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imrereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
This is such a worthy prequel to Pet. I'll admit to being slightly hesitant (as well as very excited) to more from the universe, having loved the first book as much as I did, but this exceeded all of my expectations. I loved it from first to last word.
It's such an important book. One thing I really loved was the focus it put on all the different roles needed to bring about change. Protesting on the front line is one way, but it's not the only way. The thoughtful and impactful way anxiety and panic was used in the story just blew me away. There are so many scenes I want to bring forth, but I don't want to give any spoilers. I just want to strongly recommend that you read this book. I think reading them in order of publication is the way to go, so Pet followed by Bitter, but I'm sure following the timeline of the story by reading Bitter first is interesting as well.
It's such an important book. One thing I really loved was the focus it put on all the different roles needed to bring about change. Protesting on the front line is one way, but it's not the only way. The thoughtful and impactful way anxiety and panic was used in the story just blew me away. There are so many scenes I want to bring forth, but I don't want to give any spoilers. I just want to strongly recommend that you read this book. I think reading them in order of publication is the way to go, so Pet followed by Bitter, but I'm sure following the timeline of the story by reading Bitter first is interesting as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Murder
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
achingallover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
melaniereadsbooks's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After reading Pet (and loving, of course), I was so excited to find out Emezi wrote a prequel with Pet's mom, Bitter.
I loved this book so so much. It is a short and quick read, but it is so good and delves deeply into so many important issues. This tells the story of the Revolution that happened pre-Pet and how the monsters got there. I love seeing Bitter as a young person and all the learning and growing she goes through. This gets dark, but it is definitely worth it!
I loved this book so so much. It is a short and quick read, but it is so good and delves deeply into so many important issues. This tells the story of the Revolution that happened pre-Pet and how the monsters got there. I love seeing Bitter as a young person and all the learning and growing she goes through. This gets dark, but it is definitely worth it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Police brutality and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Abandonment
tina94's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Child abuse
caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thanks to Knopf Young Readers for the free advance copy of this book.
- BITTER is the prequel to Emezi's YA novel PET, and follows Jam's mother Bitter in the pre-revolution days.
- Given that Bitter is older than Jam was in PET, this novel has a slightly more adult feel - PET felt like a middle grade fairytale, while BITTER is more like a parable from a parallel timeline. It also expanded the world and its fantastical elements a bit, which was great.
- These books would be great gifts for kids interested in activism, particularly around social equity. Emezi has built the world of Lucille to shear down the world's problems to just resource distribution and policing, making these a good place to start. They even name drop some prominent activists from our world (Brooks, Kaba, etc.) to give readers a trail to follow.
- BITTER is the prequel to Emezi's YA novel PET, and follows Jam's mother Bitter in the pre-revolution days.
- Given that Bitter is older than Jam was in PET, this novel has a slightly more adult feel - PET felt like a middle grade fairytale, while BITTER is more like a parable from a parallel timeline. It also expanded the world and its fantastical elements a bit, which was great.
- These books would be great gifts for kids interested in activism, particularly around social equity. Emezi has built the world of Lucille to shear down the world's problems to just resource distribution and policing, making these a good place to start. They even name drop some prominent activists from our world (Brooks, Kaba, etc.) to give readers a trail to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this to review! Pet is such a gorgeously crafted novel, I was excited to see more from this world. I might need to re-read Pet now that I have this background information!
Before reading this, I felt like there was so much potential for this prequel. Emezi is truly a master at writing stories that parallel our own. There are so many conversations in this book about fighting back that are applicable to current society. One of the strongest messages in this book was that you don't have to be on the frontlines to help with a revolution. Bitter struggles with this concept throughout the entire book, and I appreciated this in the context of a young adult novel. Not all teens can afford to be on the frontlines of protests and such. But there are still ways they can contribute.
While you don't have read Pet before reading Bitter, I do think this book builds on the world from the first book. Or rather, it helps make the world easier to understand. Emezi could actually give us background on a number of other characters and I would read them all. I'm sure some of the main characters here have interesting backgrounds as well.
All in all, even though this is a short read, it packs a punch. Definitely one that should be on your TBR when it comes out in Feburary!
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The way this parallels real world situations and brings in real world discussions is just beautifully done. I would say you probably don't have to read Pet before reading this, but you'll probably want to read Pet after reading this. Full review to come soon!
The way this parallels real world situations and brings in real world discussions is just beautifully done. I would say you probably don't have to read Pet before reading this, but you'll probably want to read Pet after reading this. Full review to come soon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Abandonment