3 stars
A good collection of poems on a variety of topics formulated to follow a fairy tale arch. Topics covered include family, romantic relationships, breakups, love, self-harm, eating disorders, and abuse. There are a lot of hard topics in this book, but also many points readers can relate to and empathize with.
For me, these poems just don’t hit. They lack the imagery and polish that I really enjoy in poetry. The poems in this collection are often stories, complaints, and images, but lack the punch that gives them power. For me personally, the words don’t fit in quite the right way. They exist but lack a dynamics nature.
There were certainly decent poems in this collection. Some great ideas and moments. But for me, they didn’t come together into a powerful whole.
I do think younger readers will relate to this more than I did. Reading it, I could see how my teenage self would have appreciated it. As an adult, I wanted more from these poems.
Overall, a good collection. Not really my style of poetry, but there were interesting themes and techniques.