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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 bookescapismforlife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
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