Redemptor
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- Create Date：2021-08-16 17:16:04
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Jordan Ifueko
- ISBN：1471410137
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Summary
The hotly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling YA fantasy about Tarisai's quest to change her fate
For the first time， an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar's throne。 To appease the sinister spirits of the dead， Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own， coming into her full power as a Raybearer。 She must then descend into the Underworld， a sacrifice to end all future atrocities。
Tarisai is determined to survive。 Or at least， that's what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends。 Months into her shaky reign as empress， child spirits haunt her， demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire。
With the lives of her loved ones on the line， assassination attempts from unknown quarters， and a handsome new stranger she can't quite trust 。 。 。 Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her。 But in this finale to the Raybearer duology， Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice 。 。 。 or to live for it。
For the first time， an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar's throne。 To appease the sinister spirits of the dead， Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own， coming into her full power as a Raybearer。 She must then descend into the Underworld， a sacrifice to end all future atrocities。
Tarisai is determined to survive。 Or at least， that's what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends。 Months into her shaky reign as empress， child spirits haunt her， demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire。
With the lives of her loved ones on the line， assassination attempts from unknown quarters， and a handsome new stranger she can't quite trust 。 。 。 Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her。 But in this finale to the Raybearer duology， Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice 。 。 。 or to live for it。
Reviews
Lauren Davis
，
I am so excited！ This book comes out tomorrow！
Sarah
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review。 This is the second book in the Raybearer series and it was so good！ I simultaneously wanted to race through it and slow down so it wouldn't end。 I loved following Tarisai on her quest to save more children from being sent to the Underworld。 There are new characters and beloved favorites， like Jeet。 I wish the book had a map of all the realms though。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review。 This is the second book in the Raybearer series and it was so good！ I simultaneously wanted to race through it and slow down so it wouldn't end。 I loved following Tarisai on her quest to save more children from being sent to the Underworld。 There are new characters and beloved favorites， like Jeet。 I wish the book had a map of all the realms though。 。。。more
bookstahere
，
This was one of the most anticipated sequel especially as the previous book must have definitely got all the readers worried about how Tarisai is going to handle her entry to the Underworld。 It was a beautiful and satisfactory ending without a doubt。 It deals with how she races against time in anointing a full council of hers and how she adapts herself to her new role as an Empress。 She has decided to sacrifice herself as the last Redemptor to save all the kids from that horrible fate。True to he This was one of the most anticipated sequel especially as the previous book must have definitely got all the readers worried about how Tarisai is going to handle her entry to the Underworld。 It was a beautiful and satisfactory ending without a doubt。 It deals with how she races against time in anointing a full council of hers and how she adapts herself to her new role as an Empress。 She has decided to sacrifice herself as the last Redemptor to save all the kids from that horrible fate。True to her name， "behold what is coming"， the readers will have to wait for the justice and new order that she brings along even at a point where it could hurt her and her council。 This books has more kinds of magic， more secrets that come out， more interesting characters - Zuri especially。 Also I felt there was some underlying philosophy reflected as well when Tarisai ponders over what her purpose should be and what kind of leader should be。 That itself is proof on how amazing she will be in that role。 Absolutely enjoyed the world-building with all undertones of African mythology。But I do want to read more of Zuri and his story as the author left a possible opening for that！ 。。。more
Jenna Lee
，
This was as incredible and amazing as I expected it to be。 Go read this duology！！
Emily
，
5 STARS DOES NOT DO THIS SEQUEL JUSTICE！ I have to say that the raybearer duology is probably my favourite series i have read in a lo time！ i cannot recommend this book enough， and EVERYONE should read these！！！
Elizabeth
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Overall wonderfully done。 A fun story with high stakes that feel believable。 As a reader， I felt like I was promised a lot more time in the Underworld than I got。 I was looking for more of that adventure instead of the diplomatic moves and internal struggle Tarisai goes through in balancing the Redemptor promise she made。 As for the internal struggle， it was frustrating to read because （to me as the reader） the choices were OBVIOUS。 I understand they weren't to Tarisai， but they didn't feel as g Overall wonderfully done。 A fun story with high stakes that feel believable。 As a reader， I felt like I was promised a lot more time in the Underworld than I got。 I was looking for more of that adventure instead of the diplomatic moves and internal struggle Tarisai goes through in balancing the Redemptor promise she made。 As for the internal struggle， it was frustrating to read because （to me as the reader） the choices were OBVIOUS。 I understand they weren't to Tarisai， but they didn't feel as gray as I felt like I was supposed to feel about them。 And that may be life experiences that I bring as a reader。 Regardless， it read like books where I struggle through the first 75-80% of the book to get to the action。 And then the climax seems rushed。I also wasn't a fan of "I later learned/found out"。 Just tell me later。 The times it was used took me out of the moment and could have had major， emotional impact later on in the book。 Even if it added pages to the story。 Ifueko has a style I'd readily read more for that kind of information。 。。。more
callie
，
Jordan Ifeuko does it again。 Once again i’m stunned by her fantastic writing， she masterfully creators a world that immerses the reader completely。 The plot was woven so well and her creativity is mind blowing。 Redemptor was a fantastic conclusion！ The messages about corruption can actively be applied to the world we currently live in。 The way emotions were written was so amazing， i cannot comprend how someone can be this talented at writing。ALL HAIL JORDAN IFEUKO！！！ and if you haven’t read this Jordan Ifeuko does it again。 Once again i’m stunned by her fantastic writing， she masterfully creators a world that immerses the reader completely。 The plot was woven so well and her creativity is mind blowing。 Redemptor was a fantastic conclusion！ The messages about corruption can actively be applied to the world we currently live in。 The way emotions were written was so amazing， i cannot comprend how someone can be this talented at writing。ALL HAIL JORDAN IFEUKO！！！ and if you haven’t read this duology what are you even doing？ 。。。more
Rums The Reader
，
And that is how you write a conclusion people， i’m in awe and will gladly read anything Jordan Ifueko writes till the end of time。 no thoughts head empty - review to come when i can muster sufficient words！ （All the stars， all the love and all the tears were shed）
Hannah Thistlethwaite
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*4。5*
Narah
，
I was really excited for this book after reading Raybearer… but I’m going to DNF it at 30%。 Please remember that I didn’t finish the book before taking this review entirely to heart。It isn’t a bad book， I just think that Raybearer set the bar really high and Redemptor did not meet that expectation。 In the acknowledgments， the author mentions how Raybearer took her twelve years to write， but she finished Redemptor in nine months。 It was her first sequel and she was working on it during 2020。 I th I was really excited for this book after reading Raybearer… but I’m going to DNF it at 30%。 Please remember that I didn’t finish the book before taking this review entirely to heart。It isn’t a bad book， I just think that Raybearer set the bar really high and Redemptor did not meet that expectation。 In the acknowledgments， the author mentions how Raybearer took her twelve years to write， but she finished Redemptor in nine months。 It was her first sequel and she was working on it during 2020。 I think we all know what the pressures were during that time， on top of writing a book。Bearing that in mind， I can understand why Tarisai felt so different in this book compared to the first one， even though the timeline is set closely together in the books。 In the first book， we could feel Tarisai’s stress， and how she faced her fears head on even though she would sometimes hesitate first。 Courage was not a stranger to her。 In Redemptor， Tarisai felt fragile。 She was constantly panicking and avoiding issues， both physically and mentally。 The people around her verbalized （through the Ray） how they weren’t sure if she could handle recent events， and her reactions backed up those worries in a way that I don’t feel would have happened to the Tarisai in Raybearer。 She was constantly thinking about how she needed to make a show of strength publicly but then would give into small pressures or practically plead with the kingdom’s rulers to see things her way。 I am not advocating for bullying the rulers to do what she needs them to， but maybe a cohesive argument would have been better than a sudden violent vision and then an immediate apology for giving them the vision？ Just， you know， a thought。 Things also might have gone more smoothly if the Anointed Ones had communicated better。 You would think that since their minds are bonded that they would be better about that。Another reason that I decided not to finish Redemptor was the constant real-world culture dumping。 In the first book it was obvious that inspiration was pulled from West Africa， Korea， and Scandinavia — at the very least — by using names， phonetics， and clothing from those cultures。 In Redemptor， however， I felt like I couldn’t go two pages without something from the real world jarring me out of the book。 Constant uses of things like “ma Cherie”， hanfu， and chiton felt out of place （because they are so culturally specific） and seemed like it was being used as a crutch in world building， as opposed to soft world building like in the first book。 It was odd to use French， Chinese， and Greek words for some characters （who hadn’t existed or been well developed in Raybearer） but in the instances of things that had been previously explored， real-world cultures were implied more than used。 Examples of this would be how Songland is based off Korea but I don’t think that hanbok was ever used to describe women’s clothing， or how Tarisai’s clothes are called wrappers instead of lappa （as far as I remember）。I think that this book is just one of the instances where it was pushed too quickly into being published and that if it had been edited a bit more then it would have been an equal to Raybearer。 As it is though， I don’t know if I will ever try to finish it。 。。。more
Abby
，
A great sequel and conclusion to this duology。 I love the premise of having to enter the Underworld to end the cycle of Redemptors。 Tarisai during this book just breaks my heart she is trying so hard to do the right thing all while being convinced that she is alone and unworthy and I genuinely love that arc and think that it's so important。 I also appreciate Dayo being ace （this is in the first book as well） and everyone being like no you're not broken and there are so many people that feel the A great sequel and conclusion to this duology。 I love the premise of having to enter the Underworld to end the cycle of Redemptors。 Tarisai during this book just breaks my heart she is trying so hard to do the right thing all while being convinced that she is alone and unworthy and I genuinely love that arc and think that it's so important。 I also appreciate Dayo being ace （this is in the first book as well） and everyone being like no you're not broken and there are so many people that feel the same way， it is also brought up there are multiple ways to 'be' asexual that it's not a monolith。 Dayo and Tar talk about the issue of heirs， Dayo being sex-repulsed and Tar not wanting to be a mother （questioned at first then excepted very quickly） is never contended with and they just agree to find another way and they do。 Overall I love what the book says about institutions that exist in our world while not feeling overbearing with its message which I appreciate， I wish that more fantasy and sci-fi books went as far as Ifueko did。 。。。more
Doreen
，
8/14/2021 4。5 stars rounded up。 So much story， not enough book！ Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium。net。 8/14/2021 4。5 stars rounded up。 So much story， not enough book！ Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium。net。 。。。more
Kaitlin
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I have no words。 Amazing duology。
Britt Writerly
，
"Radical Imagination"I loved Raybearer。 It was my favorite ya fantasy of 2020 EASILY。 Redemptor is my favorite ya fantasy of 2021 and I can say that with confidence-- in August。 Redemptor is radical。 That word gets thrown around a lot but the Latin origins of the word literally mean "preceding from a root。" Redemptor is that。 It takes the essence of things like power， self-love， duty， guilt， and family and unravels them until the kernel in the middle is bared to all。 I had multiple praise breaks "Radical Imagination"I loved Raybearer。 It was my favorite ya fantasy of 2020 EASILY。 Redemptor is my favorite ya fantasy of 2021 and I can say that with confidence-- in August。 Redemptor is radical。 That word gets thrown around a lot but the Latin origins of the word literally mean "preceding from a root。" Redemptor is that。 It takes the essence of things like power， self-love， duty， guilt， and family and unravels them until the kernel in the middle is bared to all。 I had multiple praise breaks in this book！Redemptor is the sequel to Raybearer and it picks up with Tarisai Kunleo racing to anoint her own council so that she can be a full raybearer-- all so she can enter the Underworld as the last redemptor。 The catch: her council must be the rulers of the eleven Arit realms， and y'all， these rulers are not overly fond of our girl。 With this daring treaty between herself and the abiku， Tarisai would end the centuries-old tradition of Songland children being sacrificed for peace。 But can she anoint her council of kings and queens in the two year time block？ Even if she does， will she survive the Underworld as so few Songland children have？What makes Redemptor a different monarchy-themed ya fantasy is that neither Jordan Ifueko nor Tarisai are satisfied with the story being that。 Tarisai questions the tradition of power and privilege throughout the book and Jordan Ifueko so beautifully prepares Tarisai to answer those questions-- not on her own as a rugged individual but with the help of friends and family。 It truly is a book true to its protagonist's' name: Behold What Is Coming。 。。。more
Miranda
，
Hold on， it's hard to write a review when I'm crying like a baby。 This book was everything。 The characters were written in such a way that you grew to love them， I didn't find a single one annoying （which is very rare for me as I don't really like people in general） all flaws were redeemed， and the ending was happy and hopeful。 The world that the author created was SO vivid and relatable in a sense that not everything was so down that I couldn't imagine myself there。 Just， read this book， ok？ Re Hold on， it's hard to write a review when I'm crying like a baby。 This book was everything。 The characters were written in such a way that you grew to love them， I didn't find a single one annoying （which is very rare for me as I don't really like people in general） all flaws were redeemed， and the ending was happy and hopeful。 The world that the author created was SO vivid and relatable in a sense that not everything was so down that I couldn't imagine myself there。 Just， read this book， ok？ Read it and the one before it。 You can thank me later。 。。。more
Etta
，
Redemptor is the final novel in the Raybearer duology。 It picks up right where the last novel left off， so it is highly advisable to read the first before moving on to the second。 The story begins with the two Raybearers， Dayo and Tarisai。 Dayo is now High Emperor of Aristar and King of Oluwan， while Tarisai is High Empress。 They are working on the transition of power after the events in the previous novel and holding off on their official coronations until after Tarisai returns from her mis Redemptor is the final novel in the Raybearer duology。 It picks up right where the last novel left off， so it is highly advisable to read the first before moving on to the second。 The story begins with the two Raybearers， Dayo and Tarisai。 Dayo is now High Emperor of Aristar and King of Oluwan， while Tarisai is High Empress。 They are working on the transition of power after the events in the previous novel and holding off on their official coronations until after Tarisai returns from her mission to the Underworld。 With the deal she made， Tarisai is on a quest to Ray-bond with the leaders of the kingdoms to form her own council。 This quest and the main Underworld portion are just two pieces in this complex tale。 Similar with the first， there are multiple smaller obstacles that are presented and solved along the way， so the pacing remains fairly fast throughout。 In this novel， Tarisai is 17 years old at the start and transitions to 18 by the end。 First and foremost， I am very impressed by the growth that this character has gone through since first meeting her at 11 years old。 She goes from a lonely naïve child to an adult with her own found family。 Nothing is perfect as she is trying to figure out her new role plus the relationships around her， which I greatly enjoyed。 It felt very natural and realistic that she was trying to logically work her way through many problems， but emotions also clouded her judgement at times。 It is very relatable and refreshing as the “hero” of the story did not know everything， but wanted to work to try to accomplish her goals。 One standout struggle is the expectation for the Raybearer to have heirs， but Tarisai does not have a desire for children。 The concepts of the Raybearer and Redemptor are greatly explored through the novel and it was very interesting to see Tarisai’s role in both。 The relationships throughout this story were amazing。 Tarisai and Jeet continue to have their romantic feelings， but it is very complex。 Each of them have their separate roles and their connected roles on top of these feelings。 It was refreshing that their romantic love fit the situation and characters as they care greatly about the other， but it is not simple to be together and they have their own responsibilities that come first。 The concept of love is one of my favorite elements of this novel。 The word “love” in novels typically relates to romantic love， but this novel takes it a step further。 There is all types of love between ideas， subjects （for monarchs/leaders）， friends， family， and romantic partners。 All are valid types of love and one does not necessarily trump the other。 It was a very well done concept and stood out to me while reading both novels。 As both Dayo and Tarisai are navigating their roles as rulers， the two of them spend more time together and it was nice to get to know Dayo more as a character。 He is a very interesting character and I would have liked to get know him even further， although I do love that his asexuality is explored。 Kirah is away from Tarisai for part of the novel。 Since Tarisai is the narrator for the story， I missed getting to further know her character。 Although some of Dayo’s other council members， like Ai Ling， and some of Tarisai’s potential council members are more prominent in this story compared to the previous， some of their characters are given more dimension。 Ideally， I would have loved to learn even more as there are even some of Dayo’s council that I cannot remember， but I did understand the limitations of the story。 There are enough interactions between all the characters to keep me captivated and they were all written well。 The characters were all interesting， so I just could not get enough of them and wanted more。 Some fascinating standouts for the rulers were King Zuri and Min Ja （Woo In’s sister）。 Both had important roles in the story and were very complex characters。 Overall， this was an excellent sequel and Raybearer was an amazing duology。 The oijji spirits that haunt Tarisai throughout the story were very compelling elements and I loved how the author handled this portion of Tarisai’s journey。 The duology is full of a large cast of characters， multiple big-picture plots， and many subplots that were all handled well as it felt that everything within the story had a purpose。 As I loved a lot about these novels， of course， I would always wish for more; however， everything that was written on the page was well done。 Although I was nervous that my high expectations would not be met in this novel， I am glad that I had nothing to worry about as this was a fantastic read！ [4。5 rounded to 5] 。。。more
Brenna
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A lovely follow up to the second book and a great conclusion to the series。 I loved the character growth Tarisai goes through in this book， specifically the message of finding the strength to ask for help and the need for vulnerability in letting her new council get to know her。 I didn’t love and didn’t really understand the attraction between Tarisai and Zuri， especially when it’s revealed how their pasts intersect， but it made for a great reunion scene between Tarisai and Sanjeet。 The only oth A lovely follow up to the second book and a great conclusion to the series。 I loved the character growth Tarisai goes through in this book， specifically the message of finding the strength to ask for help and the need for vulnerability in letting her new council get to know her。 I didn’t love and didn’t really understand the attraction between Tarisai and Zuri， especially when it’s revealed how their pasts intersect， but it made for a great reunion scene between Tarisai and Sanjeet。 The only other thing I had a problem with was the scene with her mother’s spirit and how she delivers her to her doom but then immediately was like “wait don’t touch that” like， that a quick 180。 It seems like there could’ve been other ways to get Tarisai there BUT I still loved the conclusion of the book and thought it wrapped up nicely。 。。。more
Kate Clare
，
**Thank you so much to the publishing company for sending me an ARC to read & review**Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off。 We get to visit the world of Aritsar and witness young Tarasai turn into an open-minded and somewhat fearful ruler。 We see her struggle to love， yearn for forgiveness， and solidify relationships with hesitant rulers。 Redemptor touches on themes within life the one can easily relate to， making this a powerful story that transcends the realm of fantasy storytelli **Thank you so much to the publishing company for sending me an ARC to read & review**Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off。 We get to visit the world of Aritsar and witness young Tarasai turn into an open-minded and somewhat fearful ruler。 We see her struggle to love， yearn for forgiveness， and solidify relationships with hesitant rulers。 Redemptor touches on themes within life the one can easily relate to， making this a powerful story that transcends the realm of fantasy storytelling。 This was a heartfelt end to a story that I am grateful to have read and will always recommend to those who need a little love in their lives。 。。。more
Abbie | nerdyabbie
，
Magical， and warm， and wholly original！ do you see her？ a girl in a mango tree， aheh。。。waiting for her mother。 While I didn't enjoy this as much as the first one， it still was so much fun seeing Tar again， and experiencing all of the deep， complex folklore of Raybearer universe。 This would be so amazing as a live-action Disney movie， honestly 😂Even though all the characters are older， it has all the great mechanics of a great middle-grade story - the kind that I would have absolutely fallen in Magical， and warm， and wholly original！ do you see her？ a girl in a mango tree， aheh。。。waiting for her mother。 While I didn't enjoy this as much as the first one， it still was so much fun seeing Tar again， and experiencing all of the deep， complex folklore of Raybearer universe。 This would be so amazing as a live-action Disney movie， honestly 😂Even though all the characters are older， it has all the great mechanics of a great middle-grade story - the kind that I would have absolutely fallen in love with as a kid。 Big thanks to Abrams Books for sending me an ARC copy of this book！🎵 Songs I Listened to While Reading: Raybearer Playlist by Anna Praznovcová on Spotify🎵 ✍🏻Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★🗺 World-Building: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★👤Characterization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆💭Dialogue: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆🎯Plot: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆👣Pacing: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆🖤Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 」 。。。more
Becca
，
I received an ARC from Pique as part of a giveaway they did in partnership with YALLWest。This is partially a review of this book， and partially a review of the previous book， Raybearer。 The issues I had with the first carried over into the second and I decided to DNF Redemptor。I had a lot of issues with this series， so I'll stick to the two that concerned me the most。The main character and her council siblings are teens and yet all they （and the adults in charge of them） can seem to talk about i I received an ARC from Pique as part of a giveaway they did in partnership with YALLWest。This is partially a review of this book， and partially a review of the previous book， Raybearer。 The issues I had with the first carried over into the second and I decided to DNF Redemptor。I had a lot of issues with this series， so I'll stick to the two that concerned me the most。The main character and her council siblings are teens and yet all they （and the adults in charge of them） can seem to talk about is how they should be sleeping with Dayo and the girls bearing children for him。 And everyone's okay with that。 And then， toward the beginning of Redemptor， the MC comes across 6 of these teens clearly fooling around in bed together， and the author feels it important to point out that the youngest is only 14。 How is this okay？ It felt very gross to me to read about these teens being very sexualized。 In the first book， it felt like it was the main topic of conversation between the kids and whenever the adults were talking about them。 No thanks。My other problem stems from how emotional manipulation and abuse was treated in the first book。 To me， instead of learning from， healing from， or overcoming how her mother had treated her， the MC didn't care what her mother did and if she never loved her back， she was going to do everything she could to try to earn her love and excuse her behavior。Oh！ Actually， I have a third thing that bothered me too much to not mention。 *spoilers for the first book* （view spoiler）[Tarisai discovers she's meant to be empress and have the same amount of power as Dayo， power that has been stolen from the empresses for so long。 And her response is to decide that her purpose in life is to support and serve Dayo？ That he's literally her purpose。 What？？？ And other times in the book， she makes herself small and doesn't contribute her insight or knowledge that could help suffering people just so she can spare Dayo's feelings。 Ew。 （hide spoiler）]I also felt like I couldn't connect with any of the characters， including/especially Tarisai。 I couldn't get past her difficulty in noticing/understanding obvious things like （view spoiler）[how on earth a boy that seems like a corpse and who sank away through the floor could have possibly gotten past the guards and into the castle。 Um。 Seems pretty obvious to me that he didn't get there by mundane means。 （hide spoiler）]I'm disappointed because I saw so many people raving about the first book， but I really couldn't make myself like it。 :（ I know I probably have the unpopular opinion， but if nothing else， I hope this review helps those who might be just as--or more--bothered by the problematic things happening in this series。 。。。more
Heidi
，
This is an Excellent duology！ The heroine is sympathetic and likable。 The plot moves at a good clip and the secondary characters are interesting too。 I’m going to mark this author as one to follow in Goodreads so I can see whatever they do next！Suitable for teens， there’s mention of sex， interest or lack thereof in it and having kids but nothing explicit。 Violence and intrigue but nothing super gross。 Enjoyable read for adult readers too。
Abigail Singrey
，
*This review will contain spoilers for Raybearer*Tarisai has been recognized as a Raybearer and named the new Empress of Aritsar， co-ruling with Dayo。 As part of the treaty with the dead， Tarisai must anoint a council made up of the twelve rulers of Arit， then descend into the underworld as Empress Redemptor， offering herself in place of all the future children who would have been sacrificed otherwise。 This book introduces us to a more grown-up Tarisai。 She’s moved past focusing on her internal *This review will contain spoilers for Raybearer*Tarisai has been recognized as a Raybearer and named the new Empress of Aritsar， co-ruling with Dayo。 As part of the treaty with the dead， Tarisai must anoint a council made up of the twelve rulers of Arit， then descend into the underworld as Empress Redemptor， offering herself in place of all the future children who would have been sacrificed otherwise。 This book introduces us to a more grown-up Tarisai。 She’s moved past focusing on her internal struggles to feel like she belongs on the council and finding peace with how the Lady raised her。 Now， she’s taken the whole weight of the empire and all its injustices on her own shoulders。 She’s desperate to fix everything in the two years before she has to descend into the underworld。 This Tarisai is both more powerful and more frail than she’s ever been。 She’s haunted by a chorus of ghosts telling her she hasn’t done enough， causing her to doubt her every decision and triumph。 Also， to get the twelve rulers to love her so they can be anointed on her council， she has to learn the power of vulnerability by sharing more of herself than she’s comfortable with and learning to rely on those around her for help。 Redemptor brings back all the stunning magic of Raybearer， with a richly-woven African mythological world packed with keep you on the edge of your seat action and adventure。 Once again， Ifueko is at her best when showcasing the love in friendships and all the ways those friendships stretch and grow over the years。 This was a very satisfying end to a captivating fantasy duology。 Thank you to Abrams and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nada
，
She’s done it again。 This book had me breaking all my rules and pulling out a highlighter。 Ifuenko’s prose and skillful storytelling craft a gorgeous conclusion to Tarisai’s story。 I’m honored to have come along for the ride
USOM
，
（Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: panic attackRedemptor brings you back to this world of mental connections， magic that may defy the odds， and love。 Beginning with action， Redemptor is a book that， like Raybearer， consistently surprised me。 It touches upon our internal thoughts which override what we know to be true。 To convince us we aren't worthy， that no on will stand by us。 As Tarisai steps into the shoes （Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: panic attackRedemptor brings you back to this world of mental connections， magic that may defy the odds， and love。 Beginning with action， Redemptor is a book that， like Raybearer， consistently surprised me。 It touches upon our internal thoughts which override what we know to be true。 To convince us we aren't worthy， that no on will stand by us。 As Tarisai steps into the shoes of loyalty， Redemptor asks her what kind of leader she will be。 What kind of mark she will make。 Because while we may not want to put those we love in danger， is that our choice？Redemptor manages to ask questions about loyalty and love， while also delivering non-stop action with a phenomenal sense of pace。 Ifueko drops twist after turn， making it impossible to put down。 Where is the line between protecting the ones we love and allowing them to make their own fate？ In a book that seems to be about the connection between Tarisai and her friends， Redemptor also examines her responsibilities。 Now that she has more power than ever before， more duty than before， can she still share her concerns the same way？ 。。。more
Deedi Brown （DeediReads）
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All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Redemptor （and the Raybearer Duology overall） is just so freakin good， with a rich world， lovable characters， and an adventure I’d go on a hundred times。For you if: You like YA fantasy， and/or you want to read more African-inspired YA fantasy。FULL REVIEW:I read Raybearer earlier this year and was immediately obsessed。 Everyone who read it will tell you that it’s incredible。 So naturally I jumped at the chance to read Redemptor， All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Redemptor （and the Raybearer Duology overall） is just so freakin good， with a rich world， lovable characters， and an adventure I’d go on a hundred times。For you if: You like YA fantasy， and/or you want to read more African-inspired YA fantasy。FULL REVIEW:I read Raybearer earlier this year and was immediately obsessed。 Everyone who read it will tell you that it’s incredible。 So naturally I jumped at the chance to read Redemptor， the second half of the duology。 （Thank you Amulet Books / Abrams for the digital review copy！） And I’m delighted to report that this book absolutely lived up to its predecessor — what a fantastic conclusion。No spoilers on book one from me， but here’s a quick overview: The duology is about a girl named Tarisai， the daughter of a ruthless woman called The Lady and an alagbato （being of ancient， wish-granting magic） The Lady trapped。 Tarisai grows up lonely， and the product of a deadly plot。 When she turns 11， she’s sent to the palace to join the crown prince’s council of siblings。 Meanwhile， a tenuous child-sacrifice peace treaty with the abiku， underworld beings， is up for renewal。 Book one deals mainly with Tarisai’s mother’s plans， and book two deals mainly with the abiku。I can’t get over how much I loved these books。 This is African-inspired YA fantasy at its absolute best。 The worldbuilding is rich and layered， with much to say about class and privilege and industrialization and more。 The story is an A+ mystery， with lots of plots to unfurl and dots to connect。 And the characters are intensely lovable， with great queer （even ace） representation。 All that was true of Raybearer， and it’s true of Redemptor as well。 I loved the way Ifueko brought the weight on Tarisai’s shoulders to life， not shying away from her loneliness and inner conflict。 I loved the new world-building elements and mythology。 I loved the tension between the choice to “die for justice … or live for it。”I will also say that I had the joy of listening along with the audiobook of Raybearer， but because I read Redemptor early， I didn’t get to listen to that one。 I missed it！ The audio production was really good， and I recommend supplementing your print copy with audio in both cases。I absolutely can’t wait to see what Ifueko writes next！CONTENT WARNINGS:Panic attacks; Violence and blood; Ableism 。。。more
Alyssa
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*Thanks to netgalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！* An incredible conclusion to the raybearer duology。 Covering only one year instead of the 12-ish covered in Raybearer， we got a closer look into Tarisai's mind， even as she struggled with many demons。 I really enjoyed this ending and the commentary on what it takes to be a revolutionary and change the world。 This was a highly impactful book I will be recommending to students。 *Thanks to netgalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！* An incredible conclusion to the raybearer duology。 Covering only one year instead of the 12-ish covered in Raybearer， we got a closer look into Tarisai's mind， even as she struggled with many demons。 I really enjoyed this ending and the commentary on what it takes to be a revolutionary and change the world。 This was a highly impactful book I will be recommending to students。 。。。more
Leighellen Landskov
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“The only thing more powerful than a wish is purpose。”AHHHHHH！！ I love when a sequel is as good as the first book。 Or at least is everything you want the follow up to be， especially when you adored the original。 Raybearer made my top 20 “Best Of” list last year， so when I was asked to be on the #booktour for the sequel， I jumped at the chance。 Thank you @jordanifueko @piquebeyond @tlcbooktours for the book！ Redemptor is a fantastic YA fantasy sequel that delves even deeper into the history and m “The only thing more powerful than a wish is purpose。”AHHHHHH！！ I love when a sequel is as good as the first book。 Or at least is everything you want the follow up to be， especially when you adored the original。 Raybearer made my top 20 “Best Of” list last year， so when I was asked to be on the #booktour for the sequel， I jumped at the chance。 Thank you @jordanifueko @piquebeyond @tlcbooktours for the book！ Redemptor is a fantastic YA fantasy sequel that delves even deeper into the history and magic of the first book， while introducing a whole cast of new characters。 The story begins right where Raybearer left off。 Tarisai needs to appoint her new council and figure out how to enter the Underworld。 She struggles with making the right decisions along the way but it makes her a strong and empathetic leader。 “Do not ask how many people you will save。 Ask to what world you will save them？”This book felt a bit bolder， darker， and more mature than the first book。 It explored themes of systematic racism and oppression without feeling preachy。 It just asked the questions - what do you want in a leader？ Tarisai wrestles with her privilege after learning the unjust actions of the empire。 The book is filled with diversity， strong relationships， found family， and themes of acceptance， loss， and faith。 The world building is incredible。 I would have loved more time in the Underworld。 Frankly， as much as I loved how this duology wrapped up， I could stay here for at least one more book！ 。。。more
Célia Cross
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*4。5 stars*"I suppose you can't help being a saint， any more than I can help being a viper。"WOW！ That's all I can say is wow！ Somehow， this sequel was even better than the first book。 Tarisai has partnered up with Dayo to rule the Aritsar empire。 She made a new treaty with the abiku， the dead， to journey to the Underworld and save thousands of sacrificial Redemptor lives。 However， she must first anoint a Council of her own， so she is invincible to all 13 deaths and become a full Raybearer。 As sh *4。5 stars*"I suppose you can't help being a saint， any more than I can help being a viper。"WOW！ That's all I can say is wow！ Somehow， this sequel was even better than the first book。 Tarisai has partnered up with Dayo to rule the Aritsar empire。 She made a new treaty with the abiku， the dead， to journey to the Underworld and save thousands of sacrificial Redemptor lives。 However， she must first anoint a Council of her own， so she is invincible to all 13 deaths and become a full Raybearer。 As she starts convincing the other rulers in Aritsar to love her （or the idea of her， as the case may be）， she begins to hear and see dead Redemptor children who never returned from the Underworld， demanding her help - the first few months of ruling Aritsar are hard as Tarisai strives to gain the love and support of her realm。 Assassination attempts are made on her life as well as a rebellion led by the Crocodile。With the lives of her family， friends， and citizens at stake， Tarisai fears the pressure and weight of the Raybearer and Empress power she has - and she must figure how to brave it and learn to ask for help from her loved ones before it's too late for her to understand。In this sequel， Tarisai learns that power is a strange thing - you can make many good things come to pass， but you also have to learn to live with the consequences and backfire from those who disagree with how you are changing things。 I saw good improvement in Tarisai's conviction and determination。 On the other hand， the side characters （Tarisai's family and council） could've used a little more work though。 The worldbuilding was as impeccable as in Raybearer and I deeply enjoyed the story。 I hated putting this book down to go do something because it was fully immersive。 It's the first fictional world I've been able to read and not think about everything I have to do in this world since May。 My one issue with Redemptor was that Tarisai was only in the Underworld for about three chapters。However， I am deeply grateful to Jordan Ifueko for writing this duology and I can't recommend it enough。 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when/if you decide to pick it up。 。。。more
Bookishrealm
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Ya'lllllllllll Ifueko outdid herself with this one。 I mean this is one of the best YA fantasy sequels that I've read in a long time。 My biggest fear is that it would fall victim to second book syndrome and oh my was I wrong。 This book was absolutely beautiful。 It kept me on the edge of my seat; it made me laugh; it made me cry。 This is definitely one of my favorite books of 2021。Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off。 Tarisai is responsible for anointing her own council to appease the Ya'lllllllllll Ifueko outdid herself with this one。 I mean this is one of the best YA fantasy sequels that I've read in a long time。 My biggest fear is that it would fall victim to second book syndrome and oh my was I wrong。 This book was absolutely beautiful。 It kept me on the edge of my seat; it made me laugh; it made me cry。 This is definitely one of my favorite books of 2021。Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off。 Tarisai is responsible for anointing her own council to appease the spirits of the dead。 This book starts off with a lot of action and shocking twists and turns。 7 percent into this book and I had no idea what direction this book was headed in。 This book is split into several parts some focused more on Tarisai preparing for her journey into the underworld while the others were actually about the time that she spends in the underworld。 Both the character development and plot development in this book were on point and exceptionally well written。 In terms of character development， readers will see Tarisai struggle a little bit in this book。 There are evil forces at play called Ojiji that are solely responsible for her disconnect to her council siblings。 It inevitably becomes a character flaw。 Tarisai suffers because she is incapable of asking for help。 It breaks that typical "chosen one" trope。 Tarisai may be the supposed "chosen one，" but she can't do anything without the help of those around her。 There are old vices that she struggles with in the first book that play a significant role in the development of this book。 Even the introduction of new characters is extremely important to how Tarisai develops as a character。 Two of the most important and most interesting come in the form of Min Ja （Woo-In's sister） and King Zuri。 Through them she learns of forgiveness， pain， and inevitable sacrifice: the things people are willing to do to protect themselves and the ones they love。 What I loved is that no character in this duology "went to waste。" From the people that readers are introduced to in the first book to those that we meet in this second and final installment are extremely important and move the story forward towards the conclusion。 Additionally， there is more exploration of Dayo's asexuality as well as Tarisai's wish to remain child-less。 Both play an interesting and complex role in the narrative of the story。 The plot of this book was crazyyyyyy。 It was extremely fast paced and had twist and turns that I didn't see coming。 I can't even begin to tell you how many times I was sitting in my chair screaming "what？！？" into the abyss。 Some of these moments frustrated me and made me angry while others broke my heart and made me cry。 If you know anything about me as a reader， then you know that I don't frequently cry when I read books; however， for some reason this book moved me emotionally。 The whole concept of the Raybearer is further explored in this book and leads to some surprising conclusions。 Jordan Ifueko has an extreme gift for world building。 She proves that she can create a fantasy world while exploring issues that we have in our real world like social and economic inequalities。 Overall， this was an amazing book。 I mean truly breathtaking and beautiful。 Such a wonderful， well-written conclusion to the story that took the reading community by storm last year。 Ifueko lays it all on the table and gives this story everything she has。 No stone was left unturned。 I have so much respect for her as an author and I honestly can't wait to see what she's going to do in the future。 Ya'll this is a must read of 2021。 。。。more
Mallory Lozoya
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Redemptor is a perfect sequel to Raybearer。 The world building is incredible， the characters are nuanced and come alive on the page， and the plot was well paced。 I tried to space out my reading so I could slow down and enjoy the book， but I couldn’t help myself because I wanted to know what would happen。 I empathized deeply with Tarisai as she agonized over how to atone for the thousands of Redemptor’s deaths and bring her country together。 I think a duology was the perfect way to present this s Redemptor is a perfect sequel to Raybearer。 The world building is incredible， the characters are nuanced and come alive on the page， and the plot was well paced。 I tried to space out my reading so I could slow down and enjoy the book， but I couldn’t help myself because I wanted to know what would happen。 I empathized deeply with Tarisai as she agonized over how to atone for the thousands of Redemptor’s deaths and bring her country together。 I think a duology was the perfect way to present this story and I enjoyed every minute of it。 Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Redemptor
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Redemptor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Redemptor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0