I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book of this duology and had high hopes for this, which it more than met! This is such a strong series. I love the feminist aspect, and the found family is TOP tier. The back stories for all the characters (and the universe in general) are so good too. I think this is such good example of YA fantasy.

4.5 stars.

4.5 stars

A great ending to a top tier YA fantasy duology!

Tarisai is now Empress Redemptor with the promise to the abiku that she will descend into the breach as the final redemptor. This was a great analysis of Tarisai's mental state as she grapples with her new role as empress, building her council, maintaining a relationship with her council siblings and dealing with the haunting ojiji. Tarisai goes through a lot in this book! But Ifueko delivers it well.

I will always love the use of the Ray as it really emphasises the connections between the council siblings and the found family aspect of the story. I would have liked the Breach part of the story to be explored a little deeper, especially since it's been heralded as this major thing that has killed so many redemptor children, but I did enjoy the final showdown between Tarisai and the Lady.

As always, the romance with Tarisai and Sanjeet was heartwarming (even with the little blip with Zuri) and Tarisai is a wonderfully crafted FMC that I kept rooting for until the very end.

I struggled to love this return to the characters quests in book two. I remain a fan of the characters themselves, but their journeys seemed convoluted and the allegiances had changed so much. Rugs were pulled out from under my preconceptions and I struggled with some of the turns of plot. Overall, this duology has been solid but with a stronger start than end.

A good conclusion to the duology. I wont go into too many details because spoilers but this really lived up to the promise of the first book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Redemptor is the follow up to Raybearer and picks up right where Raybearer left off.
I found the very beginning of the book was quite fast paced and with it being split into several parts, with lots of twists and turns, I wasn't sure what direction the book was going to go in!

The way Ifueko writes is truly sensational and had me on the edge of seat screaming at the book with the plot twists. I am so glad this book did not disappoint and the fantasy world that she creates is truly a marvel.

I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Fantastic sequel, I didn’t think I could love this as much as I did, it’s absolutely a beautiful and addictive read. I will admit it destroyed my heart at points but it put it back together again, so allis forgiven. Absolutely incredible

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved Raybearer and I was so excited about Redemptor even if it took me way longer to get to it than expected. Very often sequels don't live up to the first book which is amazing, but it wasn't the case here - I absolutely loved Redemptor too. It's an absolutely beautiful book and I can't wait to re-read the whole duopoly, which just proved how much I loved it.

Redemptor is equally vivid and memorable as the first book. I loved the world building and mythology, and the characters. It's together made such a brilliant book!

Great book but Raybrearer is still my favourite of the series. Full of action and adventure you are sure to enjoy this.

A great sequel to the first book which I also loved, a fantastic plot set within a well built world with well written characters

This was an ultimately satisfying, if a little rushed in parts, conclusion to this duology. I found a lot of Tarisai's decisions throughout the bulk of the narrative frustrating, but they did make sense for her character. I just wanted to shake her at times though! I enjoyed the progression of her relationship with Dayo and felt like his struggles with his sexuality were well handled. I also really enjoyed the last third of the book. What I found a little tedious, were the middle chapters of the book. The relationship between Tarisai and Zuri never felt fully developed and I thought that the anointing of the council members was really sped through. Overall, this was an enjoyable read but I wonder whether the story would have worked better for me as a trilogy?
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you for my earc od this book!
A great sequel (which I think is always hard after a much loved book), with engaging writing again, and wonderful characters. I do actually think I could have had more in this book which I don’t often say! I could have kept reading and done an even deeper dove to some aspects of the story. Loved it though!

I absolutely adored Raybearer -- it was one of my best books of 2020 -- and was so hyped for the sequel! While Redemptor didn't have quite the same shine as Raybearer, it's a fantastic sequel and wonderful end to this duology. Tarisai's journey is incredibly satisfying and I just loved her friendships and relationships with the other characters in the book. This is easily a top tier example of the found family trope.

My only wish is that we had an extra 100 pages or so to explore some of the journeys in this book! There were so many incredible scenarios brought up and I'd have loved to learn a little more.

A richly-detailed Nigerian-inspired fantasy with incredible world-building and complex characters. The prose was engaging and the plot gripped me from the first page.

REDEMPTOR sees Tarisai faced with the challenge of gaining the love of rulers, or unleash a war.

Unlike the ray-siblings of the first book, who are of similar ages and grow up together for years, the people Tarisai has find a way of connecting with range from very young to very old, with a variety of life experiences. It let this book explore different forms of love, the different ways and reasons people might love someone. I loved how this book does not equate love with romantic love, or make it the most important. There's a smidge of romance, which is very much in the background.

Also ACE REP THAT DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN AROMANTIC AND ACESEXUAL. First of all - YESSSS for ace rep. I love seeing it. And I particularly loved that this was talked about in the context of both aromatic and asexual identities as they can often be lumped together. Ace is about someone's feelings about sex while aro is about how they approach and experience romantic attraction. They're not the same, and people can be one, both, or neither. I loved seeing it all discussed, the nuance between the different aspects of Dayo's identities.

The ending felt a little odd, like it was the ending of a second book in a trilogy that had been reworked to be the ending of a duology. And maybe it was always meant to be a duology, but it didn't feel balanced.

There's this new army and threat that happens pretty much off page the entire time that comes in at the ending. There are a few hints about it before, but it wasn't much and it didn't feel enough to set it up as the big event at the end. And then even that final event felt rushed and too out-of-the-blue to really feel like a satisfying climax.

It honestly did feel like the book was supposed to end on "Tarisai has completed this challenge set for her, but it was all a trick, so next book she'll have to face them down while dealing with the aftermath of the underworld." That's how the book felt set up, and why the ending felt off to me. It was a good book overall, but the ending didn't feel satisfying or like it fit perfectly, and that was a little jarring.

Ahhh I love this duology! I love the characters, I love the plot and I just love how easy it is to just be gripped by the writing.

Whilst it took me a minute to remember what happened in Raybearer (my own fault for leaving it so long between reads) the moment it all clicked into place I was back with Tarisai on her journey. She's such a strong character that you cannot help but root for.

The plot was fast paced and I'm my opinion a great conclusion to this duology!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was such a brilliant sequel and the cover is so lovely too!! I loved the plot, it tore my heart out and I loved the characters too!!

Raybearer is one of the best YA duologies I’ve ever read. Redemptor is just as packed with content as the first instalment: there’s assassins, usurpers, rebels, demons and so much more. We’re thrust into action from the opening chapter, which thankfully, also acted as a summarised recap of Raybearer, and it kept this pace to the very end.

In Redemptor, Tarisai is dealing with the guilt of many character deaths and the pressure of saving the Empire from the Underworld. She is literally haunted by the hundreds of Redemptor children that have been sacrificed before her, known as ojiji spirits. Even though these bully spirits caused Tar and myself great pain, I love what I interpreted them to stand for: that horrible voice in your head that makes you hate yourself and see the worst in everything.

On top of this, Tarisai also has to contend with getting the people of Aritsar to accept her, which is easier said than done, when she’s making waves and making major changes to how the Empire operates. Consequently, we become more familiar with Dayo and Tarisai’s council siblings, as well as the rulers of each realm in the Aritsar Empire. I really liked learning more about Songland as well, with Min Ja and Dao Seo (her consort) being my favourite newcomers.

It was emotional seeing Dayo going through the motions of grief, and interesting to see the rest of the council process the changes that happened in Raybearer, especially Sanjeet. The chemistry between Tarisai and Sanjeet was off the charts. I was a little disappointed by the lack of romance throughout the book, but when they were together, it was fire! I love how Ifueko fuelled their connection with irresistible heat, sweet moments and a very strong friendship. They own my heart.

Now here comes the hard part. Redemptor had the challenge of reaching the exceptional quality it’s predecessor possessed. Admittedly, with the heaviest of hearts, I don’t feel it did. It was going to be hard to outdo it or even match it, which in some respects it did, but on the whole it didn’t. As a whole, the Raybearer series is incredible and Redemptor offers an entertaining conclusion, but its middle was underwhelming by how overzealous it read. I think the book maybe took on too much and spread itself thin as a result. Many of its highlights lost momentum in their execution, for example; the repetitive nature of the bully spirits and Tarisai taking far too long to rediscover her old self and her backbone, diminished the power of their initial impact.

But even with that little snag, I remain in absolute awe for the world and characters Ifukeo has created. I still think about this book series everyday since finishing it and would love to see more stories told in this world. Both Raybearer and Redemptor have such heart through excellent characterisation, with themes of love and making one’s own story, written in an engaging style that consistently felt like the story was always moving, all through the lens of a phenomenally crafted world. I just love it and cannot cheerlead about it enough. The ending was, in my opinion, a complete reflection of how hopeful and wonderful the entire story arc was - a very fitting end. Jordan Ifukeo will now be an auto-buy author for me and I pray I don’t have long too long of a wait… maybe a story set in Songland?? A gal can hope!!

Thank you kindly to the publishers for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A lovely conclusion to the duology!

Full review to be posted soonish. I'll update review with links to socials.
I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't love Redemptor as deeply as it's predecessor, but it was nonetheless an enjoyable read.

There were some pacing issues - the narrative progression in the first half felt very slow, picking up at the half-way point, and then really cramming in the action for the last quarter or so. Unfortunatley this meant it took me a while to really get into this - I was three-quarters of the way through before I reached a state of "couldn't put it down" (though I definitely did reach that state - nearly missing my train stop at one point!)
I found myself actively frustrated with Tarisai at points - always a danger as an adult reading YA, but not something I'd experienced in the first novel. I missed the presence of the side characters - both existing and new characters felt a lot less fleshed out than previously.

That said - the world-building is vivid (although I would have liked to see the underworld section expanded upon), and Ifueko's writing is beautiful. Tarisai has a really clear narrative voice - I could hear her in my head as I read.
The Acknowledgements mention some complications and haste in the publishing process, and I do think that unfortunately Redemptor suffered somewhat for this. However, at its core, this is a beautiful and very hopeful book.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Redemptor has plenty of action and drama that brings the duology to a satisfying end.
This book continues to follow Tarisai anointing her own council and her sacrifice. Tarisai does grow in Redemptor as she learns to be Empress, and show her human side.



The story is fast-paced as the story builds from its use of magic, assassination attempts, rebellion and plain evil beings.

The Journey into the underworld had unexpected guests and revelations. It was one of my favourite sections of the book.

I want to give Jodan a shout out for having one of the main characters being in the asexual spectrum and showing love in different forms.

My rating for Redemptor is 4 out of 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for gifting me the copy of Redemptor for review