Raybearer is one of my favorite books of all time and Redemptor has quickly joined that list.
This book was amazing in every aspect from the world-building to the character arcs, ughhh I can't wait until everyone gets to read it so I can scream about it.
(Also not to be dramatic or anything, but I would die for Kirah.)

Redemptor is about love. It is about all types of love and validating all different kinds of love and the families that are created from them. I thought Redemptor was a solid ending for this duology. Endings sometimes leave me with a sour taste but this one hit just right. The journey has heart, a solid plot, and amazing characters. It is simply the first book continued.
I always give an extra star for a book that has asexual representation but this book was going to get 5 stars anyways. Thank you for a book that highlights love in all forms and that all these forms of love are worthy of love back.

The prose in this book was absolutely beautiful. Tarisai has developed into an interesting character. She is slowly healing from the trauma of being used as a tool and finding her footing as a new leader. However, the story felt rushed, and I did not care about or connect to anyone mentioned.
As much as I enjoyed this book, it did suffer greatly from second book syndrome. This book is hurt the most by the fact that realistically, this should have been a trilogy. There is so much that should have been built up as a peak plot point in this story, that the ending felt lackluster.
This story still gets a high rating from me, primarily because of Tarisai and the context of her story, as well as the beauty of the prose.
My full review will be posted on August 9th, 2021.

Raybearer was one of my favorite books of 2020, so I was incredibly excited to receive an ARC of the sequel! Redemptor picks up right where we left off, with Tarisai facing an impossible quest to save her people. Tarisai must convince fellow rulers to join her council and prepare to undertake a dangerous journey to the underworld. Meanwhile, she faces court opposition as not everyone is convinced that having an empress is a good thing. When the ghosts of dead children start appearing before her, Tarisai is overwhelmed with guilt and fear. Tarisai must rely on Sanjeet, Kirah, Dayo, and her council siblings to help the spirits and ensure justice prevails.

I absolutely loved Redemptor! Themes of social justice and equality shine through this book, seamlessly intertwined with Tarisai’s perilous quest. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the extraordinary growth that Tarisai goes through, while always remembering who she is and where she comes from. The focus is on Tarisai’s journey, but the supporting cast is really endearing and lovable too! Tarisai steadily adds to her found family throughout the book, which is one of my favorite tropes. The prose was smooth and flowing, with vivid descriptions that carefully paint each scene. Ifueko makes so many poignant points about activism, mental health, and self-care. These are very important lessons and I really appreciated how they were incorporated.

Redemptor is a lyrical and spellbinding conclusion to the Raybearer duology. I hope we get to see more from this world one day! Maybe a novella to follow up with Kirah or Dayo? This is one of my favorite duologies that I will be recommending to everyone! Redemptor releases August 17, 2021. Thank you so much to Jordan Ifueko, Amulet Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

If you enjoyed Raybearer, Redemptor is right up your alley. That said, toward the end of the book the pacing gets a little weird and I often felt I must have blinked and missed something important, reread, and discovered it was just something happening with very little narrative elaboration.

I liked this book better than the first one. I felt more time was spent building Tar as an independent individual instead of the group which I enjoyed.

I loved Raybearer and was eagerly awaiting its sequel which did not disappoint. The pacing seemed a bit stuttered throughout with some slower parts followed by a speedy ending, but all-in-all Redemptor offered a satisfying end to the duology.

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Tarisai is now Empress Redemptor, but she must anoint a council of her own, then descend into the Underworld if she has any hope of saving her people.

Where do I even begin with how much I adored this book?! Tarisai is hands-down one of my favorite heroines of all time. Watching her grow up and then evolve into such an amazing Empress Redemptor was one of the most heartwarming and gratifying stories I have ever read.

What made this book so amazing to me was that Tarisai continued to grow and discover who she is. She didn't simply become Empress and stop there. She fought for her people, and through learning about them and what they needed, she found a deeper understanding of who she was and what she was meant to be.

The one thing I was slightly disappointed in with this book was that I had expected more action. But in the end, I did enjoy the tension and how Tarisai ended up learning from her journey and finding out who she really was.

Redemptor was an amazing sequel to an extraordinary debut, and I loved every single second of it! Tarisai and her found family all but became my family as well, and I adored being taken on every last up and down with them.

If you have not picked up Raybearer, now is the perfect time to do so! This duo is spectacular in every way!

Redemptor picks up shortly after where Raybearer left off. Tarisai and Dayo are working together for the benefit of a united Aritsar, and Tar has just two years to build her council before entering the Underworld as part of her bargain to become Empress Redemptor.

The problem is, the ojiji are haunting Tarisai’s every step, making her doubt herself and those she loves. Just like in Raybearer, this book is about overcoming self-doubt and finding yourself.

Such a beautiful end to Tar’s story.

We need to bear in mind here that Raybearer was not just a favourite read of 2020, but up there with my favourite reads ever. So this sequel was always going to have a hard time living up to that. And I'm coming away from it feeling a little flat because honestly... it didn't, quite.

The book starts off right into the action and I was excited. But then the middle section really started to languish. The anointing of the extra council felt a bit pointless and we didn't get the depth of connection that we got with the first group. It felt like the council sickness concept was done away with a little too easily and conveniently. The final section is really the main part of the story, so it felt quite short compared to the weight it carried, and over kind of abruptly.

This story definitely felt heavier than the first, and it felt like a little of the magic was missing. Tarisai spends most of the book frenetic and miserable. The character connections we loved so much from the first book took a bit of a backseat.

I did appreciate the way Tarisai stood up to Sanjeet and wouldn't make herself less. That was really great. I also liked how the difference is highlighted between an attraction that's heady but unhealthy, versus a love that feels safe and supportive. So often YA books glorify the "exciting and dangerous" guy so it was really refreshing.

This book really goes deep into themes of social injustice and I appreciated that too and the thought provoking nature of it, although I'm not sure how I feel about the way things ended up. Tarisai spent the whole book worried about not being worthy enough, so I feel like now she kind of never gets to rest and truly feel worthy... like she'll still always feel like she needs to "do more".

Ughhhh if I'm really honest with myself, I think this was really more of a 3.5 which I really wasn't expecting. I still love the first one but I almost wish I'd left it at that honestly. Having said that, I would definitely still love to read more set in this world!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting read an advance digital copy.

This was a fun duology overall. I did find this ending to be... a little too open ended and I'm hoping we'll get more in this world. But, I enjoyed this.

I think what I struggled with was the pacing. There was so much going on in this one and there were so many loose ends to tie up that in part 5 of the book, everything seemed to go so quickly that I was like "wait, what?"

If you liked the first one, you'll like this one too. I really loved Tar as a main character and the message and meaning behind her. But, I felt the execution of this one just felt a little lackluster compared to the first book.

I'm hoping there are more stories to tell in this world!

I loved this book so much! It's even better than the first! The villain was sooo well written. I continued to love the magic system in this book - it keeps getting more complex and I love it. I'm excited to see what else Jordan Ifueko has in store!

Redemption, the final book of the Raybearer duology, follows Tarisai as she takes her newly shared seat on the empire’s throne. She’s so determined to find her purpose and do right by everyone, but does that end up changing the girl who we’ve all come to know and love? What makes her so sure she’ll be able to rewrite history and keep it together? I know I couldn’t. But nonetheless, the book earns 5/5 stars from me.

What I loved:
- all the diversity
- the rallying of the nations
- the fight against morals
- hidden agendas, which I can’t talk about for spoiler purposes, but the ones in this book were great

What I didn’t love so much:
- did we really have to sit through another anointing? I mean I get it, but it’s repetitive and her new anointed don’t contribute much of anything character-wise. Uniting kingdoms? Sure, that was the only use of it
- we did not get enough time in the underworld!! For that to be the whole major twist at the end of the first book, it did not get enough recognition and time as a scene in the second.

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for sending me and advanced ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Redemptor comes out August 17, 2021 - I know I’ll be there to buy my physical copy (can’t have Raybearer sitting on the shelf without it’s pair!)

Redemptor takes all the world building and character building that was set up in Raybearer and lifts it to new levels. Tarisai has been recognized as Empress Redemptor and has the impossible task to build her council of leaders from the 12 kingdoms, but her task is complicated by unusual visions and assassination attempts.

The best part of this story for me is the world building. This unusual world of Aritsar is a delight to read, with a celebration of cultures from around the world, but mainly focused on the center four kingdoms which are heavily based on Africa. You get a more intimate view of some of these kingdoms in Redemptor as Tarisai meets with the Kings and Queens of the realms. In a genre where many fantasy worlds seem to be centered on medieval Europe inspiration, it is welcome to see different viewpoints and interpretations of what fantasy means.

I also loved how the government Tarisai becomes a part of isn't viewed as ideal and she becomes an activist to change that. Her development and questioning of how one best makes changes to a breaking or broken system are an important conversation to have now, especially in a YA novel. Will definitely be purchasing a copy of this when it releases in August!

Thanks to Amulet books and NetGalley for providing a copy for review!

Overall, this book did not disappoint. I absolutely swooned over Raybearer and the likelihood that this book would live up to the first was slim. That said, the first and last section of this book were pure magic and in those parts, I couldn't put it down. The middle section dragged for me, mostly because it revolved around a new character that I didn't really care about. I wanted more Kirah and Sanjeet and this book was woefully short on those two characters. Still, the ending was wonderful and full of twists and surprises, and I am sad there won't be anymore Tarisai in my life!

Raybearer was one of my absolute favorite books of last year so I was so excited to read this sequel and let me tell you....it did not disappoint. Tarsiai has saved her people, for a time, but her journey to the underworld is fast approaching. Before she makes the journey she must make changes, the world she lives in is divided into the haves and the have nots and she knows that has to change. As she grows and developed as an individual the bond she has with her family threatens to break and she must learn how to be enough both for everyone else and for herself. Tarsiai is a favorite character who embodies black girl magic, literally, and strength that is unrivaled. With a cast of character magical in their own ways this book transports you to another world, where the fight for justice continues but with warriors like Tarisai on the side of what is right they just may win this battle!

3.5 stars. Overall I enjoyed this duology! I really loved Raybearer and was looking forward to see how it ended, and though I didn’t like it as much as the first, I can still look on the series with a positive feeling!

First, the good: I felt that Tarisai’s overall journey was satisfying and ended in a nice way. I enjoy her relationship with Dayo (though I did feel like we didn’t get as much of them as I would’ve anticipated), Ai Ling and Kirah. Her romance with Sanjeet was never my favorite and that opinion didn’t really change in this book. Her new relationship with Min Ja was one of the highlights of the book! I also really liked Zuri as a character but did NOT enjoy the twist or the utter confusion I felt regarding his ending.

This sequel just felt off to me, both pacing and plot-wise. It was somehow slow while also packing in just WAY too much stuff. It covers a lot of time very quickly and it was all leading up to something (Tarisai’s journey through the Underworld) that ended up being super rushed. I found it difficult to follow the storyline with the abiku and why they were soo evil when they’re barely present, and while most of the book seemed to focus on the relationships between Tarisai and her council siblings, none of those relationships felt fully developed. We BARELY got to see any interaction with most of her new council members (I can’t even tell you much about the old ones, either) besides Min Ja. It kind of all seemed like filler to get her into the Underworld for the finale.

Overall a lot of things just felt rushed. I am fine with almost all of the characters’ endings but just wasn’t happy with the pacing and plot decisions. Will still check out Ifueko’s work in the future, though!

“Redemptor” by Jordan Ifueko raises not necessarily timeless, but generational and cyclical, questions that whisper like our own ojiji: How can those complacent with contentment for themselves, be driven to empower change for others with and without guilt? How to pursue the journey for justice if it feels antithetical to peace? How to remember and reconcile the pain and suffering of others, let alone your own? What to do if your experiences make you feel like you’ve outgrown your friends? If we have a voice, how to tell a story worth telling?

If “Raybearer” was Tar finding her voice, “Redemptor” is her figuring out what for. She learns that nothing is static--confidence, love, forgiveness, justice--but instead, each moment is a choice.

Instead of just joining Tarisai in these moments to moments, I sometimes wish I could join her from an expanded depth to expanded depth. This wish (alagbatos, are you listening?) comes as a reader who enjoys every thread rippling and echoing back through our characters, but understands that sometimes the book is busy not just “pay[ing]” for past abuses” but “find[ing] a future to live for too” (Redemptor quote!).

-NOT SPOILERS, BUT MAY ALLUDE TO PLOT POINTS!-
Many threads in the book DO do this (Zuri’s development, Ye Eun’s relationship with Tar (poignant and realistic...if there was some way to make HER the next Raybearer(!!!!), the ojiji), but if I could ask for three more, they’d be...

Second Council:

Tar does not worry how her relationship with the second council will affect her relationship with the first. I could wave this absence away, after all, Tarisai DID learn in the first book that love is not zero sum and the heart can expand and nuance as she meets others. And! The book very cleverly addresses out-of-council consorts, council sickness etc. However, we do not hear how the second council feels about each other considering that their minds are linked to one another, not just to Tar. I can’t as easily wave away that everyone is totally fine with this nuanced love and mindspeak and having to relearn vulnerability, internal privacy etc. Tar shows her second council memories of her past, but they’re rarely seen making future memories, and working together in ways only possible by their bond.

Because Tarisai feels so alone and isolated for the majority of the book, it makes sense that even if the second council was a new found family, she, as our main narrative viewpoint, is not able to see it in that way. However, as a reader I wish I at least could! Even if to just shout to Tarisai from the margins that she’s no longer in the margins!

Alagbatos:

We learn that a certain item has a connection to the memory of a long-forgotten pact between alagbatos and the Kunleo dynasty, and by the end of the book, Tarisai has a way to access that memory. Even so, she does not do so! She maybeee arguably makes a new pact (really a promise) at the item, and granted, she’s busy with a few other important things being Empress and all, but how I would LOVE a short-story exploring this item. In general, I wish the alagbatos had a greater presence and integration with the plot.

Running a Kingdom:

Tarisai instigates changes in Aritsar (there goes our favorite badass <3) that have far reaching implications on how the kingdom is run...like, on its treasury. We never hear how these changes actually impact the other council siblings, or how they feel about the changes themselves (not just the changes in Tarisai). This, ‘Tarisai only brings about change!’ and ‘Tarisai only deals with the consequences!’ again reflects Tarisai’s tunnel vision and feelings of isolation in the book, but perhaps with the trade off of not fully building out the world and development of the council siblings.

-ALLUSIONS TO PLOT POINTS DONE!!-

Overall, this book is a must-read. Even if you dislike it, it will be a generative, mirror-of-self dislike in which you have to reckon with the why’s (Because of my own privilege? Insecurities? Understanding of justice? Definition of shame? etc.) Before and beyond the 13 deaths, “Redemptor” will show you the un-rest of peace and un-rest of justice while still going gentle on your heart. Like Tarisai, “Redemptor” will have to carry a burden much much harder than everyone hating it...it will have to prepare for everyone loving it too, without controlling why or how much.

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids / Amulet Books and NetGalley for allowing me to go through a rift in our world for access to this incredible ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

SUCH a satisfying sequel!

Tarisai’s world expanded so much in Raybearer - she found the family and friends that she’d always longed for but lost others. The guilt she felt over the Lady’s control in the first book has morphed into a consuming obsession with her need to right the wrongs of the past, which causes her world to shrink. Under the influence of unknown forces, the Empress Redemptor pushes everyone away while trying to build her royal council and keep her pact with the Underworld.

Ifueko’s master storytelling had me in tears and on the edge of my seat with this page-turning finale.

Raybearer was one of my favorite books I read last year, it was a fresh and unique story, and I found it endearing. So, believe me when I say, I’m sad I didn’t love this as much as the first.

Let’s start off with the good parts of this story. One thing I really appreciated was how Jordan Ifueko wasn’t afraid to explore themes of systematic oppression regarding class. All throughout the story, Tarisai is learning about how unjust the empire is, she learns how her privilege has afforded her comfort. I love seeing Tarisai question and go against the status quo. Unfortunately, that's all I really enjoyed.

One thing I loved the most about the story is the found family aspect, seeing Tarisai come from an abusive home to the Children’s Palace where she was able to find a family to call her own was heartwarming. The only critique I did have was that I wished the relationships were fully explored and I was hoping to see that familial bond explored even more in the second story. Unfortunately, the second book doesn’t explore those dynamics at all. We were constantly being told how much the Council Siblings cared for each other, but we were never shown it.

Female friendships aren’t explored enough in fiction and I felt that Raybearer did an amazing job exploring the friendship between Tarisai and Kirah and it was one of the best parts of the story. So, I was incredibly disappointed that she only made a few appearances. Even her relationship with Sanjeet and Dayo is put on the back burner. It felt as though character development was being sacrificed for the sake of the plot, which was especially disappointing to me because the characters are the reason, I loved the first book so much.
Even when it came to Tarisai building her own council, it felt as though we were being held at an arm’s length. None of their characters were fully developed
And it felt like Tarisai’s Council Siblings were there for the plot and nothing more.

In terms of plot, it felt like the story lacked consistency. The plotline with the alagbatos didn’t serve much of a purpose and was only used as a plot device to separate Tarisai from her council siblings. The plotline with Tarisai building her council and going into the underworld made the pacing feel inconsistent and could have been separated into two books.

The way the magic system was handled was also disappointing to me. I loved the idea of being in love in order to be bonded through the Ray, it made the found family aspect that much sweeter. I didn’t like the idea of that love being distorted.

Overall, I don’t think this is a bad book. The first book set the bar so high and this just didn’t live up to it.