Raybearer by Jordan Ifuekp is another 2024 high school Nutmeg nominee.

This book quickly grabbed my attention. Before her birth, Tarisai’s mother captures a demon in order to get three wishes. Her final wish is to use their daughter Tarisai to befriend and kill the future emperor.

From here, we follow Tarisai along her path to meet the emperor in training. Tarisai must prove herself worthy to be one of his eleven council members. Each must have a special talent. Once they are all selected, Tarisai will need to fight her killer instincts.

This was a great fantasy read with plenty of magic, adventure and intrigue. I will definitely give the second novel in the series a read.