Lindy Ryan

Toni Miller

Black Spot Books presents its inaugural Poetry Showcase, featuring the best in never-before-published dark verse and lyrical prose from the voices of Women in Horror. Edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller, the inaugural collection features work from Bram-Stoker award-winning and nominated authors, as well as dozens of poems from women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes in horror.

Under Her Skin

Sintia

I was intrigued to read this collection of horror poems about women, but I didn't like it. I like the symbolism behind them, but I couldn't find one and say "I really like it". I felt like there was something missing about each poem and most of the time I felt like something was off about them. 
This doesn't mean other readers won't like this collection, but personally I didn't find it that great.

Thank you NetGalley for the free e-book.

Lydia Ford

I really enjoyed this collection! It was my first time delving into dark poetry, and I will definitely be trying more after this one. The imagery that the words evoked caused me to feel uncomfortable at times because of how vivid it was. I love it when the words give me such a defined mental picture of what is being expressed. At times the symbolism went over my head, but I blame that on being in the last few weeks of writing my dissertation so my brain isn't working at full capacity. All in all, would recommend this to someone who wants to try some darker poetry, or someone that really enjoys reading horror fiction.

Mary

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

First, let me say it is never easy writing on these types of topics. Reading about other peoples pain, oppression, and life obstacles isn't going to be a traditional 'enjoyable' read. I liked that this was tough and really made you think about what others really go through. 

With that being said, I think this feel a bit flat. There didn't seem to be one cohesive tone throughout the collection. While they were captivating gin their own right, it just seemed repetitive while led them to be forgettable. 

I'd love to hear from each of these authors individually.

Blayke 

Still trying my hand at poetry, really liked this one centred around the subject of women's status, and bodies, treated through the horror's scope.

My favourite's one was Shredded Alterations by Sara Tanttlinger

Frida Kahlo

I received an eARC copy from Black Spot Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because of the pretty cover. 

A fresh change compared with the recent flood of Instagram poetry, 
  Under Her Skin
 presents dark horror body verses that can shake your senses from top to bottom. It screams Frankenstein; it screams Bram Stoker; it calls for shivers and goosebumps. 

Thought-provoking and somewhat heart-breaking, these poems discuss many themes and experiences women, cis, trans women, and non-binary people go through each day, expressing their own personal horrors that others may or may not notice. The variety of these (very relevant and relatable) topics ranges astonishingly from sexual violence, pregnancy, giving birth to self-harm, sexual oppression, and simply surviving life. 

Some of the poems did not quite fit the horror genre, or my expectations were too high. Perhaps what I consider horror isn't what some of these authors had in mind. But putting that aside, some poems gave a repetitive feel, making them look already seen and read, vague. Some lacked depth; some looked like all gory words picked out from a dictionary and put together, hoping they would resemble a poem. There was no connection, no expressiveness, no cohesion; something was missing, and I could not figure out what. 

Having read The Husband Stitch recently, the first story in Carmen Maria Machado's short stories collection 
  Her Body and Other Parties
, I was probably expecting a heavy flow of symbolism, allegories, and metaphors in this poetry collection too. What I got were misplaced and somewhat confusing elements that I could not understand or connect with at times; that gravely affected my enjoyment of this collection. 

One more honest remark - the cover art immediately grabbed my attention; it pulled at me with its invisible e-hands. It speaks volumes; it's gorgeously designed. However, the drawings inside looked very basic and not related to the poems at all. I would have hoped for more elaborate pieces, but that did not come through. 

Nevertheless, it is still a solid collection of poems that lean towards horror, dark, and gory stories for all the fans of the spooky October season.

Ariel Himboi

Under Her Skin is a poetry collection written by cis, trans and enby femme authors bringing to light, women, using body horror to expose the way society and life has shaped the way women live, feel, love and die. A beautiful collection of harrowing narrations that left me breathless each time, each one a reminder that there is a power inside every women not afraid to come out under any injustice. I felt some were repetitive due to the main theme picked out among contenders, but nonetheless important, true, and brutal. 

This was a great, jaw-dropping, important collection that belongs in the hands of those old enough to read it and understand the grief, power and beauty of the human soul with or without duress. Absolutely breathtaking.

Under Her Skin

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