" BEHOLD WHAT IS COMING''
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Synopsis: 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?
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BOOK REVIEW
Genre: YA Fantasy
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Personal Enjoyment: 5 /5
Overall Rating: 20/20
This was easily a 20/20 read for me! I could not fault anything. The world building is so expansive and so complex it, was a joy to get totally immersed in it. The world is opened up to us through stories, and recounting of histories of the people/tribes and they are so interesting in themselves that it does not feel like info dumping at all. From the first moment where were are introduced to little Tarisai, a little girl given everything she could possibly need. Yet she is a prisoner in her own home, kept away from the one thing she wants: the love of her mother. What a fascinating lure that was. I had to know what this all entailed. What was she being so carefully being prepared for? and why was she deliberately kept away from the rest of the world. It had me completely engrossed in the story. And this was even before the magic system was introduced! In the empire of Aritsar, the emperor rules the empire with the aid of his Council of Eleven, who are joined emotionally and telepathically through the Ray. These eleven members are chosen when an emperor is still a child as one of the conditions for the ray to work is that they must love their future king unconditionally, even giving up their own life for his. Seeing Tarisai and other potential candidates grow up together and form a family of was beautiful, I had no idea I would enjoy the found family trope as much as I did. We mainly follow 4 characters; Tarisai, Dayo (crown prince) Sanjeet and Kirah who all bring their own special magic to the group.
We also get an insight into the current Emperor's council of Eleven as they take on tutor roles for the Crown Prince's future council members. As Tarisai grows up, finally finding the family and sense of belonging she has craved all her life. The tension and the sense of impending doom is strong. For like Tarisai we know the time for her to fulfil the wish of her mother draws closer and there is absolutely no way to get out of it. Ifueko does such an effective job I had no idea which direction she would take. By this point of the book she had managed to endear all the characters to me that I could not bear to see any of the characters hurt! I also appreciated the author did not go down the typical YA route of a love triangle. All the relationships were so beautifully developed and came about so organically, that it was easy to believe them and route whole heartedly for the eventual pairing. I also loved how the secondary characters were also well developed, with morally grey traits.
This story that could have easily got bogged down in its own complexity is instead brought to vivid clarity by Ifueko's wonderful writing style, it flows effortlessly and in such a way as to make you think the story was going one way and then suddenly a new twist is introduced or a hidden truth is uncovered and then suddenly you are forced to question what was really going on. I was unable to see the direction the story would head next and so I was in tenterhooks, worried for all the characters and how things would resolve. I loved it all. The ending is not quite a cliff hanger but it definitely sets up an interesting storyline for the sequel and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on it!
I found it wildly imaginative, the world that Ifueko lays out before us, is expansive and complex and full of interesting myths and lores that I feel there could be a book on just the history of the land alone. And I would love to read it.
The narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratthas did an amazing job on the audio of Raybearer , her cadence and articulation was perfection. The emotions she was able to convey brought the characters to life and hightened my enjoyment ten fold.
I highly recommend the audiobook.
* thank you Netgalley, Jordan Ifueko and Hot Key Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.