#redemptor

Finished up the dreadnought's massive plasma cannon. I think I still prefer the shape of the gatling cannon, but I do enjoy the way the colours of the plasma coil complement those in her banner.

book review for Redemptor (Raybearer) by Jordan Ifueko featuring kitties

I'm selling this book, check the bio ;)

2/5 spoilers ahead

Another book with very short chapters </3 I think a fair amount of things were repeated in short time. Told twice that Tar needed to sacrifice herself or bad things will happen, Tar asking the same question twice in one conversation, I mean almost word for word exact same question, things like that.

Now it's been a long long time since I read Raybearer, but in this book, the council (?) of 12 was so background, I started to wonder why the author chose that the councils had to be 12 specifically. I mean, with that many characters, and in such short books, it's impossible to give a flying fuck about them, however the main characters care deeply about them and each other which is understandable because they grew up together but for the reader it's hard to care. Why 12? Only Dayo, Tar, and three others (I forgor names lol) are of any import to the story. The council could've just been 5, so we could focus better on these characters, and not get told constantly of how much Tar cares for and loves her other siblings that we barely know.

I found that Tar seemed incapable of doing things herself. In the beach, she was distinctly told to ignore the mirrors. She doesn't, which almost gets her pulled into one, and her guardian-deus-ex-machina-angel needed to save her. At the end, Tar, for some unknowable reasons, believes her mother is telling the truth that she's just so remorseful of how she treated her daughter and wanted to make amends, (and when Tar's guardian angel yet again tries to stop her, she says "What could hurt me now" oh I don't know, death? Being stuck in this purgatory while all those demon things destroy the world and all the people you love in it?) and to nobodies surprise (except Tar's) attempts to kill her and Tar walks into this SCREAMINGLY obvious trap and only at the last minute does her mother pull her out of it.

Tar is literally confused the whole time like Mother? What's wrong? And is surprised when her mother is like yeah I tried to kill you but changed my mind at the last moment and Tar is just So Sad like girl… The final conflict was very easy… and none of the main characters or main side characters struggled or died. (I guess except that one king whose name I can't remember (see the problem with so many side characters as a result of making the councils need 12 members?) but I barely count him because I did not care about him and I don't think anybody else could either with how little time we get. Again, with so many side characters, the books needed to be longer to spend more time with them, or just have fewer important side characters lol.) There's also an interesting thing that happens at the end… So I recently watched a video of a book review, don't remember which, it was a mystery book I think, but I remember a point made about how the book was in first person and there were plot twists that made no sense because it involved the main character lying to the reader, which works in third or second person, but makes no sense in first person. Same happens here. Tar makes eye contact with her angel, nods, and goes to do something. Completely a mystery to the reader til she does the thing. But why? It's first person. We are in her head. Why would she keep her own plans a secret from herself so it could be kept a secret from us too? It just doesn't work like that lol

And finally… I admit I think I was pretty bored for a fat chunk of the book. All of my notes came after 50% in, before that there was kind of not a whole lot going on. (Even though I say the books should've been longer with so many important side characters, we do still need to have important things going on as well) It isn't until way past halfway, maybe even 80%, when Tar finally goes to the underworld and does all the things. Everything before that is 100% politicking, which I don't mind and enjoy in my fantasy books, but not that much, and not for that long with no breaks of other things happening in between, if that makes sense.

1. Jordan Ifueko's Raybearer world:

Raybearer

Tarisai, a young girl with the unique ability to glimpse the stories of others' lives through touch, grows up under the shadow of a magical wish imposed by her distant, absent mother. While she unravels the secrets of others, her own story remains a mystery yet to unfold.

Redemptor

For the first time in history, an Empress Redemptor rules from Aritsar’s throne. To quell the vengeful spirits of the dead, Tarisai must assemble her own council, embracing her full power as a Raybearer. Her ultimate test lies ahead: a journey into the Underworld, a selfless sacrifice to prevent future atrocities.

The Maid and The Crocodile

In the magic-infused capital of Oluwan, Small Sade is desperate for work—ideally as a maid for someone willing to overlook her unusual appearance and unlucky foot. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she accidentally binds herself to the Crocodile, a formidable god infamous for devouring beautiful girls.

2. Ladarrion Williams / Blood at the Root

Debut novel

"A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical."

Book 2 titled Bones at the Crossroads will be released July 2025

3. Alyssa Cole thrillers:

When No One Is Watching

"Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block--her neighbor Theo."

One Of Us Knows

"The new caretaker of a historic estate finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past."

4. Akwaeke Emezi's Pet series:

Pet

Pet tells the story of Jam, a transgender teenager living in a society where adults have convinced themselves that monsters no longer exist.

Bitter

"A prequel to Emezi's Pet, Bitter tells the story of a Black teenage girl living in a city troubled by constant protests and violence."

5. Justina Ireland / Rust in the Root

"It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts. Laura disagrees..."

Another great read by Justina not read this year but too good not to mention is her Dread Nation series:

Dread Nation

Deathless Divide

6. Morgan Rogers / Honey Girl

Debut novel

A story of self-discovery, prioritizing mental health and recognizing the beauty of chosen family.

7. Tiffany D Jackson / The Weight of Blood

"Drawing inspiration from Stephen King’s Carrie, the novel features a biracial teenage girl with magical powers whose years of abuse from her father and bullying from her peers lead to disastrous consequences."

If Tiffany D. Jackson wrote it I'm going to read it , her books do not disappoint:

Allegedly

Monday's Not Coming

Let Me Hear A Rhyme

Grown

White Smoke

Blackout

Whiteout

8. Erin E. Adams / The Jackal

Debut novel

"A young Black girl vanishes in the woods on the outskirts of her predominantly white Rust Belt town. She isn’t the first to disappear—and she might not be the last"

9. S. A. Cosby / Razorblade Tears

"Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee are aging ex-cons living in rural Virginia. When their sons, a black and white couple with a baby daughter are brutally murdered, the two men team up and embark on a quest for revenge. As they try and track down their sons' killers, they also confront their own prejudices toward their sons and each other."

Other must reads by S. A. Cosby (read last year) :

All The Sinners Bleed

My Darkest Prayer

10. Tracy Deonn's Legendborn cycle:

Legendborn

"After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies & a secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down."

Bloodmarked

"It is the second book in The Legendborn Cycle series, and follows Bree as she discovers her ancestral power and becomes a Medium, Bloodcrafter, and Scion. Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick, the Legendborn boy she fell in love with."

Oathbound the 3rd book in the cycle will be released in March 2025

So I started the second book, Redemptor, and it was a bit slow to start with, but I'm around a quarter in and it just keeps getting better the characters & commentary are so amazing

LEGO Redemptor Dreadnought

ONWARD, BROTHERS!

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