Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer finishes and the action starts almost immediately. This is a fast-paced and very well-written book in which we see another side to Tarisai and how she navigates the Ojiji.

Sadly, Redemptor didn't live up to the success of Raybearer; it was anticlimactic and Ifueko attempted to explore many areas of friendship, as found family is a huge attraction to many readers, leaving the existing ones forgotten and the newer ones unexplored and lacking. The ending was overall predictable and obvious, as well as being too easy- the build up was unnecessary. There were many themes I loved however, such as the wealth disparity, which I believe was incredibly important and extremely well explored. In addition, the ruling and political (ish) aspects were interesting, however with a more simple plot and (I felt) unnecessary extra characters, it was hard to live up to the masterpiece that was Raybearer.

It's difficult to put into words my love for this duology. I was stunned by the magnificence of Raybearer and I definitely felt a lot of apprehension over whether Redemptor would live up to the hype of the author's debut. I am delighted that my worries were unnecessary as Redemptor was just as brilliant. I felt fully immersed once again in this incredible world that Jordan Ifueko has created. Although I am satisfied with this series as a duology I hope the author considers revisiting the world with different characters or in another time. I will happily pre-order and read anything Jordan Ifueko writes in the future.

'This book is a triumph. A brilliant ending to a brilliant duology. Tarisai's story was done such great justice, and it surprises me every time I remember that Jordan Ifueko is a debut writer. She writes with such grace and love for her characters - from Dayo to Kirah to Sanjeet to Tarisai, you can tell that she's put so much thought into them. My favourite parts were where they were all interacting with one another, loving each other like a family and also accepting each other's flaws. I'm so sad to see these characters go, but I feel like I'm parting with friends and have so much love for this duology.

Her story merges self-discovery with revolution, asking many important questions along the way.
Her hallow for memory perhaps gives her an inclination to recover what has been lost, and she is nostalgic for a time 'when the people ruled themselves, and took little more than what they needed'.
While Ifueko wrote this book during a pandemic and at a time when the Black Lives Matter movement posed important questions in the real world, this sentiment from the novel reminds me of an urge towards sustainability that is relevant now, in the shadow of COP26.
Her writing challenges preconceived tropes of the way we describe good and evil, speaking of 'pale arts' for the kind of magic that drains the wielder and is associated with evil.
The ending delivers on the promise made by Tarisai's compelling story arc.
It's a truly brilliant book that will stay with me

I loved Raybearer and this was was a fantastic sequel, this was my first African myth story and I loved it

I will start this review by saying that I highly recommend re-reading Raybearer before you pick up this book. There is something of an explanation of events towards the start of Redemptor but why would you not give yourself the sheer delight of reading both of these books back to back?
Is it coming across that I loved this? I wasn't sure what I ought to expect going into this, second books are often quite difficult to get right, but I found that this felt like a glorious continuation of everything I loved about the first book.
The world building continues to be phenomenal, we get to see a bit more of the magic of this world and some of the more supernatural elements.
However, what stands out most to me are still the characters, these are in essence books about friendship and found family and watching Tarisai build up her family is incredibly powerful stuff. I think I would maybe have liked to see a little more of the Hallows in this book, I felt like they got lost in a lot of the other aspects of the story - but that is me being ludicrously nitpicky.
Overall this book hit the spot for me just perfectly, I can't wait to reread this series and sink back into this lush world with this thrilling and emotional story. I would recommend picking both of these books up as soon as you possibly can!

You will try to hold me, to knock me down. But I will always get up. And I will come back. Behold what is coming.

Wow. Just wow.

The perfect ending to this amazing story.

The first instalment of the Raybearer duology was impressive, spanning years and featuring decadent worldbuilding, an epic scale fantasy adventure that touches the importance of perseverance and justice whilst balancing family and duty. I only felt marginally held back where there was embedded emotional distance between Tarisai, our illustrious main character, and the reader. Just as Tarisai tries her best to keep people at arm’s length whilst fighting her own internal battles.

The second instalment in this brilliant duology brings us closer to Tarisai. This is partially aided by a focus on a shorter time period but additionally because where the reader was previously pushed away, we are instead drawn into her fate. Feeling isolated in the bargain she has made at the end of ‘Raybearer’ and forced to confront difficult choices (and people) as a leader, we are taken on that journey with her. No longer at arm’s length from her but instead the rest of the world. I felt incredibly connected where I wasn’t before and emotionally invested to a whole new level in not just Tarisai’s journey but also in the page-turning desire to see her goals and wishes fulfilled when so much is working against her.

The use of short chapters and constant action seamlessly slipped between both philosophical debates and comfortable banter made this a quickly devoured book. Aided by constant twists and turns that feel incredibly poetic and well thought out. Despite the fantastical setting, like all epic fiction, ‘Redemptor’ remains relatable and consequently heart wrenching. The first book really emphasised the importance of family, found in particular but also the legacy our families leave us. I love the found family trope but what surprised me was that this sequel almost asks, ‘what next?’. What if you change and grow? Weaving together key themes of family, justice, religion and culture and likewise, the constant struggle to balance them all in the pursuit for something better is not a new tale but when that does remain relevant. Furthermore, Ifueko places her own unique spin on it, in a voice that is completely her own that I can’t wait to read more of.

“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 really enjoyed this book and was really happy that it concluded the duology so well. There is room to have a spin off series if the author decides to expand the world, there was highs and lows that kept me turning the pages until the very end and the heroine really grew into herself.
Overall a really enjoyable book

The fantasy world the author created in this books was simply breathtaking. The magic systems, the culture, the Lore of the world, all of it was so thorough it completely drew me in. The story was exciting too, and I loved reading what happenned to the characters I fell in love with in the first book.

(Content warnings: panic attacks, death, child death, violence, blood, drug use, suicidal thoughts)

This book was... simultaneously less and more than I was expecting, but overall I don't think it lived up to the masterpiece that was Raybearer for me. Mostly I think it's because it felt kinda rushed - there were so many new characters introduced, and new plotlines on top of the continuations of those from Raybearer, and there just wasn't enough space for all of them to get the time they deserved :(

I still enjoyed the book though, the writing is still phenomenal, Dayo (my beloved) still holds a very special place in my heart, and I'd be lying if I said there weren't a couple moments that moved me to tears. The scene were Tarisai finally, wholeheartedly decides she wants to *live*? That it's worth it? That she's not going to die in the underworld? Oh it's gonna live in my head rent free forever 🥺

This books was faster paced than Raybearer; jumping back into the action. As all of the characters and world building was so well done in books one this allowed book 2 to flow at a much quicker pace.

Tarisai has two years to anoint her own council before she enters the under world. Seeing Tar build relationships with the other council members was lovely; but felt it was a little rushed in comparison to how she built her council with Dayo and the rest.

There was so much build up to Tar entering the underworld that I felt that it was rushed then when she got there. I felt really underwhelmed by it. I was expecting more action.

I loved how Tar stayed true to her character and her beliefs; she is a strong woman who doesn’t need to follow the path of the past and I liked that. That she didn’t change her mind was true to her character and I liked that.

This is perfect if you love found families fantasy with sublime world building, and if the Netflix show do it right; it’s going to be a beautiful show to watch!

There aren't enough superlativrs to describe what the author has achieved in this, her debut series. Utterly phenomenal in every way!

Wow, wow, wow!! This book was amazing. Such intricate world building, which had me hooked from the start. The writing style is just amazing, and it's a wonderfully written piece

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i loved the first book, so i was really looking forward to reading this, and it did not disappoint. i absolutely loved it! because of this i am giving it 5/5 stars.

I'm in absolute awe of this book. This is now my favourite duology ever. With Raybearer having been one of my absolute favourite books of 2020, the finale to this duology was one of my most anticipated 2021 books. 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. Incredible. Thank you to Hot Key Books and Netgalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this duo logy, but Redemptor wasn't quite as exciting for me as Raybearer was. The character development of Tarasai was beautifully written, and the journey she went on to anoint her new council and save the redemptory children was great to read, but the pace was a little slow at times and I found myself drifting out of focus which didn't happen in the first book. Still a great book though, and I'm excited to see what JI writes next!

This was the sequel I wanted! Raybearer left us on such a cliffhanger and the wait for this book killed me! I loved it even more than the first one, love the characters, the writing, the setting, just everything. I can't wait to read more from this author!

As with all sequels, a chunk of this book is spent rehashing the events of book 1 and their consequences on the characters. The author deals with big themes like revolution, upending monarchies, introducing democracy and tackling capitalism. Because the book is in the first person and the narrator can't be everywhere, we only get a bird's eye view of how some of these issues are resolved but in some instances it felt convenient and too easily won. I also thought that the focus on these big issues sacrificed some of the great character work I had loved about the first book. However as always, the world building was superb which is one of my favourite parts of these series.

4.5 stars.

Redemptor was a step up for me after Raybearer. I did enjoy Raybearer but the fantasy world was so detailed that it took me a while to come to grips with it. I read Raybearer not to long ago, so it was still quite fresh in my mind.

We pick up not long after Raybearer ends. I liked the depth of Redemptor and how it felt like a realistic depiction showing the limits of good intentions, the difficulty in enforcing real societal change.

The story is detailed, the characters well-developed and overall it's a really successful fantasy world that deals with a lot of real world issues and the ending is satisfying.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.