Written by Jordan Ifueko, Raybearer (2020) is a young adult fantasy novel that is set in a culturally diverse empire based on West African folklore. The story follows Tarisai Idajo, a young girl who is working to break free from her past and choose her own destiny. The novel also explores themes of kinship, justice, and fairness as Tarisai undertakes a quest to navigate the challenges of her history and change the Arit empire for the better.

Ifueko is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, and her incorporation of West African folklore in her world-building manifests in the descriptions of the various settings and magical characters that Tarisai encounters. Raybearer is a New York Times bestseller and was also honored as the best book of the year by publications ranging from People magazine and the School Library Review to Publishers Weekly.

This guide refers to the paperback edition published by Amulet Books in 2021.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain descriptions of psychological abuse, murder, and suicide.

Plot Summary

Tarisai is a young girl growing up in the land of Swana, a grassland in the empire of Aritsar. She grows up in Bhekina House and is primarily raised by her servants and tutors. Her mother, The Lady, is largely absent. Tarisai has a unique ability that allows her to take stories or memories from other people or objects, and for this reason, her servants are forbidden to touch her. One evening, she sneaks out to try to find The Lady and instead encounters Melu, a deity whose role is to watch over the grasslands. He shows Tarisai a memory of him and The Lady, who trapped him and forced him to become her ehru (djinn) and grant her wishes. The Lady wished for the death of the emperor, Olugbade, but because Melu could not control death, she wished instead to have a child by him, knowing that her child’s half-ehru heritage would force them to fulfill all of her wishes. Now, seeing this memory, Tarisai realizes that she is this child, and Melu is her father.

One day, The Lady returns to the house bringing two companions: Woo In and Kathleen. Woo In is from the realm of Songland, which is not officially a member of the Arit empire. He is covered in tattoos that mark him as a Redemptor. (Redemptors are sacrificed to the Underworld as children in accordance with a treaty that keeps the Underworld demons, the abiku, from wreaking havoc on the empire. Woo In has already survived his journey through the Underworld. For the longest time, Redemptors have only been born in Songland, and no one knows why.)

Now, Kathleen and Woo In are tasked with taking Tarisai to Oluwan, the capital of the empire. Before they depart, The Lady shows Tarisai a portrait of a young boy who is later revealed to be Prince Ekundayo, the son of the emperor. The Lady orders Tarisai to kill this boy after he anoints Tarisai as one of his own. Because of Tarisai’s ehru heritage, she is compelled to obey The Lady.

In Oluwan, Tarisai is taken to the imperial palace and waits with other children to see Prince Ekundayo, also called Dayo. She meets a girl named Kirah, who has the gift of healing through song. Finally, Tarisai enters the next chamber and is shocked to meet the emperor and his “Council of Eleven.” They immediately recognize her as The Lady’s daughter. (The Lady once lived in the Children’s Palace in Oluwan but was banished.) Despite their reservations, the Emperor and the council allow Tarisai to become a candidate for Prince Dayo’s council. They explain that the emperor and the prince each appoint a council of 11 representatives, one from each of the realms of Aritsar. All council members are connected by the Ray, a unique, near-psychic force wielded by the emperor. In turn, the council members provide immunity to the Emperor. (Only old age or a council member can kill him.)

Mbali, the High Priestess and a friendly member of the Emperor’s council, takes Tarisai into the Children’s Palace. Tarisai meets Dayo and has to quell the urge to harm him. Dayo is immediately drawn to Tarisai, and they begin to form a friendship. Tarisai also meets another candidate named Sanjeet. She learns that Sanjeet’s abusive father forced Sanjeet to be a pit fighter. Several years pass in the Children’s Palace, and Dayo anoints most of his council members. He is still hoping that Tarisai will agree to join his council, but she resists because she is afraid that when this happens, she will finally be forced to kill him.

Meanwhile, The Lady has grown impatient waiting for Tarisai, so she sends Kathleen and Woo In to move things along. Woo In starts a fire in the palace in hopes of killing Dayo before he obtains all his immunity. Tarisai rescues Dayo and realizes that she would rather forget everything about her mother. She finally agrees to join Dayo’s council.

With his council complete, Dayo and the others begin to perform official imperial duties, the first of which is attending a ritual to reenact the Treaty of the Underworld. This ritual is conducted in advance of the real Treaty Renewal, which will take place in a few months. Tarisai is named the next High Lady Judge of Aritsar; the current judge is an emperor’s council member named Thaddace. Kathleen and Woo In visit Tarisai, but she does not remember them because she has voluntarily erased her memories of her life with The Lady in an attempt to circumvent The Lady’s wish for her to kill Dayo. They have also brought another young Redemptor named Ye Eun. They give Tarisai the drum of Empress Aiyetoro, the only female Raybearer in history. Tarisai is not sure what to do with it.

During the ritual, the abiku demons, upset by the fact that Ye Eun has not yet traveled to the Underworld, demand that the full Redemptor debt be paid. They attack the bystanders. Ye Eun realizes that the abiku are angry because of her, so she throws herself into the mouth of the Underworld. Afterward, the Prince’s council moves into their new home at Yorua Keep.

Six months pass as the Prince’s council prepares for their new roles and the Nu’ina Eve festival. Tarisai meets with Thaddace, who tells her to focus on order rather than fairness when she judges her first case. He also explains his Unity Edict, which requires all the realms to renounce their realm-specific stories, clothes, and traditions. Later, Tarisai accidentally observes Thaddace and Mbali in the middle of an illicit intimate moment.

At the Nu’ina Eve festival, Tarisai ducks away from the festivities and meets Sanjeet on the beach, where they share a passionate first kiss. On her way back to the festival, Tarisai encounters a village elder (really The Lady in disguise) who makes her drink something that returns her memories. She is therefore compelled to obey her mother’s wish that she kill Dayo. Tarisai leads Dayo away from his sleeping pallet in the middle of the night and stabs him, but she misses his heart. Sanjeet intervenes, and Dayo is not fatally wounded.

Tarisai decides to return to Swana to find Melu and discover a way to break her mother’s hold. Sanjeet accompanies her. There, Tarisai learns that her mother is the Emperor’s sister and is also a Raybearer. (The Lady was banished because her brother was jealous of her ability.) Melu also explains that the empire is always supposed to have an emperor and empress, as well as a prince and princess. However, the masks of the empress and the princess have been lost for centuries, so Sanjeet and Tarisai decide to find them.

In their absence from Oluwan, Tarisai’s mother has been captured. The next day, Tarisai and Sanjeet are joined by Kirah and Woo In. Woo In and Tarisai meet Kathleen, then search The Lady’s hidden study. Upon reading The Lady’s secret notes, Woo In discovers that although The Lady promised to break the Redemptor curse, she has no intention of doing so. He is outraged by her betrayal.

Tarisai, Kirah, and Sanjeet return to Oluwan, where Tarisai must prepare for her first ruling as High Judge. She learns that her first case will be to render a verdict against her mother, who has been accused of treason. During the court proceedings, she announces that she will hear a different case instead. A merchant’s wife comes forward and argues that Thaddace’s Unity Edict is causing marital discord. Tarisai rules in her favor and revokes the Unity Edict entirely; the crowd cheers.

After court, Tarisai finds the missing empress and princess masks hidden inside Aiyetoro’s drum. Meanwhile, the Emperor intends to execute The Lady at the top of the prison tower, so Tarisai rushes to her mother’s aid. To force the Emperor’s hand, The Lady takes Mbali hostage and dangles her over the edge of the prison tower. Desperate to save Mbali, Thaddace pushes the Emperor off the edge, but Mbali is accidentally dropped as well. Woo In arrives and rescues Mbali just in time, then slashes The Lady with a blade as revenge for her lie about breaking the Redemptor curse. However, he realizes too late that the blade is poisoned. The Lady dies.

In the aftermath of the Emperor’s death, Woo In escapes with Tarisai to Songland. He takes her to a cave that contains information about the Redemptor curse. When Tarisai enters the cave, she falls into a trance and learns the real history of the Arit empire and the treaty. She discovers that because Songland is not part of the empire and is therefore not represented on the imperial council, Songland is doomed to provide all the Redemptor children. Tarisai races back to Oluwan to stop the Treaty Renewal and arrives just in time. She offers the abiku her soul in exchange for their promise that no more Redemptor children will be born anywhere. The abiku agree, but they stipulate that she must first anoint a council that consists of the rulers of all 12 realms of Aritsar, Songland included. Tarisai will fulfill the bargain and enter the Underworld in two years.