I received this as an arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review. A collection of dark and hellish poetry. Wow. Absolutely fantastic read. CNPID. I wanted something different.
And this was it. Wow. Lovely words.
Each poem was different. Did not take me long to read. Beautifully written. Some of the poems were Wow. I didn't have a favourite one. I liked them all. But a couple stood out.
Wow Absolutely fantastic read. Highly recommended. Definitely worth more than 5 *
Wow.

A new voice for British poetry sometimes tender,sometimes raw but always with passion with this Author poetry has definitely come of Age

No words. This book was so much more than a beautiful collection of poetry. I loved the language, the delivery and the emotional richness in the words of this poet. There was darkness, and smoke and illusions and games, and then there was words stringing letters, and playing with my nerves.

And can I just say that that cover is fucking devastatingly beautiful? Because yes, that cover is fucking devastatingly beautiful.

I loved this so much, I can't express. I'm still raw and chaffed from finishing this book.

The "smoldering, hellish world" of a dysfunctional romantic relationship told in a beautifully descriptive way.

Can I just say a book of poetry isn't my ideal gift or a book I would readily buy for myself. School aside and war poems this isn't my comfort zone and I'm not really skilled to judge what is good or dire.
What I will say is writing a review on a book of poetry you have just read is like identifying the true colour of a wall you have just painted. In the same way the pigment needs to dry and weather so with the rich words that are poetically formed to convey things words can't normally capture or convey.
Therefore to have enjoyed some of the language and tone of the book allows me to want to read it again. To have read it to the end means I liked the style and was always looking for the next poem to overwhelm me and so I can only say in my review that I liked this book even if I didn't fully get it.
Mortal is a stand out poem to me. "I watched as you rolled a cigarette. Hands tore at papers thin as eyelids....." "your fingers on mine and your kisses were nicotine and mortal".
White Noise spoke directly to me and beautifully describes that lack of drive and energy when you lose your momentum, a loved one or look into yourself.
Fallen finally is a poem I would like to mention here. "How can it be that you are here, a whisper in the grass, a rumour of integrity?"
The joy of reading is to push your boundaries and re-engage your mind. Poetry does this like no other genre and should be something we embrace more readily. Blood Season is a good place to start.

Title: Blood Season






Author: Claire Meadows


Genre: Poetry




















A few starting notes:










I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher, Urbane Publications, via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.






You may know that I love poetry - and I've been getting back into it more lately.






That said, this collection seemed interesting. Something about it quirked my distracted-toddler-style interest, and I decided to give it a shot.






















Premise:










A poetry collection from Claire Meadows talking passionately about life, love, death, and blood.






















Best bits:










Meadows can create imagery in her sleep. Her poems are stuffed with powerful, vivid, imagery - sometimes strikingly stark and raw.






Clearly, she also knows her writing techniques, inside and out.






There's an awareness present throughout this collection of the way in which words weave together to create those strong images she confronts us with time and again.


































There's also meaning in buckets for those who like to pick apart metaphors with a fine tooth comb - there are impressive layers to this poetry.






The poet's passion shines through - there's definite feeling throughout.






There's also the slightly uncomfortable but beautifully powerful sub-text of domestic abuse/violence (I'm not sure whether it was intended or not, but this sub-text is most definitely there - whether a metaphor for something else or not.)






Yes, this is going to be problematic for some people - but the raw feeling involved is undoubtedly something to admire.






















Not so great bits:










The main problem here, to me, was the cohesion of the collection - or the lack thereof.






I was left really uncertain over whether the speaker (the 'voice' of the poem) was meant to be the same in several places.






Likewise, sometimes it felt like the addressee (the person being talked to) of the poem was the same over several separate poems, and then a detail here or there would throw a discordant note into the mix and confuse me.






This was a problem with the collection arrangement, I think, more than the individual poems. The flow was damaged by the sense of same-but-different in the placement of the poems.



































A few poems I didn't like as much of others - but that's a matter of individual preference, and is going to occur in any collection of poems.






Here and there I felt that the images within the poem - though undoubtedly still very vivid - didn't quite gel together into something (and here's that word again) cohesive.






Also, several topics here - specifically the under-tones of abuse and violence - may be distressing to many.






This is a personal thing again - I didn't have a problem with it - but I could completely understand if some of this is too much for some people.





















Verdict:










Look, book, me and you? We had some issues, true. But I think we could make this thing between us work.






What do you say? You up for another round? ;)