Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Redemptor

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Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

8 reviews

thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring 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

I loved the overall message of a black girl being portrayed as strong or independent when in reality, they're human just like anyone else that needs help. I had to grow up with that mentality in order to survive the trauma that comes with being a black girl. I couldn't depend on anyone other than myself because just like the ojiji in Tarisai's head screaming, 'you're alone', I had those same thoughts for years and even still to this day. She's truly an inspiration within my own healing journey. Now, I do appreciate that Kirah decided to keep her distance from furthering her relationship with Woo In, but again it was extremely unnecessary to have Zuri kiss Tarisai. There's no true confirmation on his age, but it was disturbing to hear that he had loved her mother just the same which sparked their budding relationship.. Overall, I thought this book ended the series on a positive, hopeful future of justice for the realm. I'm excited to read more from Jordan!

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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

This book took everything I loved about Raybearer and made it better. It was once again SO original and so refreshing. I cold never tell where it was going next, but not in a directionless plot kind of way - in a subverting the YA fantasy genre kind of way. I loved Tarisai even more in this instalment: how deeply she loved others, and the way she struggled to make sense of the world yet still tried her utmost to do right by it. This book also improved on something I didn’t like in Raybearer: the time jumps. In this there were far less, so the narrative flowed cohesively.

Redemptor as a book says so much, and I loved each and every theme it delved into. The narrative explores the evils of capitalism. It shows how justice is a marathon and not a sprint; that there must be self-care so that you can continue to contribute. It even illustrates that guilt is not an adequate motive for fighting for justice. This quote on this subject was my favourite from the book:

“Don’t confuse guilt with conviction. Guilt is self-centred, and leads only to destructive obsession. But conviction brings balance - a sense of purpose beyond oneself.”

Redemptor also examines the paradox of sacrificing your values to create a society BASED on your values. It questions what power should look like, and what must be done to achieve that. Overall, I loved that the book challenged the systems that are part-and-parcel of “traditional” (usually white and Western) YA fantasy world-building, namely monarchy and capitalism.

I was initially going to give this book 4.5 stars, not 5. This was because I thought the love triangle was unnecessary and also that I wish Dayo had had more of an active role. But after reading that ending… I knew that nothing less than 5 stars would suffice. It was so satisfying and so well suited. It made me sob MULTIPLE times. It was perfect. Needless to say I can’t wait to see what Ifueko puts out next.

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ashlikes's review against another edition

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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

2.0

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hollyk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-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

3.0

I can't help but feel a bit disappointed by this book. I wanted to love it--I loved Raybearer and thought it was so unique and loved all of the diversity.
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,

Nyamba

underwent a revolution and became a more egalitarian state with no poverty, but Tarisai (and Dayo) didn't really keep that same energy when it came to Aritsar as a whole--sure,

the Ray can now be passed to anyone at any time, but that doesn't really change the fact that other realms have poverty and the capital has the majority of the resources, which aren't being redistributed like Nyamba did

. Nyamba also isn't a focal realm in the first book as far as I can remember, so it felt like this choice was less impactful than it could have been.
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

the Redemptor children and the abiku's army. That plot line felt too easily wrapped up when it was a major point of contention in the first book.

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.

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overbooked207's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

📖 Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko Book Review 📖

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📚💜🏳️‍🌈

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escapismforlife's review against another edition

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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.

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

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sapphic_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

Rep:
Black main character
Lesbian character
Asexual character

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