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nerdysread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley I had the possibility to read a digital copy of this book. And what can I say except. Wow. Like I loved it. Some poetry were really disturbing. But the all together was just great. And I discovered a lot of new authors and I want to read all of their work
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, and Body shaming
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual violence, Fatphobia, and Domestic abuse
salsa_'s review
3.0
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The description of this book led me to believe that this would be a horror poetry book….it’s not. It’s a whole lot of poems talking about the horror in society’s expectations and the horror of life as a woman. That’s my take on it anyway and that was a bummer :( anyway now that the clarification is out of the way, the review:
The book had lovely illustrations, fitting perfectly near the poems they’re placed in and would catch my eye for a few seconds and allow me to guess what poem to expect. I had really high expectations starting this anthology, a breath of fresh air with women’s poems, but was slightly disappointed almost 25% in. The poems are good, but when they’re saying the same thing over and over again it doesn’t matter how good they are, they end up feeling redundant.
I rated most of the poems here 3 and 4 stars while some got 5 stars, those are the ones I ended up bookmarking to come back to later.
Some of my faves from the collection:
- “We” by Morgan Sylvia, she incorporated horror references so well in this and I loved her lines “we brought the things you asked for/ The skulls filled with memories, the severed arms heavy with violence/ The bones full of pain/ But it was never enough”. Her poem was also quite delicious on the tongue with its flow and rhythm, so definitely worth the 5
- “Beautiful” by L. Marie Wood who had such an impactful piece, I wish I could post the whole thing here, but alas that wouldn’t be allowed.
- “Metamorphosis” by Caitlin Marceau.This was heartbreaking to read, because of how relatable it is to every woman, when everyone has a say on your body, from the men you pass on the streets with their stares that speak volumes, to the magazines telling you what body you need to have and why yours is not the ideal one. She brought out this battle so well with her words.
- “Snakeskin” by Stephanie M. Wytovich whose poem felt freshly unique and vividly intriguing.
- “These men are all one monster” by Cassondra Windwalker. Reminds me of “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. This had such beautiful mastery of language, a pleasure to read and visualise.
- “Shredded Alterations” by Sara Tantlinger whose poem on change had so much depth and meaning.
Others that deserve an Honorable Mention:
- “Outside In” by Dalena Storm
- “Zombification” by Roni Stinger,
- “I carry” by Maureen O’Leary
- “Pieces” by Annie Neugebauer
- “Danse De La Mort” by R. J. Joseph
- “The Carrion Flowers” by Morgan Sylvia, and many more, even the ones which I rated 3 and 4 were pretty good too, while the ones I gave 2 were a handful of them at most.
Overall I’d give this book a 3.5/5, because out of 88, most had 3 and 4 stars, but because the description misled me, I’m gonna remove a .5 and rate it a solid 3. It’s an interesting collection, just wish it had a bigger range in terms of content. If you plan on reading this then please be aware that there might be some triggers like implied ED, self harm, suicide, abuse, death etc.
Happy reading :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Death, and Blood
bookswithmari's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Rape
crazyasahare1's review
dark
emotional
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Cannibalism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Murder, Violence, and Toxic relationship
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