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A review by tobbled
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko
3.0
(3.5 stars)
I would like to preface this by stating that I did enjoy this book. However, if you sold this as a standalone, without Raybearer attached, I'm not so sure.
I loved Raybearer - loved it. It ran the line between plot and character development in a way so simply beautiful. A line that, for me, Redemptor missed.
The first half of the book? Amazing, beautiful, one of a kind. There were a few throw-away lines here and there but overall, the first half had me hooked. In fact, it introduced me to one of my favourite book quotes ever: "I once promised, that I would never ask you to be less than who you are. But, if you set yourself on fire to warm a frozen world, I will not stand by and watch you burn." Honest to God, Jordan Ifueko is a genius for that one. My reaction to that quote was genuinely just a moment of silence. Upsettingly, the character who said this - Sanjeet - was barely seen in the rest of the book. And this was one of my issues, the book seemed to have so much plot going on that it forgot about its characters. Sanjeet, Kirah, Dayo all seemed to have been thrown on the backburner. This isn't to mean that I didn't enjoy the new characters - I found them all to be quite fun and alluring. But once again, the sheer amount of plot seemed to throw them onto the backburner as well. Except for Zuri, his character arc confused me. And I get it, his whole point was being a misdirect, but I spent all the time reading him either confused - or just straight up disliking him. He was boring, one noted.
Raybearer left us on such an intriguing plotline. And yes, if this book had purely focused on that plotline, it would have been difficult to make interesting. However, the problem lies in the fact that just way too much happens. Don't get me wrong, I thought the whole thing of Tarisai helping the poor and those in poverty was a great concept and idea. And when she first helped the mines, I loved that part. My issue with the book genuinely just might be Zuri. He just felt like the exposition of the book. Like Tarisai was missing crucial information and, oh shit! Here's Zuri to tell her.
I considered giving this book 4 stars due to my pure, unfiltered love for the first half, but the second half was just claustrophobic to me and felt very 'wrapping things up'-esque. Which, ironically, left me wanting more.
I'm going to make one final complaint about the book and this one is nothing to do with Ifueko's writing. Ai Ling. I spenta decent 3/4 of the book thinking she was going to be a twist villian. This was my fault, simply because I didn't (and still don't) remember her from the first book so why the hell was she so prevelent? Still don't get it. Anyway this was a personal thing.
Raybearer is a brilliant duology that I adore with all my heart. I would recommend it to anyone. Just, personally, redemptor seemed to fall short for me.
I would like to preface this by stating that I did enjoy this book. However, if you sold this as a standalone, without Raybearer attached, I'm not so sure.
I loved Raybearer - loved it. It ran the line between plot and character development in a way so simply beautiful. A line that, for me, Redemptor missed.
The first half of the book? Amazing, beautiful, one of a kind. There were a few throw-away lines here and there but overall, the first half had me hooked. In fact, it introduced me to one of my favourite book quotes ever: "I once promised, that I would never ask you to be less than who you are. But, if you set yourself on fire to warm a frozen world, I will not stand by and watch you burn." Honest to God, Jordan Ifueko is a genius for that one. My reaction to that quote was genuinely just a moment of silence. Upsettingly, the character who said this - Sanjeet - was barely seen in the rest of the book. And this was one of my issues, the book seemed to have so much plot going on that it forgot about its characters. Sanjeet, Kirah, Dayo all seemed to have been thrown on the backburner. This isn't to mean that I didn't enjoy the new characters - I found them all to be quite fun and alluring. But once again, the sheer amount of plot seemed to throw them onto the backburner as well. Except for Zuri, his character arc confused me. And I get it, his whole point was being a misdirect, but I spent all the time reading him either confused - or just straight up disliking him. He was boring, one noted.
Raybearer left us on such an intriguing plotline. And yes, if this book had purely focused on that plotline, it would have been difficult to make interesting. However, the problem lies in the fact that just way too much happens. Don't get me wrong, I thought the whole thing of Tarisai helping the poor and those in poverty was a great concept and idea. And when she first helped the mines, I loved that part. My issue with the book genuinely just might be Zuri. He just felt like the exposition of the book. Like Tarisai was missing crucial information and, oh shit! Here's Zuri to tell her.
I considered giving this book 4 stars due to my pure, unfiltered love for the first half, but the second half was just claustrophobic to me and felt very 'wrapping things up'-esque. Which, ironically, left me wanting more.
I'm going to make one final complaint about the book and this one is nothing to do with Ifueko's writing. Ai Ling. I spenta decent 3/4 of the book thinking she was going to be a twist villian. This was my fault, simply because I didn't (and still don't) remember her from the first book so why the hell was she so prevelent? Still don't get it. Anyway this was a personal thing.
Raybearer is a brilliant duology that I adore with all my heart. I would recommend it to anyone. Just, personally, redemptor seemed to fall short for me.