graveyardpansy's reviews
557 reviews

2.5 stars? this isn’t /bad/, but i didn’t really learn anything. it takes a linguistic/historical approach to the ‘issue’ of gender-neutral pronouns, which makes it seem very detached (not shocking, considering the author is cis.) a lot of things that could’ve been delved into through a trans perspective were not looked at at all, and every mention of transness was very superficial and didn’t add much to the overall analysis of pronouns. i find myself mostly questioning why this book exists. like, what does it do that a trans historian or linguist couldn’t do better? the chronology at the end was the most interesting part, but the writing was overall pretty dry. i can’t think of a situation in which i would recommend this book.

is it good? no. did i enjoy it? ...yes.

if i, as a sensitivity reader, was given this book to review, i would simply tell them to throw it away

some truly interesting viewpoints on death, and some really questionable ones about women.

ngl, way more readable than a lot of old philosophy

4.5 — biblical angels, wonderful casual diversity, a strong friendship (without romance!!), effortless worldbuilding, and cutting themes of justice, utopia, fear, and strength. definitely needs a CW for csa/parental abuse, but the author does a good job of handling it at a YA-appropriate, non-graphic level. really nice writing for a YA imo, and the representation is refreshing. the MC is Black, trans, and partially nonverbal, the main cast is all Black I think, there’s a tri-parental family unit (with a nonbinary parent!), and a wonderful wheelchair user librarian.

stories about marginalization and the intricacies of oppression are important and deserve to be heard, but it’s also /really/ important to have worlds like this, where being trans and partly nonverbal is just a part of a character, not a “challenge” or even something that is seen as troublesome by wider society. i really hope people are able to see themselves in Pet, and i think lots of people can.

side note, i adore all the character’s names, they really add to the semi-futuristic post-revolution vibe.

4.5 stars - very rarely do i read something that simultaneously manages to genuinely surprise me with a twist /and/ have everything make complete and total sense. some of the metaphors are a little heavy-handed for my liking, but i prefer that to ones that are too subtle for me to catch. overall, biting and reflective in ways that i didn’t expect, really visceral writing that toys with ideas in really cool ways, and an overall really unique story. however, i will recommend looking up CWs before going into this.

bro... genuinely i do not recommend this series at all, i rly hate the way Sakavic writes abt disability and mental health, but like........ i am ashamed that i enjoyed the emotions this made me feel