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cerilouisereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Let's start with the good: Tarisai is one of the best YA leads I've read in a while. Her growth and development from the first book continues into this one. She makes mistakes (frustrating from the reader's perspective haha), but she learns from them and she's not afraid of failure. The world-building continues to be beautiful and unique in this book—so vivid and compelling.
A big part of this story is that Tarisai has eleven "Council siblings" that she loves and is bonded to, and my one complaint from the first book was that we only really got to know three or four of them—the others were just kind of there. And I was hoping to get to know them better in this book. But right from the start pretty much, the council is sent away and separated across the land. They have less of a presence in this book than they did in the first book. Even the ones we got to know, Kirah and Sanjeet, are barely in this book. And then we're introduced to a whole new cast of characters, and the same thing happens—we get time with a few of them but the rest are just there for plot. There's a lot of "they are family" talk but not much of that is actually seen. It was disappointing.
I actually wish this was a trilogy instead of just a duology. The world is so fascinating, and I think the characters could have been fleshed out more if the story had more time to breathe. The ending was very anticlimactic, and the one thing I thought would be a major part of the story was resolved in about a chapter.
Anyways, I'm glad I read this series. But the first book was definitely the best.
A big part of this story is that Tarisai has eleven "Council siblings" that she loves and is bonded to, and my one complaint from the first book was that we only really got to know three or four of them—the others were just kind of there. And I was hoping to get to know them better in this book. But right from the start pretty much, the council is sent away and separated across the land. They have less of a presence in this book than they did in the first book. Even the ones we got to know, Kirah and Sanjeet, are barely in this book. And then we're introduced to a whole new cast of characters, and the same thing happens—we get time with a few of them but the rest are just there for plot. There's a lot of "they are family" talk but not much of that is actually seen. It was disappointing.
I actually wish this was a trilogy instead of just a duology. The world is so fascinating, and I think the characters could have been fleshed out more if the story had more time to breathe. The ending was very anticlimactic, and the one thing I thought would be a major part of the story was resolved in about a chapter.
Anyways, I'm glad I read this series. But the first book was definitely the best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Blood
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Sexual content
sankta_aleena's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Blood
e_flah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
First off, I really wish I'd known Redemptor was the finale of the Raybearer books before I finished it. There were quite a few things about the book that frustrated me a bit while reading that I've come around on now that I know this was the end of the series.
To start with what I enjoyed, Tarisai continues to be such a wonderful, compelling main character. One of the main focuses of Redemptor is Tarisai's struggle to decide how she wants to use her new power now that she is the Empress Redemptor. So often in fantasy, we see characters assume the mantle of power + responsibility seemingly effortlessly so I really loved watching Tarisai grapple with tough questions of whether she was doing enough to address historical wrongs and what type of force she felt comfortable using to enact her new policies. These questions were handled thoughtfully in a way that also added a lot of nuance to Tarisai as a character. Tarisai is one of those protagonists who is easy to root for and I really enjoyed her character arc over the course of Redemptor.
To start with what I enjoyed, Tarisai continues to be such a wonderful, compelling main character. One of the main focuses of Redemptor is Tarisai's struggle to decide how she wants to use her new power now that she is the Empress Redemptor. So often in fantasy, we see characters assume the mantle of power + responsibility seemingly effortlessly so I really loved watching Tarisai grapple with tough questions of whether she was doing enough to address historical wrongs and what type of force she felt comfortable using to enact her new policies. These questions were handled thoughtfully in a way that also added a lot of nuance to Tarisai as a character. Tarisai is one of those protagonists who is easy to root for and I really enjoyed her character arc over the course of Redemptor.
“The only thing more powerful than a wish is a purpose.”
The two elements of the book that bugged me are minor gripes. Redemptor introduces a ton of new characters on top of the already very large cast from Raybearer that returned in book 2. It could be hard to keep track of who was who, particularly with the new characters who tended to get less page time. The second thing was the pacing felt a bit off. Given the premise of the book and the way events were set up at the end of Raybearer, I really expected some external plot conflicts to get more attention in the story. (view spoiler)
Overall, Redemptor was an enjoyable read and a solid follow-up to Raybearer. Ifueko's writing continues to be incredibly lyrical and immersive; this is one of those books that transported me to an entirely different place while I was reading it. I'm looking forward to rereading Redemptor with the context that the Raybearer books are a duology as I'm sure that will change my overall impressions of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood
Minor: Child death
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-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
4.5
I read Raybearer last year, and it was one of the most unique, immersive fantasies I’d come across, one that kept me interested despite the slower, character-driven story. I was so excited to dive back into this world with Redemptor, and it didn’t disappoint.
Ifueko did such a brilliant job further developing Tarisai, Dayo, Kirah, and Sanjeet, as well as all of the other characters and the world they live in. I was once again immersed in the story from the first chapter, and sped through it, eager to know what solutions there could possibly be to all of the new and old problems the characters faced.
Tar and Dayo and their council siblings really grew on me in the first book, and I enjoyed being back with them. I also grew to like many other, new characters, especially Min Ja, Adukeh, Ji Huan, and even Zuri. Although, I must say, my shipper heart was already quite set on Tar x Sanjeet, so I never did hop on the Tar x Zuri bandwagon. I’m not sure if I was supposed to or not, but I did not. My favorite new relationship, by far, was Tar and Min Ja. The latter basically adopted the former as her younger sister, and that was so sweet to see. (Also, I may or may not find Min Ja attractive. 🌚)
One smaller detail that I found refreshing was Tarisai’s disinterest in having children. Granted, there was some personal trauma tied to it, but even beyond that, she simply didn’t think it was for her. While I have absolutely no qualms about series ending with the protagonist and their love interest with or planning to have a kid or multiple—in fact, I’m quite obsessed with the idea of any of my ships as parents, whether it’s canon or not—it was nice to see Ifueko shake that standard up a bit.
I found the end of the book quite satisfying, too. There were some stressful and unexpected moments in the final chapters, even some unexpected moments in the very last chapter, but everything worked out. I’m happy with the way Ifueko wrapped things up, and I look forward to seeing what she does in the future.
Representation
Ifueko did such a brilliant job further developing Tarisai, Dayo, Kirah, and Sanjeet, as well as all of the other characters and the world they live in. I was once again immersed in the story from the first chapter, and sped through it, eager to know what solutions there could possibly be to all of the new and old problems the characters faced.
Tar and Dayo and their council siblings really grew on me in the first book, and I enjoyed being back with them. I also grew to like many other, new characters, especially Min Ja, Adukeh, Ji Huan, and even Zuri. Although, I must say, my shipper heart was already quite set on Tar x Sanjeet, so I never did hop on the Tar x Zuri bandwagon. I’m not sure if I was supposed to or not, but I did not. My favorite new relationship, by far, was Tar and Min Ja. The latter basically adopted the former as her younger sister, and that was so sweet to see. (Also, I may or may not find Min Ja attractive. 🌚)
One smaller detail that I found refreshing was Tarisai’s disinterest in having children. Granted, there was some personal trauma tied to it, but even beyond that, she simply didn’t think it was for her. While I have absolutely no qualms about series ending with the protagonist and their love interest with or planning to have a kid or multiple—in fact, I’m quite obsessed with the idea of any of my ships as parents, whether it’s canon or not—it was nice to see Ifueko shake that standard up a bit.
I found the end of the book quite satisfying, too. There were some stressful and unexpected moments in the final chapters, even some unexpected moments in the very last chapter, but everything worked out. I’m happy with the way Ifueko wrapped things up, and I look forward to seeing what she does in the future.
Representation
- full cast of characters of color
- Black protagonist and side characters
- Black biromantic asexual side character
- sapphic side character in a sapphic relationship
- queer side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Gore
Explanations -mental illness: Tarisai experiences anxiety. -death of parent: Tarisai lost her mother and Dayo lost both of his parents, all prior to the story. -child death: Mentions of child sacrifice throughout the book, all prior to the story. -fire/fire injury: Reference to an event of the first book that’s briefly remembered/reflected upon in this one. -suicidal thoughts: By a side character, at the very beginning of the book.
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