020. Thank you again to those that made it possible for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Raybearer (Raybearer #1)

Jordan Ifueko

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 11. 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.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings. 

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 2

S***-

A**-

B****-

D***- 4

Bas****-

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**- 1

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Brat

Am (their God)

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A young woman has a lot of honey wine.

As a tradition, honey wine is served with small tokens in it for a celebration. Youth partake. 

Many teens are drunk and stumble to bed. A young woman teased a young man into drinking many servings of wine.

Teens drink wine. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*Minor LGBTQ+ aspects included*

 A man and woman kiss. 

A young woman asks for “steamy” dreams. Another young woman gives her a dream of a man stumbling on her while bathing, then seduced him. 

A young man tells a young woman that people are just waiting for her to be impregnated with the leaders child. 

A yearly celebration is joked to be a night to get drunk and make babies. 

A young girl watches a dream of her own conception. She says it looks painful as he folds himself over her. 

A group of young women talk about the possibility of having lovers and a spot under a tree that some go for discretion. 

A young woman accidentally sees a man and woman “bodies entwined.”

A young woman bathes with a partition separating her from guys. She stands naked while picking clothes. 

A young woman and young man kiss. His tongue grazes her lip, she suggests to go to a tree where people are known to have sex. They plan a time. 

A young woman takes off a young man’s shirt and caresses his chest. He says he doesn’t want sex. 

A young man kisses a young woman.

A young man kisses a young woman.

A young woman deeply kisses a young man. He picks her up and places her on the bed. They sleep entangled together. (If they had sex, it was very vague. I’m still not positive.)

A young man talks about not wanting to be with a young woman or a young man. One young man looks at other young men admiringly.

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A young girl is commanded to kill a young boy.

Someone set a fire to kill a young man. A young woman tries to save him. Her clothes catch on fire. 

Two teens make a blood pact by cutting their palms and grasping. 

Flying beasts attack, people fight back, people die, some fall off a large wall and die, the beasts grab people and stab them with their talons.  A beast rips a man to pieces. A young girl steps off a cliff. 

A young woman plunges a knife into a young man’s stomach. Two place a tourniquet and use magic to help the wound. 

A young woman watches a woman get her head cut off at an execution. Blood runs from the platform to the ground as the ax swiftly cuts.

Magic tricks a soldier into killing another soldier. 

A husband beats his wife and leaves bruises. 

Eleven people shoot arrows at a woman. 

A man tries to poison a woman.

**SPOILER** A woman holds another woman over a high ledge. The woman drops and falls to the ground with a large “crack” sound. A man pushes a man over the ledge. A man slices a woman’s cheek with a poisoned knife, killing her. Arrows are shot at a man and young woman. Both are hit. The blood seeps as soon as it can and the young woman removed the man’s arrow as she puts pressure on the wound.

A young man slits his hand for a blood oath. 

A woman and child slit their palms for a blood oath. 

Arrows are shot at a young woman. Blow darts also. 

A young woman cuts her palm for a blood oath. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A young girl falls into a fire. 

Previously, a young woman threw herself from a window. 

The ghost of a young girl hugs another. 

There is a leopard the size of a horse. 

Two young demons with red eyes, gray skin and yellow pointed teeth.  

A young woman walks over hot coals.

A story tells of a boy being tricked into eating his father.  

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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