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tigger89's review against another edition
- 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 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 — fairly brief, comprising less than 20% of the page count of this volume — 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.
Graphic: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Genocide
emily_mh's review
- 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
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
- 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
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.
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
overbooked207's review against another edition
- 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
1st book of February 2022 and 11th of the year:
I absolutely LOVED this duology, and this was such a perfect conclusion to the story! Once again, the writing, story, and world building were beautiful, immersive, and expansive; the audiobook was beautifully done; the characters were strong, badass, caring, and new favorites of all time, and I love them with all my heart; the representation was great; the quotes and themes were fantastic and important; and I loved the found family aspect so much! These books are definitely two of my new favorite books of all time, and I want everyone to read them! Also, they’re getting adapted, and I couldn’t be more excited! TW for death, murder, blood, war, anxiety, panic attacks, parental neglect and abuse, drug & alcohol use, ableism, suicidal thoughts, negative self image, grief, gaslighting, injuries, misogyny, and violence📚💜🏳️🌈
Graphic: Alcohol, Torture, Grief, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Confinement, Murder, Misogyny, Violence, War, Death, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
escapismforlife's review against another edition
- 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
This sequel and series ending was done in the closet way to flawless. Ifueko is a genius in creating this world and power system.
Every little description of the world of Aritsar in the duology was so vivid. And I loved reading more about it in Redemptor. It was just the best type of fun colorful world that every fantasy reader loves. No description got left unforgotten about in this world. It made me heart so happy to learn new things about this world.
Now all of these characters in this book were beyond realistic. They each had traits which gave them complexity. And that's the standard I want going into all of my fictional YA and adult books. Characters that could be real. No scratch that are like real humans. That can evolve and have layers.
It's a matter of the art of storytelling reflecting actual issues. Each of the characters new and old that were around and away from Tarisai and Dayo had to deal with true potential issues. And the result of that was a beyond good ending.
To wrap up I would say that the plots of some of Tarisai new relations did seem to be her own fault. And since this book follows her progression certain things about her became evident.Some things were better than others.
In the end it didn't draw away from the good and the change. And that says a lot because it had big shoes to fill after Raybearer.
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
thewildmageslibrary's review
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Sexual content
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
- 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
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
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.