A review by catapocalypse
Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

The most important thing to know going into this after reading Pet is that they are very different in tone and intensity. Bitter is a prequel, following Jam's mother when she herself was a teen in school, back before the monsters in Lucille were subdued. This setting is very recognizable and on-the-nose with real life issues: exploitative billionaires, corrupt government, and brutality against marginalized populations. Bitter's life has been hard, and even within the safe walls of her school, Eucalyptus, she still grapples with what her part in the struggle to make a better world should be. Things fly out of control when she accidentally unleashes Angels into the world, and both she and the activist Assata kids must decide how they really want things to resolve.

I personally didn't have an issue with the ways this differs from Pet. As with everything from Emezi, things play out in ways I didn't entirely expect, and nothing is as simple as it seems. This is definitely the most on-the-nose of their work, which some folks may not care for, but I think is fine for YA in particular.

The serious content does make it seem fit for a slightly older teen audience than Pet, as there are deaths, instances of violence and characters suffering serious injury, and some mentions of abuse and trauma from the very flawed foster care system.
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