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A review by raforall
Under Her Skin by Lindy Ryan, Linda D. Addison, Toni Miller
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.