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Reviews tagging 'Death'

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

111 reviews

theoceanrose's review against another edition

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hopeful tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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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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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-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’m not sure what to say. Pet was an incredible read and I had some trepidation as to whether Bitter would be able to follow through. Well, it absolutely did. Wow! I am blown away. Akwaeke once again has proven what masterful storytelling they are capable of. The way they intertwine real problems, and the human condition, with magic, soul, and heart. Brava. 
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fareehareads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this a year after reading Pet, the story that follows Bitter's daughter. Details from that book kept coming back to me as I read this one and it made the ride even more enthralling. Since I read the other one first, I knew the gist of what happened to Lucille, but the experience was so different, raw and harrowing. I could not put this book down once I started. Bitter was such a relatable character, her fears and her hopes, her pain and her rage, all of it was manifested into her own angel, Vengence. These are the types of stories that make me love speculative fiction because it presented real questions about revolution, abolition, & justice and gives you a fantastical exploration on how these humans react to the impossible. It really was asking readers how much will it take before systemic change happens for real? Will it take a miracle or a heavy burden or some combination of both? Ube had a great quote near the end when he visited Bitter, saying, "all freedoms are terrible, that's the part they never tell you." I'll be taking the lessons in this book with me for a while.
I highly recommend the audiobook version of this book !
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ofbooksandechos's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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
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mmccombs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

I might be unfairly comparing this book to Pet and the rest of Akwaeke Emezi’s work, but it didn’t really do it for me. There were moments that sparked  for me and captured what I love so much about their writing, but I finished this feeling like it was unnecessary and kind of forced. I never really cared about the characters, though I was compelled by how they all dealt with and felt about revolution and the various parts people can play in it. I don’t really know what it was, but I just did not enjoy this book very much and I’m sad about it.
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cadence99's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

I loved Pet, and Bitter certainly didn’t disappoint either. it’s truly such a fulfilling experience to fall into their writing. 
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thatenbyisisreads's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? N/A

4.5

Shit got serious real quick in this book. The fate of certain characters was very unfortunate. Overall, I hope Bitter can forgive herself for doing something that she thought could help her community because it did in the long run. 
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scrubsandbooks's review

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dark emotional inspiring 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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growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Can they write a book that isn't 5 stars??? 
Revolutionary, queer, & profound. 
This is the literature that teens deserve. 
Everyone has a place in the revolution. There is no growth without blood, but Vengeance isn't sustainable. 
What a perfect companion to Pet. 
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