This book is not what I expected it to be at all!

This book is amazing, such a beautiful story of the fight against monsters. This story can inspire so many conversations on important topics.

This makes you consider what is a monster. Is Pet a monster or is the Evil a monster?

Imaginative and without borders, PET took us into a world that was familiar and safe as well as unknown and dangerous. We spent a rainy weekend buddy reading with twelve-year olds who tussled to know and like with Pet, Jam, and Redemption. Then, Aloe, Bitter, Hibiscus, and Glass. This realistic fantasy is a stretch with unique characters, new dialogues, strange music and food, sign language, and angels (maybe?). We spent hours unpacking characters, themes, conflicts, and vocabulary while reading PET by akwaeke emezi so we paired this book with a tasty brew of ginger beer--also a new experience for these rootbeer lovers. 3.5-stars #JozefBookandBrew

I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately, I found something about the tone or writing style to be confusing. The story deals with monsters, both real and human. I understood the message the author was going for (at least, I think so) but I was constantly wondering what I was supposed to picture - a person or a monster. The city felt like some sort of utopia, but then I wasn't even sure it was just one city or if maybe Lucielle was the entire land. The city having what is traditionally a person's name, and then the characters having names like Aloe and Hibiscus also really threw me off. I just felt like I was doing too much thinking - constantly trying to form a concrete idea of what was happening - and it took me out of the story and kept me from enjoying it fully.

That being said, I loved the friendship between the two main characters. I noticed at one point they said "I love you" to each other when just casually parting ways and that's not something I've read or even really witnessed in real life. I think it's important to remind your friends that you love them! The main character is also trans, which is a first in a middle-grade/YA read for me. And then I liked many of the messages the book gave - just because you know someone, doesn't mean they can't hurt you; you might think all the monsters are gone, but some can hide in plain sight; just because times are better than they were before, doesn't mean they can't still improve.

While this wasn't the smash hit for me that I'd expected, I know a lot of people love this book and if you're interested in the plot, it's definitely one you should check out!

This was a very strange, powerful book. I originally requested it to see if I thought it might be appropriate for my 9-yo, but I think it would be too raw and upsetting. Very important, heavy themes couched in a strange, mystical story of a Black trans child's relationship with a scary, protective monster. I can't exactly say I enjoyed this book, as it was an emotionally difficult read, but I think it would be perfect for a young teen who was ready to explore the ugliest parts of society.

Absolutely loved this book! Jam is a selectively non-verbal trans girl who lives in Lucille, a futuristic sounding, town in America that has zero "monsters", and everyone is accepted for who they are.
This book is a fresh take on monsters and angels, where we are not quite sure who the monsters are.
When Jam's mother, Bitter, painted creature with horns, feathers, goats legs and talons on the end of human hands walks out of the painting, we think he is the monster, but he is not. He, Pet, is here to hunt the monster and he needs Jams help.
There is an aspect magical realism , along with a warning the we should not be content with the way things seem and should always be looking for the "unseen".
I feel this is very relevant to todays world and it is a must read for everyone.
I will be reading more by Akwaeke Emezi.

I don't even know where to begin; this was so hard to get a feel for, things meandered all over everywhere and when I finally figured out what the heck was going on, it was over and I still had a million questions.

A little girl can see a monster, but he doesn't scare her and doesn't threaten to hurt her. He is, however, here to hurt someone who deserves it and it seems to be either her best friend or someone in his household. Where and why the monster shows up is still a bit of a mystery that is never cleared up.

That's pretty much the plot. We s l o w l y learn little things about the girl and her best friend, we learn who is going to be the recipient of the monsters wrath, and we learn the little girls mother knows all about the monster but neglected to mention it to anyone.

This was a confusing, mish mosh of constantly swirling subjects we are supposed to care about (I won't say much more as pretty much every revelation is a spoiler). But the plot line took such a roundabout, zigzagging path to the story points, that by the time you figured out what the author was trying to get across you had lost all interest.

I know I'm in the minority but I just couldn't recommend this book.

This book just wasn't for me but I will still be purchasing this for my library. I usually enjoy magical realism but just couldn't connect with it in this story.

Content Warnings: mention of child abuse, mention of rape

Pet is a raw, poetic, and hopeful look at what it means to live in a just society. The story centers on Jam, a Black teen girl who was born in the city of Lucille after a revolution ostensibly removed all “monsters”—white supremacists, corrupt politicians, rapists, domestic abusers, and rapacious billionaires, to name but a few—and instituted systems of equality, peace, and rehabilitation for those who transgress against Lucille’s ideals. Now that the monsters are all gone, the citizens of Lucille no longer live in fear. But one day a creature named Pet arrives and tells Jam that there is a monster that she needs to hunt…and that the monster is in the home of her best friend Redemption. Jam must figure out how to find a monster that looks like a normal person so that she can protect her friend and save her city.

As with any utopia, there are problems below the surface, but there is so much to emulate in Lucille’s ethics and policies. Lucille is pro-Black and pro-queer. It supports children’s rights and bodily autonomy. Jam is trans, but that fact doesn’t dominate the narrative; this is not a story of trans pain, it is a story of a trans heroine. Jam’s parents support her fiercely and unequivocally when she tells them at age 3 that she is a girl. However, even the most loving and nurturing of people can have blind spots, as evidenced by the adults in Redemption’s life refusing to believe him when he finally discovers who the monster is.

The identity and nature of the monster is not a surprise at all, and that’s what makes the reveal so sad and so realistic. We live in a world of monsters. Many of us recognize them, but all too often we either don’t know what to do when we see them or we’re unwilling to do what is needed (or we know what to do and are willing to do it but the system fails us anyway). And if the reveal is a surprise to you? Then that, too, is what makes it so sad and so realistic. As author Akwaeke Emezi repeatedly points out, monsters hide in plain sight. They could be our friends, our neighbors, or our family members. Jam and Redemption were taught that the monsters were gone, so they didn’t know what to look for…they didn’t even know to look at all. Pet teaches Jam that you must seek the unseen to root out evil wherever it lives. Complacency lets wounds fester and allows the people who cause those wounds to hide and continue inflicting pain wherever they go. Constant vigilance is necessary for justice.

Pet is poetic in the truest sense of the word, inventing new words and phrases you didn’t know we needed until they arrive to distill the truth of existence into tiny gems of language. Emezi’s words are fluid and vibrant and alive—they reshape language and adjust readers’ perspectives and examine the complex relationships between art, artist, and audience. Pet is a unique story told by a unique voice. As long as humans exist, this book will stay relevant as a reminder of the good and the bad of which we are capable and the need to keep fighting for a better world.

I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. It's certainly an incredibly progressive work of fiction. I have never read anything like it before. But I wasn't sure if it would be more appealing to younger readers, or if older teens would pick it up. It skews younger in a lot of ways (the tone, the protagonist's ages, etc.), but these kids are dealing with much more mature content as well. So it's different. But I definitely enjoyed it!

This was the absolute perfect read this week! I was really feeling like some YA after I’d had a bout of heavy nonfiction reads, and this was compelling and clever and rich in allegory. Not a “light” read by any measure, but the imagery and monster hunt of sorts was extremely clever and a well-timed read for me. Highly recommend checking this out (particularly if you’re waiting for their next release, THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI - out in August by @riverheadbooks).

Excellent YA debut by Akwaeke. Handles difficult topics without being didactic. Strongly recommended for parents who want to have difficult conversations about societal ills.

Pet is a perfect book for those reluctant readers who enjoy mystery and horror. This is an intense story that will keep kids on the edge of their seats!

The story of Pet is truly for those looking for a bizarre tale. Pet centers around Jam in a world where “monsters” have all been killed or put in jail. But one day Jam cuts her hand on a blade her mother puts in a painting and accidentally brings it to life. The strange nature of the story is off-putting in its attempt to be an “important” book encompassing and addressing every hot-button issue of the moment. However it lacks an interesting storyline and likable characters needed to carry such a story.

The book was incredibly clever and fast paced. The narrative was quick and to the point but not to the point of feeling incomplete. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the layered symbolism and intrigue of monsters was truly engrossing. This book is perfect for the younger YA age range although at times it seemed a little too on the nose and simplified even for YA. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to read.

Shocking and strange, but gloriously heartfelt and illuminating of the dichotomy of angels/monsters, good/evil, the banality/extraordinary in the everyday. Rough on children but a powerfully risque exposition of truths.

Loved the characters of Jam, Redemption and their parents. Especially loved the full-on lean into trans acceptance.

Received a free ARC from publisher in exchange for honest review.

I really think this book should’ve had more depth to it. It barely even hit 200 pages and I missed the impact that I have been hearing that it had from other people. I think this is a quick read for those who are trying to hit their reading goal, but I sadly did not find it to be a very memorable story which I was really hoping that it would have. I guess it’s just a neutral read for me.

-LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
-LOVE ALL OF IT, CHARACTERS, SETTING, WORLD BUILDING, PACING, ENDING, ETC ETC
-UNIQUE AF, UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER READ
-WRITING IS AMAZING
-I haven't read Emezi's Freshwater, but I will and will continue with her new releases
-Hells yes I would let my 12 year old to read this. I'd love it if she did!
-There is no vigilante justice. It doesn't advocate vigilante justice. It actively argues AGAINST IT. Anyone who thinks that clearly skimmed or didn't get it.

In Lillian, there are no monsters, Revolution has happened, victims were listened to and believed. Things are good. So why has an angel appeared from Jam’s mother’s painting to hunt a monster?

There is so much to unpack in this small story. Many of today’s hot button/hate filled issues simply don’t exist anymore, or are accepted as the norm. But often when we forget the bad, the things/activities that have gone underground, return. I think a lot of time could be spent analysing the symbolism of monsters vs angels.

Chap 1: “...it’s hard to build a new world without making people angry. You try your best, you move with compassion, you think about the big structures. No revolution is perfect.”

Chap 6: “Jam was still scared, but the library would have some answers, it always did. It would help them know what was unknown.”

#2019 #NetGalleyARC #fantasy #magicalrealism #abuse #goodvsevil #LGBTQ+

Wow. This book was so refreshingly unlike anything I'd ever read before. The moment Pet appeared I was so in - what an incredibly written creature. The dialogue is rich and vivid, and the heart-wrenching dilemmas and decisions Jam and Redemption face are honestly rendered. This is a great teaching tool of a story to get kids - and adults - thinking and talking about the role of a community in creating and perpetuating justice. I love that angels say "do not be afraid" because they're terrifying! And that it's easy to forget what monsters look like, to stop looking for them, to believe they couldn't possibly be among us. This book challenged me as an adult reader, and I know it will challenge its young readers, in the best of ways. It starts with the assumption that its readers are smart and capable, and invites them to be critical and honest. Akwaeke Emezi is deserving of every bit of praise they receive for this exceptional book - and more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recently recognized as a National Book Award finalist and a Stonewall Honor book, Pet is also Akwaeke Emezi’s YA debut and the first title from Random House’s Make Me a World imprint. This short novel has been a bit of a Big Book with a good reputation that precedes it well in advance and good lord, I’ve been excited to read it. It’s well worth that reputation too!

The city of Lucille is set up as a near-future utopia where Jam’s generation is the first to be born after all the monsters were vanquished by the angels and everything is good even though older generations like Jam’s parents still remember what a world full of monsters what like. And what were the monsters? Just like the angels, they were equal parts people and ideas, so one monster might be a corrupt politician and another might be the entire idea of transphobia. However, the angels still walk the earth. One of them is Hibiscus, the uncle of Jam’s best friend Redemption and a martial artist who teaches people how to fight.

Emezi’s portrait of Lucille is beautiful and makes me feel hopeful for a better future we can all fight to reach, but the thing is that there is a monster in Lucille no matter how badly the adults want to believe there isn’t. If there weren’t a monster, Jam wouldn’t have been able to summon Pet from one of her mother’s paintings the way her mother once did during the war against the monsters. Pet is there to hunt down the monster with Jam–and that monster is in Redemption’s house.

Pet is a novel dominated by florid language and highly relevant themes, not the plot. If you step back and think about the sequence of events, the hunt for Lucille’s monster is actually over with very quickly. With some of the prose trimmed down, the book would be solidly in novella territory. While that prose is often gorgeous, it’s sometimes overwritten in such a way that it pads out the book count and just plain bad on rare occasions. One line that stood out to me is “Jam straightened herself and tried to inject calm under the skin of her face” from page 114.

Injecting calm under the skin of one’s face. I just. My intense fear of needles makes that imagery particularly horrifying in a way it isn’t meant to be.

In my opinion, Pet should have won the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Maybe the nonfiction book about 1919 that won it this year is great–I don’t know, I haven’t read it and don’t plan to–but I can’t imagine it’s as good as Pet. This is a novel I adore as an adult and needed as a child who encountered her own monster and didn’t know what to do about it. It’s a reminder that we must never forget what the monsters look like because even when we think we’ve beaten them, they’ll be back the instant we forget them.