REDEMPTOR

Redemptor spectacular conclusion of Raybearer duology.Here are 5 reasons why all high fantasy lovers should read this–1.Intricate plot, high stakes, and beautiful writingThis starts two weeks after the end of the first book. Author quickly takes us to what is happening in Aristsar and Oluwan city after Tarisai takes her rightful place. The plot becomes more and more complex, The stakes are higher than previous book. Writing is beautiful, engaging, emotive, and often lyrical.2.More exploration of worldThere are so many new things to learn- Redempotor child spirits and how they are appearing in real world; festivals, traditions, and customs, blueblood nobles, true power of Ray; artifacts from underworld and more.3.Characters’ struggle and developmentTari is fabulous, so inspiring strong female character. In the first three parts we see her vulnerabiliy. There is lots of emotional conflicts. Her developement was amazing. I loved all old and new council memebers.4.fabulous themes and layersThe main themes of the story is imperialism, justice, survival, and sacrifice. But there are many layers that eloberate these themes and adds more depth to story and characters like imperialism, political intrigue, opresssion, exploitations, poverty, corruption, trust, betrayal, friendship, family, love, selfishness, courage, guilt, conviction, and determination.5.Journey to underworld with mindblowing conclusion.This is my most favorite part.It was truly brilliant the way Tari saved not just herself but all thirteen realms and also all Redemptor spirits.Overall, this was most amazing and the best sequel I ever read.

A fitting end to a beautiful diverse fantasy. Ekundayo and Tarisai will always remain close to my heart. I wish I could've listened to the audiobook, so that I could listen to all the songs

Am’s Story! Redemptor, being the sequel to the Raybearer, was exceptionally written in its own will. The story is very well-connected.The story resumes at the revelation of Tarisai being a Kunleo and Empress of Aristar. The question of Songlander children being sent as Redemptors arises and she withdraws the previous Redemptor Treaty with the abikus and proposes to be the last Redemptor to be sent to the Underworld. This is when she becomes the Empress Redemptor. It is absolutely brilliant how the story is woven for Tarisai to be both a Raybearer and a Redemptor. She plays a powerful role in this one aiding to the future of Aritsar.<b>“I think, Idajo, you severely underestimate how easy you are to love.”</b>There is this graceful character introduced in this book I totally fell in love with — Zuri of Djabanti aka Crocodile. He is purposeful and a charmer. I probably like him better than Tarisai, so does she. She says, “Zuri was more of a hero than I’ll ever be”.The affection and relationships that the council members share is heartwarming and satisfying to read. The minimal romance in either of the books was so warm and enough. There are moments that you feel content with what’s going on and a smile appears on your face.<b>“Guilt is self-centered, and leads only to destructive obsession. But conviction brings balance - a sense of purpose beyond oneself.”</b>The final song by Adukeh was so personal and exceptional at the same time.On the downside however, Redemptor wasn’t as eventful and interesting as Raybearer. The story is always repeatedly trying to make Tarisai feel guilty and it’s infuriating to read how much pressure she goes through all around the book. Nevertheless, it is really extraordinary how the author has written these novels with such fabulous concepts. I’m totally awestruck with this duology!

Raybearer was one of my absolute favourite books of 2020. Not just 2020, it was an all time favourite ya fantasy and I was eagerly anticipating as well apprehensive about the sequel. What if it doesn’t live upto my expectations? What if it’s so bad that I somehow lose my love for the first book? These were some of the questions plaguing me but I needn’t have feared. Tarisai’s story was safe in the hands of Jordan Ifueko and what a story it was!!!Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko picks up right from where it left off in Raybearer. We follow Tarisai who is trying to juggle too many things while being plagued by her many ghosts. I related to her on a deep level with this book. The depiction of her drive for justice, of her need to make everything better and her frustration when nobody understands her were all hauntingly familiar to me. I could see myself in Tarisai, in her battles against her spiraling mental health and her growing isolation from everyone around her. Her character development was so adeptly handled by Ifueko, that I was in awe.I loved how Ifueko expanded on the found family trope in this sequel and somehow made it even better. We get to meet a lot of new characters in this book as well as familiar, much loved characters from Raybearer. Every single one of them were so uniquely memorable. They each had something to add to the plot. I loved how every character learns and grows from each other.“If the world didn’t care about injustice, then I would simply have to care enough for all of them.”Ifueko builds upon the rich, beautiful world of Aritsar and immerses us further into its history, mythology and socio-politico-economic issues. The inequitable class system and the unjust divide between the wealthy and the needy could all be considered a mirror to our own society. I loved how the world building also added to the character development of Tarisai. I was fully transported to this imaginary world, exquisitely crafted by Ifueko and wished I could remain there forever.I cannot find even one bad thing about this book. It was the perfect sequel, the perfect finale and this is one of the bestest YA fantasy duologies ever. It will be a crime to miss out on this series, so add them to your TBRs and fall in love with this beautiful story.

I loved Raybearer and this book was a great sequel! It had been a while since I read Raybearer but it sucked me right back in. It is a YA book but the story is great for adults as well. It has mentions of sex/sexual feelings. Nothing too in depth or descriptive, but generally I would recommend ages 16+. But obviously it's up to parental discretion if they'd give it to a teen younger than that (it's something I probably would have read at like 14)

Tarisai is the first-ever Empress Redemptor to sit on the Aritsar's throne. After making a promise to the spirits of the Underworld, Tarisai must now anoint her own Council and complete the path to becoming a fully powerful Raybearer. Once this is done, she hopes to be strong and powerful enough to fulfil the second part of her promise. She must descend into the Underworld, somehow survive what ordeals are coming her way and make it back out alive. She is doing this to stop all future children from being sacrificed to appease the spirits and to do away with shameful traditions.However, her dread over what awaits her in the Underworld, the pressure of forming her own Council and the uphill battle to convince representatives from each land to join her weighs heavy on her heart. She begins to experience voices in her head and visions of child spirits who have already been sacrificed.They occur daily and taunt her saying that her efforts for progression and redemption are not enough to clean the sins of the Empire. This takes a toll on her emotionally and physically. She keeps it to herself and this leads to a wall building up between Tarisai and her friends.When the stakes are at their highest, with assassination attempts and doubt at every turn, will Tarisai succeed where no one else has before and brings lasting peace and happiness to the Empire or will she and her loved ones end up paying for her bold choices with their lives?🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This was an incredible conclusion to this amazingly creative and beautifully written duology. Tarisai's character development in this book is fascinating from her pursuit of her Council, the progression of her powers and her trauma from dealing with the haunting spirits. I loved how brave she was even in the face of possible defeat and doubt. The mythology and plot were so unique and compelling that I didn’t want it to end. I loved the first book so much but this surpassed it and ended the series on a moving and thrilling note. I cannot highly recommend this and Raybearer enough.

For only the second time in the history of Aritsar, there is an Empress on the throne. But Tarisai is not alone. Sharing the throne with her is Diao, Emperor of Aritsar. Two Raybearers. One male and one female, as had been originally intended. But all is not well.For Tarisai has made a promise: She will anoint her own council from the rulers of the various lands of Aritsar within the next two years, at which time she will serve as the final Redemptor of the land. If she fails, the world will fall to war. But how is Tarisai supposed to convince the leaders to love her?To make things worse, she is being haunted by child spirits, dealing with a growing rebellion, avoiding assassination attempts, and trying to figure out how to rule well.This story picks up shortly after the end of the Raybearer and expands on the story in a beautiful way. Rather than Tarisai supporting Daio while fighting against her own curse, she is growing into her own person and as a ruler. But that growth is not easy, and it requires her to come to terms with her own past.I think I enjoyed this book even more than Raybearer. While Ifueko doesn’t skimp on the development of the characters throughout, this book is really about Tarisai’s growth, both as a person and as an Empress. We see her highs, her lows, her struggles, her loves, her desires, her expectations, all while she tries to fulfill the promises she has made.The character growth she makes is slow in places, and at times I wanted to shake her for the choices she was making, but she does get there in the end. Of course, she doesn’t get there alone, and there are lots of interactions with other characters, some serious and others frivolous, which serve to provide a wider picture of the world and its systems while also supporting the story of Tarisai’s growth.For those of you who have read Raybearer and enjoyed it, you’ll will most likely enjoy this book. If you haven’t read Raybearer yet, you really should read it. Jordan Ifueko weaves a beautiful story of love, belonging, survival, family, oppression, politics, and systemic issues in these two books that is absolutely fantastic.As with the Raybearer, I listened to the audiobook of Redemptor, which was narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. She does a fantastic job, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite female narrators. I definitely recommend listening to her narration. She has a cadence that is absolutely fantastic for this duology, and I greatly enjoyed her performances of the various chants and calls-and-responses.

I would say this is as close to a perfect sequel as it can be. I love how we see Tarisai's inner thoughts and her struggling with the fact she's become and Empress.I love how, even though she is strong enough to do it on her own - and oh boy, does she try - she is not too proud to finally ask for help.And Dayo is asexual! I suspected in the Raybearer but I didn't want to get ahead of myself in case Jordan Ifueko makes it a phase in his teenage years. I am glad to see a character like that and I hope it is a good representation (not being one myself I find it difficult to ascertain).The only thing I have a problem with is the ending. It's a spoiler so if you haven't read it yet, feel free to stop reading, this is the last part of my review.When she made all the rest of Raybearers not only of Kunleo bloodline and having to be worthy, I think that was a mistake. Because if they are not worthy, the Ray could be taken away from them at any moment? I mean, imagine how exhausting it must be, to be worthy at every moment of every day for the rest of your life just to keep the Ray. Honestly, it doesn't seem worth it to me.

4.5 starsI read Raybearer last year, and it was one of the most unique, immersive fantasies I’d come across, one that kept me interested despite the slower, character-driven story. I was so excited to dive back into this world with Redemptor, and it didn’t disappoint.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 charactersContent Warning: anxiety, panic attacks, death/murder, minor blood/gore, mentions of child death/sacrifice