I loved Cyrus Parker's first book of poetry so was very excited to read masquerade, and it didn't disappoint! These poems about self love, love, identity and family issues truly captivate and let the reader experience his world fully. Many of the poems in this collection spoke to me and I loved every word.

Yet another amazing title from a brilliant poet. A work perfect for people who are looking to get into poetry or those who are tired of the pretense, Parker strips their words down to an emotional level and appeals to poetry readers of all experiences. It is refreshing to be able to pick up a poetry book of this caliber and know one is going on a journey of both the heart and mind. 5/5, I can't wait for the next!

This is my first time reading the poet and it certainly won’t be my last. Masquerade is one of the best poetry collections I’ve read in ages. Every word blew me away. I came out when I was 22 but struggled with my identity and sexuality and sense of self for years and still do sometimes and many of the poems in this collection spoke to me. I love the front cover and the artwork throughout is excellent. This is a collection I could read again and again and never grow tired of, learning and feeling something new each time. Masquerade is astonishing.

A pretty solid collection of poetry. I particularly enjoyed Parker's first collection, so getting my hands on a NetGalley ARC of this one was exciting. I feel like this collection is a little less raw than the first while still managing to be powerful and deeply personal. I will say that I didn't quite connect with some of the major themes as much as I did with the first collection, but even still I found the poetry emotional and compelling.

Get ready to read a new amazing poetry collection by Cyrus Parker about writing; about healing, loving yourself, and becoming self-confident after being abused and hurt; about knowing and accepting yourself. And one of my favourite things is that this second book has been by the author!

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc early.

Cyrus Parker’s first book is one
Of my all time favorite poetry books. This book didn’t disappoint either. Cyrus is talented. His words touch and effect you.

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—

Edgar A. Poe

This was at the start of this beautiful collection. Gender identity is - deservedly! - a hot issue. Please do not be scared away from Masquerade if it is not your issue. It is not exactly mine either (although it is of friends of mine, and from that angle I always want to know more and learn). Even then I recognized many issues of not belonging, not being myself.

It is time to let the mask fall off. I hope Masquerade helps you with that, as much as it helped me.

This was an unflinchingly honest collection. I was curious to read some of Cyrus Parker’s work, as I am a huge fan of his wife’s poetry. My favorite poems from this book are the ones where he writes about his father. You could feel the hurt seeping through the pages, and my heart ached for him. I’m really loving the recent wave of poetry books being published recently.

Wow. Like wow. I am utterly speechless at how amazing this book was. I had to hold back from highlighting and bookmarking and screenshotting every single poem. From poems about self love, identity, love and family issues you will definitely find a poem to relate to. They are all magically written. Parker has a way of captivating you into his world with words. Definitely going to pick up a copy when it is released.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this poetry collection!

Title: Masquerade
Author: Cyrus Parker
Rating: 4 stars
Rep: non-binary author
Trigger/content warnings: right at the start of the book.

Themes: finding yourself and being true to yourself, discovering who you are, abandonment, family, love and relationships, acceptance and identity.
Favourite poems: Misplaced, Normalise, Smokey Eye, Recovery, Nonlinear Equations and October 24, 2017.

Most of the poems centre around the idea of hiding behind a mask and no longer recognising the person you have become and how to fully accept yourself when the world tells you what/who you should be.

Illustrated throughout by the author, these poems were emotional and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys poetry, especially poetry that focuses on the self.

"you were always meant to be your own universe."

Cyrus Parker explores the struggle of being unapologetically yourself in a world that seeks to mold you into a more acceptable image. Pretending to be someone you are not will never change who you ultimately are. Masquerade shows the journey Cyrus went through to accept himself for who he is. This was my first experience with this author's work and I requested this one because I am a fan of the writer's wife, Amanda Lovelace. I definitely look forward to reading more of Cyrus Parker's poems.

This collection is so real, so honest. It went above and beyond my expectations, and each poem touched me. Cyrus is an amazing poem, and I will continue to support their work. The writing is beautiful, and I could not get enough. Highly recommend this to all poetry fans.

I really enjoyed this poetry! It is very well written and the imagery was absolutely amazing! Hopefully I will be able to read more of Cyrus' work in the near future!