Such a beautiful conclusion to my favorite duology. It's a vibrant, gorgeous, heartwrenching story and I loved the ending. Tarisai is a strong, beautiful, flawed main character in the best way; she's so relatable to read. Even when she makes mistakes, I understand where she's coming from and could see myself behaving in a similar way. I said this in my review of Raybearer, but it stands true in Redemptor as well: everything about this series is original and unique – from the world itself to the writing style to the characters.

Ifueko gives you the information you need to know, when you need to know it, and it's really satisfying and well written. Seriously one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Jordan Ifueko hasn’t disappointed me with this sequel at all. After Raybearer I was very afraid for the future outcomes of my favorite characters especially Tarisai, and I have to say this was a great continuation that I truly enjoyed. The cannot wait to see what else Ifueko has to offer in future works.

One of the book's strengths as with the previous installment is its world-building. This author has created a vivid and immersive world that feels both real and otherworldly. The descriptions are vivid and evocative, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the setting. Whether it's the physical landscapes or the political landscapes, the author's world-building is a standout feature of the series.

I really enjoyed the continuation of Tarisai's journey to become Empress and working to create the best world for her people. Interested to see if this is the end, or if Ifueko will try and do a book 3.

Jordan Ifueko is a master storyteller. Her name is going on the pantheon of YA fantasy writers. She is just that good. I wasn't sure Raybearer would be able to be topped, but boy did she! I need her next projects ASAP!

This was a great conclusion to a great duology. Tarisai's story was a real look into grief and the pressures of fixing/fighting a broken system. Watching her navigate those feelings was hard but also insightful. This duology is a must read.



I just reviewed Redemptor (Raybearer Book 2) by Jordan Ifueko. #Redemptor #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

One of my favorite series!

I read the first book in one sitting and I almost did the same for this one!

I absolutely LOVED the story, characters, and WORLD!

I highly recommend this one to ANYONE!

Ms. Jordan has done it again! When I first read Raybearer I absolutely loved it and book two was no different. The world is lush and the writing is beautiful. I love the character growth and the plot of this book. This book kept my attention and I read it in two sittings. This is now one of my top favorite YA fantasy series! 4.5/5 stars

This book was, like Raybearer, amazing and the best conclusion to the story one might want. The characters are growing and they grow on you more. They form alliances, bonds, and they interacted in ways different than how we saw them in book 1. They have grown and things have changed so of course they have changed, too.
I really loved all of them and how they interacted with each other, giving the story more depth and colour.
The writing grips you right away and you can't stop until you finish it, and what end awaits you, it's worth it.

Redemptor is a worthy sequel to one of my favourite reads of 2020, Raybearer. In this second instalment, we follow Tarisai as she faces new challenges and enemies and ultimately braves the underworld itself. With brand new fascinating characters and several heartfelt moments, Redemptor explores exploitation, oppression, nobility, and class divisions in a thoughtful and multifaceted way.

Redemptor follows the same amazing spirit I loved in Raybearer. A powerful, beautiful, smart woc main character surrounded in amazing African myth and lore, an amazing magic system, and characters easy to fall in love with. I love watching Tarisai grow, and think she has grow more in this short book than all her childhood we saw in the first book. I jumped at the chance to buy a special edition of this book, and absolutely CANNOT wait for the Netflix series to come out. This series really is the black girl magic fantasy series we all need!

Take my goddamn tears, my heart & everything! This Duology was everything I needed.

While this book was slower than the last, non of its power decreased as we saw a physical war in the world and a psychological one occurring within Tarisai because of her deal and the creatures from the Underworld. The slow breakdown of relationships as the damage worked and pushed her down was heartbreaking, but it was so human and understandable.

This story's main themes are feminism/equality, justice, love, pain, emotions and moral hope. All themes are done with a perfect degree of respect and care, and you feel it in the characters.

Jordan Ifueko...you hurt me and made me feel so much! This was a beautiful end to the duology and I will now read everything by you.

People, this is an underrated series. Please read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A very impressive sequel to what was already an enthralling tale.

Jordan Ifueko continues to add such depth and nuance to a surprisingly short tale. The main character's struggle with balancing her own mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing to that of those she serves was perfectly explored. She has such a strong desire to protect, and seek justice for those that have been left behind, but Ifueko asks, "At what cost?" in a way that was fresh and heartbreaking, but ultimately inspiring.

I do wish the story overall had been just a tad longer, and that there hadn't been any romantic tension with a new character focused on. Still, the themes throughout, and the found family between our characters, was phenomenal.

I was excited to see what Tarisai and her ray siblings were up to in the second installment of Raybearer. I think this YA fantasy is refreshing, as it does not feel like many of the YA I've read. I love the found family aspect in this series, and it continues in book 2. There are quite a few more characters, as Tarisai must get all the surrounding rulers to form a council and also must ray bond to her.

This installment includes political upheaval, social justice, and we see Tarisai struggle with her mental health in her new role of Empress. There are the spirits of dead children who haunt her demanding she "do more."

If you enjoyed book one, you should definitely pick up this second book.

The conclusion to Raybearer that was long anticipated. While I wasn’t obsessed with Redemptor like I was with Raybearer, I still enjoyed the story. I think my main issue was I wasn’t invested in the two council idea and felt that too much time was spent building up the council portion of the story and left the end wanting. Either way, I’m still a huge fan of Ifeuko and can’t wait to see what she writes next.

"Do not ask how many people you will save," I murmured: "Ask, to what world will you save them? What makes a world worth surviving in?"

I love this series! Jordan Ifueko is incredible and I will continue to read whatever she publishes. I will say that I did not love this book as much as I did the first, but looking back, that was a really tough act to follow because Raybearer was what I consider to be almost perfect in every way. That being said, this is a worthy conclusion. The stakes are higher, the tension is palpable, and more action than its predecessor. With rich and expansive worldbuilding, political intrigue, found family, and a memorable magic system, Redemptor begs the question of what it truly means to live, what it means to serve and invoke true change, and the journey to find answers to those questions is mesmerizing.

Tarisai is a fantastic protagonist. She grows a lot in this book and it was really heartwarming to read about. She's the kind of character who thinks she must shoulder everything on her own, so her growth in that aspect and realizing that she can ask for help was uplifting.

I also thought the themes of systemic oppression, injustice, and classism among many others were very compelling. Redemptor also further explores the themes found in Raybearer like grief, mental health, love, sacrifice, and faith and it is emotional and cathartic. Ifueko discusses all of these topics so well and so beautifully.

The only complaints I have are that the book did feel slower to begin with and took me a little while to really get into it. It did help that I already loved a lot of the characters, so I was able to push on with ease. I also didn't enjoy the characters from the first book eventually being a bit sidelined for the new ones. However, regardless of these minor complaints, I really enjoyed this book and would happily recommend the series to anyone. 4 stars!

I was a little less taken with Redemptor than with Raybearer. It took listening to the audiobook to really appreciate the voices that were plaguing the protagonist Tarisai. I still featured the book on social media and then also the Libro.fm audiobook after I found it the best way to enjoy this novel. I'd pick up anything Ifueko writes next. A strong creative vision.

Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off. I love when second books do this, and Ifueko did this seamlessly. Tarisai has gained her seat as the first female Emperess of Aritsar, but she has the daunting task of anointing her council before going to the underworld. This book has just about everything you can imagine in it. I love this world that Ifueko created, and she brought a whole new aspect to it with the underworld. I literally felt like I was right there through the entire book. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it ranks high in my favorite duologies out there. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.