This sampler was amazing......I can’t believe they ended it where they did.....I will be buying the book immediately.

Blooming heck this was so good - definitely need to check out the full book! I need more! Can already see what the hype is about!

I really enjoyed the sampler and can tell by the writing that Raybearer is going to be a very vibrant and adventurous read and I can't wait to read the full publication.

This is my short review of the promotional sample of ‘Raybearer’ by Jordan Ifueko published by Bonnier Books U.K. Hot Key Books on 18 August.

At 100 pages this was a generous sample of this YA fantasy inspired by Nigerian mythology and folklore.

While I am aware that I am outside its targeted demographic, this did appeal to me and I will be purchasing its full edition.

The 4 stars are a placeholder and after reading the entire book will write a fuller review and post to Amazon.

That is where you end this sampler? oh my gosh! This was such a good start to a book and I cannot wait to read the full novel. The writing is interesting and the characters are already very intriguing.

I need MORE... like now haha. This was a really interesting and compelling narrative. At first I was slightly confused but as the story developed and we got to the children’s palace I found myself understanding more and more.
I loved the world building and the intrigue and I can’t wait to see what will happen to her and the Bear. Will they become council members? Will she be able to fight against the wish? I find myself on tender hooks wanting always wanting more

This is a mesmerising, vibrant and fresh feeling Afrofantasy novel which is infused with West African tradition and mythologies. I found the prose dazzling and compelling from the get-go and the worldbuilding was some of the most engaging and accomplished I've ever seen; time and effort have been given to craft intricate details of this sprawling world and the descriptions are so vivid and immersive you feel as though you are actually there.

I've already pre-ordered Raybearer and now I've read this sample I'm 100% glad I did! I loved this first introduction to the Raybearer world. It's so beautifully detailed and varied, and I was instantly drawn into the story. Much of what has happened so far seems to be to set up the main conflict but it was still fascinating in its own right. I can't wait to find out how (or if?) Tirisai unravels the curse and I hope we see more of her father and the different types of magic colliding.

This is a review of sampler only (not full book).
I’m hooked and I need this book like yesterday, it’s original, so interesting, I was gutted when it came to an end , the writing style is beautiful and I eagerly await the full book

This book was incredible. It’s about Tarisai who has been starved of affection her whole life, longing for love, a family, and a home. It’s a story about found family, self-acceptance, fighting for what’s right, and so much more.
It’s filled with so much power, hope, and emotion that I could not stop reading until I finished it. I adored the characters, and I loved how many kinds of relationships it explored. There was a really strong m/f friendship, a female friendship, and a forbidden romance that wasn’t a big part of the book but it made my heart ache none the less.
It’s fast-paced, complex, and intriguing, it has extremely high stakes which makes it even more gripping, and it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. I desperately need to read the next book to see more of the characters, and the journey Tarisai goes on next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I'm so disappointed that this is only a sampler as I was hooked by the first 100 pages and want to read the rest! Ifueko's world is well-developed and engaging and the concept of rulers being supported by and linked to representative members of their constituencies is very interesting. The Lady is such a mysterious figure and I really want to know where the story ends up!

Original and exciting, this is such a great story. I cannot wait to read the rest! Thank you to netgalley for the promotional sampler I will be buying this when it comes out.

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 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.

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!