Redemptor, by Jordan Ifueko

[sophia_sol]

I found the first book in this duology to be a bit uneven but mostly enjoyable and with a lot of promise; I hoped the sequel would see the author grow, but it felt to me like it was still at the same level as the first book. Still uneven pacing and with some heavy-handed elements, and the revolutionary aspects are definitely over-simplified. But I do still care about the main character, Tarisai, and enjoy the worldbuilding. I love getting to read secondary world fantasies that are inspired by cultures other than medieval europe! And Tarisai is very believably a teen in over her head in a difficult situation and making some bad choices but doing her best, and I really felt for her. So overall a worthwhile read, even if it didn't live up to everything I was hoping.

And this duology also does a good job of exploring important themes, like the unhelpful nature of an over-focus on guilt in inspiring a person to actually work to do better, and that there are many kinds of love that are all important, whether romantic or platonic, and that it's bad for power to be concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy families.

I think that if I had read these books as a teen I would have uncritically adored them, and I'm glad they're out there for today's teens to fall in love with!

Comments

[lirazel]

I think that if I had read these books as a teen I would have uncritically adored them, and I'm glad they're out there for today's teens to fall in love with!

Such a relatable feeling!

It's so disappointing when you want a promising writer's next book to be better than the first and it isn't!

[sophia_sol]

Yeah. Apparently she had to write this book in like 9 months, during the pandemic, when she spent many years on her first book, so it's possible she just didn't have the mental space to devote to putting into practice the things she's learned since then about writing, and her next book will be her levelling up?

[lirazel]

Well that sounds like a truly terrible situation in which to write, so I might give her another chance just based on that! (I remember when I heard about what Stiefvater was going through when she wrote the last Raven Cycle book, and I was immediately ready to forgive her for the lack of quality.)

[sophia_sol]

RIGHT? What a time for Ifueko. I absolutely plan to give a try to whatever she writes next.

What happened with Stiefvater? I'm not familiar with her works or her personal circumstances.

[lirazel]

Basically, she suddenly developed an autoimmune disease that left her with extreme fatigue (like, having to pull over to the side of the road to take a nap while driving) and brain fog, and she honestly has next to no memory of writing the last Raven Cycle book. She had no idea what was going on with her and it took several years to get a diagnosis/treatment. (And the fact that it only took a couple of years is like miraculously fast!)

[sophia_sol]

oh GOSH, yeah, that sounds like the kind of thing where you would give someone a pass for writing even a dreadful book!