I love poetry with a darker twist. That said, I am one of those people who failed to connect with the author's writing style. For this dark type of poems it was too simple to be fully to my taste.

I'm kind of unsure as to how to review this...based on the description, I was expecting something in the same vein of Mariana Enriquez, but it's not nearly as macabre or chilling as that. It's a very short collection and only took me about 20 minutes to finish. There were some lines I enjoyed - "god I love the things I hate" and "If you keep listening to what they tell you you are, soon enough you'll become that thing" - but I think that the formatting on the Kindle was off. I think it would've made more sense in an actual book format - the table on contents has the poems all separated out for a total of 68 poems, but on the page there aren't any breaks, so it's hard to know when one stops and a new one begins. I think it will be much better in a physical book format.

Book Review for The Smallest of Bones
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

3/5✨: This collection of poetry centers around the bones of body, using them as a metaphor or allegory for grief, domestic violence, trauma, etc. I think the language of the book was beautiful and very unique. I loved a bunch of lines from this collection. But I rated it lower because it just wasn't my vibe. I did not connect with the writing style at all. It also was a little confusing to read, as I found some of the imagery was too vivid and gave too many details so it was harder to picture. The language sounded nice but I often had to re-read because I didn't understand what I just read (but I might just be an idiot, so you guys decide for yourselves).

Overall, I thought the collection was average. Not something I will pick up again but also something that I'm glad I gave a chance and read it in the first place. I love the themes and the use of bones, I just wish I related to the choppy and interesting writing technique a bit more because despite being a really quick read, it was a little hard to get through.

---My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.----

*may contain spoilers*

"the thing i miss most about our world is
the stars"
this collection of poems by Holly Lyn Walrath was a quick and easy read, a bit confusing at times but wasn't necessarily bad at all. I recommend you pick this up if you're trying to dabble in poetry for a quick and short introduction.

This poetry collection was my first try at poetry, it was a simple and fast read even if some parts confused me. It was also informative as descriptions of different bones is given before the specific poems.

3.5/5

I loved this but it was so short! Enjoyed the meandering disjointed feel between fact + emotion - but it felt like it went nowhere in the end. I feel I wanted an ending and I wanted more.

The Smallest of Bones is a collection of poems with a intriguing idea behind it. But that's it.
Unfortunately, probably the only thing I found somewhat interesting where the short factoids about some bones in the human body, which were weirdly centred around the idea that many bones are different depending whether you're a female or male assigned at birth. Aside from that the "poetry" was basically scattered words. No rhyme, no reason to the way they were put on the page. I've read 'scattered poetry' and breaking rhyme and rhythm can be powerful...if they were there in the first place to be broken.
Honestly, if you're into that kind of poetry, this might be for you, but I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone.

*Thanks to NetGalley and CLASH Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

A quick read that packs a punch! In a short time it explores womanhood, violence, relationships, love, identity. Every poem begins with a textbook-like introduction to the bone that titles the poem, leaning into the violence it can experience.

I really enjoy this style of poetry, with its metaphors of bones and blood and light constructing beautiful sentences. It definitely left me wanting to read more of the poet's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book blew me away. I don't know how else to say it. This queer, slightly-horror, slightly biological, incredibly lyrical book of poetry is one of the best things I've read in a long long time. The imagery, the format, I don't have words to convey the power of these poems. I will absolutely be buying a copy of this book once it comes available.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

This collection of poetry was weird. It was dark and that's about all I got from it. I love poetry but this one just didnt do it for me. I guess her writing style just isnt for me. I could see what she was going for but it didnt cut it for me. I really loved the cover of this book though. I guess from the description I was expecting something more.

I dont know what's wrong with the e-arc version of this book but it made it very difficult to understand where a poem started and where one ended. I hope the print version is fixed up properly.

This is a weird little book.
The poetry is dark and compelling. while I didn't relate to all of it, I still found it gripping and intriguing.

I love the cover. However I struggled with the format in e book, it was hard to see where one poem finished and another started. I think the print version will be much nicer.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this poetry collection was a simple and fast read. it's really short, but i quite enjoyed reading it. i didn't fully connect with the writing style, it was way too simple (?) idk how to explain it 😂 and the synopsis seemed sooo intriguing, but ended up being not at all like it says lmaoo but still, if you want something warm and quick to read - i would recommend this. nothing too impressive, but somehow still warming at times xx

This collection of poetry is short but definitely not sweet – but in a good way! The topics this poet covers are not easy, but she tackles them in a raw, honest way that will touch readers. Each section of poetry is broken down by a different bone in the body (i.e. cranium, sacrum), and I really liked this touch by the author. This really added to the overall collection and presentation. I connected with some poems more than others, but I think most will find these short poems powerful and thought-provoking. Perfect for any poetry lover! 3.75 stars.

I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'my body is two-thirds
whiskey
and one-third
ghosts'

ABSOLUTELY. FRAKKING. STUNNING POETRY.

'I think we write about ourselves so we can become creatures
we wish we could get out of our skin'

Walrath is an excellent poet and I cannot wait to read more of her poetry. ♡♡♡

It’s not much of a secret that I don’t read much poetry. For much of my life, I actively avoided it, actually, thinking it was just old white men lamenting over lost loves or confessing said love to a girl/woman they met once and never saw again. It took a long time for me to realize poetry could be used for so much more than that, and that it could find ways to reach inside and pluck heart strings you didn’t even know where there, or in tune.

The Smallest of Bones managed to do just that to me. It’s a small collection of poetry based on some of the bones in the human body. The way a description of the bone was turned into poetry was beautiful and moving. It’s hard to accurately speak on and review poetry because meaning is so incredibly subjective, moreso than other forms of writing where meaning may be come clear. Poetry has the freedom to be completely subjective, so lines that were meant by the author in one way become interpreted in ways they weren’t meant.

I enjoy the mix of beauty and un-beauty. The language used isn’t always what one might call ‘poetic.’ Lines like “I still loved the fuck out of you” are intertwined within metaphors and imagery of the fragility of flowers. The two sit alongside each other in a way that is sometimes jarring, but in a way that makes sense, that pulls meaning and delivers a punch to the gut.

The collection is very short, and as such is, for the most part, easily digestable. Any longer and it might have started to get repetitive, and the style of mixing altered faux-text book descriptions of the bones juxtaposed with the poetry may have begun to feel forced or lacked some of the meaning they were written with. Still, the words are a beautiful collection of what it means to be broken, and to put yourself back together.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the idea of this poetry collection, but i didnt fully connect to the authors writting style. I liked that she wrote little information to the specific body part at first and then the poem, that was really interesting!
This was an average read for me, but if u are interested in this book, u perhaps should consider picking it up!
(Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc)

I think this book has a lot of potential, I like the darker aspect to the poems but the e-arc made it extremely hard to tell where one poem stopped and another started. It was pretty much just a jumble of words. If this comes our in print I will definitely pick it up.

thanks to NetGalley for giving me this!


this was interesting at first but i don't really like it. it's my first shot at a poetry book this year and it was just an 'okay' experience. is this the best poetry book i've ever read? no, doesn't even come close to my favorites. i didn't vibe with the writing style and it didn't make sense most of the times. some lines slapped but that was that.

I was really excited to read this as I love a poetry collection and the cover and description of this one really intrigued me.
Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy my reading experience with this. I think i understand what Walrath was trying to do, but I just didn't connect to her writing style.
It was really beautiful in some places, but then incredibly crude in others that caught me offgard.

Not for me.