Pet (Pet, #1) opens Goodreads in a new tab

My thoughts

4/5stars What does a monster look like? Jam asked. Her mother focused on her, cupping her cheek in a chalky hand. "Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point. That's the whole problem. The only two things I regret after reading this book are: a. NOT reading it back when it came out in 2019 and b. it not being a full novel but a novella. Rest assured, the plot setup, the world, the development the execution everything was on point. Emezi does a brilliant job once again showing (and not telling, which is def something i really really love) how Jam struggles to find the answers to the greater questions about justice and right and wrong and redemption, and I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THEIR WRITING STYLE. It's so powerful, so engaging. The truth does not change whether it is seen or unseen, it whispered in her mind. A thing which is happening happens whether you look at it or not. And yes, maybe it is easier not to look. Maybe it is easier to say because you do not see it, it is not happening. Maybe you can pull the stone out of the pool and put the moon back together. For those who don't know, Pet is set in the town of Lucille -- a sort of utopian future where there are no more monsters and societal injustices have been remedied. Jam has been raised with the repeated adage that monsters are a thing of the past and she has little cause to question otherwise until she awakens a creature that crawls out of one of her mother's paintings. The creature, Pet, says that it is in Lucille to hunt a monster and leads Jam on an engrossing journey. The author draws such a portrays such heavy topics with a very light and calm story line and the way things progress, even tho the subject matter is quite dark, we feel not so uncomfortable reading about. It is rather a very realistic depiction of a world. Even in a utopia where a trans character is normal and so accepted have the "monsters" really left? What if you didn't think about what you wanted, what you hoped? What if you thought about what was happening instead? How does that change your wants? I WOULD LOVE (SO SO MUCH) TO READ THIS PREMISE AS A FULL NOVEL. This seems like teasing, it finishes as soon as it starts and leaves me wanting more. The un-satisfaction of that want might have brought this rating down a notch, but all things considered I DEFINITELY HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS BOOK. PLEASE READ IT. CWs for the book: blood, eye mutilation, pedophilia, child abuse, mentions of intimate partner violence, school shootings, rape, sexual assault, police violence, graphic violence