Raybearer
#604.28 adjusted 4.27 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 2020–2021 Reading commitment Low Jordan Ifueko Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
Jordan Ifueko's West African-inspired secondary-world fantasy: Tarisai, raised in isolation and magically bound by her mother to infiltrate the Crown Prince's inner council and, eventually, assassinate him, instead forges genuine bonds with the council and must choose between her family's curse and her own conscience. Raybearer (2020), Ifueko's debut novel, draws on Yoruba culture and mythology to build the Arit Empire and its system of magically bonded councils, in which the emperor's most trusted advisors share a mystical connection called the Ray. The sequel, Redemptor (2021), continues Tarisai's story as she takes on new responsibilities within the empire she was raised to undermine. The duology received strong critical attention for its worldbuilding rooted in West African rather than European folklore, and Ifueko has cited both Yoruba mythology and her own upbringing as a first-generation Nigerian-American as key influences on the story's themes of duty and found family.
Mythic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Raybearer Jordan Ifueko
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Raybearer | 2020 | 1 | core | 4.30 (32,806 ratings) |
 | Redemptor | 2021 | 2 | core | 4.22 (13,452 ratings) |
A West African-inspired secondary-world fantasy: Tarisai, raised to infiltrate and assassinate the Crown Prince's inner council, instead becomes his closest ally. Core Canon = the completed 2-book duology.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
The Maid and the Crocodile (2024) ; A standalone companion novel 'set in the world of Raybearer' (publisher's own description) rather than a direct sequel to Tarisai's story -- registered Expanded Canon, not folded into the 2-book Core Canon duology, per the Rivers of London side-novella precedent.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Raybearer? Raybearer's Core Canon is 2 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Raybearer? Publication order, starting with Raybearer. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Raybearer finished? Complete (2020–2021).
- How much reading does Raybearer take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~343 pages).
- How is Raybearer ranked? #60 in this site's official ranking, based on 46,258 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #60?
Ranked #60 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.28 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (46,258 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.08 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #59, The Drenai Saga (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 2 books · Complete · 46k ratings · Ranks #60 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Raybearer (2020)
- Redemptor (2021)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Peggy Miller Award for Young Adult Literature, 2021: won: Raybearer; Awarded by the Children's Literature Council of Southern California.
- Ignyte Award (Outstanding Novel -- Young Adult), 2021: nominated: Raybearer; Winner: Legendborn (Tracy Deonn), already admitted to this canon.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.28 across 46,258 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Raybearer admitted; Core Canon = the completed 2-book duology accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Raybearer Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Redemptor Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Jordan Ifueko Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: Core = the completed 2-book Raybearer/Redemptor duology (2020-2021). Expanded = The Maid and the Crocodile (2024), a standalone companion novel set in the same world rather than a direct sequel, per the Rivers of London side-novella precedent.