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A review by bisexualwentworth
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
This is how you do found family! This is how you do intentional diversity! This is how you reckon with the chosen one trope!
Raybearer WAS the best fantasy novel I’d read this year. Then I read Redemptor and liked it even more. The world is just as rich and beautiful as before. The magic and mythology are just as skillfully crafted. The characters are just as engaging. But the way this book explored and solved the issues of that world is even better.
In the author’s note and acknowledgements, Jordan Ifueko notes that she wrote this book in 2020, during the pandemic, while in the deepest depression of her life. I believe it. Redemptor is full of trauma. It’s full of the weight of the world’s problems and Tarisai’s sense that she has to solve all of them because no one else will. And yet it still felt hopeful and joyous despite the sense of loss and the feeling of immense responsibility that runs through the entire book.
Redemptor is a shorter book than Raybearer, but it took me longer to read because of that greater emotional weight and intensity. I had to take a lot of breaks from it, but I think that was a good thing. This book benefitted from being read slowly.
I don’t want to spoil anything in this review, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this take on the chosen one trope. I just Jordan Ifueko and no one else to write chosen ones in future. No, seriously, please write more in this universe.
If you were happy about the bi ace rep in Raybearer but you wanted more, I have good news! Redemptor has a sapphic couple and also some Achillean side characters. Also, while we see less of Kirah in this book, her relationship with Woo In, which was one of my only issues with Raybearer, is handled perfectly.
Also, while the supporting cast is mostly different in this one, there’s still a lot of great moments with Dayo and Sanjeet and Ye Eun. And we get to know Ai Ling a lot better, which was nice. And Zuri was a great new character. Also, we gracefully sidestep a love triangle for the second book in a row, which is VERY impressive.
READ THESE BOOKS!
Raybearer WAS the best fantasy novel I’d read this year. Then I read Redemptor and liked it even more. The world is just as rich and beautiful as before. The magic and mythology are just as skillfully crafted. The characters are just as engaging. But the way this book explored and solved the issues of that world is even better.
In the author’s note and acknowledgements, Jordan Ifueko notes that she wrote this book in 2020, during the pandemic, while in the deepest depression of her life. I believe it. Redemptor is full of trauma. It’s full of the weight of the world’s problems and Tarisai’s sense that she has to solve all of them because no one else will. And yet it still felt hopeful and joyous despite the sense of loss and the feeling of immense responsibility that runs through the entire book.
Redemptor is a shorter book than Raybearer, but it took me longer to read because of that greater emotional weight and intensity. I had to take a lot of breaks from it, but I think that was a good thing. This book benefitted from being read slowly.
I don’t want to spoil anything in this review, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this take on the chosen one trope. I just Jordan Ifueko and no one else to write chosen ones in future. No, seriously, please write more in this universe.
If you were happy about the bi ace rep in Raybearer but you wanted more, I have good news! Redemptor has a sapphic couple and also some Achillean side characters. Also, while we see less of Kirah in this book, her relationship with Woo In, which was one of my only issues with Raybearer, is handled perfectly.
Also, while the supporting cast is mostly different in this one, there’s still a lot of great moments with Dayo and Sanjeet and Ye Eun. And we get to know Ai Ling a lot better, which was nice. And Zuri was a great new character. Also, we gracefully sidestep a love triangle for the second book in a row, which is VERY impressive.
READ THESE BOOKS!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence