Boy, there’s a lot to like about this book. First of all, the protagonist, Jam, is a selectively mute trans girl who does not suffer for her gender. She’s loved! Her parents love her, her friends love her. That was so refreshing to read. Second, Akwaeke Emezi has a mind like no one else’s. I recently read their adult debut, Freshwater, and it was a wholly unique, memorable book. Pet is, too - you won’t find anything else like it on the YA landscape right now. I’m glad new authors with interesting stories to tell are breaking into this age group, because teens need to read about trans girls making friends with monsters to hunt down child abusers. That’s cool as hell. Pet itself is also very neat, and the way its true nature is revealed at the end of the book, tying together themes woven throughout the book... that was my favorite part, personally. It probably helps that I’m a huge sucker both for religious imagery used in unexpected ways and for bonds between kids and frightening fantasy creatures. The social commentary, too, is excellent. It’s something that isn’t often addressed in YA fiction: the importance of weeding out abusers even in “enlightened” circles, the way even good people can accidentally turn a blind eye in favor of peace of mind, the idea that having the right politics does not mean you can’t hurt the people around you.

The one problem I have - and unfortunately it’s a pretty big one - is that in between all this excellent stuff, the great protagonist and the message and the giant feathery beast and the effective ending, is... filler. The actual plot doesn’t amount to much, which isn’t necessarily a problem - I don’t mind a more cerebral, introspective book. It’s just that in the place of moving the plot forward is a lot of explaining and re-explaining. It was as if Emezi was worried that the reader wouldn’t understand why Jam was doing what she was doing or feeling what she was feeling, and often outlined things that just didn’t need to be outlined again: for example, they repeatedly, explicitly explained that other people could not see Pet unless it wanted them to. I did not need reminding of that; it was easy to understand in the first place, context made it easy to remember, and I just wanted to get on with the story. The narrative was also often less intense than it could have been. At one point Jam wonders to herself, “Had the plan worked already--so quickly?” The answer, we find out mere sentences later, is yes, it has. Her plan has gone off without a hitch. No hurdles. She even predicts the eventual blowup long before it happens - “She knew it would come back and blow up and be worse” - effectively ruining any tension the situation could have rendered. Stuff like that made the book less enjoyable than it could have been.

I still think the good makes up for the less-than-good, though, and I think people should read this one. It’s an interesting, unique fantasy read with a truly memorable protagonist, and it has some great things to say.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

ETA Okay so I originally read a digital copy of this book but today I got my hands on a physical galley and um?? It’s the nicest galley I’ve ever seen??? The title is EMBOSSED????? Lord god how much money did y’all spend on these