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cyrinw98's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Semi-spoilers ahead.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, mentions of the life of an adult abuser(Hibiscus), mentions of child abuse, blood, fire
In this sequel to Emezi’s young adult novel Pet, we follow a seventeen-year-old Bitter( Jam’s mother) back as a former foster care child and queer artist attending the mysterious Eucalyptus Academy back in a time when the monsters in Lucille very much existed. Bitter has built a bubble around herself for protection. Protection from the monsters that are turning her home into a warzone and protection from the memories of “the lost years.” Bitter has no interest in the revolution. She isn't like the Assata kids who fight on the frontlines, but when tragedy strikes closer to home Bitter must make a decision that may have a rippling effect.
Emezi is such a master with their prose and is talented at creating very human characters that jump off of the page. I think the way Bitter feels is how many of us feel about injustice, but maybe are too afraid to voice. I liked seeing Bitter’s character progression and getting to know the origins of many of the characters we met in Pet.
This book touches on two important questions: In the face of injustice, am I doing enough?
How can I help/where is my place?
I liked how Emezi constantly reiterated that every person has a role in the revolution: the organizers, artists, historians, and the front-liners. Everyone has a purpose. It also touches on the importance of self-care for activists, art as activism, and the importance of community. There was also a commentary on ableism and the idea of being useful. There are nods to prominent figures: Assata Shakur, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Mariam Kabe and their contributions to their respective movements.
The pacing in the novel was off at times and there were certain parts of the novel that I think needed to be explored more. This is my second Akweake Emezi novel and it solidified them as one of my favorite authors.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, mentions of the life of an adult abuser(Hibiscus), mentions of child abuse, blood, fire
In this sequel to Emezi’s young adult novel Pet, we follow a seventeen-year-old Bitter( Jam’s mother) back as a former foster care child and queer artist attending the mysterious Eucalyptus Academy back in a time when the monsters in Lucille very much existed. Bitter has built a bubble around herself for protection. Protection from the monsters that are turning her home into a warzone and protection from the memories of “the lost years.” Bitter has no interest in the revolution. She isn't like the Assata kids who fight on the frontlines, but when tragedy strikes closer to home Bitter must make a decision that may have a rippling effect.
Emezi is such a master with their prose and is talented at creating very human characters that jump off of the page. I think the way Bitter feels is how many of us feel about injustice, but maybe are too afraid to voice. I liked seeing Bitter’s character progression and getting to know the origins of many of the characters we met in Pet.
This book touches on two important questions: In the face of injustice, am I doing enough?
How can I help/where is my place?
I liked how Emezi constantly reiterated that every person has a role in the revolution: the organizers, artists, historians, and the front-liners. Everyone has a purpose. It also touches on the importance of self-care for activists, art as activism, and the importance of community. There was also a commentary on ableism and the idea of being useful. There are nods to prominent figures: Assata Shakur, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Mariam Kabe and their contributions to their respective movements.
The pacing in the novel was off at times and there were certain parts of the novel that I think needed to be explored more. This is my second Akweake Emezi novel and it solidified them as one of my favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Blood, Ableism, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
emzhay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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 love the ideals and topics discussed in this book. It gave me a whole new perspective on Pet. I would say books are essential reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Ableism
mars_ira's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Self harm
Minor: Death
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
4.0
Glad I picked this one back up when I did!
Bitter is a strange, somewhat biblical, beautiful little book about revolution and the power of art. Unsurprisingly, it was right up my alley. I knew I would enjoy it because I loved Pet and because everything Akwaeke Emezi writes has a little bit of magic in it, but this one really came through. I loved the characters and their relationships and all of the conversations about what it means to be an activist and the different roles that different people play in revolution. All of that was stunning.
The actual depictions of activism were definitely kind of lacking. Why were all of the organizers teenagers? Why weren’t they more informed? My activist organizer friend was very annoyed by this, and now I am also annoyed.
The pacing was also kind of off, especially at the end.
Honestly I enjoyed this book a lot when I first read it, but in retrospect, I want a lot more. Of course the story is focused on Bitter and her personal growth, but after reading Pet, I definitely expected the prequel to show how society actually got to that more utopian state. Instead, all of the changes happen at the very end, very quickly, off-page. And of course change is still a process, but generally I’m not convinced that this book did an amazing job of either portraying activism or setting up the book it’s a prequel for.
I still enjoyed the story and loved the characters, though. I’m especially glad that Bitter had Blessing and Aloe in her life.
Bitter is a strange, somewhat biblical, beautiful little book about revolution and the power of art. Unsurprisingly, it was right up my alley. I knew I would enjoy it because I loved Pet and because everything Akwaeke Emezi writes has a little bit of magic in it, but this one really came through. I loved the characters and their relationships and all of the conversations about what it means to be an activist and the different roles that different people play in revolution. All of that was stunning.
The actual depictions of activism were definitely kind of lacking. Why were all of the organizers teenagers? Why weren’t they more informed? My activist organizer friend was very annoyed by this, and now I am also annoyed.
The pacing was also kind of off, especially at the end.
Honestly I enjoyed this book a lot when I first read it, but in retrospect, I want a lot more. Of course the story is focused on Bitter and her personal growth, but after reading Pet, I definitely expected the prequel to show how society actually got to that more utopian state. Instead, all of the changes happen at the very end, very quickly, off-page. And of course change is still a process, but generally I’m not convinced that this book did an amazing job of either portraying activism or setting up the book it’s a prequel for.
I still enjoyed the story and loved the characters, though. I’m especially glad that Bitter had Blessing and Aloe in her life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Racism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Police brutality, and Child abuse
sarah984's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I liked this a lot, but it suffered a bit from inevitably being compared to Pet, which I loved. The writing style in Bitter is a little more grounded, a kind of standard YA writing where the lessons in the text are stated outright. Because this is set in pre (and during) revolution Lucille there are more real-world parallels. Some of these worked for me and some didn't. I liked the characters and the basic outline of the story but things got a bit muddled toward the end for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Child abuse, Bullying, Cursing, and Death of parent
calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Blood, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Murder, and Drug use
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Bullying
beforeviolets's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.0
Thank you Random House Childrens Books and Team Underlined for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
Akwaeke Emezi writes modern day bible stories. Simultaneously a mirror of our own society and a warning sign of a future that could be, this book is the voice of a revolution.
CW: police brutality, self harm (for magic), blood, gore, death, violence, gun violence, domestic child abuse (past), homophobia (past, mention)
Akwaeke Emezi writes modern day bible stories. Simultaneously a mirror of our own society and a warning sign of a future that could be, this book is the voice of a revolution.
CW: police brutality, self harm (for magic), blood, gore, death, violence, gun violence, domestic child abuse (past), homophobia (past, mention)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Self harm, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia
wren_rainbow's review against another edition
4.5
Everyone doesn’t have to be on the front line, there are others roles you can take on during a revolution or a cause that are just as important. This is one of my take always from Bitter’s story. There’s so much I love and appreciate from this book as I did with Pet. But first, the nod to Assata Shakur and the Black Panthers, then the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement. When coming across Assata I said to myself “Wait, hold up!” And seeing the connections of Assata’s goals, programs, assistance in their community strongly confirmed my thoughts.
Spoilers moving forward:
Also, seeing a child abuser as a child themselves definitely ties further into the lesson from Pet, angels can be monsters and sometimes angels have to be monsters. But it was actually the first part for this particular character. I wanted to side with Hibiscus’ character but then remembered what they’ve done and I can’t unsee it.
Spoilers moving forward:
Also, seeing a child abuser as a child themselves definitely ties further into the lesson from Pet, angels can be monsters and sometimes angels have to be monsters. But it was actually the first part for this particular character. I wanted to side with Hibiscus’ character but then remembered what they’ve done and I can’t unsee it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Police brutality
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
imrereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
This is such a worthy prequel to Pet. I'll admit to being slightly hesitant (as well as very excited) to more from the universe, having loved the first book as much as I did, but this exceeded all of my expectations. I loved it from first to last word.
It's such an important book. One thing I really loved was the focus it put on all the different roles needed to bring about change. Protesting on the front line is one way, but it's not the only way. The thoughtful and impactful way anxiety and panic was used in the story just blew me away. There are so many scenes I want to bring forth, but I don't want to give any spoilers. I just want to strongly recommend that you read this book. I think reading them in order of publication is the way to go, so Pet followed by Bitter, but I'm sure following the timeline of the story by reading Bitter first is interesting as well.
It's such an important book. One thing I really loved was the focus it put on all the different roles needed to bring about change. Protesting on the front line is one way, but it's not the only way. The thoughtful and impactful way anxiety and panic was used in the story just blew me away. There are so many scenes I want to bring forth, but I don't want to give any spoilers. I just want to strongly recommend that you read this book. I think reading them in order of publication is the way to go, so Pet followed by Bitter, but I'm sure following the timeline of the story by reading Bitter first is interesting as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Murder
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and War