Pwede na.

Recommended*

Here it is, the best fantasy I'll ever read in 2020.

I finished Raybearer at around 3:30 AM. But I needed a good night's sleep to process my initial thoughts:

Revoking my 5 stars because what the absolute fuck is this series.

Not only is this peak white 'i am woman, hear me roar' feminism bullshit but also, and more strangely, the big plot twist is nonsensical and effectively cheapens an already shallow, endlessly-regurgitated message on feminism (

Spoiler

It's later revealed that the girls in Innovations Academy are AI robots specifically engineered to men's pleasure and tailored to their respective investor's desires. I need to know: WHY? Why are these supposed advocates for women's rights... not even human? And I'm being told that these AI robots want to dismantle the patriarchy and burn down the whole world in the name of feminism? What does feminism (aka equal rights for all people) even mean to a bunch of robots? Surely, I'm not the only one baffled by this logic.

).

Moreover, trans and nonbinary folk exist and are also victims of the patriarchy. This "feminist" series does a disservice by never even acknowledging them. The last book, Girls with Rebel Souls, was released in 2021 - but this entire series feels like it was written in 2000s. Gross. I hate it.

This is truly the stupidest series I've had the displeasure of wasting my time on. Eww.

I am literally trying to catch my breath. Highly recommended.

Immersive and expansive. Thoughtfully paced and cleverly developed. Utter perfection. This is the best YA fantasy duology to ever exist, bar none.

Review to follow.

Surpassed my expectations. Full review to follow.