I'm not exactly sure what I expected of this poetry collection, and overall, it did fall a bit flat for me. It is a dark collection exploring important topics, but I would've wanted to go a bit more in-depth into some of them and not have so many repetitions.

This was unfortunately archived before I could download it on NetGalley however, I was very intrigued by the premise of a collection of stories that intermingle horror with feminism so, I went searching for it privately.
This is not a collection to race happily through in one sitting.

UNDER HER SKIN – A Women In Horror Poetry Anthology – Edited by Lindy Ryan & Toni Miller

‘This book of poems and prose poetry was written by women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes under the theme of body horror. There are many ways to interpret this area and lucky for us, the work in this book covers a wide range from suggestive to explicit. Each poet has ripped away the skin of their soul’s yearning to uncover hidden/suppressed emotions and wounds.’

The Following Are My Favorites Out Of The Eighty-Seven Poems:

‘HER’ - by Tabatha Wood
‘Skin Care Routine’ – by Cynthia Pelayo – Love This One!
‘My Skin’ – Cindy O’Quinn -Love It!
‘Metamorphosis’ – by Caitlin Marceau
‘It Hurts When I Breath’ – by Mercedes M. Yardley – Love It!
‘Something That Needs Destroy’ – by Linda M. Crate
‘Smile’ – by Nico Bell
‘Anything But What Is’ – by Linda M. Crate
‘When The Witch Came Out Of Us’ – by Donna Lynch – Love!!
‘Winnow’ – by Tiffany Michelle Brown – My Heart!
‘My Tainted Touch’ – by Mary Rajotte – Love!
‘Untouched’ – by Marilyn Fabiola – Love!
‘Words Unspoken’ – by Mary Rajotte
‘To Bloom In Blood’ – by Sara Tantlinger – Love!
‘Shredded Alterations’ – Sara Tantlinger – Love!
‘The Deepest Cut’ – Nancy Brewka-Clark – WOW – My Heart!
‘Outside In’ – by Dalena Storm – Love!
‘When You’ – by Miriam H. Harrison – Love!
‘Fingers Of Feathers’ – by Rie Sheridan Rose
‘My Body, My Book’ – by Carina Bissett – Love!
‘Shameful’ – by Lee Murray
‘Every Morning’ – by Aimee Lowenstern
‘Lovely Like Honey’ – by Brianna Malotke – Love!
“Lilies Left For Mom’ – by Brianna Malotke
‘Broken Fingers’ – by Emma Kathryn – My Heart!
‘Danse De La Mort’ – by R.J. Joseph
‘Betrayer’ – by R.J. Joseph
‘Religion For Women’ – by Patricia Gomes
‘Trapped’ – by Kerri-Leigh Grady
‘Dear Baptist’ – by Tracy Fahey – Love!
‘Better By Now’ – N.J. Ember – Love!
‘Our Lady’s Bird’ – by Carina Bissett
‘The Last Woman – by Tiffany Michelle Brown – HaHaHa, LOVE!
‘The Carrion Flowers – My Heart!

Thank you, NetGalley and Black Spot Books (Vesuvian Media Group), for providing me with an ebook of UNDER HER SKIN at the request of an honest review.

Impressive and original. A recommended purchase for collections where poetry collections and horror are popular.

Though I'm not sure if poetry is for me as a reader, I do think this would be enjoyed by those who love poetry and feminism! A lot of the poems went over my head, but the ones I did understand I enjoyed!

Under Her Skin is an astonishing poetry collection featuring a brilliant lineup of talent. The haunting, dark, and emotionally layered poems are filled with rage, sadness, and rejection. Each page is marked by the personal scars of the authors, showcasing raw and intense emotions.

Beyond the remarkable poetry, the book's exquisite design captivates both inside and out. A must-have for your shelves, a treasure to read and admire.

Under Her Skin is a poetry collection that delves into the raw and emotional experiences of women. I started reading it a long time ago when I received the ARC, but I didn't manage to finish it. Now, I thought I would give it another try. The poems have a dark and powerful tone that is sure to leave an impact, and while some of the poems may not be for everyone, the collection as a whole is a moving exploration of the female experience. While i appreciate the writers' works, I wasn't necessarily a big fan of this book and there is three main reasons why:
1. I expected something more horror like, since the synopsis make it sound like that.
2. Most of the works in the collection were free poems, which I am generally not a huge fan of, although I do recognise that it's a me problem and not the book's.
3. Even though the poems were from different writers, it felt repetitive after a while.

Still, I would recommend this collection to anyone looking for a poignant read, since poetry is subjective and just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean that you wouldn't either.

3.5 stars.

A Women In Horror Poetry Collection, Volume I

Usually when I read poetry, I read in great big chunks, especially when reading a collection from one of my favorite poets. Even larger anthologies from different writers go by quickly, or at least in big thematic pieces. So I was a little surprised, but not in a bad way, to discover that I couldn't do that with this themed collection. The horror is so visceral and multi-faceted that I had to take my time, digesting as and when I could these almost uniformly relatable variations on very familiar subversions of day-to-day themes.

Over the course of eighty-eight poems (oh that number so beautiful to East Asians, but coopted and corrupted by modern fascists such that I can understand why it wasn't trumpeted by the creators here,) the many forms of horror dreamed up by contemporary women and femme poets are put on full, gory display. Much of the work centers on body horror, because much of a woman's life revolves around the body as a punishment, as an imperfection that we must exert ourselves to make acceptable to some faceless "them" or, worse, to all too familiar faces in our own lives. This struggle is perfectly captured in Amanda Kirby's Sanctification, whose unnamed speaker lops off parts of herself in order to achieve salvation. Annie Neugebauer's Pieces later on in the book echoes the same sacrifice, this time in the name of love, as does Nico Bell's Smile.

Sometimes, the poems imply, violence is necessary, as in Nancy Brewka-Clark's hallucinatory account of surgery to remove cancerous organs, The Deepest Cut. Sometimes it is self-inflicted, as with Cordelia Harrison's Medusa In Face And Form. But many times the violence is external, unnecessary and endured, as in real life. It's almost a relief to find poems that fight back, whether through external forces such as the mysterious creature in Lee Murray's Shameful, or through an inner monstrousness as displayed by the heroine of Tiffany Michelle Brown's The Last Woman. And oh the joy of embracing that monstrousness, as the zombie does in Lindsay King-Miller's almost giddy What The Dead Girl Is Trying To Say Through What's Left Of Her Mouth.

Those are only some of the really great, diverse poems on display here, written by authors famous and less so from all over the world. It was easy reading for me late at night, as I'm the kind of person who processes darkness easily via my subconscious, but was tougher going early in the day. YMMV, ofc, with the bonus of having this volume cater to all sorts of mileages. Not all of the poems had the greatest impact on me that they might have for other readers, tho I definitely feel like the consistency and quality picked up as the collection careened towards its end. Under Her Skin is a terrific collection all on its own, and a great sampler for readers wanting to learn more about the state of horror poetry today, especially as written by people on the feminine-identifying end of the spectrum.

Under Her Skin edited by Lindy Ryan & Toni Miller was published April 5 2022 by Black Spot Books and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781645480440">Bookshop!</a>

Unfortunately fell flat for me, with many writers resorting to cliche after cliche in representing experiences with womanhood and femininity in their poetry. There were some that grabbed me and definitely made me want to check out more work, but when you give people the same prompt, a lot are just going to churn out the same poetry about being descendants of witches. These repetitive motifs and themes would've worked better if less poems had been included, or if the collection hadn't been edited so that a lot of the same kind of poems appear concurrently in the collection. The fact that some poets are more experimental and have a firmer grasp of form, structure and theme also does a disservice to those in the collection who may not have as much experience, or a more tell-all style, as it means their poems fall flat in comparison. All in all I think the collection just isn't edited in a way that makes it conducive to demonstrating the skill of enough of the poets included.

Also, I understand there are certainly people who identify as nonbinary femme/masc, but representing the voices of nonbinary people who explicitly identify as femme as being the same as that of women (cis and trans) presents a very cis-centred view on what being nonbinary means, and how nonbinary people understand themselves and their gender. Being nonbinary complicates a lot of interactions with femininity and masculinity, and it feels like the editors in their introductions make it clear they only included nonbinary femmes as they seem them as Women.LiteTm. As a nonbinary person who does not identify as either femme or masc (I am a secret third thing) I find the way people write about and include nonbinary voices based on cisnormative perceptions of gender and gender identity troubling.

Horror poetry? Yes! Written by a multitude of women (both cis and trans), and non-binary femmes? Yes Please!! Narrowing in on body horror, the brutality and horror of being a woman? With this cover?? 100% YES.

This was dark, gruesome, raw, magical, real, brutal, and truth. What an incredible way to share femme poetry and promote upcoming poets and authors. I loved this. I want another volume. I will be purchasing a physical copy and annotating the heck out of it.

If you're a reader of poetry, or horror, or women's fiction, or interested in getting into these; go pick this up.

Lovely. 5 big, bloody, gory stars.

Thanks NetGalley and Black Spot Books!

This book is an anthology of dark, body-centered horror poetry from an amazing collection of award-winning poets - all of which are cis/trans women and non-binary femmes. Everything about this concept is everything I usually love, and for the most part, this book did not disappoint. The poems and prose share themes, but still represent a diverse range of voices - a cacophony of feminist rage - rage against the patriarchal systems, rage against societal standards of beauty and self image, rage at our own bodies and when we feel like they have betrayed us, and a rage birthed by the very existence of our bodies as well. There is also exquisite, biting pain and tremendous beauty in these poems. “But it is only a fool who does not know that freedom is paid for in old clotted blood, in fresh reapings of it, in renewed sacrifice.”

The poetry in this collection is certainly approachable. The vast representation means that not every poem will be as personally compelling as others, but that only adds to their depth. These are poems that will stir things up inside of you — things like questions, emotions, and a sense of divine connection with the feminine experience and the many things that means to women and non-binary femmes of all shapes, sizes, colors, races, sexualities, religions, and other identities.

The sometimes grotesque language and descriptions draped throughout the pages of this book mean that I will definitely be returning to this collection many more times in the future. I hope to see more similar collections in the series in the future. My only advice would be to do more with the layout/organization of the poems, something to pull and guide the readers through the pages, building tension as they continue. As it stands, the flow from piece to piece is rather jarring.

A good read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have given Under Her Skin three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have to admit, I’m fairly new to poetry and find it quite difficult to enjoy this type of writing. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of poems and thought some of them spoke louder than others. The descriptive writing of some of these body horror poems made my skin crawl.

There were some poems which were quite similar to others in this collection however, given the topic, I had thought prior that this could well happen.

Black Spot's first collection is a varied collection of dark verse from women in horror. The collection promises lyrical prose, while the title suggests delving not only into body horror but possibly key issues around women's bodies, beauty and what it means to be a woman.

The collection certainly is feminist, exploring varied issues primarily focused on the harm society forces upon women's bodies. Female anger is a driving energy and many of the poems carry violence, whether that's the violence being done to women, violence women wish to commit or simply a lyrical violence of language.

Horror underlies the entire collection, with imagery of darkness, rot and decay, alongside images twisted from fairytales and mythology, not to mention the thread of body horror that weaves throughout the collection, dealing with how we exist in our skin.

Standout poems like 'These Men are All One Monster' and 'Snakeskin' place women at one with nature and use common themes and tropes of myth and fairytales to pull apart patriarchal structures and histories. Equally poems like 'A Recurring Nightmare' and 'Better By Now' offer original and surprising takes on the theme, subverting and deconstructing common tropes of the 'other' and the 'Final Girl'.

However, at times the collection can feel repetitive, with many poems centred around very similar topics, particularly those dealing with the concept of beauty, and often fell flat in comparison to some of the more original entries.

Under Her Skin is a truly dark and macabre exploration of feminism, with some incredible emerging voices in the collection. While the genre may not be for everyone, fans of feminist horror, myth and dark fairytales are sure to find something for them in this collection.

What an absolutely incredible collection! I loved the vast majority of poems and even recommended this collection to my friends. I'm not a huge poetry reader but this book was a pleasure to read from beginning to end in one sitting.

Okay, but, meeading this book as the first book of October? Best idea I ever had, like "big brain" and all. Thank you, NetGalley and Black Spot Books for allowing me to read a digital copy of this work.

I just loved it. Really. Once you started reading it, you just can’t let go. The poems are beautifully written, you can sense how much of themselves the writers put into them. Some are really graphic and disturbing, but they are also the bests, even if they were hard to read. While reading some of them, I was able to imagine what was going on just by closing my eyes.

I discovered so many new authors and I want to read all of their work. Really this book was excellent, the best way to start the spooky season, and the perfect book for it too.

Anyway, women in horror should have more place!

I really, really wanted to like this book. It had all of my favorite things: horror elements, feminism, and poetry. However, many of the poems were very repetitive and did little for me. I rarely experienced that "wow" factor while reading and felt that the book lacked much actual horror.

a beautiful collection of body horror relating to feminine rage that is at once soothing and comforting as it is wrenchingly gruesome. a representation of - an ode to - the ways in which women are subjugated under society - physically, spiritually, souls sucked out and threatened to be crushed - and also how they reclaim their power. at once a railing against the crushing weight of the world and a rallying cry, through body horror imagery. some poems were so beautifully-crafted - with vivid imagery, amazing literary techniques, breathtakingly astounding resonance - and some read like stories, others fairytales, and yet others like confessionals, like journal entries.

the collection ends on some truly amazing poems, going out with a bang that will leave you shivering.

there were also some really pretty illustrations to go along with some of the poems !!!

of course, for all the great pieces, there were some that faltered for me, feeling out-of-place and a bit weak - not-as-well-constructed. they felt too simplistic and didn't live up to the same emotional resonance as the others.

as a whole, this anthology will truly creep under your skin.

I love poetry, but this one, I didn't fully connect with.
The cover art is stunning and there was some additional artwork in the book, which is always a treat. I did like some of the more lyrical poems, but some read like diary entries and instructions and I just couldn't get over that.

Two words. Horror. Poetry. I never thought I would use those in the same conversation let alone talking about the same book. This was awesome. Can horror poetry become a big thing, please?