 While there are definitely themes of war, destruction, death and dystopia, throughout the whole collection is an undercurrent of hope. There is a striving to make a better life for themselves, their loved ones and even for all people. Fans of mythology, folk horror, sci-fi and apocalyptic tales will likely find some poems to love in this book. Thank you to Christina Sng, Erin Al-Mehairi and Raw Dog Screaming Press for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Book Synopsis: This collection is an exploration of the darkness inside us, the shadow-self that screams and begs, forever fighting to claw itself out. It’s a siren song of transformation, an uncovered diary that bleeds fairy tales and dystopias, and it reads like a grimoire full of spells and curses that bring monsters and madmen to life. Between these pages, readers will meet women who hide behind the taste of poison apples, who set themselves on fire, who weep at riverbanks, the taste of freedom too much to swallow, too heavy to bear. They will be whisked away to faraway lands and unimaginable worlds, the drip of fog-soaked dreams a steady flow down their throats while they choke on betrayal and bathe in the waters of tears twice cried. Sng’s poems are a blend of dark fantasy and science fiction, both a changeling’s whisper and an ogre’s cry. They are both subtle and violent, and they weave themes of empowerment and strength through stars and earthquakes, forcing us to push away the rubble and look at what we’ve had to do to survive. They are the sacrifice in the forest and the haunting in the house, every gasp and ancient fear a reflection of the violence we’ve had to bury deep inside ourselves, all those battle cries and reimagined dreams we desperately try to forget. Here, Sng marries blood and magic, forever walking hand-in-hand with scar and ash, their imprints both a nightmare and a blessing, a dream and the truth. Swallow them carefully. Once they’re inside you, there’s no getting them out. My Review: A Collection of Dreamscapes is a fantastic collection, suitable for poetry newbies (kinda like me) or poetry veterans. While there are definitely themes of war, destruction, death and dystopia, throughout the whole collection is an undercurrent of hope. There is a striving to make a better life for themselves, their loved ones and even for all people. Fans of mythology, folk horror, sci-fi and apocalyptic tales will likely find some poems to love in this book. This collection is divided into five sections. The first section, “The Love Song of Allegra,” largely follows warrior Mephala and Margritte, the girl who would be queen to save the world. They fight to conquer the sycophant king and the evil demon queen. This is a great section for readers who love a good battle story filled with action, love and inspiration. My favorite poems in this section were “The King Who Became a Sycophant” and “Lifegiver.” “Fairy Tales” is the next section. And just like it sounds, all of the poems in this section touch on fairy tales you may have heard while growing up. While they’re all well written, this section resonated the least with me out of all of the sections. I’m sure this section would be very much enjoyed by someone who’s really into fairy tales (I’m from the U.S. so I don’t know how regional they are, though I’m sure many fairy tales in the country are fashioned after Grimm and have a wide audience). My favorite poem was “Hansel and Gretel.” The next section, called “All the Monsters in the World,” ties for first place as my favorite with the fourth section of the book. This is when the book gets darker and more sinister. The poems begin talking about monsters and demons that haunt us and chase us. But even with all of the darkness, there is still a feeling of hope. As some of the characters race through the darkness, away from the bad, there is always the hope of a bright future ahead. My favorite poem in this section was “The Haunting” - it was dark and sad, and even creeped me out a bit.  I also absolutely loved the next section, “The Capacity of Violence.” The poems here touch on a variety of evils that humans inflict on one another or on their environment. In some of the poems, the victims get their revenge. In other poems, not so much. I was really moved by some of the poems in this section, as they kept me thinking about them long after I’d read them. My favorites in this section were “Noonwraiths” (a tale of rescue), “One Dark Night” (a tale of escaping an abuser), and “The Tooth Collector” (a tale of vengeance). The final section, “Myths and Dreamscapes,” felt to me like a yearning cry for a better future for all. A lot of them had futuristic themes. Some poems were a little on the lighter, inspirational side; others were delightfully dark. My favorite poems here were “Moonlight in the Playground,” “The Light at the End of the Tunnel,” and Future World. Like I said, I think this is a great poetry collection for people new to poetry and for people who’ve been reading poetry for a while. And while there is a variety of styles and themes throughout the collection that would appeal to many types of people, there is still a welcome sense of cohesion in each section. Overall it was a delightful read. Review by Kimberly Wolkens    the heart and soul of horror review websitesComments are closed.
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