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mehsi's review
5.0
A gorgeous, haunting, terrifying, scary, but also utterly beautiful collection of poetry.
So I found out about Haunt Publishing sometime this year and when I saw they had a kickstarter to get their newest works up I knew I had to help out. I supported this book and two others that are set to release in 2022 and further. I was delighted when in November I got the mail with the epub/pdf for this book. And after the week I had (writing this one on 10-12) I could use something dark and haunting so I decided to read it. And WOW.
These poems are dark. They are haunting. They are at times scary. Sometimes gory. And some are surprisingly light-hearted (like the Tinder one). But with the exception of one poem (corona), I read through them all. It wasn’t always easy, but my curiosity got the better of me. I just wanted to know how things would go. See what would happen next. I was just mesmerized by the beauty and darkness. These poems will stick to me for a while.
Here are a few parts I loved:
From The Visit:
“They dig themselves out, fingers raw,
scraps on bone, hair frayed loose on scalps.
Deep inside the grey matter, memories
turn nuts and bolts of consciousness.”
From Hikikomori
“Sitting on the train
colours ran away from me
as the world scrolled past
fading everything
to monochrome
the vibrant trees and hills
and the passengers
who
hung
lifeless and grey
hand-hoooked
on hand-rails”
The Thing on the Subway:
“I sat down and there it was again,
like the previous night and the night
before, six seats down in the carriage,
alone, rigid and pale as a pile of bones.”
I loved that these poems weren’t always the standard format of verses after verses, hope that makes sense, but at times also would break apart, fall apart, words go up and down.
A big big PLUS goes to the trigger/content warnings that are given at the beginning of the book. That way I could prepare myself for what was to come. More books should add trigger/content warnings, sadly many don’t. And I definitely need them.
I loved that we were going through stages of decay and that the poems fit well with that stage. I loved how each stage was announced with a beautiful artwork with the name of the stage in it.
All in all, beautiful and haunting and I am happy I supported the kickstarter and that I got to read this book. It was just what I needed at the moment. Recommended to all.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So I found out about Haunt Publishing sometime this year and when I saw they had a kickstarter to get their newest works up I knew I had to help out. I supported this book and two others that are set to release in 2022 and further. I was delighted when in November I got the mail with the epub/pdf for this book. And after the week I had (writing this one on 10-12) I could use something dark and haunting so I decided to read it. And WOW.
These poems are dark. They are haunting. They are at times scary. Sometimes gory. And some are surprisingly light-hearted (like the Tinder one). But with the exception of one poem (corona), I read through them all. It wasn’t always easy, but my curiosity got the better of me. I just wanted to know how things would go. See what would happen next. I was just mesmerized by the beauty and darkness. These poems will stick to me for a while.
Here are a few parts I loved:
From The Visit:
“They dig themselves out, fingers raw,
scraps on bone, hair frayed loose on scalps.
Deep inside the grey matter, memories
turn nuts and bolts of consciousness.”
From Hikikomori
“Sitting on the train
colours ran away from me
as the world scrolled past
fading everything
to monochrome
the vibrant trees and hills
and the passengers
who
hung
lifeless and grey
hand-hoooked
on hand-rails”
The Thing on the Subway:
“I sat down and there it was again,
like the previous night and the night
before, six seats down in the carriage,
alone, rigid and pale as a pile of bones.”
I loved that these poems weren’t always the standard format of verses after verses, hope that makes sense, but at times also would break apart, fall apart, words go up and down.
A big big PLUS goes to the trigger/content warnings that are given at the beginning of the book. That way I could prepare myself for what was to come. More books should add trigger/content warnings, sadly many don’t. And I definitely need them.
I loved that we were going through stages of decay and that the poems fit well with that stage. I loved how each stage was announced with a beautiful artwork with the name of the stage in it.
All in all, beautiful and haunting and I am happy I supported the kickstarter and that I got to read this book. It was just what I needed at the moment. Recommended to all.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
lovefromhannah's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
if you are new to neo-gothic poetry, then this may be the collection for you.
this collection is fine. it struggle to decide whether it wants to be more instagram poetry or normal poetry. whilst I did appreciate some of the imagery, I don't feel like the chinese mythology inspiration was particularly apparent.
my favourite poems were: monster tinder, computer love, hikimori and beatrice and bluebeard. as I am going over these, computer love stands out the most. funnily enough, these are the poems with the imagery I liked the most.
this collection is fine. it struggle to decide whether it wants to be more instagram poetry or normal poetry. whilst I did appreciate some of the imagery, I don't feel like the chinese mythology inspiration was particularly apparent.
my favourite poems were: monster tinder, computer love, hikimori and beatrice and bluebeard. as I am going over these, computer love stands out the most. funnily enough, these are the poems with the imagery I liked the most.
jhulette's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
porge_grewe's review
5.0
A brilliant poetry collection - Spooky, funny, clever, and deeply thoughtful, often all at the same time. Through a brilliant framing device (dividing the poems into sections themed around the stages of decay, Cheung explores a variety of delightful horror themes - Strongly recommended!
algriffin's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
circlesofflame's review
5.0
I thought I'd enjoy this and I was actually correct... I loved this collection! I also made the decision wait until I could purchase the audiobook from the publisher and hear the author read the poems herself, which was absolutely the best decision. These poems get under your skin... the best Gothic collection I've read in a while, covering femininity, motherhood and identity while creeping out your audience is no mean feat! Can't wait to see what Anna Cheung does next
joanak's review
5.0
You can read my full review of Where Decay Sleeps on my blog: https://owlbeereading.com/2022/01/26/where-decay-sleeps-book-review/
Here is an excerpt from it:
'Where Decay Sleeps is a dark, gothic poetry collection of 36 poems which, divided into seven sections, reveal the seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, putrefaction, decomposition and skeletonisation. It’s the debut poetry collection from Anna Cheung. You’ll find darkness, monsters and creepy creatures lurking from the pages, haunted places, traditional Gothic images that blend with modern-day technology and Chinese folklore. I am extremely grateful for the chance to write a review for this book, as I was looking forward to reading it, I knew it would be expertly put together, I knew I would love the poems. I just didn’t know they would be that beautiful and haunting.'
Here is an excerpt from it:
'Where Decay Sleeps is a dark, gothic poetry collection of 36 poems which, divided into seven sections, reveal the seven stages of decay: pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, putrefaction, decomposition and skeletonisation. It’s the debut poetry collection from Anna Cheung. You’ll find darkness, monsters and creepy creatures lurking from the pages, haunted places, traditional Gothic images that blend with modern-day technology and Chinese folklore. I am extremely grateful for the chance to write a review for this book, as I was looking forward to reading it, I knew it would be expertly put together, I knew I would love the poems. I just didn’t know they would be that beautiful and haunting.'
willfulcreatures's review
5.0
I was recently given a copy of Anna Cheung’s Where Decay Sleeps, a gothic poetry collection published through Rebecca from Haunt Publishing. I absolutely loved this book. Anna Cheung wholeheartedly encompasses the main components of gothic literature, in bite-sized, verse-filled form: terror, pleasure, and intense emotions.
The book is told 7 parts (Birth, Digital Distruptions, Psyche, Loss, Cravings, Beauty, Metamorphosis), which I personally love for establishing an overarching flow to a poetry collection, blending each movement together in their similar themes while tying the whole thing together into one fluid symphony.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Another beauty of Anna Cheung’s work is her experimentation with structure. From the first page, we experience fractured lines and stanzas, in between standard structure, that heighten the anxiety and tension with each subject matter. The poem “Himikomori” exemplifies this break from standard structure best, making the reader feel the madness the narrator describes.
Overall, Where Decay Sleeps is jam-packed with gorgeous lines, intricate wordplay, and well-crafted poems of terror and lore. Hard work and excellent craftsmanship went into this collection, and I encourage anyone reading this review to grab a copy today.
The book is told 7 parts (Birth, Digital Distruptions, Psyche, Loss, Cravings, Beauty, Metamorphosis), which I personally love for establishing an overarching flow to a poetry collection, blending each movement together in their similar themes while tying the whole thing together into one fluid symphony.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Another beauty of Anna Cheung’s work is her experimentation with structure. From the first page, we experience fractured lines and stanzas, in between standard structure, that heighten the anxiety and tension with each subject matter. The poem “Himikomori” exemplifies this break from standard structure best, making the reader feel the madness the narrator describes.
Overall, Where Decay Sleeps is jam-packed with gorgeous lines, intricate wordplay, and well-crafted poems of terror and lore. Hard work and excellent craftsmanship went into this collection, and I encourage anyone reading this review to grab a copy today.