Scan barcode
literarypenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
When I picked up this book, I didn't know what to expect but from how beautiful the cover was presented I knew this book was bound to be intriguing. I was very happy after I finished this book and found a new fantasy series i am interested in reading more of!
The first thing I want to talk about is the world building and the world itself. The world was so interesting and a world I have never seen before in a novel. Each location had it's own culture, people, and diverse landscapes. Each place was different from the other, making the world feel alive and lived in like it could be a real place. The magic system in place was well explained and unique, the powers of the Ray and how the council was joined together as one was a cool concept to explore. The Harrows were cool and explained how some had abilities while others didn't.
The characters were amazing and one of my favorite parts of the book! How you had a strong young female character of color who you watched go through so much and couldn't help but root for her till the very end. Tarisai had earned everything she got in the end and worked hard to get to that point! She had to go through so much but came out stronger by the end! She felt very believable and her struggles connect her with a lot of women who have went through similar obstacles in their own lives. Dayo was also a very well thought out character, he was kind and honest nothing like usual male characters who were born into royalty. He was a noble but he didn't act like it. Also he is canonically asexual, which is unheard of in most books especially if it's the main male lead character. And Tarisai and Dayo had more of a friendship or brother and sister like bond which was very refreshing to read after so many love triangles involving main characters. Sanjeet was a great character, I loved him so much and he was another well thought out and deep character! His story and how he connected to Tarisai was sweet and honestly adorable to read about. They both kept each other grounded and understood each other on a deeper level. Kirah was a supportive and amazing best friend to Tarisai, she was there for her and helped her out without question. Woo In was hilarious and the king of sarcastic humor. The Lady, I think she is one of the best and most complex villians I have read about in a long while. At times her motives are heinous and cruel, other times you understand why she did what she did and sympathize with her. It was fun to have a villian you could feel both ways about.
The themes of emotional abuse and the effects it can have on one person for the remainder of their lives is thought provoking. You love that parent but you hate what they did to you and their hold on you despite wanting to break free from it. They are still your family and you still feel a love for them despite everything they have done to you. It also showed how a system can favor one class over the other, making everyone else's lives harder. How important culture is to a person and how changing that can hurt a group of people.
This book was overall a treat to read and I am glad that I gave this book a chance! I cant wait to read the second book in the series and see what happens next!
The first thing I want to talk about is the world building and the world itself. The world was so interesting and a world I have never seen before in a novel. Each location had it's own culture, people, and diverse landscapes. Each place was different from the other, making the world feel alive and lived in like it could be a real place. The magic system in place was well explained and unique, the powers of the Ray and how the council was joined together as one was a cool concept to explore. The Harrows were cool and explained how some had abilities while others didn't.
The characters were amazing and one of my favorite parts of the book! How you had a strong young female character of color who you watched go through so much and couldn't help but root for her till the very end. Tarisai had earned everything she got in the end and worked hard to get to that point! She had to go through so much but came out stronger by the end! She felt very believable and her struggles connect her with a lot of women who have went through similar obstacles in their own lives. Dayo was also a very well thought out character, he was kind and honest nothing like usual male characters who were born into royalty. He was a noble but he didn't act like it. Also he is canonically asexual, which is unheard of in most books especially if it's the main male lead character. And Tarisai and Dayo had more of a friendship or brother and sister like bond which was very refreshing to read after so many love triangles involving main characters. Sanjeet was a great character, I loved him so much and he was another well thought out and deep character! His story and how he connected to Tarisai was sweet and honestly adorable to read about. They both kept each other grounded and understood each other on a deeper level. Kirah was a supportive and amazing best friend to Tarisai, she was there for her and helped her out without question. Woo In was hilarious and the king of sarcastic humor. The Lady, I think she is one of the best and most complex villians I have read about in a long while. At times her motives are heinous and cruel, other times you understand why she did what she did and sympathize with her. It was fun to have a villian you could feel both ways about.
The themes of emotional abuse and the effects it can have on one person for the remainder of their lives is thought provoking. You love that parent but you hate what they did to you and their hold on you despite wanting to break free from it. They are still your family and you still feel a love for them despite everything they have done to you. It also showed how a system can favor one class over the other, making everyone else's lives harder. How important culture is to a person and how changing that can hurt a group of people.
This book was overall a treat to read and I am glad that I gave this book a chance! I cant wait to read the second book in the series and see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood
theaceofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Oooh I loved this book. I was intrigued om the fist page. Although, full disclaimer, I do love it when fantasy books are based on different cultures. This was a massive plus for me and I kept finding myself wanting to learn more about this world.
The book mainly focusses on Tarisai's journey and I loved seeing her grow and become more confident through the pages. We meet her as a child and learn more of her world as she matures and grows up. The whole concept of the curse is fascinating and I loved seeing her struggle with it, her largely unknown family and what she wants for herself. I enjoyed seeing the subtle shifts in the writing as she grew up to reflect her own changes. While this book is marketed as YA, it is definitely just as suitable for adults. It feels a lot more fleshed out than a lot of the YA books I've recently read and doesn't rely on romance to push the plot forward. The characters feel real and I think that people of all ages can It focuses a lot less on romance than modern YA books seem to and spends more time looking at self growth and destiny and the importance of other forms of love (something I absolutely love and want to see way more of in books). While some characters were definitely more of a focus than others (especially Tarisai and Dayo), all of them felt well thought out. I very much enjoyed how deeply flawed they all were and learning about their weaknesses and fears just as much as their strengths.
There is a lot of beautiful imagery in this book and I liked how it tied back to its African folklore inspirations. The author did reuse a lot of descriptions though and often in the same scenarios. I enjoyed the unique magic system and the concept of the council. The way it works and grants power is fascinating. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before. The world is clearly well thought out and the book does and incredible of of exploring it and just how diverse all its cultures are, while also looking at the dangers of xenophobia and attempts at cultural suppression for the sake of conformity. Although I felt some parts towards the end were a little bit expositiony, this is largely done in a natural way through the plot.
I can definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers who would like to explore a unique world, particularly those who would like to read beyond the typical European-inspired fantasy realms (not that there is anything wrong with them of course). And to those who enjoy YA fiction but are tired of how romance and love triangle heavy the genre has gotten. I will definitely be reading the next book as this one, while it has a good end point, definitely leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the future of Tarisai's world
The book mainly focusses on Tarisai's journey and I loved seeing her grow and become more confident through the pages. We meet her as a child and learn more of her world as she matures and grows up. The whole concept of the curse is fascinating and I loved seeing her struggle with it, her largely unknown family and what she wants for herself. I enjoyed seeing the subtle shifts in the writing as she grew up to reflect her own changes. While this book is marketed as YA, it is definitely just as suitable for adults. It feels a lot more fleshed out than a lot of the YA books I've recently read and doesn't rely on romance to push the plot forward. The characters feel real and I think that people of all ages can It focuses a lot less on romance than modern YA books seem to and spends more time looking at self growth and destiny and the importance of other forms of love (something I absolutely love and want to see way more of in books). While some characters were definitely more of a focus than others (especially Tarisai and Dayo), all of them felt well thought out. I very much enjoyed how deeply flawed they all were and learning about their weaknesses and fears just as much as their strengths.
There is a lot of beautiful imagery in this book and I liked how it tied back to its African folklore inspirations. The author did reuse a lot of descriptions though and often in the same scenarios. I enjoyed the unique magic system and the concept of the council. The way it works and grants power is fascinating. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before. The world is clearly well thought out and the book does and incredible of of exploring it and just how diverse all its cultures are, while also looking at the dangers of xenophobia and attempts at cultural suppression for the sake of conformity. Although I felt some parts towards the end were a little bit expositiony, this is largely done in a natural way through the plot.
I can definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers who would like to explore a unique world, particularly those who would like to read beyond the typical European-inspired fantasy realms (not that there is anything wrong with them of course). And to those who enjoy YA fiction but are tired of how romance and love triangle heavy the genre has gotten. I will definitely be reading the next book as this one, while it has a good end point, definitely leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the future of Tarisai's world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Classism, and Medical content
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Rape, and Slavery
readandfindout's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
5.0
Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Genocide, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Vomit
brynnfai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War and Child death
chloenrogers's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
A lush exploration of character, plot, and the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, and Death of parent
laprismaluna's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
Ahhh this book still makes me smile when I think about it! I love Ifueko's pacing, it's a labor of love that waits for you to find the time to listen. The Lady is positively captivating, and following Tarisai through the world was such a joy. I deeply love the council (kirahhh <3) but I do wish we knew more about the others! I understand that they are a part to play but in a story that focuses so much on the threads that tether them together, they felt like a billowing wind I could never fully grasp. Still, ughhh I love this book so mUCHH
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Genocide, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Rape
Minor: Suicide
starboardstar's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.5
The world-building present within this book is truly incredible. It was so original and detailed, and thus refreshing and captivating to read about. Even though there were 12 kingdoms within the empire, each felt defined and the map helped a lot in keeping track of things (although I do wish cities had been marked, too!). I liked that there were four religious sects that all had a different perspective on theology - this added a very realistic touch! As the reader I could tell that so much thought had been put into the historical context, and even smaller specifics like religious rituals, treaty ceremonies, how lessons were conducted in the Children’s Palace, or the library system. Also, the songs that were included and the way drum language was woven into these, were great. These details and many, many more assisted the bigger world-building and made the place in which Tarisai lived truly fleshed-out. Yet none of this information was ever presented in an info-dumpy way. Within the narrative, there were fantastic parallels drawn between Aristar’s “unifying” actions and colonisation; I’m really keen to see where Ifueko takes this theme in the next book. My absolute favourite part of Tarisai’s world was the magic system, though. The concept of Hallows, and how much variation there was within these, was amazing. Kirah’s songhealer Hallow was my favourite as it was so interesting to me, in that singing different songs translated to different types of healing. For example, singing about weaving baskets translated to healing flesh and skin. But generally how the magic system incorporates the Ray, the Councils, and even the Peace Treaty, was so original.
The plot was truly engrossing. It was odd because I didn’t know where it was going, but it was going somewhere and FAST. This was almost entirely to the book’s benefit. Otherwise, the elements of political intrigue kept me hooked. There were enough plot threads for a nuanced story, but not too many that it didn’t all come together; for example, the treaty between Aristar and Songland concerning child sacrifices to the Underworld, who the Lady is and why she commands Tarisai to kill the Crown Prince, and the relationships within and between the Council and the Council Apparent.
Tarisai was a fantastic MC. She was kind and clever and I loved that she sought out the most fair and right solutions to the problems she and others faced. I loved how much she loved those around her, and her sense of responsibility for her actions. I liked the exploration of her relationship with the Lady. The narrative didn’t try to provide easy answers, and showed the confusion Tarisai felt over the Lady herself and how this impacted how Tarisai saw herself.
The side characters were also great. Ifueko is able to quickly communicate their motivations, dreams, and concerns, so that you get a feel for them early on. This is especially true for Dayo, Kirah, and Sanjeet. I loved how they all had arcs set up as separate from Tarisai’s.
There were two quotes that really pulled at me from this book. The first was “A caravan mustn’t travel faster than its slowest camel.” The second was “What story will you live for? What story do you live for?”
Safe to say, I loved reading this book! However, there was one part I didn’t like and two more I felt unsure of, hence the half-star dock. The part that I didn’t like was the numerous time jumps throughout the book. While this did propel the plot forward, it also made the narrative feel a little disjointed. The first thing that I was unsure of was that it didn’t live up to the found family reputation it has. I was expecting this trope to incorporate the whole Council, but it ended up only being shared between Tarisai, Dayo, Kirah, and Sanjeet. Even then, I would have liked to see more group moments between them described on page, rather than being told that they had happened. It’s the small moments that bring the found family trope to life. The other thing I was unsure of was Kirah and Woo Inn’s relationship. I think Woo In is a minimum of eleven years older than Tarisai, and Kirah is described as being close in age to Tarisai. So I interpreted Kirah’s age towards the end of the book, where the romance begins with Woo Inn, as being probably around 18-20. And because Tarisai is 17, the youngest I thought Woo Inn could be was 28. This just seemed like a really weird age gap to me. But as I’m not actually sure of the ages involved and thus of the age gap, I tried not to let this part affect my rating.
All in all, I am super excited to pick up Redemptor!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Child abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicide, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Violence, Sexual content, and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, Alcohol, Ableism, Vomit, Racism, War, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: capital punishment Minor: self-injury, epidemic, mass death, volcano, imprisonment, floods