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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.
_readwithlauren_'s review
3.0
I love poetry so I was excited to read this. I ended up enjoying a lot of the poems. Unfortunately, there were some that I couldn't really get into. But that could have been just a me thing. I did enjoy that the poems were dark and gruesome. I did feel like there were a lot of poems in here, I think it could have been cut down. Overall it was good, but nothing amazing.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
cupofbooksreviews's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
neldab_reads's review
1.0
Yea, I’m very confused with this book. For starters, there isn’t really a description for the book, so readers are going based on the cover and title. I went into this book thinking it would discuss the ugly side of beauty for women. It did that, but it also didn’t. This book proclaims itself as a horror, but it was more dark and twisted than anything.
The writing itself was very dark but fine, but I think the order of the poems could use some work. It would go from something very light to some very dark then from a comparison to Medusa to childbirth then back to something light. It’s safe to say that this isn’t really my kind of read, and I kind of regret choosing when I read it based off of my previous and current reads.
The writing itself was very dark but fine, but I think the order of the poems could use some work. It would go from something very light to some very dark then from a comparison to Medusa to childbirth then back to something light. It’s safe to say that this isn’t really my kind of read, and I kind of regret choosing when I read it based off of my previous and current reads.
maemaelu23's review
4.0
If you love body horror and poetry, this is the collection for you. Grotesque and powerful, the descriptions are representative of femininity and the life of the feminine. How were are picked apart, cut open, and torn apart for culture, Society, government, and religion.
My only critique is the lack of organization. The arrangement felt kind of all over the place. the poems ranged From the empowering to the viscerally painful and all were intermixed with everything in between. I felt like there should have been a more cohesive order to their progression.
My only critique is the lack of organization. The arrangement felt kind of all over the place. the poems ranged From the empowering to the viscerally painful and all were intermixed with everything in between. I felt like there should have been a more cohesive order to their progression.
myweereads's review
4.0
“I need to go away from myself in order to heal. Be separate from my body, and the way skin makes me feel.”
Under Her Skin is edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller. It is a poetry showcase featuring several female poets and authors. These are works which haven’t been published before. The theme of this collection is body horror and how it has cleverly been interpreted in the styles adopted by each of these Women in Horror.
What I found made this an addictive read was that each author and poet spoke of body horror in ways which were graphic, visceral, with beauty and with depravity. Within each of these dark verses and lyrical prose is a reflection on what body horror can be visualised as.I was constantly highlighting quotes as some hit home more than others.
There are some intimate graphics within the pages which blend in beautifully with the horror being revealed from word to word.
This is a memorable collection of works which I think a lot of people would enjoy reading.
*Read on NetGalley
Under Her Skin is edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller. It is a poetry showcase featuring several female poets and authors. These are works which haven’t been published before. The theme of this collection is body horror and how it has cleverly been interpreted in the styles adopted by each of these Women in Horror.
What I found made this an addictive read was that each author and poet spoke of body horror in ways which were graphic, visceral, with beauty and with depravity. Within each of these dark verses and lyrical prose is a reflection on what body horror can be visualised as.I was constantly highlighting quotes as some hit home more than others.
There are some intimate graphics within the pages which blend in beautifully with the horror being revealed from word to word.
This is a memorable collection of works which I think a lot of people would enjoy reading.
*Read on NetGalley
bbennett128's review
2.0
[2 Stars]
Some of these definitely hit the mark for me:
- Beautiful by L. Marie Wood
- Skincare Routine by Cynthia Pelayo
- Metamorphosis by Catilin Marceau
- Sanctification by Amanda Kirby
- Bits of You, Still Kept by Maggie Shurtleff
- The Last Woman by Tiffany Michelle Brown
But the rest I didn't care much for. Not a bad poetry collection though, just wasn't for me overall. Might be good for closer to Halloween
CW: abuse, body dysmorphia, gore, assault, death, and more
Some of these definitely hit the mark for me:
- Beautiful by L. Marie Wood
- Skincare Routine by Cynthia Pelayo
- Metamorphosis by Catilin Marceau
- Sanctification by Amanda Kirby
- Bits of You, Still Kept by Maggie Shurtleff
- The Last Woman by Tiffany Michelle Brown
But the rest I didn't care much for. Not a bad poetry collection though, just wasn't for me overall. Might be good for closer to Halloween
CW: abuse, body dysmorphia, gore, assault, death, and more