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A review by psychedandlit
Under Her Skin by Lindy Ryan, Linda D. Addison, Toni Miller
3.0
☠️ E-Arc Book Review ☠️
Under Her Skin, edited by Lindy Ryan & Toni Miller
Quick Synopsis: Under Her Skin is the first volume in Black Spot Books “A Women in Horror Poetry Collection”. This first collection features a diverse group of CiS and trans women, as well as non-binary femmes, writing under the theme of poetry and body horror. Driving at the heart of what it means to be women and/or feminine in our society, this collection takes an unfiltered and unflinching look at topics ranging from motherhood to societal beauty expectations, control of our own bodies and what it means to be a woman underneath the skin.
Review: This E-Arc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. There were a number of things that I really appreciated within the collection. I like the theme and how each of the poems were woven within that tapestry. Although each poem was written by a different author or featured a different topic, it still was connected to the overarching theme of body horror. I also appreciated perspectives that I could never possibly understand as a CiS woman. In most arenas of writing, diversity is sorely lacking and giving those voices the ability to express themselves is of the utmost importance. There were a few stand out poems for me, personally:
- Smile, by Nico Bell
- Anything But What Is, by Linda M. Crate
- My Tainted Touch, by Mary Rajotte
- Untouched, by Marilyn Tabiola
- Words Unspoken, by Mary Rajotte
- Shredded Alterations, by Sara Tantlinger
- Outside In, by Dalena Storm
- Pieces, by Annie Neugebaur
- Growing Pains, by Amy Lowenstern
- Shed, by Vivian Kasley
The primary issue I had with this collection was that many of the poems were convoluted and focused more on the theme of the book rather than the message of the poems. The voices of those who wrote the poems felt lost. For a select few, listed above, I found there was a perfect blend, but the majority were unable to create a path that I as a reader could follow. I felt that this was a missed opportunity. I also found myself putting the collection down and not really wanting to keep reading it. As a fan of horror and poetry, this collection didn't keep me interested. I believe this was due to how many of the authors ran away with the metaphors and forgot the ability to connect with the reader.
Rating:
Under Her Skin, edited by Lindy Ryan & Toni Miller
Quick Synopsis: Under Her Skin is the first volume in Black Spot Books “A Women in Horror Poetry Collection”. This first collection features a diverse group of CiS and trans women, as well as non-binary femmes, writing under the theme of poetry and body horror. Driving at the heart of what it means to be women and/or feminine in our society, this collection takes an unfiltered and unflinching look at topics ranging from motherhood to societal beauty expectations, control of our own bodies and what it means to be a woman underneath the skin.
Review: This E-Arc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. There were a number of things that I really appreciated within the collection. I like the theme and how each of the poems were woven within that tapestry. Although each poem was written by a different author or featured a different topic, it still was connected to the overarching theme of body horror. I also appreciated perspectives that I could never possibly understand as a CiS woman. In most arenas of writing, diversity is sorely lacking and giving those voices the ability to express themselves is of the utmost importance. There were a few stand out poems for me, personally:
- Smile, by Nico Bell
- Anything But What Is, by Linda M. Crate
- My Tainted Touch, by Mary Rajotte
- Untouched, by Marilyn Tabiola
- Words Unspoken, by Mary Rajotte
- Shredded Alterations, by Sara Tantlinger
- Outside In, by Dalena Storm
- Pieces, by Annie Neugebaur
- Growing Pains, by Amy Lowenstern
- Shed, by Vivian Kasley
The primary issue I had with this collection was that many of the poems were convoluted and focused more on the theme of the book rather than the message of the poems. The voices of those who wrote the poems felt lost. For a select few, listed above, I found there was a perfect blend, but the majority were unable to create a path that I as a reader could follow. I felt that this was a missed opportunity. I also found myself putting the collection down and not really wanting to keep reading it. As a fan of horror and poetry, this collection didn't keep me interested. I believe this was due to how many of the authors ran away with the metaphors and forgot the ability to connect with the reader.
Rating: