Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is a phenomenal novel, I had really high expectations for Emezi's YA debut after loving their brilliant novel Freshwater, and wow do they deliver. I was captured immediately, got emotional several times, and loved every minute of this page turning novel about Jam, a Black trans girl who joins forces with an otherworldly being called Pet that crawls out of a painting with the mission to hunt a monster.⁣⁣
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Jam lives in the city of Lucille, where there are no monsters. The systems that breed and allow monstrous people to flourish have been systematically eliminated. But if Pet is right, perhaps the people's belief that their city is a paragon of safety has opened back up blindspots for those very monsters to lurk once more.⁣⁣
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This novel has everything: a clever speculative premise and setting, with timely commentary executed alongside an exciting well paced story. And the characters!! I treasure Jam, her loving parents, and her best friend, Redemption. And Pet is vibrantly non-human, and crackles with otherworldly energy. I love a non-human character to really feel apart, and Emezi nails it with Pet. All the stars!