Due to its nature as a sequel, all spoilers pertaining to Raybearer are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
In order to appease the sinister spirits of the Underworld, the abiku, Empress Tarisai Kunleo must anoint a council of rulers in two years, so she can become a truly powerful Raybearer and descend into the Underworld as a sacrifice.
But suspicious nobles aren't the only problems Tar has to deal with: Months after the start of her reign, the spirits of former Redemptor-children rise from their graves, demanding her to pay for the empire's past sins, Tar finds herself the target of vicious assassination attempts and in league with a handsome new face who may or may not be trustworthy.
Will Tarisai decide to die for a truly just world - or live for it?
Redemptor is a young adult fantasy novel written by Jordan Ifueko and the sequel to her first novel Raybearer. It was released in August 2021.
The novel provides examples of:
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Ekundayo and Tarisai, emperor and empress of Aritsar, are seventeen at the beginning of the book; likewise, Dayo's ruling council are all teenagers, or early-twenties at most (the youngest only around fourteen). While possibly considered adults by Aritsar standards, they are still the youngest rulers in the empire's history, due to the unexpected early death of Olugbade.
- The vassal ruler of Moreyao, Ji Huan, is no older than thirteen.
- Archnemesis Dad: The former king of Songland apparently hated his eldest son, so much so that on his deathbed he declared Min Ja (his youngest daughter, in a kingdom where women are traditionally not in the line of succession) his chosen heir, passing over all seven of his sons, just as a spiteful final insult.
- Blue Blood: Specific noble families are referred to as blue because their skin is so dark it's almost blue, which identifies them as part of the original noble families established by the Emperor. And therefore vulnerable to the Kunleo line strengthening them, weakening them, or compelling them at need.
- Bond Creatures: The emi ehran that accompany Redemptors after they've passed a certain area of the Underworld. They're actually supposed to be comfort animals for those who join Egungun's parade, but since Redemptors (hopefully) get to leave the Underworld again, the emi ehran simply follow them out and stay at their disposal for the rest of their lives. Tar gets her own emi ehran, in the form of a multi-eyed rhinoceros she names Iranti.
- Brainwashing for the Greater Good: Discussed. Zuri tries to guilt Tar into using her Ray to brainwash abusive vassals' personalities, claiming that if she doesn't, everything they do is somehow her fault. She rejects this pressure. She does use the Ray for things like neutralizing an attempted murder or forcing hysterical audiences to hear her out- things that the Imperial law they swore to obey already obliges them to do anyway.
- The Cavalry: Ye Eun drops into the Underworld again to help Tarisai escape it early, since the abiku aren't holding up their end of the bargain. It's even more heroic than it sounds, because this act also gets her exactly where she needs to be to save the world.
- Claimed by the Supernatural: Tar has blue markings all over her body that form a map of the Underworld, to mark her as a Redemptor. The Redemptor-children before her had them too. The markings turn purple if the Redemptor manages to find their way back to the surface.
- Creepy Child: The undead Redemptor-children that start to appear some time after Tar's rise to empress. They're eventually identified as ojiji, souls that have been consumed by the abiku and seemingly exist solely to bully and torment the living.
- Compelling Voice:
- Ai Ling's Hallow allows her to "suggest" to people what to do or feel, though it does work better if the person already believes what she's trying to tell them.
- The Kunleos have a variant on this with their nobles- they can deprive a noble of the powers that come with them being blue-blooded, and make them obey whatever order they give.
- Cool Big Sis:
- After some initial hostility and struggles, Queen Min Ja of Songland eventually becomes something like this to Tar, allowing her to accept the Ray.
- Tarisai herself develops this sort of relationship with King Ji Huan of Moreyao, and her akorin Adukeh.
- Deal with the Devil: Tar promised the abiku to form a council in two years, then descend to the Underworld as a fully formed Raybearer, in exchange for no children of Aritsar ever being born Redemptors in the future.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The ojiji show up whenever Tar is having a happy moment and try to convince her that she's not good enough, undeserving of love and that she needs to do more. Their influence makes Tar slowly work herself to the bone and push family and friends who try to help her away. One could say, they're a very elaborate metaphor for depression. What defeats them in the end is Tar realizing that none of the horrible things they say about her are true, telling them off and finally accepting the help of her family.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Tarisai has to deal with malevolent spirits, backstabbing nobles, a two-faced king and literally walking through hell - but in the end she gets to be empress of a now truly just empire with her loved ones, both new and old, at her side and a bright future ahead of her.
- Everyone Can See It:
- Downplayed. Ai Ling's crush on Dayo is figured out pretty fast by Tar, but it's unknown if anyone else notices it.
- Kirah's and Woo In's mutual crush, however, is basically common knowledge.
- Family of Choice: Dayo's Council of Eleven has a deep loving bond and regards each other as family.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: As its predecessor it takes place in a fictional nation inspired by Nigeria, though aspects of other West African cultures are also present.
- Female Misogynist: Queen Beatrix of Nontes is something of a mild Type 2 - she finds it "easier to have respect for men," and is of the opinion that women are irrational and emotional in groups, and therefore unfit to rule together. Ai Ling describes her to Tar as "one of those ladies. You know, the ones who think it's sexy to have an inferiority complex."
- Guilt Complex: Tarisai develops one thanks to the ojiji tormenting her, making her feel guilty for feeling any happiness while they suffer and convincing her that she is guilty of every crime her ancestors committed.
- Holy Water: By the will of the Storyteller, Tarisai and Ye Un combine their ehran-fueled Hallows to create a rain of holy water that restores the memories of all ojiji and transforms them back into human souls.
- Hope Spot: The book starts with Tar trying to break her former mentor Thaddace out of imprisonment before his execution. With the help of Mbali and Kirah, she does manage to get him out of the cell and almost out of the palace - but then the first of the undead Redemptor-child appears and cuts Thaddace's throat right in front of Tar, in order to keep her from sullying her reputation as empress.
- Insult Backfire: Rulers are normally given well-trained noble men as their akorins (essentially court bards), so a snotty noblewoman offers Adukeh, a stuttering peasant busker, to Tarisai as an insult. Tarisai ignores it and has Adukeh sing anyway, revealing that the girl is actually a wonderful musician and embarrassing the noblewoman.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Essentially enforced by Egungun's Parade: in order to find their way to Core, deceased souls must complete a journey through the underworld, over the course of which they experience all the pain - physical and psychological, out of malice or neglect - they have ever caused any living creature throughout their lives. During her Pinnacle, Tarisai has Adukeh recite the tale of the Parade deliberately to invoke fear of this trope in Aritsar's nobles.
- Loving a Shadow: After connecting with Zuri through the Ray and seeing his memories, Tar is horrified to find out that Zuri only ever saw her as a younger version of his former lover - The Lady. Zuri freely admits to this, but points out that the anointed never truly had to love the Raybearer themselves - only the idea they represent.
- Madness Mantra: The ojiji have one: "Do more." As Tarisai sinks further into her depression and guilt, she starts to say it to herself.
- Manipulative Bastard: Zuri spends the entire book trying to manipulate Tar into becoming a stone-cold tyrant to his liking. When she finally realizes this and calls him out, he shows no remorse whatsoever for using her in this manner, claiming that after all, she's using him and the council too.
- May–December Romance: Downplayed. Kirah and Woo In obviously fancy each other, but Kirah is reluctant to actually engage in a romantic relationship with him since Woo In is almost ten years older than her and way more world-weary and experienced in a lot of things. In the end she decides to spend two years gathering experience of her own then see if what she has with him still holds up.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: King Zuri of Djbanti comes across as a shallow, flirtatious, ignorant playboy who spends all his time gambling, drinking, and enjoying all the perks of his status while taking none of the responsibility. This is entirely a carefully-crafted façade to keep his generals - the true rulers of Djbanti, who murdered the rest of his family when they tried to be anything more than puppet rulers - from realizing that he is actively working against them.
- Parental Neglect:
- Dayo admits that his father never let him get close or really know him at all, and that he doesn't feel as sad as he thinks he should about his death. Tellingly, when he touches his father's stone statue on the Watching Wall, he remarks, "This was how it felt when he was alive too."
- Tar still carries the scars of her mother's neglectful parenting with her, often remembering how "love-starved" she used to be when she first came to the Children's Palace.
- Psychic-Assisted Suicide: As a child, Ai Ling made an assassin sent for Dayo kill himself, by convincing him that he was a horrible person no one could ever love.
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: Downplayed with the Lady in the Underworld. Being made to experience the pain and loneliness she had caused Tarisai, through her attempt to join Egungun's Parade, has influenced genuine guilt and remorse in her; but even when she apologizes to Tar, she can't help but try to justify her actions just slightly as having been to secure her daughter's future. It's this small sign of the indignant pride that Tar knew so well that fully convinces her that this shade is truly her mother and not an abiku illusion.
- Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Old Mongwe, as in the first book, doesn't bother with sugarcoating what she has to say.
- Shared Dream: Council members often share dreams whenever they sleep at the same time.
- Skewed Priorities: The nobles always prioritize their own wealth and power, often times beyond common sense. Tar struggles to make her council from the vassal monarchs, who all focus on how being a Councilmember will affect them personally, even though all of them know that if Tar doesn't make them her council the abiku will decimate the entire empire.
- Super-Empowering: The Kunleos can strengthen and weaken their nobles by influencing their okanoba.
- Take a Third Option: As Emperor and Empress, Ekundayo and/or Tarisai are expected to have children at some point in order to pass on the Ray. However, Dayo is asexual of the sex-repulsed variety (though ironically he does like the idea of being a parent, and is shown to be good with babies), while Tar, for several reasons, is adamantly against the idea of ever bearing children or being a mother. In the end, Tar uses the wish Melu grants her to separate the Ray from the Kunleo bloodline, changing its nature so that it will instead go to two worthy souls anywhere in the empire.
- To Hell and Back: Tarisai has to enter the Underworld after she has anointed her council, in order to satisfy the abiku. Exiting is not required, but obviously preferred by both Tar and her family and friends.
- Training from Hell: Literally - to prepare for her trip through the Underworld, Tar seeks advice and training from two who have already been through it and lived, Woo In and Ye Un. The latter even uses her powers to mimic the cold, oppressive environment of the Underworld to help Tar get used to it beforehand, so that she won't immediately crumble and give the abiku an opening to kill her.
- Warts and All: Under pressure to anoint the vassal rulers as quickly as possible, in addition to feeling inadequate after viewing Min Ja's memories, Tarisai makes some selective edits when sharing her own memories with her prospective Council members, believing that they couldn't possibly love her if they knew how conflicted she had been and the mistakes she had made. While this does make the rulers begin to like and respect her, it has the effect of putting her on a pedestal, presenting herself as a pure-hearted, untouchable saint who could be admired but never truly known. It's only when Tar embraces this trope, sharing her true, unaltered and very human life experiences, that she finally inspires genuine love in the rulers.
- You Are Not Alone: An overarching theme of the book. Tar's belief that she alone can save Aritsar drives her into near-suicidal depression and isolates her from her friends and family. It is only when she realizes that she isn't alone and that she doesn't have to do everything by herself that things get better for her. In contrast, Zuri, who believes himself completely alone, refuses help to the very end and dies to his own people.
