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kyliereads341's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
bookber's review
Unfortunately this ended up being a DNF for me. I got about 65% through and it just wasn't what I initially expected. I did enjoy a few of the poems (particularly about body image) and I love the overall message and intention behind this book, however most of the poems went straight over my head or didn't have much impact on me. Maybe there were too many or maybe it felt repetitive after a while but there are none that stick out in my mind that made it worth continuing for me personally, which I think is a shame as I love the idea of this book.
gay's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
livtheninth's review
2.0
I think my expectations were a bit too high going into this poetry collection. Knowing what it intended to do, I expected to be blown away, horrified, perhaps disgusted, and that this content would provoke a lot of introspective thought on my part as a female reader. I anticipated something like the emotions I went through reading the short stories in "Her Body and Other Parties" by Carmen Maria Machado—visceral dread, trauma release and unease, heightened by the fact that the horror in those stories comes in large part from how they relate to existing in a female body. As it turned out, I counted only a handful of poems in "Under Her Skin" as having any such impact on me whatsoever, which is, in the end, a disappointment to me. Again: my expectations were perhaps a bit too high.
However, poetry and how it affects you is very subjective, and it is important to keep your biases in mind reading a collection such as this. Especially when it comes to poetry which springs from diverse voices where the poets' lived experiences may differ wildly from your own. For example, many of the poems had themes of pregnancy, womanhood as it pertains to fertility, and motherhood—themes which I just do not relate to at all. They are an important part of many people's lives, though, and I recognize that those works just weren't written for me—and that is okay! They might be perfect and feel very resonant to another reader.
Beyond that, though, other poems I regretfully had issues with because they were just too vague for me. I love symbolism, but it needs to be rooted in some sort of clear intent, and here, at times I struggled to understand what the writer was trying to convey, as though the direction was somehow "off".
Others felt too shallow to me; I wanted the poems to cut deeper into the themes they centered around, because there is so much potential in the concept of cis and trans women and non-binary folks expressing their own personal horror, but I felt like a great number of the poems didn't deliver on their promise. At times, they felt repetitive.
Some of the ones I enjoyed the least read to me like the writer had formulated their phrases from a list of words that they thought sounded cool or beautiful, and those poems ended up saying nothing but "look at these pretty words" to me, which left me feeling empty.
Now a superficial note: the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, but the small drawings inside felt a bit... rushed? They could have benefited from more work. And there could have been more drawings, for that matter—they seemed kind of unevenly scattered throughout the collection, and that made them feel a bit like they were just thrown in there at the last second. This is just my opinion, but I felt like the drawings would have worked better and felt more organic to the content if they had had a more purposeful placement; perhaps if the poems came in some kind of thematic order, and the drawings separated the different themes like subtle chapter markers. I don't know. Just... as they were, I might as well have done without them.
In essence, I think mileage will probably vary with this collection. It might well be a five star read to you, and that will depend on what experiences, biases and preferences in writing that you bring to your reading experience. I would say to anyone curious, give it a chance—you might love it. For me, though, while I am sad to give it two stars as I truly respect the intention of what it was going for, in the end it just didn't give me what I wanted from it.
However, poetry and how it affects you is very subjective, and it is important to keep your biases in mind reading a collection such as this. Especially when it comes to poetry which springs from diverse voices where the poets' lived experiences may differ wildly from your own. For example, many of the poems had themes of pregnancy, womanhood as it pertains to fertility, and motherhood—themes which I just do not relate to at all. They are an important part of many people's lives, though, and I recognize that those works just weren't written for me—and that is okay! They might be perfect and feel very resonant to another reader.
Beyond that, though, other poems I regretfully had issues with because they were just too vague for me. I love symbolism, but it needs to be rooted in some sort of clear intent, and here, at times I struggled to understand what the writer was trying to convey, as though the direction was somehow "off".
Others felt too shallow to me; I wanted the poems to cut deeper into the themes they centered around, because there is so much potential in the concept of cis and trans women and non-binary folks expressing their own personal horror, but I felt like a great number of the poems didn't deliver on their promise. At times, they felt repetitive.
Some of the ones I enjoyed the least read to me like the writer had formulated their phrases from a list of words that they thought sounded cool or beautiful, and those poems ended up saying nothing but "look at these pretty words" to me, which left me feeling empty.
Now a superficial note: the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, but the small drawings inside felt a bit... rushed? They could have benefited from more work. And there could have been more drawings, for that matter—they seemed kind of unevenly scattered throughout the collection, and that made them feel a bit like they were just thrown in there at the last second. This is just my opinion, but I felt like the drawings would have worked better and felt more organic to the content if they had had a more purposeful placement; perhaps if the poems came in some kind of thematic order, and the drawings separated the different themes like subtle chapter markers. I don't know. Just... as they were, I might as well have done without them.
In essence, I think mileage will probably vary with this collection. It might well be a five star read to you, and that will depend on what experiences, biases and preferences in writing that you bring to your reading experience. I would say to anyone curious, give it a chance—you might love it. For me, though, while I am sad to give it two stars as I truly respect the intention of what it was going for, in the end it just didn't give me what I wanted from it.
ice_lasha's review
4.0
Thank you for NetGalley and Black Spot Books for sharing an ARC with me, in exchange for my honest review.
What a great choice choosing HER by Tabitha Wood as the opening poem. The poem altered my mood and made me feel dark—which is what I want. I want to be emersed into the poetry and this book of poems did that so well.
The book of poems is composed of beautiful artistry that makes you feel the horror and darkness in an unbearable way. It leads you to the emotion and buries you there. I commend not only the writers, but also the editors that stitched this masterpiece together.
I will say that I believe there could be more pictorial images involved in the book, either that or none at all.
Brava, to the womxn and non-binary people who created this work.
What a great choice choosing HER by Tabitha Wood as the opening poem. The poem altered my mood and made me feel dark—which is what I want. I want to be emersed into the poetry and this book of poems did that so well.
The book of poems is composed of beautiful artistry that makes you feel the horror and darkness in an unbearable way. It leads you to the emotion and buries you there. I commend not only the writers, but also the editors that stitched this masterpiece together.
I will say that I believe there could be more pictorial images involved in the book, either that or none at all.
Brava, to the womxn and non-binary people who created this work.
elliel_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
frombethanysbookshelf's review
4.0
In the debut poetry showcase from Black Spot Books, this collection showcases a diverse cast of women from all backgrounds; cis, trans, non-binary, and brings them together to create something unique and compelling.
Using horror and haunting imagery to convey the real-life fears of women all over the world - getting truly under the skin of the unspoken horrors and ripping into some darkly uncomfortable subjects. From sexual liberation, violence, bodily autonomy, fertility, self-harm and body image, underneath the eerie metaphors there is something that every woman will be able to connect with on a deeper level.
Rather than obvious monsters, most of the poems in this collection are a subtle horror - the chill in your spine, the fear that something is lurking, an unrest deep in your bones which stays in your mind long after you've turned the page. With a range of styles and prose, from classic to contemporary, from winding and story-like to short and concise - you may not like every style but you're sure to find something to connect with.
Evocative, darkly alluring and able to reach in and touch the hearts of its readers, I can't wait for the next collection.
Using horror and haunting imagery to convey the real-life fears of women all over the world - getting truly under the skin of the unspoken horrors and ripping into some darkly uncomfortable subjects. From sexual liberation, violence, bodily autonomy, fertility, self-harm and body image, underneath the eerie metaphors there is something that every woman will be able to connect with on a deeper level.
Rather than obvious monsters, most of the poems in this collection are a subtle horror - the chill in your spine, the fear that something is lurking, an unrest deep in your bones which stays in your mind long after you've turned the page. With a range of styles and prose, from classic to contemporary, from winding and story-like to short and concise - you may not like every style but you're sure to find something to connect with.
Evocative, darkly alluring and able to reach in and touch the hearts of its readers, I can't wait for the next collection.
trzcuit's review
4.0
I recieved an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The poetry in this volume is amazing but not exactly as advertised by the description. I went into this collection expecting horror/spooky stories told through a women's lens but instead encountered the average topics of dangerous beauty standards and duplicitous gender norms. While the writing itself is easily worth a 5-star rating, the collection as a whole failed self-imposed expectations.
The poetry in this volume is amazing but not exactly as advertised by the description. I went into this collection expecting horror/spooky stories told through a women's lens but instead encountered the average topics of dangerous beauty standards and duplicitous gender norms. While the writing itself is easily worth a 5-star rating, the collection as a whole failed self-imposed expectations.
raforall's review
4.0
Review in the April 2022 issue of Library Journal.
Three Words That Describe This Book: lyrical, body horror, thought provoking
DRAFT REVIEW:
Award winning author Linda Addison perfectly sets the stage in the final words of her introduction, “…we were never the Final Girl. We are the Witch, the Myth, the giver of Life, feared.” beckoning readers to enter this thought provoking, poetry anthology featuring seventy different women– cis, trans, and non binary femmess– with poems that focus their terrifying gaze on Body Horror, in particular and being a woman, in general. These are powerful poems, their range in subject matter, style, level of fear and gore, all of it as wide and varied as the range of how women experience the horrific truth of their lives. While the table of content is filled with recognizable names such as Cynthia Pelayo, Stephanie Wytovich, and Lee Murry, two entries that stand out are "Harm" by Emily Ruth Verone and "Beautiful" by L. Marie Wood, visceral poems, that pack an emotional punch, and yet, they also hold a beauty, truth and lyricism that cannot be denied; a message carried with strength by the entire volume.
Verdict: Poetry is an excellent format for probing the dark emotions that define Horror, and this anthology, and its evocative cover, will entice readers to engage with dozens of fierce and chilling voices, just be prepared to add more Horror poetry and new authors to your collections as a result.
NOTES:
Poetry has been on a steady increase in popularity over the last 5 years and Horror poetry especially has been outstanding. It is a great format to express the emotions that make horror.
This anthology is excellent and not just because of some of the big names in Horror poetry represented within-- Cynthia Pelayo, Linda Addison, Stephanie Wytovich, Lee Murry, Sara Tantlinger,
But it is not about the specific women whose works have been included, it is about women regaining the power of their lives and their stories in their own words. Being a woman is terrifying in many ways and together these poems express the full range of that truth. The range of poems is a wide and varied as the range of how women experience their life. I appreciated that.
Ones that caught me off guard: The very short--"Harm"-- by Emily Ruth Verone and "Beautiful" by L. Marie Wood. Both are powerful, visceral body horror, but with a lyricism and emotion that evokes everything this anthology is trying to do and say.
Three Words That Describe This Book: lyrical, body horror, thought provoking
DRAFT REVIEW:
Award winning author Linda Addison perfectly sets the stage in the final words of her introduction, “…we were never the Final Girl. We are the Witch, the Myth, the giver of Life, feared.” beckoning readers to enter this thought provoking, poetry anthology featuring seventy different women– cis, trans, and non binary femmess– with poems that focus their terrifying gaze on Body Horror, in particular and being a woman, in general. These are powerful poems, their range in subject matter, style, level of fear and gore, all of it as wide and varied as the range of how women experience the horrific truth of their lives. While the table of content is filled with recognizable names such as Cynthia Pelayo, Stephanie Wytovich, and Lee Murry, two entries that stand out are "Harm" by Emily Ruth Verone and "Beautiful" by L. Marie Wood, visceral poems, that pack an emotional punch, and yet, they also hold a beauty, truth and lyricism that cannot be denied; a message carried with strength by the entire volume.
Verdict: Poetry is an excellent format for probing the dark emotions that define Horror, and this anthology, and its evocative cover, will entice readers to engage with dozens of fierce and chilling voices, just be prepared to add more Horror poetry and new authors to your collections as a result.
NOTES:
Poetry has been on a steady increase in popularity over the last 5 years and Horror poetry especially has been outstanding. It is a great format to express the emotions that make horror.
This anthology is excellent and not just because of some of the big names in Horror poetry represented within-- Cynthia Pelayo, Linda Addison, Stephanie Wytovich, Lee Murry, Sara Tantlinger,
But it is not about the specific women whose works have been included, it is about women regaining the power of their lives and their stories in their own words. Being a woman is terrifying in many ways and together these poems express the full range of that truth. The range of poems is a wide and varied as the range of how women experience their life. I appreciated that.
Ones that caught me off guard: The very short--"Harm"-- by Emily Ruth Verone and "Beautiful" by L. Marie Wood. Both are powerful, visceral body horror, but with a lyricism and emotion that evokes everything this anthology is trying to do and say.