Jordan Ifueko
Jordan Ifueko has published 7 books across 4 series. The recommended reading order starts with Raybearer (2020).
Jordan Ifueko is a Nigerian-American author who writes YA fantasy novels and has also written for Disney-Marvel comics. Her writing often centers on magical Black girls who are allowed to be imperfect, acknowledging that even magical beings need a break. She is the author of the Raybearer series, which she launched in 2020 with the novel Raybearer. Ifueko's work has been recognized with finalist nominations for the Nebula Award, Ignyte Award, Audie Award, and Hugo Lodestar. Her books have also been featured in publications like People Magazine and NPR Best Books. Ifueko grew up immersed in stories, reading comics under a blanket fort while eating fried plantains. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, David, and their three-legged dog.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Anthologies
- Tagsyoung-adultsci-fishort-storiesfantasyhistorical-fictionDescriptionJordan Ifueko, the acclaimed author of Raybearer, brings her distinctive voice to this anthology entry that explores the multifaceted experience of being young, Black, and navigating the spaces where identity refuses to fit into neat categories. This is a story about the particular kind of visibility that comes with being different in multiple directions at once—the way Blackness and awkwardness and coolness can coexist in the same body, the same moment, defying anyone's expectations of what you should be. Ifueko writes with the kind of specificity that comes from lived understanding, capturing those small, sharp moments when you're too much of one thing and not enough of another, when you're code-switching without meaning to, when you're claiming space simply by existing. It's a narrative that refuses easy answers, instead offering something more valuable: recognition, rendered in prose that moves between humor and ache with remarkable grace. For anyone who's ever felt like a walking contradiction, who's learned to hold multiple truths at once, this piece offers both mirror and window.Publication dateJanuary 10, 2023Amazon rating4.4/5Print length336LanguageEnglishPublisherViking Books for Young Readers
Order of Graphic Novels
- Tagsgraphic-novelsfantasysci-fiDescriptionWhat happens when the oldest stories we tell ourselves—the ones about cunning, survival, and the art of the clever turn—are reimagined through the lens of contemporary voices and vivid illustration? This graphic anthology draws from the rich tradition of Jim Henson's Storyteller series, weaving together tales of tricksters from across cultures and mythologies. The atmosphere is one of mischief and transformation, where foxes outsmart hunters, gods play games with mortals, and the boundary between hero and villain blurs into something far more interesting. Each story pulses with the energy of folklore retold, where ancient archetypes meet modern sensibilities in unexpected and often subversive ways. The collection features contributions from acclaimed writers including Amal El-Mohtar, Jonathan Rivera, and Jordan Ifueko, each bringing their distinct narrative voice to characters who live by their wits rather than their strength. The visual storytelling amplifies the playful, sometimes dangerous spirit of these figures who exist on the margins, challenging authority and upending expectations with equal parts charm and audacity. What emerges is a celebration of the trickster's enduring appeal—the way these stories remind us that survival often requires creativity, that rules are made to be questioned, and that laughter and cunning can be their own forms of power. It's a book that honors the past while making these timeless figures feel urgently, vividly present.Publication dateNovember 30, 2021Amazon rating4.8/5Print length112LanguageEnglishPublisherArchaia
- Tagsgraphic-novelsfantasysci-fiDescriptionWhat happens when the smartest girl in the world teams up with a thirty-foot red Tyrannosaurus rex to protect the Lower East Side from chaos on wheels? Lunella Lafayette, the pint-sized genius known as Moon Girl, has her hands full juggling homework, her secret lab, and the considerable appetite of her prehistoric partner Devil Dinosaur. But when a mysterious threat rolls into her neighborhood—one that combines speed, danger, and more than a little attitude—she'll need every ounce of her super-intellect and Devil's raw power to keep her community safe. Jordan Ifueko brings fresh energy to this beloved Marvel duo, crafting a story that celebrates the power of brains over brawn while never forgetting that sometimes you need a dinosaur in your corner. Lunella's voice crackles with wit and determination as she navigates the particular challenges of being a young Black girl who happens to be smarter than most adults, all while keeping a kaiju-sized secret under wraps. This graphic novel pulses with the vibrant spirit of New York City and the unshakeable bond between an unlikely pair of heroes. It's a celebration of community, ingenuity, and the kind of friendship that transcends species—and several million years of evolution.Publication dateJuly 18, 2023Amazon rating4.3/5Print length112LanguageEnglishPublisherMarvel Universe
Order of Raybearer Books
- Tagsyoung-adultfantasyromancechildrensci-fiepic-fantasyDescriptionWhat happens when the person you're destined to destroy is the only one who makes you feel like you belong? Tarisai has spent her childhood in isolation, raised by a mother who is more absence than presence, more enigma than warmth. When The Lady sends her to Aritsar's glittering capital to compete for a place on the Crown Prince's Council of 11, Tarisai sees her chance at last—a bond called the Ray that will tie her to others deeper than blood, a family she has ached for all her life. But The Lady's gift comes with a curse: a magical compulsion woven into Tarisai's very being, commanding her to kill the prince the moment she earns his trust. It is not a request. It is an inevitability. Jordan Ifueko constructs a world where loyalty is both salvation and trap, where belonging comes at a price Tarisai may not be able to pay. The prose shimmers with longing and danger in equal measure, and the stakes—personal, political, magical—tighten with every page. This is a story about the terrible weight of other people's expectations and the fierce, fragile hope that we might write our own fates anyway. Tarisai refuses to be a pawn. Whether she's strong enough to break free is another question entirely.Publication dateAugust 18, 2020Amazon rating4.7/5Print length428LanguageEnglishPublisherAmulet Books
- Tagsyoung-adultfantasyepic-fantasyDescriptionWhat does it cost to save a world that has already condemned you, and can redemption ever truly be earned when the sins of empire run deeper than any single soul? Jordan Ifueko's Redemptor continues the sweeping fantasy begun in Raybearer, following Tarisai as she grapples with the weight of her newfound power and the impossible choices that come with it. Having broken free from her mother's curse and claimed her place in the Council of Eleven, Tarisai now faces a more insidious enemy: the legacy of colonialism and exploitation that has poisoned her world for generations. As she seeks to dismantle the corrupt system of Redemptors—children forced to absorb the sins of the ruling class—she must confront not only external resistance but the darkness within herself, the very real possibility that even her best intentions might perpetuate the cycles of harm she seeks to end. Ifueko weaves a narrative that refuses easy answers, blending West African-inspired worldbuilding with a searing examination of power, justice, and what we owe to those we've failed. This is fantasy that demands something of its readers, that asks us to sit with discomfort and complexity, to recognize that breaking chains is only the beginning of the work. Redemptor is a worthy successor that deepens everything its predecessor promised, delivering both epic scope and intimate emotional truth.Publication dateAugust 17, 2021Amazon rating4.6/5Print length336LanguageEnglishPublisherAmulet Books
- Tagsyoung-adultfantasyromancechildrenepic-fantasyDescriptionWhat does it mean to serve a power you cannot fully trust, and what do you risk when you choose loyalty over survival? Jordan Ifueko returns to the world of Raybearer with a story that shifts the lens from palace halls to the shadows where the real work—and the real danger—happens. This is a tale of a maid navigating a world of divine politics and ancient magic, where every choice carries weight and the crocodile in the title is more than metaphor. Ifueko's gift has always been her ability to weave West African-inspired mythology into deeply personal coming-of-age narratives, and here she leans into the tension between duty and self-preservation. The prose is lush but never overwrought, the stakes intimate even as the world expands. What makes this compelling is the way it refuses easy answers. The maid at its center isn't waiting to be rescued or elevated—she's calculating, surviving, making hard calls in a system designed to grind her down. The crocodile, whether literal beast or metaphorical force, represents the old powers that still have teeth. Ifueko understands that fantasy is at its best when it asks us to reckon with power: who wields it, who suffers under it, and what it costs to challenge it. This is a book that trusts its readers to sit with complexity.Publication dateAugust 13, 2024Amazon rating4.7/5Print length304LanguageEnglishPublisherHarry N. Abrams
Order of The Genie Game Books
- Tagsmiddle-gradefantasyDescriptionJordan Ifueko delivers a fantasy that understands the dangerous allure of wishes—not as whimsy, but as bargains that reshape reality and bind souls. The Genie Game plunges readers into a world where the rules of magic are as intricate as they are unforgiving, and every desire granted comes with a price that echoes far beyond the moment of asking. This is a story about power, yes, but more urgently about who gets to wield it and what they're willing to sacrifice to keep it. At its heart lies a game that's anything but playful. The stakes are survival, identity, and the kind of freedom that can't be wished into existence. Ifueko crafts a narrative that refuses easy answers, weaving together threads of ambition, loyalty, and the weight of choices made under impossible pressure. The prose moves with purpose—lush when it needs to be, sharp when the tension demands it. If you're drawn to fantasies that interrogate the mechanics of magic rather than simply celebrate them, that ask what it costs to want something desperately enough to risk everything, this is your book. The Genie Game doesn't just entertain; it challenges you to consider what you'd do if the rules of the world bent to your will—and what that bending might break in return.Publication dateApril 21, 2026Print length368LanguageEnglishPublisherAmulet Books
Frequently Asked Questions about Jordan Ifueko
Jordan Ifueko's books are best read in series order. The Raybearer series should be read first, followed by the Order of Anthologies, and then the Order of Graphic Novels. The Genie Game series is forthcoming. Within the Raybearer series, begin with Raybearer, then Redemptor, and finally The Maid and the Crocodile. For the Graphic Novels, start with Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters, then Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Menace on Wheels. Order of Anthologies: Cool. Awkward. Black. is a collection that can be read independently.
A good starting point for Jordan Ifueko's books is Raybearer, the first novel in the Raybearer series. This novel introduces readers to the world and characters that form the foundation of her larger narrative. Following Raybearer with its sequel, Redemptor, will provide a more complete understanding of the story arc. If graphic novels are preferred, Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters offers an entry into that format.
The Raybearer series, consisting of Raybearer, Redemptor, and The Maid and the Crocodile, is designed to be read in order. The events and character development are sequential, and reading them out of order would diminish the narrative impact. The graphic novels, Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Menace on Wheels, can be read independently of each other and the Raybearer series. The Genie Game series is slated for future release.
Jordan Ifueko writes both series and standalone books. The Raybearer series includes Raybearer, Redemptor, and The Maid and the Crocodile, which form a continuous narrative. Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Menace on Wheels are graphic novels that can be read as standalones. Order of Anthologies: Cool. Awkward. Black. is a collection of short fiction that also functions as a standalone work.
Jordan Ifueko has written a total of seven published books. This includes the three novels in the Raybearer series (Raybearer, Redemptor, The Maid and the Crocodile), two graphic novels (Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Menace on Wheels), and one anthology (Order of Anthologies: Cool. Awkward. Black.). An additional book is planned for 2026.
The first book Jordan Ifueko wrote and published was Raybearer, released in 2020. This novel initiated the Raybearer series, a fantasy epic that has since been expanded. Prior to Raybearer, Ifueko was involved in other creative projects, but Raybearer marks the beginning of her published book career in novel form.
The most recent book published by Jordan Ifueko is The Maid and the Crocodile, released in 2024. This novel concludes the Raybearer series. Prior to this, she published Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Menace on Wheels in 2023 and Order of Anthologies: Cool. Awkward. Black. in 2023.
Jordan Ifueko writes fantasy novels and graphic novels. Her work often features complex world-building, intricate magic systems, and characters exploring themes of identity, family, and belonging. The Raybearer series is high fantasy, while her graphic novel contributions span different tones within that genre, including mythic storytelling and superhero adjacent narratives.
K. Arsenault Rivera
Coming soon
Tom Tomorrow
Coming soon
We verified the reading order for Jordan Ifueko's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: April 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Jordan Ifueko Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/jordan-ifueko