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hyperpension's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.5
Imaginative but hits terrifyingly close to home. Couldn’t help but think I wish I had this book as a kid. Beautifully written in a heart-wrenching way that makes you fall in love with Jam, Redemption, and Pet. The ways Emezi writes humanity is so lively and you can feel warmth in every page. Recommend to anyone!! Monsters and angels look like all kinds of things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Mental illness, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual violence, Transphobia, Ableism, Addiction, and Rape
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Minor: Gaslighting
Dissociationvalereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
Jam likes in a utopian city where there are no more monsters. Or so she thinks. Until a creature climbs out of her mother's painting looking for a monster, a monster that may be in her best friend's house.
This little book packed a punch. It's short length meant the narrative was very focused in on the main plot with no real room for subplots. It might be on the shorter side for some people but I felt it was the perfect length for what it wanted to do.
I love Emezi's prose style in this book just as much as I did in their first book, Freshwater. It's told very beautifully but would still be accessible to the target audience of teens. I especially loved the audiobook read by Chris Myers. I felt it really added something to the story but I needed to read along with the physical book as it could be a bit confusing which parts were signed, spoken out loud and thought with just the audio.
I also really like the casual diversity in this story. Jam is trans and selectively mute (it's not mentioned in the book, but I remember seeing somewhere that she's autistic) and neither of these elements are the focus of the story but still remain relevant to the story and are important for young audiences to see. I especially appreciated that Jam's disability wasn't treated as a negative and characters naturally accommodated for it. I wish people treated non-vocal autistic people like that more often in real life.
The themes of this novel are important especially for young people. Being aware of the signs of something wrong and not ignoring them and not taking things for granted are ones that are important for them to hear. Along with the importance of looking out for each other and taking care of each other.
This book was beautifully written and important for young people and adults alike. I especially liked how the speculative themes were incorporated into the narrative. I highly recommend it and can't wait to read Bitter when it releases in 2022.
Content Warnings: implied sexual abuse, implied csa, child abuse, violence
This little book packed a punch. It's short length meant the narrative was very focused in on the main plot with no real room for subplots. It might be on the shorter side for some people but I felt it was the perfect length for what it wanted to do.
I love Emezi's prose style in this book just as much as I did in their first book, Freshwater. It's told very beautifully but would still be accessible to the target audience of teens. I especially loved the audiobook read by Chris Myers. I felt it really added something to the story but I needed to read along with the physical book as it could be a bit confusing which parts were signed, spoken out loud and thought with just the audio.
I also really like the casual diversity in this story. Jam is trans and selectively mute (it's not mentioned in the book, but I remember seeing somewhere that she's autistic) and neither of these elements are the focus of the story but still remain relevant to the story and are important for young audiences to see. I especially appreciated that Jam's disability wasn't treated as a negative and characters naturally accommodated for it. I wish people treated non-vocal autistic people like that more often in real life.
The themes of this novel are important especially for young people. Being aware of the signs of something wrong and not ignoring them and not taking things for granted are ones that are important for them to hear. Along with the importance of looking out for each other and taking care of each other.
This book was beautifully written and important for young people and adults alike. I especially liked how the speculative themes were incorporated into the narrative. I highly recommend it and can't wait to read Bitter when it releases in 2022.
Content Warnings: implied sexual abuse, implied csa, child abuse, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
dalmavatai's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Wow, this book completely took me by surprise and if I'm honest, just totally stole my heart.
This is such a beautiful book. The writing is gorgeous, the characters, especially Jam, and the relationships between them, are incredibly meaningful and well-developed. I loved Jam's family and her relationships with her parents as well as with her best friend Redemption, but most of all I loved her relationship with Pet. After her initial fear and apprehension, she was so accepting and managed to view Pet as her equal, which none of the other characters could do. I love how Pet is not otherized in this story, as in, it's not portrayed as a thing but as a creature with its own emotions, ambitions, worldviews, and personality. Pet and Jam had such a great friendship where they teased each other but also made each other grow.
I loved the social commentary in this book. I love how Akwaeke was able to imagine this world where there is no police brutality or even police anymore, no transphobia, no racism, in other words, so many things that we want to see destroyed in the present moment. At the same time, she explores how problems have not disappeared from Lucille and monsters still exist. I feel like a lot of the time when we imagine a better future, many of us are liable to see it as a utopian one, and it was refreshing to see a future world which has made a lot of progress but which has its very own issues at the same time.
I loved the conversations around seeing, and how ideology can convince us not to see certain things that are nevertheless there. I loved Jam and Redemption's journey of finding out the identity of the monster in their midst, and deciding how to bring about justice for the person harmed.
This book is at its core about change, both social and personal, and how to go about making change in the world, how to uncover a problem that everyone else seems to be in denial about. It was so poignant, so lyrical, so nuanced, so beautiful, and so unique. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I'd recommend even if you're not a magical realism/fantasy reader like myself.
This is such a beautiful book. The writing is gorgeous, the characters, especially Jam, and the relationships between them, are incredibly meaningful and well-developed. I loved Jam's family and her relationships with her parents as well as with her best friend Redemption, but most of all I loved her relationship with Pet. After her initial fear and apprehension, she was so accepting and managed to view Pet as her equal, which none of the other characters could do. I love how Pet is not otherized in this story, as in, it's not portrayed as a thing but as a creature with its own emotions, ambitions, worldviews, and personality. Pet and Jam had such a great friendship where they teased each other but also made each other grow.
I loved the social commentary in this book. I love how Akwaeke was able to imagine this world where there is no police brutality or even police anymore, no transphobia, no racism, in other words, so many things that we want to see destroyed in the present moment. At the same time, she explores how problems have not disappeared from Lucille and monsters still exist. I feel like a lot of the time when we imagine a better future, many of us are liable to see it as a utopian one, and it was refreshing to see a future world which has made a lot of progress but which has its very own issues at the same time.
I loved the conversations around seeing, and how ideology can convince us not to see certain things that are nevertheless there. I loved Jam and Redemption's journey of finding out the identity of the monster in their midst, and deciding how to bring about justice for the person harmed.
This book is at its core about change, both social and personal, and how to go about making change in the world, how to uncover a problem that everyone else seems to be in denial about. It was so poignant, so lyrical, so nuanced, so beautiful, and so unique. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I'd recommend even if you're not a magical realism/fantasy reader like myself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, and War
foreverinastory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Damn Emezi brought it to middle grade. Not going to forget this one for a while. I feel a tad haunted.
Rep: Black trans female MC, all Black cast.
CWs: Adult/minor relationship (non-consensual), death, domestic abuse, rape, sexual assault, violence.
Rep: Black trans female MC, all Black cast.
CWs: Adult/minor relationship (non-consensual), death, domestic abuse, rape, sexual assault, violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
beckycarter97's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
nefariousbee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
a strong story about what does it mean to be a bad person. it teaches young kids to recognize that abuse can come from all places, including close family, and that tolerating abuse is not permissible. I respect this book deeply for what it is
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
pitythechild's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
mar's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Gore, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Brilliant and hopeful, but terrifying nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship