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morebedsidebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Gore, Pedophilia, Blood, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Transphobia, Ableism, Classism, Cursing, Police brutality, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
julieyael's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed the way it’s written bringing tension to the story.
I would have liked a deeper character building, but the novel is quite short, so maybe there was not space for it.
I also felt that the particularities of the characters were a bit forced. It’s interesting and nice to find such a diverse set of characters and families, but sometimes it felt a bit artificial.
Maybe if it had been written as an adult novel, not YA, it would have been more to my taste.
Overall, the book finds its purpose and is a good read, and I am sure it will find a good audience and be useful and meaningful to a lot of people.
It just didn’t « click » for me.
I am glad I read it once, but it probably wonnt go on my list of novels that I can read twice (or more).
Also, the subject is pretty heavy and the warnings should be taken seriously.
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Rape, and Violence
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality, Medical content, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest
Minor: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, War, Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Confinement, Gore, Suicide, Transphobia, and Vomit
Ableism warning is to err on the side of caution, for disability framed as a punishment near the end.amre23's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Incest
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Ableism, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Deadnaming, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Dysphoria, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Medical content, Suicide, Police brutality, Cursing, and Sexual violence
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point. That's the whole problem."
Pet by Awaeke Emezi is their first YA book. I've been following Emezi on Instagram for awhile, and I admire them so much. They fiercely live their truth despite the trauma they have livid through and continue to experience at the hands of transphobia. I felt like this was a love letter to that pain.
We follow Jam, a selectively mute trans girl who uses sign language. She accidentally brings her mother's painting to life, and is dragged into a hunt for monsters by the being known as Pet. In Lucille where Jam lives, people believe the monsters, people who commit atrocities like police violence and abuse, are all gone and no one has anything to fear. The revolutionaries that made this possible are called "angels." But the presence of Pet means that monsters still exist.
Emezi's writing is so... efficient? They packed a whole nuances story into 200 pages without it feeling rushed or that it was missing anything. Their language choice was superb at conveying everything they wanted to say with only a few lines. It felt heavy, but not dense. It took a little bit to get used to some of the speech patterns, since Emezi is from Nigeria, but once I figured it out, there were no issues.
Emezi reminds us that all monsters are human, and the worst part is that they are usually people we trust. They remind us that the "not in my backyard" mentality continues to allow children to be harmed. Believe children. Believe survivors. Emezi does a great job of addressing child abuse and child sexual abuse without putting the details on the page. They understand that childhood trauma is not entertainment and shouldn't be treated like it is. More authors need to understand this. I don't need to read the details to understand how horrific it is (I'm looking at you Khaled Hosseni 👀).
To learn more about child sexual abuse or to get help for yourself or a loved one, go to RAINN.org
Moderate: Violence and Child abuse
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
zombiezami's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Cursing, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dysphoria and Mass/school shootings
discworldwitch's review against another edition
- 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
In the words of the author, Akwaeke Emezi “I want Pet to reach as many readers as non-humanly possible, so it can do the work it’s meant to do in the world.”
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Rape, Gore, Vomit, and Police brutality
clea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Obviously the themes discussed, are very important. They are explored in a creative and sensitive way which I strongly appreciated. The characters were strikingly well-developed and the dynamics between them were really interesting (and heart-melting). I especially liked Jam and Redemption's relationship; it just seemed so pure and wholesome! It's a welcome change to see a great friendship between a boy and a girl in which romantic feelings play no part.
I can't recommend this book enough!! Also the audio book is really nice to listen to, the narrator is fantastic and really brings the characters to life.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Police brutality and Mass/school shootings