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stitching_ghost's review against another edition
4.0
I was already a fan of Siaara's spoken word work so when I saw an ARC of her written work on NetGalley you can imagine my excitement.
While I vastly prefer her spoken work to her written work this was an interesting read. This book is a lot of things, it's grappling with loss, both that of the idea of who someone is and that of that very person. It's a deep cut on what it means to be from and of somewhere. It's beautiful and sad, vibrant and bleak at times.
There's quite a few pop culture references that probably went over my head in there (references to Netflix shows, actors, musicians), so if like me you're not much of a TV/movie watcher you might find yourself googling quite a bit.
While I vastly prefer her spoken work to her written work this was an interesting read. This book is a lot of things, it's grappling with loss, both that of the idea of who someone is and that of that very person. It's a deep cut on what it means to be from and of somewhere. It's beautiful and sad, vibrant and bleak at times.
There's quite a few pop culture references that probably went over my head in there (references to Netflix shows, actors, musicians), so if like me you're not much of a TV/movie watcher you might find yourself googling quite a bit.
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Racism, Self harm, Murder, Chronic illness, and Suicide
eleanorefiore's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
This is a gorgeous book. Usually, I wouldn't say I like poetry. What I've read in the past often comes across as excessively fancy words to explain very basic concepts. This is not the case with Urbanshee. I barely even noticed the format as poetry because I was so immersed in the story.
Urbanshee was a thoughtful and beautifully written book. I'm at a loss for words; I don't know how to explain how good this book was. Even if you don't typically reach for poetry, I will encourage you to do so.
Urbanshee was a thoughtful and beautifully written book. I'm at a loss for words; I don't know how to explain how good this book was. Even if you don't typically reach for poetry, I will encourage you to do so.
clank's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Urbanshee is actually the first poetry book I have read. I was nervous that I wouldn't "get" it to be honest, but the synopsis really drew me in.
I actually cried while reading this. I know that's really cliche given that it's poetry, and it should also be known I cry very easily, but that's not the point. This book felt very raw, vulnerable, and open, to me. There are a lot of heavy topics discussed, and although I cannot relate to most of them, the way the author writes about grief really resonated with me.
Overall I really loved this, I will be recommending it to friends and will probably try more poetry in the future.
Urbanshee is actually the first poetry book I have read. I was nervous that I wouldn't "get" it to be honest, but the synopsis really drew me in.
I actually cried while reading this. I know that's really cliche given that it's poetry, and it should also be known I cry very easily, but that's not the point. This book felt very raw, vulnerable, and open, to me. There are a lot of heavy topics discussed, and although I cannot relate to most of them, the way the author writes about grief really resonated with me.
Overall I really loved this, I will be recommending it to friends and will probably try more poetry in the future.
naomi_marshall_murray's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of poems felt raw and uncut, and truly made me feel like the poet was speaking directly to me, the reader.
She’s opened herself up in a way so true to herself to share her story, and the story of her father, and of growing up black, facing racism, loss and love.
I enjoyed that there were undertones of mythology and that it was present, without overtaking the poet’s stories or messages throughout.
She’s opened herself up in a way so true to herself to share her story, and the story of her father, and of growing up black, facing racism, loss and love.
I enjoyed that there were undertones of mythology and that it was present, without overtaking the poet’s stories or messages throughout.
bookish_selkie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Urbanshee is a compelling compilation from poet Siaara Freeman. It’s a celebration, a funeral, and a reckoning all rolled into one. It’s a love letter and lament of the Midwest, what it means to be queer and Black while in these spaces. Urbanshee is a recounting of painful memories and ghosts that haunt. Freeman conveys both grief and healing in a beautiful and raw style. I couldn’t put it down and look forward to reading more from her! Thank you so much to Siaara Freeman, Button Poetry, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
allygator's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is a really strong debut poetry collection that fails to deliver on all its promises. I think that the marketing for this book does it a huge disservice. It's been advertised as a poetic retelling of myths and fairy tales from the perspective of a black person. However, it's very much Siaara Freeman's story told through poetry that makes use of some mythological motifs.
Once I put that expectation aside, the poetry really shone. It's incredibly well-written and hard-hitting and is something that I'll be thinking about for a while.
In general, I think that if you don't go into this with the thoughts that this is going to be a mythology retelling you'll really love this.
This is a really strong debut poetry collection that fails to deliver on all its promises. I think that the marketing for this book does it a huge disservice. It's been advertised as a poetic retelling of myths and fairy tales from the perspective of a black person. However, it's very much Siaara Freeman's story told through poetry that makes use of some mythological motifs.
Once I put that expectation aside, the poetry really shone. It's incredibly well-written and hard-hitting and is something that I'll be thinking about for a while.
In general, I think that if you don't go into this with the thoughts that this is going to be a mythology retelling you'll really love this.
booktribe's review against another edition
reflective
3.0
I’m not a huge poetry reader, but I enjoyed this collection! There were several standout poems for me including The Reclaiming, The OUTside & the INside Joke, and No Tradebacksies x infinity, among other poems. I do think the synopsis may be a little misleading though, because I saw very few retellings of fairy tales and mythological stories. But then again, I’m not the best reader of poetry, so I may have missed something. I did enjoy this book and I feel like it’ll be a great audiobook one day because a lot of these poems would be even more beautiful when read aloud!
Thank you Button Poetry and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.
TW: parental death and murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Murder