anouk_k05's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emilythestrange's review against another edition
5.0
The only thing I don’t like about these books it that it’s only a Duology
deeseabrook's review against another edition
5.0
inspirational for people of every age
I loved both books from start to finish. Although the main character seems guaranteed for success in the beginning, humanity and intelligent mistakes are woven so well into her character that it opens room for doubt. Will she survive this ordeal? The book is a Rollercoaster. Behind it all there are so many lessons (and highlightable quotes) on being better even when you might be good. Tarisai goes through a true hero's journey.
I loved both books from start to finish. Although the main character seems guaranteed for success in the beginning, humanity and intelligent mistakes are woven so well into her character that it opens room for doubt. Will she survive this ordeal? The book is a Rollercoaster. Behind it all there are so many lessons (and highlightable quotes) on being better even when you might be good. Tarisai goes through a true hero's journey.
theaceofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hesitating between 3.75 and 4 stars for this book. Raybearer set the bar incredibly high and, while still incredibly enjoyable, Redemptor wasn't quite as good. The plot was absolutely delightful and I loved seeing more of Dayo and his asexuality (yay representation!) He's such an incredble character and I am happy that we didn't lose his presence in this book (as we could so easily have as Tarisai has a whole lot of daunting tasks coming up). I also loved seeing Tarisai grow now that she is no longer trapped by her mother, although she definitely faces whole new kind of cruel and manipulative presence in this book. I also enjoyed her stress-induced spiralling. I think many people ill be able to relate to it to some degree even if they haven't experienced it to the same extent she is. I'm glad that she had people who stuck by her and looked out for her through it all.
I was, however, a little disappointed by all the new characters. There are A LOT of them and I feel like less care is given to them than those in the first book. And yet a good portion of the pages is dedicated to this. It means that other important plot points probably aren't given as much space and time as they should have. I really think this book could have benefitted from more pages to accomplish all the many things it as trying to do. Maybe even a whole other book, but I suspect that that would have just resulted in the story dragging so just expanding this (although already not short) would have been a noticeable improvement. Like I would have loved to have seen more of the Underworld as the author clearly put so much effort into making it. (And of course it's also what the duology has been building up to for hundreds of pages) as well as the resolution.
While this book might not quite have lived up to Raybearer for me, I did still enjoy it and would still recommend it. It provides a good conclusion to all the conflict and the story that were started in the previous book. And of course it is always nice to read about a unique fantasy world that is so unlike the more typical western-centric ones that one comes across so often. I hope that the author writes more about the world in the future. It is definitely one I would love to spend more time exploring.
I was, however, a little disappointed by all the new characters. There are A LOT of them and I feel like less care is given to them than those in the first book. And yet a good portion of the pages is dedicated to this. It means that other important plot points probably aren't given as much space and time as they should have. I really think this book could have benefitted from more pages to accomplish all the many things it as trying to do. Maybe even a whole other book, but I suspect that that would have just resulted in the story dragging so just expanding this (although already not short) would have been a noticeable improvement. Like I would have loved to have seen more of the Underworld as the author clearly put so much effort into making it. (And of course it's also what the duology has been building up to for hundreds of pages) as well as the resolution.
While this book might not quite have lived up to Raybearer for me, I did still enjoy it and would still recommend it. It provides a good conclusion to all the conflict and the story that were started in the previous book. And of course it is always nice to read about a unique fantasy world that is so unlike the more typical western-centric ones that one comes across so often. I hope that the author writes more about the world in the future. It is definitely one I would love to spend more time exploring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Blood, Genocide, and Murder
There are also some mentions of the events of the previous bookmaninderkaur's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like this is going to be a really unpopular opinion but Redemptor just didn’t do it for me. My main issue was the characters. The first book was good because the relationship between the Council was really nice, but this didn’t really have that. Tarisai’s isolation meant there was very little development with her, Sanjeet, Dayo, Kirah etc which was such a shame. Although I get Tarisai was being essentially ‘corrupted’, it was frustrating to see her enact changes on a whim without acknowledging protocols, or not listening to her siblings as she neglected them constantly. It felt like the average YA protagonist - reckless and selfish. The ending did feel very abrupt because she was in the Underworld (something that was hyped up constantly) for all of fifty pages and it felt like the ending was some kind of happy ever after that should’ve fixed everything but there were still a million questions in terms of the political aspect. I don’t know, I think this book felt way too plot-central rather than developing the characters like Raybearer did.
princess_omokaro's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
momoj8's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
serenaa's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0