3.5 stars

Raybearer didn't hook me from the start, it took me awhile to really get into it. The first half of the book is pretty slow and is predominately world building.

I really enjoyed Tarisai's character but struggled with the other council members. They were all supposed to be really close, brothers and sisters in a sense, but we knew very little about 8 of them. The magical system was very interesting and it's always enjoyable to read another African inspired fantasy book.

The narrator was great and the accents used really added to the overall experience.

I definitely recommend [b:The Rage of Dragons|41952489|The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)|Evan Winter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553927196l/41952489._SY75_.jpg|57522473] and [b:The Gilded Ones|40024121|The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)|Namina Forna|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585578175l/40024121._SY75_.jpg|61991286] if you're in the market for other African inspired fantasies.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for the e-audio arc!