Hello! I read Raybearer earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it - it was a wild ride which kept me on the edge of my seat with a great plot, wiring and some character I couldn't get out of my mind! It's sequel, Redemptor comes out soon and it was just as perfect as the first book!

Disclaimer: ARC received via publisher through Edelweiss. However, all opinions expressed in the review are my own and are not affected by this. The quotes used are from the unfinished copy and are subject to change.

Redemptor
By Jordan Ifueko  

Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult 

Content/Trigger Warnings: death, depiction of murder, drug use, alcohol use, blood mention, recount of parental abuse and neglect, grief

For the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar's throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend into the Underworld, a sacrifice to end all future atrocities.

Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that's what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can't quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.

Redemptor picks up right where Raybearer left off with things and continues as an action packed tale that resolves everything perfectly and left me satisfied and yet, wanting more. 

I loved how the book immersed me as soon as it began and gave me a small recap of things that had just happened which allowed me to be seamlessly engrossed in the happening events as I was caught up. 

THE PLOT 

As Tarisai and her council siblings take control of the empire, they learn that there is so much for them to do to make things better for their people. Their shift to power is abrupt and there is much for them to learn. Tarisai, herself, has a hard task that she must achieve over the course of the next two years and with the added stress of learning to be Empress, she doesn't seem to have enough time to achieve it all. 

I loved how everything was slowly and steadily built up over the course of the book - problems kept being added and I was holding my breath as I tried to see how Tarisai would resolve them. Things never really seemed to be going her way despite how hard she was trying. I liked for realistic and important the problems she was facing were, which made me root for things to improve for her. 

THE CHARACTERS 

The main character, Tarisai had a lot to adjust to and I really enjoyed how her struggle was portrayed - she was not coping well and I liked seeing that. I am tired of having perfect protagonists who struggle in the beginning but are able to adjust to their new circumstances without any problems and to see Tarisai's journey was very refreshing and interesting. 

"Your life should not be a means to an end. No human being should be reduced to a function. The day we do that—it's the beginning of the end." 

Things are changing a lot since she became Empress and I like how she has to work to come to terms with the things that will be different for her now that she has an Empire to rule. I loved the character development through the book as she learns to accept her new life and finds ways to make it work for her. 

I also really enjoyed reading about her and with her council siblings and the ones she formed with the new council embers she was getting to know and appointing. This book has one of the best found family tropes ever and I loved how all these different people came together and stood by each other even if they argues and disagreed at times. 

I loved how well the relationships between her and the other characters are written. They are all different and unique and identifiable. They all hold a special place in her heart and are very obvious in how they differ. It made me appreciate each relationship more and adore how they all made me feel different things and warmed my heart. The romance between Sanjeet and Tarisai especially is very heartwarming. I loved how they both had different views and how they reconciled home and ended up by each other's side no matter what. 

OVERALL 

The book was absolutely perfect - I felt that everything was wrapped up very well and it just made my heart happy to see how things were going for my favourite characters. This book talks about the struggle of trying to be a good ruler and making things better for your people, and I loved how Tarisai grappled with it and tried her best, leading to a conclusion which fit everything perfectly and made this one of the best sequels I have ever read.

Have you read Raybearer? Do you plan on picking it and it's sequel up? IF you've read either, what did you think of them? – Jayati

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