Review: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi @MakeMeAWorld @azemezi
Pet
by Akwaeke Emezi
Publisher: Make Me A World
Publish Date: September 10, 2019
iBooks
208 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQIA+
Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?
There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question--How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question--How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
My Review:
Imagine that it is the future and we live in a place called Lucille, and all the badness of the world we knew was gone (abuse, corruption, inequality, etc. i.e. "monsters") and you were the first generation born into this utopian society. This happened from the diligence of the "angels" who changed the laws and kept the corrupt accountable. Jam is loved by her parents and they speak (somewhat) openly of the world before, for the forgotten makes the monsters come back. But what happens when you stop looking for them?
This is my first Emezi book and most certainly won't be the last. The way they weaved this young adult story touching on VERY important points really gets your mind working. Diversity is shown greatly in this read. Jam is a trans girl with selective mutism. There's a polyamorous relationship and a nonbinary character. What's great is that we know this but it's not a central theme because in this world, this is a natural, every day occurrence that is accepted by everyone. This is the utopia I'd like to live in one day.
Special nod to a particular scene that reminded me of Supernatural. 😉
A fantastic book full of diversity for the young readers. I wish I had a little more on exactly how Lucille became such a utopia. It's touched on very briefly but I found myself curious on this part. And I'm grateful that there are great diverse reads for the younger generation. Clearly I need to go read Freshwater.
★★★★
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