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nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
• Super intriguing plot & world building
• Takes on dark topics
• Genre is kind of a mix of things: a bit of dystopian, a bit of speculative fiction (fantasy??), family drama
Among other minor things, the main reason it didn’t get a higher rating is that I felt like there was some loose ends withhow/why Jam & her mother’s blood makes pet come alive and why her mother is drawn to paint these creatures in the first place. But to be completely transparent, it’s possible I may have missed it because I listened to the audiobook.
Also I LOVE THAT PET WASA BIBLICALLY ACURRATE ANGEL!!!!
• Takes on dark topics
• Genre is kind of a mix of things: a bit of dystopian, a bit of speculative fiction (fantasy??), family drama
Among other minor things, the main reason it didn’t get a higher rating is that I felt like there was some loose ends with
Also I LOVE THAT PET WAS
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Grief
Minor: Body horror, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
breannenance's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Angels can look like anything. So can monsters."
This book is a heartbreaking young adult novel that takes a fantasy twist on representing the monsters that hide in plain sight.
A short read that packs a lot of punch and meaning to every single word on the page. I listened to this via audio book and the narrator's deep almost menacing voice just sat me on edge the entire duration of listening.
Each character represents someone you know in a story that unfortunately has been told a thousand times. The abusive family member, the unknowing sibling, the outside friend that can see what is actually going on, the spouse who thinks their partner has "changed" and "will never do it again", and the pet, who represents the rage we have inside and what we would actually like to do to the people that plague our society.
I love the representation. That we meet Jam and her parents just accept who she is without question and give her all the help she needs to be who she is.
**SPOILERS**
The final scene between Pet and Hibiscus truly terrified me, if I was a middle grade reading this book I would truly have nightmares. I might still have nightmares.
This book is a heartbreaking young adult novel that takes a fantasy twist on representing the monsters that hide in plain sight.
A short read that packs a lot of punch and meaning to every single word on the page. I listened to this via audio book and the narrator's deep almost menacing voice just sat me on edge the entire duration of listening.
Each character represents someone you know in a story that unfortunately has been told a thousand times. The abusive family member, the unknowing sibling, the outside friend that can see what is actually going on, the spouse who thinks their partner has "changed" and "will never do it again", and the pet, who represents the rage we have inside and what we would actually like to do to the people that plague our society.
I love the representation. That we meet Jam and her parents just accept who she is without question and give her all the help she needs to be who she is.
**SPOILERS**
The final scene between Pet and Hibiscus truly terrified me, if I was a middle grade reading this book I would truly have nightmares. I might still have nightmares.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
belabelles37's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Vomit
catt_j's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Pet is a fast-paced character driven novel set in the city of Lucille. The story relies heavily on shifts in Jam’s relationships, introspection in light of those changes, and a curiousness about history that leads to knowledge with great emotional weight. Emezi’s lyrical flow within the prose truly makes this book for me. They use the style in ways that retrieve empathy for readers to hold while getting to know these characters. I can’t get enough of the complicated history of Lucille & the way Emezi explores it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
chris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
gwenswoons's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So unusual and truly marvelous in the most literal sense. I LOVED You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty, one of my favorites of the last many years, and thought Vivek Oji was amazing too; but this is my first YA of Emezi’s, and I wasn’t sure what it might be like. But it’s gorgeous - their writing always stuns me and leaves me breathless and this is no different. I thought it was truly incredible, in a work that is so accessible for younger readers, to have language so eloquent and perfumed in the way Emezi’s always is, and to be able to approach the heaviest and most devastating topics of humanity with a light enough touch that a younger reader could live inside this story. I’m not someone who loves fantasy - I don’t read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, and sometimes supernatural elements lose me a little bit - but Emezi’s writing is just so beautiful and so compelling at every turn that I didn’t even give a thought to whether or not I believed what was happening (I just: did). Same, somehow, too, with the allegorical/archetypal elements: these could be so obvious and heavy-handed on another writer’s desk, and yet Emezi’s world building and story crafting are so exquisite that every element of the story - every word, every turn of phrase and plot - feels inevitable. Such a gorgeous read, and I thought the audio was gorgeously narrated, too, by Christopher Myers (something about this book as a dark fairytale/ parable worked really beautifully for me in audio format and I feel like Myers really captured for readers that feeling of listening to a story - so good).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and War
bek_p87's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? No
3.75
I found this slow to get going, but once it did I was riveted. Set in an idealised near-future where there is supposedly no more monsters, Jam is visited by a creature who claims her best friend's house is harbouring a monster. Torn between wanting to believe she lives in a safe world, and wanting to protect her friend, Jam joins forces with the creature, who calls itself Pet, and uncovers something that shocks everyone. As usual, Akwaeke Emezi's prose is simply brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Child abuse
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was an amazing YA novel. I read the whole thing in one day I couldn't wait to find out what happened to utopic society and how Jam was going to keep a violence/punishment out of the equation for justice. The ending could've been stronger for me, like the part where Pet just magically solves the problem (and is still hella violent) was kinda Disney /deus ex machina/ hand wavey and was the only part of the story that felt particularly YA for me (as in, the rest of the book felt very universal audience whereas that ending felt packaged only for children) which is not necessarily a bad thing but was imo the book's only weak spot. I loved the pacing and world building of Lucille and the librarian lmao I loved the creature and its magic. Anyway highly recommend this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Blood and Alcohol
anaheeta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Quite a short read, the author managed to use a powerfully imaginative and crafty metaphor to describe a really difficult subject.
“The truth does not change whether it is seen or unseen, it whispered in her mind. A thing which is happening happens whether you look at it or not. And yes, maybe it is easier not to look. Maybe it is easier to say because you do not see it, it is not happening. Maybe you can pull the stone out of the pool and put the moon back together.”
(There were too many incredible quotes to choose from)
This book really left me heartbroken. It is powerfully written, the story and pacing is gripping and makes you read it in one day, the characters are very diverse, and the setting is in a futuristic utopia of sorts.
“The truth does not change whether it is seen or unseen, it whispered in her mind. A thing which is happening happens whether you look at it or not. And yes, maybe it is easier not to look. Maybe it is easier to say because you do not see it, it is not happening. Maybe you can pull the stone out of the pool and put the moon back together.”
(There were too many incredible quotes to choose from)
This book really left me heartbroken. It is powerfully written, the story and pacing is gripping and makes you read it in one day, the characters are very diverse, and the setting is in a futuristic utopia of sorts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
jenna_justi2004's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Phenomenal. Breathtaking. So well done. I love Pet and I love Jam. I feel so bad for moss, poor baby. I was freaking out in the actual chills. Be not afraid, it was literally foreshadowing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War