Poetry with beautiful imagery and powerful stories. Some of them have a closeness to them, allowing reality to push through the fantastical. There's a nice balance of a lyrical style contrasted with tart modern language.

"my mother calls me into the living room every time there's a disabled performer on reality television" is one gorgeous piece where the poem really punches through into the here and now and will not let you look away.

I almost wish I had the author's note first. It gave some lovely context to the poems that I would have appreciated reading beforehand. (And I, too, have shaved my head in a fit of gender.)

I absolutely loved this collection of poems. I don't always enjoy modern poetry, but these were very moving. I loved them.

3.5 stars

Ennis Rook Bashe's poetry collection looks at disability, trauma, fantasy worlds blending with reality, and pain and suffering. I greatly enjoyed some of the poems in this collection. It's incredibly short, almost too short for my taste, but I loved the author's note they provided at the end about their own trauma and medical experiences.

"I am bone-cutting saw
supposed to be grateful for
the carcass of my life"

Thank you, Interstellar Press, for providing me with a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful meditation on live, disability, love, and the human experience. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I went into this doubting I'd like it as I haven't enjoyed any hybrid of poetry and sci-fi before. But this??? Loved it! I felt well represented by the queer and disability inclusion. Very good stuff.

My only complaint about this book of poetry is that it wasn't longer.

Bashe has a unique way of bringing in sci-fi and fantasy to her poetry to ground disability into something that makes it easier to understand for the reader. The pop culture references, such as to Dungeons & Dragons, are cleverly incorporated so the poems will continue to resonate with readers long after those references lose meaning.

I highly recommend reading this fresh voice in poetry. It is heartbreaking and eye-opening.

Thank to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review 

I enjoyed reading ‘beautiful malady’ it was interesting. 

Rating 4 stars

Stunning! Truly a thought provoking collection with delightful fantastical elements. An overall delight to read.

DNF at 14% 

The writing style was too weird and complex for me. Made it hard to read. Which sucks, because I liked the premise of a poetry book written by a disabled person for disabled people.

I’ve been really trying to slow down and take my time more when reading poetry, but I read Beautiful Malady straight through in one sitting because I was immediately captivated by the writing. These poems are straightforward and accessible, but also filled with beautiful, visceral language that brings to life the reality of living as a disabled person. Ennis Rook Bashe blends ordinary scenarios with elements of fantasy and folklore, and while some of these poems take on very dark subjects, they also work to create a space where disabled and chronically ill bodies not only exist within the realm of fantasy, but can take direct action and claim ownership over their own narratives. It’s also very obviously written towards nerds, which I appreciate.

I loved this poetry collection! I’m always looking for more poetry that offers insight into the queer or chronically ill experience. This one has both, and it was so beautifully done.

I was instantly intrigued by this collection when I saw it on NetGalley. Disability poetry? It's written for me.

If I were reading a physical copy, every line would be annotated, highlighted, underlined. 

Ennis Rook Rashe creates a taste of fantasy amidst the disability rep, using beautiful and fantastical language to highlight the clashing battle that having a disability is for both the person, and the loved ones helping them. 

Rashe speaks the harsh facts of how disabilities can often be romanticised. Many of the poems in the collection explore how media only wants to hear about recovery stories, not the stories of people who cannot recover. To that, they want to be blissfully unaware. They only want happy stories; they want to hide the rest of us.

There's a flavour here for everyone. Whilst my disability experience doesn't line up with the poets (as everyone's experience  is unique), the words still resonated. The poet touches on a number of topics: the struggle, romanticisation through representation, the inevitability through old age.

This author knows how to write in a way that you can really get a glimpse of a experience that not everyone understands. There were moments that I had to highlight and reread because they struck me so. A short and import read.

I'm definitely not the kind of reader for this book because I couldn't feel anything while reading it. The poems felt repetitive and overworked, as if trying too hard to be different and impacting, therefore having the opposite effect. There were some lines I enjoyed and ideas I ground interesting, but I couldn't connect with this book despite wanting to.

"Beautiful Malady" is a poetry book like no other. I've delved into the world of poetry quite extensively, but this collection offered me a unique and enchanting experience. What truly captivated me were the recurrent supernatural and fairy tale themes that wove their way through the verses. 

In a world where difference and disability is often stigmatised or ignored, "Beautiful Malady" presents a refreshing perspective. The poems embrace the idea that having a disability can be a source of beauty, strength, and resilience. It's a sentiment rarely expressed so eloquently in literature, and it resonated deeply with me.

Huge thanks to the publisher for this ARC, what can I say? It was stunning. It was honest, raw and so emotional. The poems almost brought tears to my eyes, as I’m disabled myself, I understand feeling like you’re on a constant rollercoaster with medical stuff. Ennis Rook Bashe’s work is so powerful, it really made me hopeful for change.

A brilliant collection of poetry exploring identity, disability, family and some politics with fantastical and sinister elements.

I was able to read this in one sitting and it really evoked the imagination!

“I want to be an absolute reservoir of death-energy, a walking mausoleum, my own beautiful tomb. I want to be dying for, not dying of.”

I loved everything about this raw, fantasy book of poems. It was emotional and deep. 

The author has a voice that speaks to everyone, not just those who relate to the subject written. It was beautifully dark and kept me wanting more. 

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed the poetry of Ennis Rook Bashe. Will need to find more books by Ennis Rook Bashe. #BeautifulMalady #NetGalley

What a collection ! These poems deal with disability and queerness is a way that is so relatable and timely. Highly recommended.