A review by bookishmillennial
Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated
 disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial 
 
• teen fiction fantasy centered around gifted artist, Bitter
• companion novel to Pet — Bitter is Jam’s mom
• this is set in Lucille when Bitter attends Eucalyptus, a residential school for young artists, run by Miss Virtue
• she just wants peace and quiet, after a childhood spent in foster homes, but young activists involved with Assata, including some of her classmates, are protesting racial & economic injustice with hopes for a better Lucille
• Bitter meets Aloe, who is friends with her ex, Eddie
• Her friends get Injured and one dies, infuriating Bitter into painting a creature called Vengeance, bringing it to life by using her own blood & dealing with the aftermath
• I totally empathized with Bitter, wanting to choose peace — it’s exhausting work but choosing joy ✨is✨ a form of resistance! We all play our roles in activism!
• Nice to see the beginning of Bitter & Aloe’s relationship
• reflections on what activism can look like, including music & art as representations of protest & resistance
• cw: police brutality, violence, death, gun violence, murder, abuse, homophobia, death of parent

I loved this prequel to show how Lucille was before the society we come to know in Pet! A short, powerful, absolute must-read 👏🏽 
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