Reviews with content warning for War - Bitter

Bitter and pet can be read in either order because even if you forgot all the character names in Pet, you'll be thinking about Bitter for a long time after you finish it! Every book by Akwaeke Emezi is so relevant and interesting, so don't skip this one just because it's a prequel 👩‍🎨

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booksandteatime's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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puggreader's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I've only read two books by Akwake Emezi (but I think this author could be a favourite), being their middlegrade novella, Pet, & their adult literary romance, You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty (two incredibly different titles, target audiences, etc).

Bitter brings us back to Pet's world of monster filled Lucille... but is it the monsters you're expecting, or a much more sinister kind? The type with a friendly face, & unexpected urges? This story throws us into Bitter's life. Sick & tired of seeing protests & bodies bruised & battered outside the safety of her school, she throws herself into her art... slowly finding hope again, & her own role to play in the fight against the monsters of Lucille.

I really enjoyed this. I love seeing more of this world, & how it affects a different set of characters.

Bitter comes across very standoffish but I enjoyed seeing that hard exterior slowly chip away.

I felt so comforted by Miss Bilphena's care of checking everyone had substantial food I'm their stomachs & the simple question of "you eat meat" made me kind of emotional. I think it was that kindness to care for everyone's dietary needs were cared for, regardless of the chaos happening out in Lucille.

It was great to see more of these hunters & more back story to the magic of the blood/paint. That's something I was really curious about whilst reading Pet & Bitter has answered so many questions.

I loved the message that everyone has a role to play in revolution and you don't have to be in the front line to be doing worth while work. It doesn't make you weak or a coward, everyone has their place and is valued in their effort of changing the world for the better.

This was a powerful & impactful novel.

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totallytasha's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book may have been just not for me. There are some super natural themes and the writing has to work hard to make me believe.

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tangleroot_eli's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I almost DNFed this several times but stuck with it to see all the ways it ties to Pet. But most of the major characters besides Bitter herself bugged the crap out of me. And idk what message Emezi intended readers to take away, but the one I got sits poorly with me.

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