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bookishmillennial's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I am so sad that I am done with this duology. I will miss this world and these characters so much! I need a tv or film adaptation ASAP! This would be such a wonderful series to bring to life onscreen!!!
Anyway, I thought this book tied up everything quite nicely, and I didn't feel like anything was *too* convenient for the sake of wrapping up a plot. I felt like JI thoughtfully crafted fitting and beautiful "endings" for Tarisai, Sanjeet, Zuri, Dayo, and the rest of the cast. I especially appreciated Zuri's arc, in how he acted in alignment with his goals and beliefs about bringing about revolution and liberation from the corrupt, wealthy ruling class.
The queer representation was lovely, with our ace-spec character, and lesbian characters too! I really grew to love all of these characters even more, and I appreciated seeing their friendships and romances develop further in this book.
Of course, Tarisai has a lot on her plate - going to the underworld, figuring out ray-things, and coming into her own while balancing respect for who she was before (and who her found family loved before!). It's hard to go through so much change and evolution, not just for you, but for those around you, and I felt that this was illustrated quite realistically. It's uncomfortable sometimes, and I could see where Tarisai's found family was coming from. However, I also just rooted for Tarisai to do what she needed to do, and to evolve into who she wanted to be! Both feelings are valid, and we can hold space for them both.
Again, I will miss this world so much, but I am so grateful for this duology. Truly one of my favorites!
I am so sad that I am done with this duology. I will miss this world and these characters so much! I need a tv or film adaptation ASAP! This would be such a wonderful series to bring to life onscreen!!!
Anyway, I thought this book tied up everything quite nicely, and I didn't feel like anything was *too* convenient for the sake of wrapping up a plot. I felt like JI thoughtfully crafted fitting and beautiful "endings" for Tarisai, Sanjeet, Zuri, Dayo, and the rest of the cast. I especially appreciated Zuri's arc, in how he acted in alignment with his goals and beliefs about bringing about revolution and liberation from the corrupt, wealthy ruling class.
The queer representation was lovely, with our ace-spec character, and lesbian characters too! I really grew to love all of these characters even more, and I appreciated seeing their friendships and romances develop further in this book.
Of course, Tarisai has a lot on her plate - going to the underworld, figuring out ray-things, and coming into her own while balancing respect for who she was before (and who her found family loved before!). It's hard to go through so much change and evolution, not just for you, but for those around you, and I felt that this was illustrated quite realistically. It's uncomfortable sometimes, and I could see where Tarisai's found family was coming from. However, I also just rooted for Tarisai to do what she needed to do, and to evolve into who she wanted to be! Both feelings are valid, and we can hold space for them both.
Again, I will miss this world so much, but I am so grateful for this duology. Truly one of my favorites!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Child death, and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content
theaceofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hesitating between 3.75 and 4 stars for this book. Raybearer set the bar incredibly high and, while still incredibly enjoyable, Redemptor wasn't quite as good. The plot was absolutely delightful and I loved seeing more of Dayo and his asexuality (yay representation!) He's such an incredble character and I am happy that we didn't lose his presence in this book (as we could so easily have as Tarisai has a whole lot of daunting tasks coming up). I also loved seeing Tarisai grow now that she is no longer trapped by her mother, although she definitely faces whole new kind of cruel and manipulative presence in this book. I also enjoyed her stress-induced spiralling. I think many people ill be able to relate to it to some degree even if they haven't experienced it to the same extent she is. I'm glad that she had people who stuck by her and looked out for her through it all.
I was, however, a little disappointed by all the new characters. There are A LOT of them and I feel like less care is given to them than those in the first book. And yet a good portion of the pages is dedicated to this. It means that other important plot points probably aren't given as much space and time as they should have. I really think this book could have benefitted from more pages to accomplish all the many things it as trying to do. Maybe even a whole other book, but I suspect that that would have just resulted in the story dragging so just expanding this (although already not short) would have been a noticeable improvement. Like I would have loved to have seen more of the Underworld as the author clearly put so much effort into making it. (And of course it's also what the duology has been building up to for hundreds of pages) as well as the resolution.
While this book might not quite have lived up to Raybearer for me, I did still enjoy it and would still recommend it. It provides a good conclusion to all the conflict and the story that were started in the previous book. And of course it is always nice to read about a unique fantasy world that is so unlike the more typical western-centric ones that one comes across so often. I hope that the author writes more about the world in the future. It is definitely one I would love to spend more time exploring.
I was, however, a little disappointed by all the new characters. There are A LOT of them and I feel like less care is given to them than those in the first book. And yet a good portion of the pages is dedicated to this. It means that other important plot points probably aren't given as much space and time as they should have. I really think this book could have benefitted from more pages to accomplish all the many things it as trying to do. Maybe even a whole other book, but I suspect that that would have just resulted in the story dragging so just expanding this (although already not short) would have been a noticeable improvement. Like I would have loved to have seen more of the Underworld as the author clearly put so much effort into making it. (And of course it's also what the duology has been building up to for hundreds of pages) as well as the resolution.
While this book might not quite have lived up to Raybearer for me, I did still enjoy it and would still recommend it. It provides a good conclusion to all the conflict and the story that were started in the previous book. And of course it is always nice to read about a unique fantasy world that is so unlike the more typical western-centric ones that one comes across so often. I hope that the author writes more about the world in the future. It is definitely one I would love to spend more time exploring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Blood, Genocide, and Murder
There are also some mentions of the events of the previous bookericadawson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Two for two for the Raybearer series by Jordan Ifueko.
I'd worried at one point that a certain romantic subplot would kill my love for the book, but even that took a a turn that I didn't expect, serving to enhance the overall story of Tarisai Kunleo.
The prose is as lush as the previous installment. I had petty gripes here and there, but overall I loved every word. The story is complex without being convoluted, and rich without being overseasoned. Although I was less invested in the relational and plot conflicts in this one (nothing will ever beat the stakes of the first), I was still glad to see all the twists and turns it took for Tarisai to be the woman she was meant to be. No relationship felt forgotten or underbaked. The pacing was strong and steady 99% of the time. The worldbuilding is at a level that I can only aspire to reach. I love this book. Highly recommend.
I'd worried at one point that a certain romantic subplot would kill my love for the book, but even that took a a turn that I didn't expect, serving to enhance the overall story of Tarisai Kunleo.
The prose is as lush as the previous installment. I had petty gripes here and there, but overall I loved every word. The story is complex without being convoluted, and rich without being overseasoned. Although I was less invested in the relational and plot conflicts in this one (nothing will ever beat the stakes of the first), I was still glad to see all the twists and turns it took for Tarisai to be the woman she was meant to be. No relationship felt forgotten or underbaked. The pacing was strong and steady 99% of the time. The worldbuilding is at a level that I can only aspire to reach. I love this book. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Toxic relationship
readandfindout's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.25
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, War, Child death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Jordan Ifueco is an absolutely brilliant author. I cannot fathom how this story came out of her imagination. so neatly tied every loose end in my opinion. a perfect end to this incredible duology. I love that she wasn't afraid to create the ojiji as blunt and cruel as they are. Anything else I say is un needed. love jordan ifueco.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Gaslighting, Gore, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, War, Classism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, Grief, Classism, Blood, Sexism, Slavery, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Drug use, and Sexual content
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Death of parent
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pretty disappointed in this one tbh. i liked the conclusion but the plot was so slow and we kept returning to the same issues for ages until we find made some plot progression but it was so slow. i think this one lacked the depth of plot that the first one had.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book took everything I loved about Raybearer and made it better. It was once again SO original and so refreshing. I cold never tell where it was going next, but not in a directionless plot kind of way - in a subverting the YA fantasy genre kind of way. I loved Tarisai even more in this instalment: how deeply she loved others, and the way she struggled to make sense of the world yet still tried her utmost to do right by it. This book also improved on something I didn’t like in Raybearer: the time jumps. In this there were far less, so the narrative flowed cohesively.
Redemptor as a book says so much, and I loved each and every theme it delved into. The narrative explores the evils of capitalism. It shows how justice is a marathon and not a sprint; that there must be self-care so that you can continue to contribute. It even illustrates that guilt is not an adequate motive for fighting for justice. This quote on this subject was my favourite from the book:
“Don’t confuse guilt with conviction. Guilt is self-centred, and leads only to destructive obsession. But conviction brings balance - a sense of purpose beyond oneself.”
Redemptor also examines the paradox of sacrificing your values to create a society BASED on your values. It questions what power should look like, and what must be done to achieve that. Overall, I loved that the book challenged the systems that are part-and-parcel of “traditional” (usually white and Western) YA fantasy world-building, namely monarchy and capitalism.
I was initially going to give this book 4.5 stars, not 5. This was because I thought the love triangle was unnecessary and also that I wish Dayo had had more of an active role. But after reading that ending… I knew that nothing less than 5 stars would suffice. It was so satisfying and so well suited. It made me sob MULTIPLE times. It was perfect. Needless to say I can’t wait to see what Ifueko puts out next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Body shaming, Suicide, Vomit, Ableism, Sexual content, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, War, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
Moderate: capital punishment, loss of a loved one, neglect, volcano, Minor: flood, earthquake, mass deathhollyk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I can't help but feel a bit disappointed by this book. I wanted to love it--I loved Raybearer and thought it was so unique and loved all of the diversity.
But this book lacked some of the charm of the first book--namely, Dayo's council, who barely make an appearance before going back to their home realms. And in their place we have Tarisai creating a whole new council of people that to be frank, I had no real interest or investment in with the exception of Min Ja.
It also seems like the empire still isn't really fair? Like sure,Nyamba underwent a revolution and became a more egalitarian state with no poverty, but Tarisai (and Dayo) didn't really keep that same energy when it came to Aritsar as a whole--sure, the Ray can now be passed to anyone at any time, but that doesn't really change the fact that other realms have poverty and the capital has the majority of the resources, which aren't being redistributed like Nyamba did . Nyamba also isn't a focal realm in the first book as far as I can remember, so it felt like this choice was less impactful than it could have been.
The Redemptor arc was only the fifth section, and the previous book seemed to imply that it would be a major part of this book--but at the end of the day, it was barely a factor and could have been a much larger portion with more significance, especially in regards tothe Redemptor children and the abiku's army. That plot line felt too easily wrapped up when it was a major point of contention in the first book.
I still enjoyed this book, the writing is beautiful and the characters are great, but there were just some elements that left me wanting more.
But this book lacked some of the charm of the first book--namely, Dayo's council, who barely make an appearance before going back to their home realms. And in their place we have Tarisai creating a whole new council of people that to be frank, I had no real interest or investment in with the exception of Min Ja.
It also seems like the empire still isn't really fair? Like sure,
The Redemptor arc was only the fifth section, and the previous book seemed to imply that it would be a major part of this book--but at the end of the day, it was barely a factor and could have been a much larger portion with more significance, especially in regards to
I still enjoyed this book, the writing is beautiful and the characters are great, but there were just some elements that left me wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Alcohol, Classism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Alcoholism