This book definitely took me by surprise! It was deep! It was complex and thought provoking, and left me wondering about so many things! I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was unexpected and surprisingly quiet for such a huge topic. I think that's why it worked. Isolated in one family and a friend, a huge monster that tended to waiver between good and evil...really interesting premise I think young adults will be drawn to

[this review will be up on my blog, acquadimore.wordpress.com, on August 26, 2019]

Pet is a story about how evil – any kind of evil – thrives in plain sight when people start refusing to look for it, to acknowledge that it can and does exist. It’s a story about how this refusal of any kind of discomfort, this hiding from the world’s truth, hurts and silences victims.

It follows Jam, a black trans girl with selective mutism who lives in Lucille, a town in a future version of America that would look like an utopia to us. Not only the people around Jam accept all of her as she is, Lucille as a whole doesn’t have “monsters” anymore: no police to fear, no hoarding billionaries or evil politicians or backstabbing bigots. Evil has been defeated, people say, but as Jam soon discovers, that’s never really the case.

This is a charming little book. It’s so short, but it has so much to say, with this world balanced between surreal and futuristic, in which creatures can come through paintings and monsters are still so familiar. It’s not contemporary, but it’s that kind of book that feels more real than reality, and one I would recommend to readers of all ages. I think that it’s technically a much-needed lower YA, as the main character is 15, but it’s accessible even to younger readers, and adults could get a lot out of it as well. From what Petsays about the nature of evil to what it says about what makes a monster, or an angel - not the appearance, not what they are, but what they do – there are a lot of important messages and reminders in this book.

I think it’s really interesting how, in an age range that is supposedly geared towards teenagers (so, from 13 to 19, and even then, people will tell you that it’s technically meant to be 14-17), characters that are younger than 16 are so uncommon in YA. I think this is one of the reasons this book felt so unlike every YA novel I had ever read before – Jam is a 15-year-old girl who actually feels like one, and Pet talks about the typical difficulties of being a young teen in the world: Jam doesn’t know how to communicate with her parents anymore, she’s slowly realizing that the world is uglier than she has believed for all her life, and is terrified that people won’t listen to her just because of her age. I remember experiencing all of these things myself, and it’s sad that the YA age range usually avoids dealing with these topics to favor storylines that are more appealing to adults instead.

Pet also focuses a lot on family dynamics, both in Jam’s own family – Jam’s relationships with her parents, Bitter and Aloe, is really developed, which is also uncommon in YA – and in her friend Redemption’s, in which Jam has been told “hides a monster”. I loved the portrayal of Redemption’s family, it’s so uncommon to see extended families and polyamory representation (Redemption’s parents are a woman, a non-binary person, and a man, but aunts and uncles are almost like parents to him too) in books, but even families that look perfect can have their ugly sides. And this is still a story with a happy ending, the best possible ending given the circumstances. Just because it has an important message, it doesn’t mean it has to be constantly painful.

And then there’s the relationship between Jam and Pet, the creature that came through Jam’s mother’s paining. I loved what this book did with Pet, especially what Pet meant to Jam – their complicated friendship, their disagreements abou how to pursue justice, and how Pet taught Jam to be brave and that sometimes discomfort is a positive thing.

I hope Pet ends up reaching a lot of people; I think most could get something useful from this.

Having been a ridiculously-crazy-mind-blowing fan of “FRESHWATER”, by Akwaeke Emezi’s debut autobiographical novel - It took seconds to request a copy of “PET”, the moment I saw the book on Netgalley.

I love the “About the Book”, sentence....created by the advertising folks:
“PET IS HERE TO HUNT A MONSTER. ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO LOOK?”

Yes...yes...yes....I put on my ‘brave’ hat, wrapped myself in my new gorgeous ‘brave’ blanket ( made by my wonderful-moon-friend) - snuggled into my ‘brave’ chair- and started reading.....BRAVELY.
I KID YOU NOT....a reader must be ‘brave’ to read anything by Akwaeke Emezi. Her books are exceptionally experiential > filled with wisdom - insights - and depth. Emezi has the ability to tap into our personal inhibitions to experience both a fascinating tale and a moving transformation.

The wonderful blurb folks gave us this to ponder too:
“HOW DO YOU SAVE THE WORLD FROM MONSTERS IF NO ONE WILL ADMIT THEY
EXIST?”

Another question is.....”COULD WE EVER LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT EVIL?”

We meet Jam - a black transgender teen who lives in a town called Lucille. She has loving parents: Bitter and Aloe.
Jam was taught that all the monsters in the world have vanished....ie: murderers, corrupt politicians, sex offenders, rapists, injustice, prejudice, and all types of abusers.
In Lucille -The town of Utopia - Angels are known, but not evil.

But.... perhaps not all monsters are really gone?/!
Perhaps children discover truths before their parents do.

It’s so tempting to want to share the page-turning creative-details - but I’ll be good...
so instead the characters with their thought-provoking names:
Jam, Bitter, Redemption, Aloe, Ube, Hibiscus, Moss, Glass, Malachite, and PET are waiting to meet you...( they will be happy to fill you in and give you a job to do)....

You are being invited come face to face with PET, a magical creature who feels human, who is roughly the same height as Jam ( PET calls Jam ‘little girl’.... her mother calls her ‘doux-flux’), other than PET has dark red horns and smoke wafting out of his mouth, smelling like ash.

PET, who was painted into life, doesn’t care what Jam or her parents want - only the truth of ‘what is’.
“The truth does not change whether it is seen or unseen”.

Sometimes it’s easier not to see… not to see what is happening. This is why you must be brave while facing the truth.

Jam remembers her mother, Bitter, telling her before the revolution had ended- Angels as hunters had to do dark things, hard things. They, too, had to be brave.

PET may need to do hard things, too.
Jam may have to do dark things....
They need your help readers...
Don’t be afraid ...
Put on your Sunday best brave clothes-of-armor....
And remember...
“All knowledge is good knowledge”!

A fantastical young adult book... one that adults will enjoy too.

Teachers, parents of middle age kids... this is a terrific book choice to read together.

Akwaeke Emezi is sooo brilliantly creative - SUCH A UNIQUE writer....I admire her extraordinary talent.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Children, and Akwaeke Emezi

Beautiful, haunting, captivating, with a touch of magic and a touch of fantasy, just brilliant! The message throughout this story is so timely. The town of Lucille is sure it is rid of the monsters, corrupt politicians, child abusers, murderers and other monsters. Jam, a young transgirl, lives with her loving parents. She and her best friend Redemption, have grown up believing there are no more monsters. Jam’s mother, Bitter, paints a picture which comes alive and presents itself to Jam. It, Pet, tells her that there is a monster in Redemption’s house and Pet is here to hunt it. A wonderful story which will stay with you for some time. This book has made it to my ‘best ever’ book list.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the town of Lucille, everyone says that monsters have been eradicated. But when a girl named Pet accidentally summons a monster from a painting, she learns not only that monsters still exist, but that they've existed all along in plain sight - sometimes in the form of someone you know and trust. And when the adults around her are in denial, how can she deal with monsters?

This YA debut is beautifully written, as I've come to expect from Emezi. I also appreciate the metaphor here for violence, abuse, and prejudice, and how to address those wrongs when so many people refuse to acknowledge them. It's very cleverly done, but I do wonder how I would have felt about this book as a young person. I suspect I wouldn't have appreciated the style and metaphor quite so much as I do now. But I hope Pet makes a big impact on young readers, and I look forward to hearing how it's received by them.

3.5 I wanted to love this book...cover=gorgeous; monsters=yes, please; transgender protagonist=yay!; Christopher Myers imprint=just plain of course. The writing was beautiful and I did love getting lost in the words, but the story felt a bit contrived. The beginning was somewhat slow and the rest of the book was very heavy. Personally, I think it would have been good to start the book when Jam is with Bitter’s painting and then go back and introduce everyone and explain Jam’s history. By then the reader is invested in the action and is actively turning pages. I think I would have cared even more for Jam, her family and friends (who were developed wonderfully). I knew who the real monster was early on; there was no big reveal for me and the plot was all too expected as it went along. The dialogue and colorful characters saved the book.

This book is exactly what I hoped for from Emezi in a YA title, and I can't wait to handsell it. I will be writing a full review of this book on my blog closer to the publication date, but the representation, originality, and beauty of Emezi's prose were all striking in this title. Fantastic.

Pet is an examination of who truly are the monsters amoung us and are there really any angels to be had. Told in a way that I'm not used, this story either seems to take place in the future or in an alternate present. People live without fear of 'monsters' (bad people), poor morals, or even last names. No surnames are given and even children who love their parents call them by their first names. And their given names generally mean something. The protagonist's name is Jam, likely because her parents think she's so sweet. Her mother is named Bitter, due to her being conceived by rape. Jam can speak out loud but prefers to sign instead and has an odd obsession with 'angels', the good people who brought on a time of peace, and 'monsters', the wicked people who were responsible for all of the turmoil in Lucielle, the land that they live in. Essentially, honest politicians doing dishonest things to unseat dishonest politicians. Jam's best friend and possible crush, Redemption, has an uncle who was once one of the original 'angels' who fought against the 'monsters'.

Bitter is a painter and one day, Jam sneaks into her studio to see her new painting. Its ugly and scary, and looks like every monster Jam has ever imagined. There's a razor hidden in the picture and tripping, Jam knocks the painting over, cuts herself, and releases the creature by the name of Pet from it. Pet says that he is there to hunt hunt a monster, a real monster, hiding in Redemption's home... This story touches on so many weighty things, including monsters masquerading as angels, and angels with the talons of monsters. What it DOESN'T do is harp on the point of sexuality or sexual identity. The author beautifully describes a character who loves her parents, loves to read, loves her best friend, loves life, and just so happens to be trans. The biggest thing about her isn't what's between her legs, but what's in her heart and mind, as it should be.

*****This review is based on an ARC that was given for free in exchange for an open and honest review****

If you are looking for a beautiful, evocative, and diverse read PET is the book for you.

We follow our main character Jam, a young girl who lives in Lucille, a town in a place that is America but not quite. Lucille is special. Before Jam was born there were monsters--corrupt politicians, police shooters, murderers, rapists. The lowest of the low. Then the angels came; people who got rid of the monsters and made their community a safe haven for everyone.

Or so they believe.

When Jam's mother paints a monster, it comes alive. It looks horrifying, like everything a monster should be, but it says it's name is Pet... and Pet is here to hunt a monster in Jam's best friend's house.

This is a short but incredibly sharp read full of beautiful diversity. Jam is a black trans girl with loving parents who are always looking out for her. She is such a thoughtful heroine to read from; she is always trying to see the truth, and yet feels no less human for it, or like a mouthpiece. I seriously loved the way this story was written, with such evocative writing that really draws the reader in.

Pet was also such an amazing character to read about and I loved the biblical allegory and the questions and discussions that were posed about religion and monsters and angels. SO thoughtfully written and thought-provoking.

The writing style may not be for everyone, as it's not heavy on world building and isn't meant to read like a typical YA novel, but its uniqueness is its strong point, and Akwaeke Emezi brings a voice to YA that I've never read before and we've been sorely in need of. And though it's a short read, the characters are so strong and their stories drive the narrative so well it truly feels perfectly complete.

ARC provided by Make Me a World/RH, thank you! 💜

An incredibly imaginative and well-written YA novel examining monstrosity, how we deal with people committing terrible action, victim blaming, and family / friendship. In the city of Lucille all Monsters have been eradicated...or so they thought. But when Jam accidentally pulls a terrifying monster hunter out of a painting, she realizes what the adults refuse to believe: evil--and monsters--still exist. The Angels may have gotten rid of them once, but now they've grown too lax, and evil has returned to Lucille. But with all of the adults in their lives refusing to believe, how are Jam and her friends supposed to defeat the new Monster and save the town?

Definitely recommended.

This is such a short, quirky book, but it definitely works! Despite this being just over 200 pages long, we get a full-fledged, character-driven story. The characters are the true powerhouse in this book. The author did an amazing job on these characters, because without them this book wouldn't have worked as well as it did. Jam is off to help Pet destroy a "monster" that is located in her friend's (Redemption) house. It brings a really strong message that I'm sure many people can connect with. Intriguing summary, quirky style of writing, but still wonderfully done.

Pet was a short but powerful read about a world where angels used to rule but are, for the most part, no longer around in society. A girl named Jam accidentally summons Pet, a creature who is on the hunt for a "monster" hidden in Jam's friend Redemption's house.

This novel was really cool. I loved the story and the message, but the characters were by far the strongest part of the book. Pet has to do with family bonds and what happens when those bonds are severed. In the end, a family member is betrayed by someone unexpected, and Pet turns out to be something that isn't expected. Pet was probably the coolest character because it acted as metaphor for revenge and redemption. While Pet wasn't necessarily a revenge story, those elements at the end made the book better than it would have been without them.

I wish that Pet was longer and included even more messages about family. I also think that if Pet was described in more detail, the story would have been more terrifying and left a stronger impact on the reader. Either way, this was a good book.

As a side note, the representation was awesome in this book. Jam is deaf and transgender, and Redemption has three parents, one of whom uses they/them pronouns. What more could you want?

Unusual young adult book with bits I found confusing, but very modern family dynamics while having a very inclusive protagonist. The plotline is out of this world and I really got into it the further I got in the story. This book won't be for everyone, but as someone that has experienced monsters themselves, I resonated with this book and wholeheartedly approve with the message.

Absolutely excellent YA novel from Akwaeke Emezi! Young trans teenager Jam lives in Lucille, a city that has long since purged their community of "monsters." No one can imagine such creatures returning, so it's little surprise that Jam and her family are shocked when a painting of a beast comes to life and claims to have been summoned to Lucille to hunt a monster. Worse still, the beast claims the monster lucks within in the home of Jam's best friend, Redemption. Intriguing, intoxicating, and thought-provoking.