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obscurepages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
I just screamed into my pillow, this was absolutely incredible storytelling π
Thank goodness I reread Rarybearer bc diving into Redemptor, you're immediately taken into another world. One with more expansive world-building, same beautiful writing style, and new characters. Redemptor is expansive and clever and it just takes you in.
I admit the new set of characters set me off a bit, I feel like this needed a cast of characters just so I can keep up ππ I would have also loved to know more about these new characters better? But I can't really say that soured my opinions of the book, because this book still had good characterization, particularly Tarisai, Dayo, Ai Ling, Sanjeet, as well as other minor characters like Min Ja and Ye Eun. Like Redemptor feels like it's most plot-driven, but the characterizations are still good. The conversations between Tarisai and Dayo? Sanjeet? Ai Ling? Adukeh and Adebimpe? I loved it π
Also I have to say, Tarisai makes it to the list of my favorite main characters. As a reader, yoh root for her and you feel her suffering. You feel her guilt, you feel her compassion, you feel her need to be loved and her need to create a world worth living. Some of her decisions I don't agree with (I don't want to spoil that much π), but her self-realizations at the end? And her character arc as a whole? I just really love it π₯Ή
Oh and the plot! Kudos to Jordan Idueko because she is a genius storyteller. I love how reading the whole book is just "I don't know what happens next...wait what", but you find everything irresistible and you enjoy the ride π There's one plot twist that I should have seen coming, but it's so clever. And there's also one plot twist that I predicted! (I felt proud because this book is a rollercoaster okay π) Overall, this was just an incredible story. A fitting finish to a great start.
Raybearer and Redemptor are only a duology and yet it feels like I read more than two books. Truly chef's kiss. Proud to say they are now one of my favorites.
Exact rating: 5 just because
CW: death, war, murder, grief, trauma, death of a parent, death of children (sacrifice), enslaved dead children, fatal injuries, limb injuries, discussions of pregnancy/abortion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
melliedm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
A fantastic follow up to Raybearer that delivers on the promises set in the first book.
In Redemptor, Tarisai must balance the guilt she carries over her past, present, and possible futures with her convictions about what the world could be. We see into the darkness of her own mind (metaphorically) as the supernatural abiku put their plans into motion, and see whether she will become her own or not.
My only complaint is the same as in book 1: the weird age-gap relationship of two side characters.The age gap is lampshaded in this one (a 17 y/o and a 25 y/o), and βput on iceβ as if were. It remained the awkward standout in an otherwise truly fantastic YA duology.
In Redemptor, Tarisai must balance the guilt she carries over her past, present, and possible futures with her convictions about what the world could be. We see into the darkness of her own mind (metaphorically) as the supernatural abiku put their plans into motion, and see whether she will become her own or not.
My only complaint is the same as in book 1: the weird age-gap relationship of two side characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
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 donβt 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: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
blueberry0531's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
tired_cicada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
I enjoyed this book aplenty. It had good and bad to it.
For the good, Ifueko's writing style is so pretty and poetic. She writes characters who feel like real people. She handles sensitivite subjects with such grace and honor. Her takes in justice and personal accountability leave a flushed out story while also making a clear social comentary. Her use of mythology to enhance the story without turning it into a crutch is so masterful! All of her story lines get wrapped up, I don't like anything plot important was left with loose threads. Some relationships were left open ended, and not everything is "fixed" but it was a natural conclusion to the duology.
The Ace rep specifically was so dear to me! To have an emotional, loving, HUMAN character who is conically ace is so rare! Love my boy Dyao!!
As for the not so good--
There were definitely some pacing issues with this book. The magic system, particularly the bargain aspect of it, could have used a bit more time to flush it out.
The love triangle was entirely unnecessary, particularly when it amounted to nothing.
It was a little predictableWHAT?! you mean the vigilante (that has apparently been active for ages but only mentioned now) and the secondary love interest who acts a fool in public but is smart and articulate with the MC are the SAME PERSON?! WHAT? the Lady who spent the entire last book being sneaky and deceitful is STILL sneaky and deceitful in death? Shocker!! and I wish it would have surprised me a little more.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, and I liked it.
For the good, Ifueko's writing style is so pretty and poetic. She writes characters who feel like real people. She handles sensitivite subjects with such grace and honor. Her takes in justice and personal accountability leave a flushed out story while also making a clear social comentary. Her use of mythology to enhance the story without turning it into a crutch is so masterful! All of her story lines get wrapped up, I don't like anything plot important was left with loose threads. Some relationships were left open ended, and not everything is "fixed" but it was a natural conclusion to the duology.
The Ace rep specifically was so dear to me! To have an emotional, loving, HUMAN character who is conically ace is so rare! Love my boy Dyao!!
As for the not so good--
There were definitely some pacing issues with this book. The magic system, particularly the bargain aspect of it, could have used a bit more time to flush it out.
The love triangle was entirely unnecessary, particularly when it amounted to nothing.
It was a little predictable
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, and I liked it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism
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: Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Mental illness, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Genocide, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
There are also some mentions of the events of the previous booktigger89's review against another edition
adventurous
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
This is the second book in the Raybearer series. This review will contain spoilers for the first book!
I loved Raybearer so much when I read it earlier this year. In some ways the sequel disappointed, as it wasn't the story I'd wanted. But, upon reflection, I don't believe the story we got was bad for being different. Whether it was the events of 2020 that derailed an original plan or if it had been planned out this way all along, while it might not be my favorite, I do believe it was a solid ending to Tarisai's story.
What I'd been hoping to find was another exploration of the council bond, teasing the limitations and maybe even digging into the potential dark side of the bond. I believed this was coming due to Tarisai's impending separation from both her original council and the new one she had yet to form, as she would have to traverse the underworld alone. Instead, we found the requirement to remain with your fellow council members largely handwaved, which I admit was disappointing to me. The drawback was part of what made the concept of the council bond so compelling. I was also disappointed that the vast majority of her original council siblings took such a backseat, especially the way Sanjeet was pushed aside for plot reasons that, frankly, felt pretty unnecessary to me.
What I hadn't been expecting from this novel was a full-on treatise about self-care and how to avoid burning out, or losing yourself in despair of not being able to immediately fix everything that's wrong. I picked up on the theme pretty quickly, and I love that it was a thing. This is something talked about a lot more over the past 2-3 years, which leaves me wondering what this book might have been like if it had been published at the same time as the first volume, written before our most recent major protest movement kicked off. I was satisfied by the finale of the story, and felt that the sequence in the underworld β fairly brief, comprising less than 20% of the page count of this volume β was very well done, in terms of atmosphere and tension.
All in all, I was satisfied with this sequel, though I liked the first volume more. There was a lot that could have been, but that's what fanfiction is for, right? If you only loved Raybearer for the family Tarisai finds this might fall flat for you, particularly if you're a massive Sanjeet fan. But if you found yourself invested in the bigger picture, I recommend finishing the duology.
I loved Raybearer so much when I read it earlier this year. In some ways the sequel disappointed, as it wasn't the story I'd wanted. But, upon reflection, I don't believe the story we got was bad for being different. Whether it was the events of 2020 that derailed an original plan or if it had been planned out this way all along, while it might not be my favorite, I do believe it was a solid ending to Tarisai's story.
What I'd been hoping to find was another exploration of the council bond, teasing the limitations and maybe even digging into the potential dark side of the bond. I believed this was coming due to Tarisai's impending separation from both her original council and the new one she had yet to form, as she would have to traverse the underworld alone. Instead, we found the requirement to remain with your fellow council members largely handwaved, which I admit was disappointing to me. The drawback was part of what made the concept of the council bond so compelling. I was also disappointed that the vast majority of her original council siblings took such a backseat, especially the way Sanjeet was pushed aside for plot reasons that, frankly, felt pretty unnecessary to me.
What I hadn't been expecting from this novel was a full-on treatise about self-care and how to avoid burning out, or losing yourself in despair of not being able to immediately fix everything that's wrong. I picked up on the theme pretty quickly, and I love that it was a thing. This is something talked about a lot more over the past 2-3 years, which leaves me wondering what this book might have been like if it had been published at the same time as the first volume, written before our most recent major protest movement kicked off. I was satisfied by the finale of the story, and felt that the sequence in the underworld β fairly brief, comprising less than 20% of the page count of this volume β was very well done, in terms of atmosphere and tension.
All in all, I was satisfied with this sequel, though I liked the first volume more. There was a lot that could have been, but that's what fanfiction is for, right? If you only loved Raybearer for the family Tarisai finds this might fall flat for you, particularly if you're a massive Sanjeet fan. But if you found yourself invested in the bigger picture, I recommend finishing the duology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Fire/Fire injury
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, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and War
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: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation
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, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Sexual content, and Abandonment