thelonelycastle's review
this is just amanda lovelace's poetry but with a horror theme instead of a fairytale theme
grimondgalgmod's review against another edition
5.0
In the afterward Donna Lynch one-ups Kafka's statement that literature "must be the ax for the frozen sea within us" by explaining that a good poem "can be an ax right to the torso."
I only wish I had more torsos to be axed.
I only wish I had more torsos to be axed.
blutrippe's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first take on horror poetry and dear God did I love it...
I guess I'm addicted now!
I guess I'm addicted now!
stranger_sights's review against another edition
5.0
You can read my full review (and others) at https://mediadrome.wordpress.com/
Honestly, every single entry in this book is my favorite. It’s about possession, and terror, murder, mental illness, and creeping dread – the kind of stuff that takes root inside you and then continues to grow and fester. These poems are so good. They skirt the line between external and internal horrors – what’s “real” versus “just in your head.”
You should definitely read this.
Honestly, every single entry in this book is my favorite. It’s about possession, and terror, murder, mental illness, and creeping dread – the kind of stuff that takes root inside you and then continues to grow and fester. These poems are so good. They skirt the line between external and internal horrors – what’s “real” versus “just in your head.”
You should definitely read this.
cryptidocculist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
arnzen's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a lot of Lynch's poetry over the years, and in my mind this is her best book yet! There's something quite earnest about the messages here which avoid the trite trappings of horror in order to dig her poetic fingers a little more deeply into the gristle (just like on the cover art) and get at the truth beneath what they often mask. Her lyrical voice is omnipresent, while keeping the lines simple and ordinary enough to keep the messages clear. The supernatural appeal of her Witches collection is still here in traces, but this book feels more emotionally raw (and therefore more rich). Lynch does not obfuscate by stirring around words you'd only find in a thesaurus: she keeps it real, and the language is honest, and these poems usually end with a zinger that makes you want to re-read them again and sit awhile with the ideas she's exposed. My kind of book.
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
5.0
Demons come in many forms
Some with teeth and some with horns
But none so vicious as the hordes
That came to be when you were born.
Two of the literary genres I will never stop reaching for — in fact, they were the two genres I cut my teeth on as a young reader, so many years ago now — are horror and poetry. The two don't intertwine nearly often enough, but when they do, I need it. I have to say, I think Donna Lynch may be my new favorite modern horror poet, because Choking Back the Devil was absolutely incredible.
You were just there
When the gnawing inside me turned into vicious biting
When the switch flipped and all my lights went out
When I had no choice but to seize the moment
A lot of horror poetry is dark without much bite to it, but that's not the case here at all; if you find yourself easily frightened or squeamish, I wouldn't even hand you a copy of this collection, because it offers up scenes that are downright unsettling. There's body horror and gore coupled with ghost stories and possessions, but most of all, there are endless reminders of the scariest demons of all: the ones living inside our own heads.
You are your own Pandora's Box.
Every ugly thing needs a home, and the space inside your head works nicely.
As someone who has fought my own inner demons for nearly my entire life, there was so much in this collection that both set me on edge and made me feel incredibly and utterly understood. Donna Lynch gets mental illness in a way most writers can't express on page, for better and for worse — as the imagery in some of these poems made me close my eyes, take a deep breath, and steel myself for the next lines. If you're someone who tends to be upset by mentions of self-harm, abuse, suicidal thoughts, or anything along these lines, please proceed with caution. That said, I cannot recommend Choking Back the Devil highly enough, and am already itching to read more of Donna Lynch's incredible words.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!