This is a wonderful fantasy novel with fascinating and original ideas quite unlike anything I've read before. It tells the story of Tarisai, a young girl who has been raised in isolation by the mysterious Lady. Sent to the capital to win a place on the council of 11, she enters into a world more dangerous than she imagined. I thought that conceptually, this book was fabulous. The notion of the Raybearer and the council members being forever joined by the Ray is really interesting and I thought that Ifueko did a great job of demonstrating the importance of this bond. I also thought that the world building here was superb. The empire of Aritsar was vibrant and vivid in its detail, and the customs of each individual land within the empire slowly being subsumed by it, felt authentic and spoke to a history of colonialism in a new and unique way. The narration of the audiobook was also excellent, given that there is a musical quality to a lot of the rituals described and I think that the narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life. Overall, I found this to be a compelling and enjoyable read and will eagerly await the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.