Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

20 reviews

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).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Dysphoria, Grief, and Gore

Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Transphobia

aurora4847's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.25

A brilliant story about a world supposedly rid of violence and bigotry. Jam has to come to terms with the fact that her world isn't as perfect as it seems, and old monsters still lurk in the shadows.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Pedophilia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Incest, Torture, and Child abuse

While nothing is explicit, there is a pedophile who is found out and brought to justice. There is also a good deal of religious imagery, specifically biblical angels.

summerb's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Murder, Transphobia, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Rape, Vomit, Racism, Violence, Cursing, Hate crime, and Homophobia

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

That was really well done and the execution was splendid. However, the theme about monsters not looking different fell a little flat since 

the monster got mutilated

  during the finale 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Torture, Child abuse, and Gore

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Akwaeke Emezi doesn’t miss.

This story is both tender and gut-wrenching. I loved Jam as a protagonist and her relationships with both Pet and Redemption. I loved the depictions of dissociation and non-verbal communication.

The theme of justice, especially in a post-prison society was also handled really well, I think. I just really appreciated all the different elements of the story, from the building of the town of Lucille and the quasi mythology surrounding its revolutionary history, to the magical realism, to the character relationships. It was all so well-crafted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, and Child abuse

hollowhallow13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

Honestly just amazing

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Torture

mellowreading's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

4.75

GOD I LOVED THIS. Such a good message, especially for a YA, and so beautifully and uniquely written. Both fable and dystopia, PET encourages readers to be unafraid to face even the most terrible truths, that monsters can take the shape of the best of us, that no change will be made if we are not actively looking for the problems, and that if you see something. Say something. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Torture, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Pedophilia and Incest

kbairbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

That was absolutely amazing! What?! THIS should be required reading in schools. Wow I’m absolutely flabbergasted by the strength and … nope I can’t continue. I’m speechless. Incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

haylzno's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

My first Akwaeke novel and I LOVED it. I truly cannot wait to read Bitter. 

I absolutely adored the world/community in which this novel was set in (although we have the "curtain" raised at some point - but the idea of this perfect, nothing-goes-wrong-because-bad-people-don't-exist-anymore world was so...intriguing and quite frankly, a very lovely thought). 

The representation in this book - unmatched. We've got poly relationships, trans rep, queer rep, disability rep, you name it. 

The dynamics and relationships between the humans but also between Pet and Jam was fun to explore. Emezi's writing is top tier. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

sarahrosea's review against another edition

reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Police brutality, Racism, and Transphobia